PACKAGING

Abstract

A method of packaging a product within a bag includes the step of providing for at least one product security element to be present on or within the bag, in a region of where the bag will be sealed. The method also includes the steps of filling the bag with the product, and subsequently sealing the bag, using heat sealing apparatus, whereby the seal thus formed passes through at least a portion of the at least one product security element, thereby permanently heat sealing the product security element to the bag.

Claims

1. A method of packaging a product within a bag, the method including the steps of: (a) providing for at least one product security element to be present on or within the bag, in a region of where the bag will be sealed, (b) filling the bag with the product, and (c) subsequently forming a seal and sealing the bag using a heat sealing apparatus, wherein the seal passes through at least a portion of the at least one product security element, thereby permanently heat sealing the product security element to the bag.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product security element is provided on the inside of the bag.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product security element is provided on the outside of the bag.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) is carried out before step (a).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bag is a plastic bag.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the plastic bag comprises two or more laminates of plastic material, and the at least one product security element is incorporated within the laminates of the plastic material.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the seal passes through the whole of the at least one product security element.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one product security element is an Optically Variable Device (OVD).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bag comprises one or more substrates.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the one or more substrates includes aluminium foil.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the one or more substrates includes paper.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product is a food product or a pharmaceutical product.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product is milk powder.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bag is filled with 25 kg of the product.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the heat sealing apparatus includes heated bars which come together under pressure to form the seal, and thus seal the bag.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the heat sealing apparatus is a RF heat sealer.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the bag comprises four OVD's, and wherein the seal passes through at least a portion of at least two of said OVD's.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bag is further provided with an RFID tag.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bag is further provided with a barcode.

20. A bag containing a packaged product therein, said product being packaged within the bag according to the method of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] The description of a preferred form of the invention to be provided herein, with reference to the accompanying drawing, is given purely by way of example and is not to be taken in any way as limiting the scope or extent of the invention.

[0072] FIG. 1: is a view of a bag packaged according to one possible embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0073] FIG. 2: is a view of a bag formed and packaged according to another possible embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0074] FIG. 3: is a flow chart illustrating the steps involved in the bulk packaging of milk powder, utilizing either of the bags illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and

[0075] FIG. 4: is a view of a bag packaged according to another possible embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0076] Having regard to FIG. 1, there is shown a bag packaged according to one possible embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] The bag 1 is the inner plastic bag used for the bulk packaging of milk powder 30, and it is designed to hold 25 kg of milk powder 30.

[0078] The inner plastic bag 1 would usually sit within an outer paper bag comprising one or more plies of a paper material—but for convenience of illustration only, the outer paper layers are not shown. In use, the inner plastic bag 1 is designed to be filled with milk powder 30 and the outer paper bag is designed to provide a covering for the inner plastic bag 1 during storage and/or transportation etc.

[0079] Such bags used for the bulk packaging of milk powder are well known within the dairy industry, and several examples may be referenced in NZ Patent Nos. 183617 and 242034.

[0080] It is also envisaged however that the bag 1 may be utilized on its own, that is, without being housed within a paper outer bag.

[0081] Generally speaking, most inner plastic inner bags 1 of the type illustrated are made up from anywhere between 1-12+ laminates of an extruded plastics material(s), for example polyethylene. As a general rule of thumb, the plastic bag 1 should include at least 5 layers of extruded plastics materials in order to provide the bag 1 with the required carrying strength and/or to render the bag substantially or wholly gas impermeable.

[0082] Alternatively or additionally, the bag 1 may include one or more specific plastic(s) layers designed to render the bag 1 gas impermeable. An example of such a plastics material would be an EVOH polymer.

[0083] The film comprising the bag 1 is formed from a blown film extrusion process. Such a process will be well known by those skilled in the art and it is not intended therefore to describe this process in any great detail herein.

[0084] The film formed by the blown film extrusion process is subsequently converted into the bag 1 by known conversion processes. Examples of suitable conversion machinery for the purposes of bag making are those manufactured by Windmoeller and Hoelscher of Germany (especially for the dairy industry) and Totani Corporation of Japan.

[0085] The bag 1 is thus formed by heat sealing the plastic film along two sides to produce the side seals 2, 3 and also heat sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom seal 4. The top of the bag 5 is left open and the formed bags may then be shipped to the end user—in this case to the dairy factory which will be packaging the milk powder 30.

