Transport Closure, A Packaging Container Comprising The Transport Closure And A Method For Removing The Transport Closure From the Packaging Container

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a transport closure (1) for use in a packaging container (10) for bulk solids. The transport closure includes a laminate of a first layer (2) and a second layer (3). The first layer (2) is delimited by a first layer peripheral edge (4) and the second layer (3) is delimited by a second layer peripheral edge (5). The second layer (3) comprises or consists of a weldable material and the first layer (2) has higher tear strength than the second layer (2). The first layer (3) is provided with a weakening line (6) defining a pull-tab (7) in the first layer (3) and having a first and a second base point (6a,6b). The base points (6a,6b) are arranged at a base end (7b) of the pull-tab (7), opposite to a gripping end (7a) of the pull-tab (7).

Claims

1. A transport closure for use in a packaging container for bulk solids, said transport closure comprising or consisting of a laminate of a first layer and a second layer, said first layer being delimited by a first layer peripheral edge, said second layer being delimited by a second layer peripheral edge, said second layer comprising or consisting of a weldable material and said first layer having a higher tear strength than said second layer; wherein said first layer is provided with a weakening line defining a pull-tab in said first layer and having a first and a second base point, said base points being arranged at a base end of said pull-tab, opposite to a gripping end of said pull-tab, and at a distance d1 and d2 respectively, of from 1 to 30 mm from said first peripheral edge, wherein said weakening line forms one or both of a first and second weakening line leg extending from said one or both of the first and said second base point, respectively, and alongside with said first layer peripheral edge and that said second layer peripheral edge extends beyond said first layer peripheral edge around the perimeter of said transport closure forming a transport closure welding collar.

2. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said first layer is a paperboard layer, a metal disc, a plastic disc or a laminate thereof.

3. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said first layer has a thickness of from 5 to 2000 m or from 20-500 m.

4. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said second layer comprises or consist of a plastic film or a metal foil, such as Aluminum foil.

5. The transport closure according to claim 1, characterized in that said second layer has a thickness from 2 m to 500 m such as from 5 to 100 m.

6. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said first layer has a stiffness that is greater than said second layer.

7. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said second layer peripheral edge extends beyond said first layer peripheral edge by a distance of from 1 to 25-, such as from 2 to 10 mm.

8. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said first and second base points at said base end are arranged at a distance from each other of each least 3 mm, such as from 8 to 25 mm.

9. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said first layer comprises a corner portion and that said pull-tab is arranged in said corner portion.

10. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said distances d1 and d2 for said first and said second base point respectively, of said weakening line each are arranged no more than 10 mm from said first layer peripheral edge.

11. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein said pull-tab has a V-shape, O-shape, U-shape or a modified U-shape.

12. The transport closure according to claim 1, wherein a first push-in area is defined in or by said first layer and that said push-in area is provided at said gripping end of said pull-tab.

13. A packaging container for bulk solids being closed by the transport closure of claim 1, said container comprising a tubular container body with a top end with a top opening and a bottom end with a bottom opening comprising a container bottom, said container body having an inner surface facing towards an inner compartment in said packaging container and an outer surface facing away from said inner compartment, said packaging container being closed at said top opening by said transport closure said welding collar being welded to said inner surface of said container body.

14. A method for removing the transport closure from said packaging container according to claim 13, the method comprising the steps of: a) gripping said pull-tab at said gripping end; b) pulling said pull-tab along said weakening line and towards said base end and said first layer peripheral edge; c) lifting said pull-tab slightly upwards until said second layer breaks and detaches from said inner surface of said container body; and d) pulling said pull-tab upwards and backwards from said base end such that said second layer breaks and detaches from said inner surface at said welding seal and along said one or both of a first and second weakening line leg along the peripheral edges of said first layer until said transport closure is removed from said top opening and leaving less than 0.5 mm of said second layer extending into said top opening of said container body.

15. The method for removing a transport closure from a packaging container according to claim 14, the method further comprising the step of: a1) applying pressure at a first push-in area defined in or by said first layer and provided at said gripping end of said pull-tab and thereby inclining said gripping end away from the transport closure to define a gap under said gripping end.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIGS. 1a-1d illustrate embodiments of a transport closure according to the present disclosure;

[0044] FIGS. 2a-2b illustrate a packaging container comprising a transport closure according to the present disclosure, and;

[0045] FIGS. 2c-2e illustrate steps for removing a transport closure from a packaging container according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components, such as layers of materials are not necessarily drawn to scale. The transport closures and the packaging containers shown in the figures are provided as examples only and should not be considered limiting to the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is determined solely by the scope of the appended claims.

[0047] FIGS. 1a-d illustrate transport closures for use in a paperboard packaging container for bulk solids according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. The particular shape of the transport closure 1 shown in the figures should not be considered limiting to the invention. Accordingly, a transport closure produced according to the invention may have any useful shape or size, such as circular, rectangular (including square) or any useful polygonal shape. It is to be understood that the polygonal shapes as implied herein are modified polygonal shapes having rounded corner portions.

