Paperboard packaging container for bulk solids

Abstract

A paperboard packaging container for bulk solids includes a container body formed by a container wall having wall portions, and a container bottom. The wall portions are connected by corner portions and each wall portion extends in a height direction from a lower end edge at the container bottom to an upper end edge at a container opening, the height direction being perpendicular to a cross direction of the container. An upper reinforcing rim is applied to the container opening. Each of the upper and lower end edge of the container wall has end edge portions corresponding to the wall portions. At least one edge portion has an outwardly curved shape and a radius of curvature larger than a radius of curvature of each corner edge portion, the at least one end edge portion bulges outwardly with a radius of curvature of 200-700 mm, preferably 300-600 mm, more preferably 400-500 mm.

Claims

1. A paperboard packaging container for bulk solids, said container comprising: a container body formed by a container wall and a container bottom, said container wall extending in a height direction of said container and having a maximum height from a lower end edge at said container bottom to a terminal upper end edge at a container opening, said height direction being perpendicular to a cross direction of said container, an upper reinforcing rim being applied to said upper end edge of said container wall; a bottom disc positioned at the lower end edge of the container body; and a bottom rim applied to an inner surface of the container body and positioned between the bottom disc and the lower end edge, the bottom rim configured to reinforce the lower end edge of the container body and to delimit a downwardly open space between the bottom disc and a bottom edge of the packaging container, wherein each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes an edge portion corresponding to a wall portion, said edge portion of said container wall and said corresponding wall portion having an outwardly curved shape and having a radius of curvature of 300-600 mm.

2. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said container wall includes at least two wall portions.

3. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 2, wherein said container wall includes a front wall portion, a rear wall portion and two side wall portions and each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes a front end edge portion, a rear end edge portion, two side end edge portions corresponding to said wall portions.

4. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 3, wherein said front wall portion has a radius of curvature of 70-150 mm, said container body having a generally D-shaped cross-section.

5. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein at least one said wall portion is connected to another wall portion by a curved corner portion of said container wall, a radius of curvature of said curved corner portion being smaller than a radius of curvature of said wall portions being connected by said curved corner portion.

6. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 5, wherein said curved corner portion has a radius of curvature of 5-60 mm.

7. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 5, wherein said curved corner portion has a radius of curvature of 10-40 mm.

8. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 5, wherein said curved corner portion has a radius of curvature of 15-30 mm.

9. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes two wall end edge portions and two corresponding wall portions having an outwardly curved shape, wherein said two wall end edge portions and said two corresponding wall portions are opposing wall end edge portions and wall portions.

10. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes two wall end edge portions and two corresponding wall portions having an outwardly curved shape, wherein said two wall end edge portions and said two corresponding wall portions are outwardly bulging with the same radii of curvature.

11. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein all container body wall portions have the same radii of curvature.

12. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, further comprising an inner peelable or openable sealing membrane forming a cross-sectional seal between an inner compartment in the container body and the container opening.

13. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, further comprising an openable and closable lid, such as a hinged lid, said lid being arranged to cover said container opening and being arranged to engage with said upper reinforcing rim to form a closure on said container.

14. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said container is a container for pulverulent or granulated food-stuff.

15. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said container is a container for tobacco.

16. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said edge portion of said container wall has a radius of curvature between 400-500 mm.

17. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes two wall end edge portions and two corresponding wall portions having an outwardly curved shape and having a radius of curvature of 300-600 mm.

18. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein each of said upper and lower end edge of said container wall includes two wall end edge portions and two corresponding wall portions having an outwardly curved shape and having a radius of curvature of 400-500 mm.

19. The paperboard packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said container wall has an outer surface intersecting and terminating at said terminal upper end edge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a packaging container according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 1A shows the container body of the packaging container in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 2 shows the packaging container in FIG. 1 in an assembled state and with the lid in an open configuration; and

(5) FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of a container body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components, such as layers of material are not necessarily drawn to scale. The cuboid packaging container and the container bodies 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 appended claims.

(7) With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a paperboard packaging container 1 for pourable or scoopable bulk solids.