[0086] A product security means is applied to the outside of the upper part of the bag 1 prior to the bag 1 being filled with milk powder 30. In the embodiment shown the product security means is an OVD indicated by arrow 6. The OVD is attached to the bag 1 by the use of known hot stamping methods, and it is applied to the bag 1 in the region of where the bag 1 will be subsequently sealed.

[0087] The OVD 6 is of a type manufactured and marketed by Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG, of Germany, under its brand name TRUSTSEAL®.

[0088] Examples of other types of product security means and/or OVD's that may be used with the present invention include those which Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG describe under the following headings in its promotional literature: [0089] 1 Diffractive Black [0090] 2 CONTRUST® [0091] 3 Lens Variation [0092] 4 Advanced Hidden Feature [0093] 5 Nano Image Screen [0094] 6 Optically Variable Devices [0095] 7 TRUSTCODE® [0096] 8 HOLONETICS®

[0097] Such product security means are advantageous because they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to successfully imitate or reproduce.

[0098] After the OVD 6 has been applied to the bag 1, the bag 1 may then proceed to a filling station where the bag 1 may be filled with milk powder 30.

[0099] Once the bag 1 has been filled, it may then be sealed using heat sealing apparatus (not shown). The heat sealing apparatus may preferably be in the form of two heated bars which come together under pressure on both sides of the bag 1 to thus seal the bag 1 and create the seal 7. Such heat sealing apparatus will be well known to those skilled in the art, and examples of suitable heat sealing apparatus are those manufactured by our company, Technopak Limited of Auckland, New Zealand.

[0100] In an alternative embodiment, it is envisaged that the bag 1 could be filled prior to the OVD 6 being applied to the bag 1, however it may generally be easier to apply the OVD 6 to an empty bag 1 rather than to a bag 1 that has already been filled with milk powder 30.

[0101] The seal 7 passes through a portion of the OVD 6, which serves to essentially permanently heat-seal or weld the OVD 6 to the bag 1, whereby the OVD 6 (or at least the portion of the OVD 6 which has the seal 7 passing through it) may be considered to have become part of the bag 1.

[0102] This serves to provide an additional level of adherence of the OVD 6 to the bag 1—over and above the adherence provided by the adhesive used for applying the OVD 6 to the bag 1.

[0103] One advantage of permanently heat sealing (or heat welding) the OVD 6 to the bag 1 in this fashion is that it means that the OVD 6 is not able to be removed from the bag 1, for example by the use of adhesive-removing solvents. This is because the solvents would not have the ability to break the heat-seal between the OVD 6 and the bag 1.

[0104] Furthermore, if the OVD 6 were cut from the bag 1, the OVD 6 could not easily be reused in an unauthorized fashion (for example, by applying the OVD to a bag containing counterfeit or tampered product). This is because the heat-seal 7 which passes through the OVD 6 leaves a physical impression in the OVD 6, which would be noticeable if the OVD 6 were reused. Furthermore, it would be difficult to re-adhere the removed OVD 6 to another bag because the adhesive must be applied, in part, to the plastic film (which would still be welded to the back of the OVD 6 if it was cut out).

[0105] Hence, the invention is an improvement over existing tamper evident means and product security means, because the OVD 6 not only provides validation of the authenticity of the packaged milk powder 30, but because the OVD 6 is permanently heat sealed to the bag 1, it also provides a tamper evident means for both itself and the packaged product as a whole. Moreover, by heat sealing the OVD 6 to the bag 1, there is no need to provide a separate tamper evident means, as is often the case. This has savings in cost as well as packaging speed and efficiency.

[0106] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the methodology of the present invention may be incorporated within a packaging line for the packaging of 25 kg bags of milk powder 30. The optional vacuum forming step may utilize the vacuum forming technology described in NZ Patent No. 531014. An example of a packaging line or packaging machinery that utilizes the various steps illustrated in FIG. 3 is that manufactured by Technopak Limited of Auckland, New Zealand.

[0107] FIG. 2 is a view of another plastic bag 8 which is also formed by blown film extrusion processes, and which is also designed for packaging 25 kg lots of milk powder 30. However, the bag 8 includes a greater number of OVD's, than the bag 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, and furthermore, there are also differences in when the OVD's are applied.

[0108] The bag 8 has four OVD's applied to it. There are two OVD's 9, 10 added to the bottom corners of the bag 8, and two OVD's 11, 12 added towards the top of the bag 8. The OVD's 11, 12 are situated in the region of where the bag 8 is to be subsequently sealed.