[0048] Furthermore, the transport closures shown in the Figs. have first and second layers with identical shapes, only differing in size resulting in a welding collar having uniform width around the peripheral edge of the first layer. It is to be understood that although such embodiments are generally preferred, embodiments where the width of the welding collar varies along the peripheral edge of the first layer may also be useful. By way of example, the welding collar may have a greater width at the corner portions of a transport closure, to provide more weldable material for ensuring a tight seal at the corner. In some applications, such as when the radius of curvature of the corner portion is small, it may instead be desirable that the welding collar has a smaller width at the corner portions, to avoid creation of wrinkles when welding the transport seal to a container wall.

[0049] FIG. 1a illustrates the first layer 2 and the second layer 3 prior to lamination and formation of a transport closure 1. The transport closure 1 comprises or consists of a laminate of the first layer 2 and the second layer, as illustrated in FIG. 1b. The first layer 2 is delimited by a first layer peripheral edge 4 and the second layer 3 is delimited by a second layer peripheral edge 5. The first layer 2 has an essentially triangular shape with side edges 13 and three rounded corner portions 12, and the second layer 3 has the same shape as the first layer 2. As further illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the second layer peripheral edge 5 extends beyond the first layer peripheral edge 4, forming a transport closure welding collar 8. Thus, the second layer 3 has a larger surface area than the first layer 2. The second layer 3 comprises or consists of a weldable material and the first layer 2 has higher tear strength and preferably also a higher stiffness than the second layer 3. The first layer 2 is provided with a weakening line 6 defining a pull-tab 7 in the first layer 2. The pull-tab 7 which has a modified U-shape, has a gripping end 7a and a base end 7b. The weakening line 6 comprises two base points 6a,6b arranged at the base end 7b of the pull-tab 7, at the points along the part of the weakening line forming the pull-tab 7 contour which are arranged at the shortest distance from the first layer peripheral edge 4. The first base point 6a is arranged at a distance d1 from the first layer peripheral edge 4 and the second base point 6b is arranged at a distance d2 from the first layer peripheral edge 4. The distance between the first base point 6a and the second base point 6b may be 3 mm or more, such as from 8 mm to 25 mm.

[0050] The weakening line 6 is additionally formed such as to provide a first and a second weakening line leg 20a,20b extending from the first and the second pull-tab base ends 6a,6b respectively and parallel with the first layer peripheral edge 4. The weakening line legs 20a,20b each end with an inwards bend 20. The inwardly curved bend 20 supports correct breaking and tearing along the first layer peripheral edges 4 and prevents tearing in an undesired direction.

[0051] FIG. 1c illustrates a transport closure 1 similar to the transport closure 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1a-b, but is additionally provided with a first push-in area 9 defined in the first layer 2. The first push-in area 9 is formed by the absence of the first layer material 2 in an area at the gripping end 7a of the pull-tab 7 and has been formed by punching out an area of the first layer 2 prior to lamination to the second layer 3. Other ways of identifying the first push-in area 9 may be by printing or embossing or any other suitable means, as set out herein which may provide instructions to the consumer to apply pressure at the first push-in area 9 so that the gripping end 7a is inclined away from the transport closure 1 and a gap is formed under the gripping end 7a facilitating grasping of the pull-tab 7.

[0052] FIG. 1d illustrates a further transport closure 1 according to the present disclosure. The transport closure 1 is a laminate of the first layer 2 and the second layer. The first layer 2 is delimited by a first layer peripheral edge 4 and the second layer 3 is delimited by a second layer peripheral edge 5. The first layer 2 has an essentially triangular shape with side edges 13 and three rounded corner portions 12. It should however be noted that the transport closure 1 and each of the first and the second layers 2,3 may have other shapes such as for example round, oval, square, square with rounded edges, rectangular and rectangular with rounded edges, as set out herein. In FIG. 1d, the second layer 3 has the same shape as the first layer 2. The second layer peripheral edge 5 extends beyond the first layer peripheral edge 4, forming a transport closure welding collar 8. It is however not necessary that the first and second layers have the same shape, as long as the second layer peripheral edge 5 extends beyond the first layer peripheral edge 4, forming a transport closure welding collar 8. The second layer 3 comprises or consists of a weldable material, such as al foil or a plastic film, and the first layer 2 has higher tear strength and a higher stiffness than the second layer 3. The first layer 2 may for example be made of a paperboard material. The first layer 2 is provided with a weakening line 6 defining a pull-tab 7 in the first layer 2. The pull-tab 7 has a modified U-shape with a slight curve at one side of the base end 7b. The pull-tab has a gripping end 7a, opposite to the base end 7b.

[0053] The weakening line 6 comprises two base points 6a,6b arranged at the base end 7b at the points along the part of the weakening line forming the pull-tab 7 contour which are arranged at the shortest distance from the first layer peripheral edge 4. The first base point 6a is arranged at a distance d1 from the first layer peripheral edge 4 and the second base point 6b is arranged at a distance d2 from the first layer peripheral edge 4. The second base point 6b is arranged closer to the first peripheral edge 4 than the first base point 6a.