(8) A height direction H of a packaging container as disclosed herein is the vertical direction of the packaging container when standing with its bottom placed on a horizontal surface. Accordingly, the height direction H is perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

(9) The packaging container 1 comprises a container body 2 formed by a tubular container wall 3 including a front wall portion 3, a rear wall portion 4 and two side wall portions 5, 6. The container wall portions 3, 4, 5, 6 extend from a container bottom 7 to a container opening 8 in a height direction H of the packaging container 1. The container walls 3, 4, 5, 6 have an inner surface facing towards an inner compartment 11 in the packaging container 1 and an outer surface facing away from the inner compartment 11 and being exposed to the exterior of the packaging container 1. A bottom disc 9 is positioned at the bottom edge 7 of the container body 2. The container body 2 is made from paperboard material as defined herein. As disclosed herein, the container body 2 may be formed by bringing together the side edges of a web of paperboard causing the material to assume a tubular shape, where after the side edges are sealed together. Sealing of the side edges may be made by any suitable method as known in the art, such as by welding or gluing, with welding being preferred. Sealing of the side edges of the container body web may involve using a sealing strip, as known in the art. The bottom disc 9 may be made from paperboard, metal, plastic, or from any suitable combination of such materials as known in the art.

(10) The front wall portion 3 is curved with a radius of curvature of 120 mm, while the rear wall portion 4 is curved with a radius of curvature of 400 mm. The side wall portions 5 and 6 are shown to be planar. The corner portions adjacent to the front wall portion 3 have a radius of curvature of 25 mm, while the other two corner portions have a radius of curvature of 20 mm. Other curvatures of the wall portions and the corner portions may be selected as set out herein. As may be seen in FIGS. 1, 1A and 2, the container body 2, thus, has a generally D-shaped cross-section. As set out herein, a packaging container having a container body with a D-shaped cross-section provide advantages both with regard to the stability and crush resistance of the packaging container and with regard to the display function.

(11) The bottom edge 7 of the container body is reinforced by a plastic bottom rim 10 which is applied to the inner surface of the container body 2, between the bottom disc 9 and the container body bottom edge 7 and which has an outwardly directed flange 12 which covers the container body bottom edge 7 and forms a bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1. The bottom rim 10 reinforces the container body paperboard bottom edge 7, stabilizes the shape of the container body 2 and protects the container body bottom edge 7 from mechanical deformation. The plastic bottom rim 10 also serves as a protective barrier against water and other fluids which may be present on a surface on which the packaging container is placed. The bottom rim 10 delimits a downwardly open space between the bottom disc 9 and the bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1 which may be used to accommodate stacking elements arranged at an upper end of another packaging container when stacking two or more packaging containers on top of each other. Further, the bottom rim 10 ensures that the wall portions 3, 4, 5, and 6 are curved in a desired and controlled manner, such that the optimal radius of curvature is maintained even if the container body is subjected to impacts or other forces that may occur during normal handling of the container, i.e. if the container is dropped or squeezed during shipping or use.

(12) As an alternative to a plastic bottom rim 10, the bottom edge 7 of the packaging container may be formed by a rolled edge of the paperboard container body, or may be provided with a simple, non-rolled join between the bottom disc 9 and the container body 2.

(13) The paperboard packaging container 1 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with a closure arrangement comprising a lid 14 and an upper reinforcing rim 15 extending along the container body opening edge 8 and defining a perimeter of a container access opening which is smaller than the container body opening 8 which is defined by the upper edge 8 of the container body 2.

(14) The upper reinforcing rim 15 is preferably a plastic rim, most preferably a thermoplastic rim and is attached to the inner surface of the container body wall at the container body opening 8. The upper reinforcing rim 15 has an extension in the height direction, H, of the container 1 and has a lower rim part 16 with a lower rim edge 17 facing towards the container bottom 7 and an upper rim part 18 with an upper rim edge 19 facing away from the container bottom 7. The upper reinforcing rim 15 extends around the full periphery of the container body opening 8. The upper rim part 18 protrudes upwards in the height direction, H, above the container body opening edge 5, whereby the upper edge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 is arranged above the container body opening edge 8 in the height direction, H, of the packaging container 1. Analogous to the function of the bottom rim 10, the upper reinforcing rim 15 ensures that the wall portions 3, 4, 5, and 6 are curved in a desired and controlled manner, such that the optimal radius of curvature is maintained even if the container body is subjected to impacts or other forces that may occur during a normal handling, i.e. if the container is dropped, squeezed or otherwise deformed during shipping or use.

