Abstract
The present invention relates to a sheetlike composite comprising, as mutually superposed layers, a) a carrier layer, b) a barrier layer, and c) an inner polymer layer,
wherein the sheetlike composite has a multitude of groove lines arranged and configured such that, by folding the sheetlike composite along the groove lines and joining seam areas of the sheetlike composite thereby obtaining seams, a closed container is obtainable, wherein the closed container has a roof area, wherein a first portion of the groove lines of the multitude of groove lines at least partly forms a circumference of a first part-area of the roof area, wherein the groove lines of the first portion, relative to the first part-area of the roof area, have at least partly convex curvature, wherein the first part-area of the roof area has a first length in a longitudinal direction and has a second length in a circumferential direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction, wherein a ratio of the first length to the second length is in a range from 0.2 to 2.0. The invention further relates to methods of producing a sheetlike composite, a container precursor and a closed container, and to the aforementioned method products; to a further container precursor; to a further closed container; and to a use of the sheetlike composite.
Claims
1. A sheetlike composite comprising, as mutually superposed layers of a layer sequence in a direction from an outer face of the sheetlike composite to an inner face of the sheetlike composite, a) a carrier layer, b) a barrier layer, and c) an inner polymer layer, wherein the sheetlike composite has a multitude of groove lines arranged and configured such that, by folding the sheetlike composite along the groove lines and joining seam areas of the sheetlike composite thereby obtaining seams, a closed container is obtainable, wherein the closed container has a roof area, wherein a first portion of the groove lines of the multitude of groove lines at least partly forms a circumference of a first part-area of the roof area, wherein the groove lines of the first portion, relative to the first part-area of the roof area, have at least partly convex curvature, wherein the first part-area of the roof area has a first length in a longitudinal direction and has a second length in a circumferential direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction, wherein a ratio of the first length to the second length is in a range from 0.2 to 2.0.
2. The sheetlike composite according to claim 1, wherein the sheetlike composite is a blank for production of a single closed container.
3. The sheetlike composite according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer has a hole in the first part-area of the roof area.
4. The sheetlike composite according to claim 3, wherein the hole is covered at least by the barrier layer and the inner polymer layer as hole-covering layers.
5. The sheetlike composite according to claim 3, wherein the first part-area of the roof area has a first surface area, wherein the hole has a further surface area, where a ratio of the first surface area to the further surface area is in a range from 1.0 to 45.0.
6. The sheetlike composite according to claim 1, wherein the sheetlike composite has at least one further part-area of the roof area, wherein the first part-area of the roof area and the at least one further part-area of the roof area are arranged and formed such that they together form the roof area of the closed container in the closed container, wherein the at least one further part-area of the roof area has a third length in the longitudinal direction, wherein the third length is different from the first length.
7. The sheetlike composite according to claim 1, wherein the sheetlike composite has at least one further part-area of the roof area, wherein the first part-area of the roof area and the at least one further part-area of the roof area are arranged and formed such that they together form the roof area of the closed container in the closed container, wherein the at least one further part-area of the roof area has a third length in the longitudinal direction, wherein a ratio of the first length to the third length is in a range from 1.0 to 5.0.
8. A method comprising, as method steps: a) providing a sheetlike composite precursor including a carrier layer; and b) introducing a multitude of groove lines into the sheetlike composite precursor, wherein the groove lines of the multitude of groove lines are introduced such that, by folding a sheetlike composite obtained from the sheetlike composite precursor along the groove lines and joining seam areas of the sheetlike composite thereby obtaining seams, a closed container is obtainable, wherein the closed container has a roof area, wherein a first portion of the groove lines of the multitude of groove lines at least partly forms a circumference of a first part-area of the roof area, wherein the groove lines of the first portion, relative to the first part-area of the roof area, have at least partly convex curvature, wherein the first part-area of the roof area has a first length in a longitudinal direction and has a second length in a circumferential direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction, wherein a ratio of the first length to the second length is in a range from 0.2 to 2.0.
9. A sheetlike composite obtainable by the method according to claim 8.
10. A container precursor comprising the sheetlike composite according to claim 1.
11. A closed container comprising the sheetlike composite according to claim 1.
12. A method comprising, as method steps: a. providing the sheetlike composite according to claim 1, the sheetlike composite comprising a first longitudinal edge and a further longitudinal edge; b. folding the sheetlike composite along groove lines of the multitude of groove lines; and c. contacting and joining the first longitudinal edge to the further longitudinal edge thereby obtaining a longitudinal seam.