[0054] The weakening line 6 is additionally formed such as to provide a first weakening line leg 20a extending from the first pull-tab base ends 6a and parallel with the first layer peripheral edge 4. The weakening line leg 20a ends with an inwards bend 20. The inwards bend 20 supports correct breaking and tearing along the first layer peripheral edges 4 and prevents tearing in an undesired direction.

[0055] The transport closure 1 is also provided with a first push-in area 9 defined in the first layer 2 in connection with the gripping end 7a of the pull-tab 7. As in the transport closure shown in FIG. 1c, the first push-in area 9 is formed by the absence of the first layer material 2 in an area at the gripping end 7a of the pull-tab 7 and has been formed by punching out an area of the first layer 2 prior to lamination to the second layer 3. As set out herein, the first push-in area 9 may be indicated by any suitable indication means.

[0056] FIG. 2a illustrates a packaging container 10 for bulk solids provided with a transport closure 1. The container 10 comprises a tubular container body 14 extending between a top end 15 and a bottom end 17. The top end 15 has a top opening 16, and the bottom end 17 has a bottom opening comprising a container bottom. The container body 14 has an inner surface 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2b, facing towards an inner compartment in the packaging container 10 and an outer surface 21 facing away from the inner compartment. The packaging container 10 is closed at the top opening 16 by a removable transport closure 1. The transport closure is attached in the packaging container by welding the welding collar 8 to the inner surface 20 of the container body 14. The packaging container may optionally comprise a lid or a lid component as known in the art. It may be preferred that the packaging container comprises a lid component with a hinge-lid as disclosed in WO 2016/126191 A1 or a lid as disclosed in non-published application PCT/SE2017/050378. A further useful hinge-lid construction is disclosed in WO2005/075314 A1.

[0057] A lid component may include a lid and a rim or frame which is applied along the edge of the top opening 16. The reinforcing rim is preferably a plastic rim, most preferably a thermoplastic rim and is attached to the container body wall at the container top opening 16 either directly by welding or gluing or indirectly by being mechanically attached to another rim-structure which is directly attached to the container wall att the container opening.

[0058] FIG. 2b is a cross-sectional view of the packaging container according to FIG. 2a. As shown the in FIG. 2b, the second layer 3 welding collar 8 is flexed towards the top end 15 of the packaging container 10 in a longitudinal direction. The welding collar 8 is attached to the inner surface 18 of the packaging container 10 by a welding joint. The welding collar 8 may of course be flexed towards the bottom end 17 as well.

[0059] FIGS. 2c-e illustrate a method of removing the transport closure 1 from the packaging container 10. In FIG. 2c, the consumer starts removal of the transport closure by gripping the pull-tab at the gripping end 7a. In order to facilitate grasping of the gripping end 7a, the consumer may apply pressure at the first push-in area 9 defined in the first layer 2 and provided in connection to the gripping end 7a of the pull-tab. In this way, the gripping end 7a is inclined away from the transport closure 1, defining a gap under the gripping end.

[0060] The first push-in area 9 may for example be formed by a cut-out in the first layer 2, or by printing or embossing in the area to provide instructions to the consumer to apply pressure in this area for inclining the gripping end 7a upwardly. The consumer subsequently pulls the pull-tab 7 along the weakening line (6) to separate the pull-tab from the first layer 2 and towards the base end 7b and the first layer peripheral edge 4.

[0061] In FIG. 2d, the pull-tab 7 is pulled slightly upwards and towards the base end 7b and the first layer peripheral edge 4, and FIG. 2e is an illustration of the pressure resulting at the base end 7a of the pull-tab 7 and when the pull-tab 7 is pulled forward and upwards. As illustrated in this figure, the gripping end 7a will push the base end 7b of the pull-tab 7 inwardly at a second push-in area 11 defined in the second layer 3 at the first layer peripheral edge 4 and thereby break the second layer 3 initiate a crack propagation along the first layer peripheral edges 4.

[0062] In FIG. 2d-e, the removal of the transport layer 1 from the packaging container 10 is shown. Upon pulling the pull-tab 7 upwards and backwards from the base end 7b the second layer 3 breaks and detaches from the inner surface 20 at the welding seal along the peripheral edges 4 of the first layer 2 until said transport closure 1 is completely detached from the packaging container 10 and leaving a residual edge of the welding collar 8 having a width of less than 0.5 mm extending into the top opening 16 of the container body 14. The first layer 2 is attached to the second layer 3 along a joint, formed by adhesive or welding, extending in parallel with the first layer peripheral edges 4, such as for example at a distance of from 1 to 10 mm from the first layer peripheral edges 4. The attachment between the first and the second layer 2,3 may be reinforced at the base end 7b of the pull-tab 7. When pulling the pull-tab 7 upwards and backwards from the base end 7b the weakening line legs 20a,20b separate the first layer 2 from the second layer 3 upon removal of the transport closure. The force required to break the second layer 3 and remove the transport closure will be thereby be reduced. Therefore, only breaking and pulling of the material between the first layer peripheral edges and the weakening line leg(s) upon removal of the transport closure is required for complete removal of the transport closure