(15) The lid 14 is formed from an outer lid part 14a and an inner lid part 14b. The outer lid part 14a is a profiled part with a three-dimensional shape providing an upper outer surface 25 of the lid 14. As is shown in FIG. 1, the outer lid part 14a has an inner surface 26 comprising a pattern of reinforcing ribs 27. The inner lid part 14b is a planar disk. The inner lid part 14b has an inner lid surface 24 which faces towards the bottom disc 9 when the lid 14 is closed on the container access opening 35.

(16) The outer lid part 14a is connected by a hinge 29 to a frame structure 30, the lid 14 and the frame structure 30 together forming a lid component 31. The hinge 29 is a live hinge, formed integrally with the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30 as a flexible connection between the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30. As set out herein, the illustrated hinge is only intended as a non-limiting example and it should be understood that any other type of functional hinge may be used for the connection between the frame structure and the lid. Moreover, the lid may be of the removable kind, without any permanent connection to the frame structure.

(17) The frame structure 30 is applied to the packaging container at the container body opening edge 8 and is mechanically attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by a snap-on connection. The frame structure 30 is attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 after the reinforcing rim 15 has been welded to the inner surface 7 of the paperboard container wall 3. The frame structure 30 is applied to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by pressing the frame structure 30 down over the upper edge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 until the frame structure 30 locks in place on the upper reinforcing rim 15 by means of mating snap-in features on the upper reinforcing rim 15 and the frame structure 30. When the frame structure 30 has been attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15, it can only be removed again by breaking or damaging the snap-in connection between the rim 15 and the frame structure 30.

(18) It is to be understood that the two-part rim and frame structure construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are optional to the invention, and that the packaging container may instead be provided with a simple one-part upper rim, as known in the art. A one-part rim may be directly connected with a lid by means of an integrated hinge or a two-part hinge or may be arranged to cooperate with a completely removable lid to close the container.

(19) The interior compartment 11 is sealed with a fully or partly removable sealing membrane 33 which is applied over the packaged goods 34 and which is sealed to the container body wall 3. The removable sealing membrane 33 may be attached to the container wall either from the top end of the container body 2 or from the bottom end of the container body 2. In order to gain a first access to the packaged goods, a user needs to open the lid 14 and expose the packaged goods 34 by fully or partly removing the sealing membrane 33. The sealing membrane 33 may be arranged to be peeled away from the wall 3 of the container body 2 or may be arranged with means for breaking the membrane 33 so that it can be at least partly removed from the opening 8. Such means may be in the form of one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane. When the membrane is of the tear-open type, a narrow edge part of the sealing membrane may be left at the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3. Any such remaining part of the sealing membrane should preferably not be so large so that it extends into the access opening which is defined by the inner perimeter of the upper reinforcing rim. Accordingly, it may be preferred that a remaining membrane part has an extension perpendicular to the height direction H of the packaging container of at most 7 millimeters such as 1-6 millimeters, 2-5 millimeters or 3-4 millimeters. It may be preferred that the inward extension of a remaining membrane part is 4 millimeters or less. The sealing membrane 33 is an optional feature of the disclosed packaging container 1 and may be omitted.

(20) Once the sealing membrane 33 has been removed, it is sufficient to open the lid 14 in order to gain access to the packaged goods 34 in the interior compartment 11 through the access opening 35. As is seen in FIG. 2, which reveals the inside of the upper reinforcing rim 15, the area of the access opening 35 is defined by an inner perimeter 28 or inner contour of the upper reinforcing rim 15. As the upper reinforcing rim 15 is applied on the inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 and adds thickness to the body wall in an inward direction, the area of the access opening 35 is always smaller than the area of the container body opening 6. The upper reinforcing rim 15 which is shown in FIG. 2 has a combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 which extends across a corner portion of the reinforcing rim 15. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 is provided with a scraping edge 41 for scraping off excess scooped-up contents from a scoop or spoon 44 and an opening 42 constituting a first scoop fastening element for receiving and holding a second scoop fastening element in the form of a hook element 43 on the spoon 44.