13. A container precursor obtainable by the method according to claim 12.
14. A method comprising, as method steps: A) providing the container precursor according to claim 10; B) forming a base region of the container precursor by folding the sheetlike composite along groove lines of the multitude of groove lines; C) closing the base region; D) filling the container precursor with a food or drink product; and E) closing the container precursor in a top region thereby obtaining a closed container.
15. A closed container obtainable by the method according to claim 14.
16. A use of the sheetlike composite according to claim 1 for production of a food or drink product container.
Description
[0165] The figures respectively show, unless stated otherwise in the description or the respective figure, in schematic form and not to scale:
[0166] FIG. 1 a sheetlike composite according to the invention in top view;
[0167] FIG. 2 a container precursor according to the invention in a top view of the front side;
[0168] FIG. 3 the container precursor according to the invention from FIG. 2 in a top view of the reverse side;
[0169] FIG. 4 the container precursor according to the invention from FIG. 2 after folding up;
[0170] FIG. 5 a closed container according to the invention,
[0171] FIG. 6 a detail of a sheetlike composite according to the invention in a cross section;
[0172] FIG. 7 a flow diagram of a method according to the invention for producing a sheetlike composite;
[0173] FIG. 8 a flow diagram of a method according to the invention for producing a container precursor;
[0174] FIG. 9 a flow diagram of a method according to the invention for producing a closed container;
[0175] FIG. 10 a photograph of the pull-off device of the measurement device for determination of the adhesion of opening aids to containers;
[0176] FIG. 11 a photograph of the pull-off device of the measurement device secured to an opening aid of a noninventive container for determination of the adhesion of opening aids to containers; and
[0177] FIG. 12 a photograph of the measurement device for determination of the adhesion of opening aid to containers.
[0178] FIG. 1 shows a sheetlike composite 100 according to the invention in top view. The sheetlike composite 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a blank for production of a single closed container 500. The sheetlike composite 100 is a laminate having, in a direction from an outer face 101 of the sheetlike composite 100 to an inner face 401 (not visible in FIG. 1), the layer structure shown in FIG. 6. In addition, the sheetlike composite 100 has a multitude of groove lines 102. The groove lines 102 are arranged and configured such that, by folding the sheetlike composite 100 along the groove lines 102 and joining seam areas 103 of the sheetlike composite 100 thereby obtaining seams, a closed container 500 is obtainable. This closed container 500 has a roof area 507 (see FIG. 5). This roof area 507 is formed by a first part-area 106 of the roof area 507 and by 2 further part-areas 112 of the roof area 507. The roof area 507 bounds the upright container 500 at the top. A first portion of the groove lines 104 of the multitude of groove lines 102 forms a circumference of the first part-area 106 of the roof area 507. The groove lines 104 of the first portion, relative to the first pan-area 106 of the roof area 507, have partly convex curvature (groove line sections 105). As a result, the corners of the first part-area 106 are rounded, as can be seen in FIG. 1. The first part-area 106 of the roof area 507 has a first length (L.sub.1) 107 in a longitudinal direction 109 and has a second length (L.sub.2) 108 in a circumferential direction 110 at right angles to the longitudinal direction 109. The two further part-areas 112 each have a third length (L.sub.3) 113 in the longitudinal direction 109. A ratio of the first length 107 to the second length 108 is 0.72. A ratio of the first length 107 to the third length 113 is 1.92. The layer construction of the laminate especially includes a carrier layer 603 made of a cardboard material. This carrier layer 603, in the first part-area 106 of the roof area 507, has a circular hole 111 having a diameter of 22 mm. The hole 111 in the carrier layer 603 is covered by an outer polymer layer 602, a polymer interlayer 604, a barrier layer 605 and an inner polymer layer 606 as hole-covering layers. The hole-covering layers form a membrane that spans the hole 111, since they are joined to one another in the region of the hole 111. The first part-area 106 has a first surface area and the hole 111 a further surface area. A ratio of the first surface area to the further surface area is 4.4. The first part-area 106 of the roof area 507 is arranged in the circumferential direction 110 between two groups each of three triangular areas 114 bounded by groove lines 102 of the multitude of groove lines 102. In addition, the sheetlike composite 100 has 4 longitudinal grooves 117, 118, each of which run from an upper edge of the composite 100 down to a lower edge of the composite 100 in FIG. 1, 2 of these 4 longitudinal grooves (longitudinal grooves 118) each include 2 bifurcations between which the respective longitudinal groove 118 takes the form of 2 parallel groove lines running parallel to one another. These two longitudinal grooves 118, in the closed container 500 to be produced from the sheetlike composite 100, form 2 rear longitudinal edges 506 which are not rounded but flattened. The two other longitudinal grooves 117 (shown in FIG. 1 as dash-and-dot lines) serve for production of a container precursor 200 from the sheetlike composite 100. For this purpose, the sheetlike composite 100 is folded along the two aforementioned longitudinal grooves 117 such that the further longitudinal edge 116 comes to rest on a seam area 103 at the first longitudinal edge 115. This seam area 103 is then sealed to the further longitudinal edge 116 so as to form a shell-like structure as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. However, the two aforementioned longitudinal grooves 117 do not form longitudinal edges in the closed container 500. Instead, these two longitudinal grooves 117 in the container 500 lie on lateral wall faces of the container 500. The container 500 includes, as can be seen in FIG. 5, 2 rounded front longitudinal edges 505, along which the composite 100 is bent, but not folded, in circumferential direction 110. The bending here results from the convex curvature of the groove lines 105 of the first portion.