[0109] The lower OVD's 9, 10 are applied to the film comprising the bag 8 prior to the bag 8 being formed. Hence, the lower OVD's 9, 10 are subsequently heat sealed to the bag 8 when the side seals 13, 14 and bottom seal 15 are formed during the bag making (or conversion) process.

[0110] During the conversion process each bag 8 is formed by heat sealing the plastic film along two sides to produce the side seals 13, 14 and also heat sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom seal 15. It may be seen from FIG. 2 that the heat seals 13 and 15 both pass through the OVD 9 and that the heat seals 14 and 15 both pass through the OVD 10. Hence both OVD's 9, 10 are essentially heat sealed or heat welded to the bag 8—in substantially the same fashion (and with the same advantages) as the OVD 6 illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0111] The top of the bag 8 is left open and the formed bags 8 may then be shipped to the end user—in this case to the dairy factory which will be packaging the milk powder 30.

[0112] The bags 8 may then be filled with milk powder 30 and the bag 8 sealed using heat sealing apparatus (as previously referenced) to form the top seal 25. The top seal 25 passes through a portion of the OVD 11 and the OVD 12. Hence both OVD's 11, 12 are permanently heat sealed or heat welded to the bag 8—in substantially the same fashion (and with the same advantages) as the OVD 6 illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0113] The bag 8 also includes an RFID tag (not shown) and a unique identifier in the form of a barcode 26. The RFID tag and barcode 26 are applied to the bag 8 after the bag 8 has been sealed (see FIG. 3).

[0114] The OVD's 9, 10, 11 and 12 are of a type manufactured and marketed by Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG, of Germany, under its brand name TRUSTSEAL®.

[0115] Having more than one OVD device secured to the bag 8 further enhances product security and also further protects the milk powder 30 from being tampered with.

[0116] FIG. 4 illustrates a bag packaged according to another possible embodiment of the invention. The bag 40 is a plastic bag used for the secure packaging of pharmaceutical products 50.

[0117] The bag 40 is a plastic bag made up of laminates of plastic film formed by blown film extrusion processes. The bag 40 may preferably be comprised of between five to twelve laminates of plastic film.

[0118] Incorporated within the laminates of the plastic bag 40 is a product security means in the form of an OVD 45. The OVD 45 is of a type manufactured and marketed by Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG, of Germany, under its brand name TRUSTSEAL®. The OVD 45 is incorporated within the laminates of plastic film when the laminates of plastic film are laminated together to form the plastic material which will subsequently be converted into the plastic bag 40.

[0119] As compared to the OVD 6 illustrated in FIG. 1 (which is substantially square and quite large in area), the OVD 45 is substantially elongate and much smaller in area.

[0120] The bag 40 is formed by heat sealing the laminated plastic material along two sides to produce the side seals 41, 42, and also heat sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom seal 43. The top of the bag 44 is left open and the formed bags 40 may then be shipped to the end user—where the product 50 may be packaged therein.

[0121] Once the bag 40 has been filled, it may then be sealed using heat sealing apparatus (as described previously). As can be seen from FIG. 4, the seal 46 passes through the whole of the OVD 45, (which serves to permanently heat-seal the OVD 45 to, or within, the bag 40). Or in other words, the entirety of the OVD 45 is encompassed within the area defined by the heat seal 46.

[0122] The OVD 45 is unable to be accessed or tampered with (after the bag 40 has been sealed) without destroying the integrity of the bag 40. This is due to the fact that the OVD 45 is encompassed within the laminates of the bag 40 and because the OVD 45 has essentially been heat-welded within the bag 40 during the heat sealing process.

[0123] It will be appreciated that the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 could alternatively be formed by having the OVD 6 applied to the inside of the bag 1 or by incorporating the OVD 6 within the laminates of the bag 1—prior to the sealing of the bag 1. Likewise, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 could alternatively be formed by having the OVD 45 applied to the inside or the outside of the bag 40—prior to the sealing of the bag 40.

[0124] The invention is advantageous because it allows for a product security means to be permanently heat sealed or heat-welded to, or within, a bag. This provides the bag with both an effective tamper evident means (for ensuring the packaging has not been tampered with) and an impregnable product security means.

[0125] Whilst the invention has been predominantly described in relation to the packaging of food or pharmaceutical products, it is envisaged that the invention may also have other uses in the packaging industry. For example, the invention would also be effective when used in relation to plastic packaging for forensic evidence or electronic equipment, and/or for plastic packaging containing important documents or money.

[0126] While the embodiments described above are currently preferred, it will be appreciated that a wide range of other variations might also be made within the general spirit and scope of the invention and/or as defined by the appended claims.