(21) When the packaging container 1 is open, a desired quantity of the packaged goods 34 may be removed from the packaging container 1 through the access opening 35 by means of the scoop 44. The scoop may preferably be provided together with the packaging container 1. The scoop 44 may initially be placed on the sealing membrane 33, if present, may be removably attached to the inner lid surface 26 or may be attached to the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40.

(22) The second scoop fastening element 43 on the scoop 44 is arranged to cooperate with the first scoop fastening element 42 on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40, whereby the scoop 44 may be attached to the reinforcing rim 15 such that the handle 50 on the scoop 44 is prevented from falling down into the contents in the packaging container compartment 11 between dispensing occasions. Users find it more appealing and hygienic to be able to remove the scoop from the container without having to dig it out from the remaining contents in the packaging container. A further advantage with combining the holding function with a scraper function, is that the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 intrudes minimally on the open area of the access opening 35. Accordingly, even if provided with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 as disclosed herein, the packaging container has a large access opening with an opening edge without any portion of the edge being curved or inwardly in the plane of the access opening or having any edge portion forming an inwardly directed protrusion from the container body edge. A regularly shaped access opening edge without any protruding features that may obstruct the access opening greatly facilitates removal of the contents from the packaging container by scooping and also by pouring.

(23) The access opening 35 may have an opening area which is from 85% to 99% of the opening area of the container body opening 8, such as from 90% to 98% of the container body opening area or from 94% to 97% of the container body opening area.

(24) A tight closure between the lid 14 and the container body 2 is provided by a first abutment surface 51 on the upper rim edge 19 and a corresponding second abutment surface 52 arranged on the inner lid surface 24. The first abutment surface 51 on the upper reinforcing rim 15 is arranged to abut against the second abutment surface 52 on the lid 14 when the lid is in the closed position on the container access opening 35 and to form a seal between the upper reinforcing rim 15 and the lid 14.

(25) In order to keep the lid 14 secured in the closed position between dispensing occasions, the closure arrangement of the packaging container 1 may further comprise a locking arrangement 45. The locking arrangement 45 may comprise mating locking elements 45a, 45b. A male locking element 45a is arranged on the lid 14 and a female locking element 45b is arranged on the frame structure 30. The male locking element 45a is constituted by one or more protrusions, such as one or more knobs or ribs arranged on a locking flap 46 and the female locking element 45b is constituted by one or more corresponding cavities or grooves arranged on the frame structure 30. The locking arrangement 45 is preferably designed such that it exerts a force on the connection between the lid 2 and the upper rim edge 19 by pressing the first and second abutment surfaces 51, 52 together.

(26) FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative shape of the container body 102. The front wall portion 103 and the rear wall portion 104 of the container body 102 depicted in FIG. 3 have a radius of curvature of 400 mm. As may be seen in FIG. 3, the front wall portion 103 and the rear wall portion 104 have a relatively large radius of curvature and are near planar as defined herein. These wall portions are perceived as being planar by an unaided human eye. The side wall portions 105 and 106 of the container body 102 are also curved, having a radius of curvature of 200 mm, i.e. the side wall portions 105 and 106 are slightly more outwardly bulging compared to the front wall portion 103 and the rear wall portion 104 but are still perceived as being planar by an unaided human eye. As mentioned above, the radius of curvature of the wall portions of the container body according to the present invention is a compromise between stability and pack efficiency of the packaging containers. While it is advantageous to provide the wall portion of the container body with a slight curvature in order to provide the wall portions with additional stability and crush resistance, a too small radius of curvature may impair space efficiency of the packaging containers when the packaging containers are shipped or stored.

(27) A container body shape as shown in FIG. 3 offers a cuboid packaging container having high stability and crush resistance as well as space efficient transport and storage properties.