[0179] FIG. 2 shows a container precursor 200 according to the invention in a top view of its front side. The container precursor 200 was produced from the sheetlike composite 100 of FIG. 1. Here, the sheetlike composite 100 is folded along the two longitudinal grooves 117 shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1 (folds 201). In addition, the first longitudinal edge 115 and the further longitudinal edge 116 are sealed to one another in seam areas 103, such that they form a longitudinal seam 301 which is on a reverse side of the container precursor 200, i.e. cannot be seen in FIG. 2. The container precursor 200 can be seen in FIG. 2 in a flat-folded state after the sealing of the longitudinal seam 301.
[0180] FIG. 3 shows the container precursor according to the invention from FIG. 2 in a top view of its reverse side. Here, the longitudinal seam 301 already described for FIG. 2 can be seen. Along this longitudinal seam 301, the two further part-areas 112 of the roof area 507 are joined and joined to one another. The dotted line shown in FIG. 3 indicates the first longitudinal edge 115 which is now on the inside and hence concealed, and the seam area 103 along which the first longitudinal edge 115 is joined to the further longitudinal edge 116.
[0181] FIG. 4 shows the container precursor according to the invention from FIG. 2 after folding up. Looking into the container precursor 200, it is possible to see the inner face 401 of the sheetlike composite 100. The two longitudinal grooves 117 shown by dash-and-dot lines, along which the composite was folded flat in FIGS. 2 and 3 (folds 201), are now on wall faces of the container precursor 200 and do not form longitudinal edges. Along the two other longitudinal grooves 118, longitudinal folds have formed as a result of the shaping up, and so longitudinal edges 506 have been formed. As a result of the bifurcations present in the longitudinal grooves 118, these longitudinal edges 506 contain flattened regions. The longitudinal edges 505 that point downward in FIG. 4 are not formed by folds between a top region 503 and a base region 504, but rounded. As a result, the container precursor 200, as indicated in FIG. 4, already has a slight constriction which makes the container 500 more easily grippable, such that it lies better in the hand and, especially after water condensation has formed on the outer face 101, slides less easily out of the hand.
[0182] FIG. 5 shows a closed container 500 according to the invention which has been obtained from the container precursor 200 from FIG. 4 in a filling machine. The container 500 includes an opening aid 501 which is joined to the roof area 507 and has a lid. In the interior, the opening aid 501 includes a cutting ring for cutting through the hole-covering layers in the region of the hole 111. The cutting-open occurs automatically when the lid is opened by rotation on a screw thread. In the top region 503, the container 500 is closed by means of a fin seam 502 formed by 2 seam areas 103 sealed to one another by means of ultrasound. Along the fin seam 502, the further part-areas 112 and the first part-area 106 are put together and joined to one another to form the roof area 507. In this context, the fin seam 502 itself does not form part of the roof area 507. In the base region 504 too, the container 500 is closed. The base region 504 was closed by hot air sealing. Also visible in FIG. 5 are rounded longitudinal edges 505 which, pointing downward in FIG. 4, were essentially covered. The non-rounded but flattened longitudinal edges 506 point toward the back in FIG. 5. What is also apparent from FIG. 5 is the terminology of the circumferential direction 110, which is indicated here by a dash-and-dot line.
[0183] FIG. 6 shows a detail of a sheetlike composite 100 according to the invention in a cross section. In this context, FIG. 6 shows the layer structure of the sheetlike composite 100 of FIGS. 1 to 5. Accordingly, the sheetlike composite 100 consists of the following adjoining layers of a layer sequence in a direction from the outer face 101 of the sheetlike composite 100 to the inner face 401 of the sheetlike composite 100: a colour application 601, an outer polymer layer 602 of LDPE 19N430 from Ineos GmbH, Cologne, Germany in a basis weight of 15 g/m.sup.2; a carrier layer 603 composed of a cardboard Stora Enso Natura T Duplex with double coating slip, a Scott Bond value of 200 J/m.sup.2 and a basis weight of 210 g/m.sup.2; a polymer interlayer 604 of LDPE 23L430 from Ineos GmbH, Cologne, Germany with a basis weight of 20 g/m.sup.2; a barrier layer 605 of an EN AW 8079 aluminium foil from Hydro Aluminium Deutschland GmbH with a thickness of 6 m; and an inner polymer layer 606 of LDPE 19N430 from Ineos GmbH, Cologne, Germany in a basis weight of 40 g/m.sup.2.
[0184] FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method 700 according to the invention for production of a sheetlike composite 100. The method 700 comprises a method step a) 701: providing a sheetlike composite precursor including, as mutually superposed layers of a layer sequence in a direction from an outer face of the sheetlike composite precursor to an inner face of the sheetlike composite precursor: a colour application 601, an outer polymer layer 602, a carrier layer 603, a polymer interlayer 604, a barrier layer 605 and an inner polymer layer 606. In this case, the composite precursor is provided in the form of roll material. In a method step b) 702, the multitude of groove lines 102 shown in FIG. 1 is introduced as a repeating groove line pattern in multiple instances alongside one another into the sheetlike composite precursor. The groove lines 102 of the multitude of groove lines 102 are introduced here in the form of an introduction of a multitude of linear depressions on the outer face of the sheetlike composite precursor. For this purpose, the sheetlike composite precursor is contacted on the outer face and simultaneously on the inner face with a grooving tool. In this process, linear regions of the sheetlike composite precursor on the inner face are indented into recesses in the grooving tool. Thus, the linear depressions are obtained in the form of linear material displacements which on the inner face constitute bulges of the sheetlike composite precursor. Subsequently, the sheetlike composite precursor is cut to size to form a multitude of blanks for production of single closed containers 500, where each blank contains exactly one instance of the multitude of grooves 102 according to FIG. 1, such that the sheetlike composite 100 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.
[0185] FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of a method 800 according to the invention for production of the container precursor 200 from FIGS. 2 and 3. In a method step a 801, the sheetlike composite 100 from FIG. 1 is provided. This can be effected by the method 700 of FIG. 7. In a method step b. 802, the sheetlike composite is folded along groove lines 102 of the multitude of groove lines 102 such that the folds 201 of FIG. 2 are obtained. In a method step c 803, the composite 100 is further folded along the folds 201, such that the first longitudinal edge 115 and the further longitudinal edge 116 come to rest against one another along a seam area 103. Further, the first longitudinal edge 115 and the further longitudinal edge 116 are sealed to one another, so as to give rise to a longitudinal seam 301 as can be seen in FIG. 3.
[0186] FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of a method 900 according to the invention for production of the closed container 500 from FIG. 5. In a method step A) 901, the container precursor 200 according to FIG. 4 is provided. In a method step B) 902, a base region 504 of the container precursor 200 is shaped by folding the sheetlike composite 100 along groove lines 102 of the multitude of groove lines 102 provided in the base region 504, and hence a base of the container precursor 200 is formed. This base is closed by hot air sealing in a method step C) 903. Subsequently, the container precursor 200 is sterilized from the inside by rinsing with hydrogen peroxide. In a method step D) 904, the container precursor 200 is filled via the still-open top region 503 with a liquid food or drink product. In a subsequent method step D) 904, the top region 503 is closed by ultrasound sealing and hence the roof area 507 is also obtained by forming a fin seam 502. In a method step F) 905, the first part-area 106 of the roof area 507 of the closed container 500 is joined to an opening aid 501 by adhesive bonding. Thus, the closed container 500 in FIG. 5 is obtained.
[0187] FIG. 10 shows a photograph of the pull-off device 1000 of the measurement device 1200 for determination of the adhesion of opening aids 501 to containers. The pull-off device 1000 is an arm having two articulated joints and, at one end, a clamping ring 1002 to accommodate the opening aid 501 which can be fixed in the clamping ring 1002 with an Inbus screw 1001.
[0188] FIG. 11 shows a photograph of the pull-off device 1000 of the measurement device 1200 secured to an opening aid 501 of a noninventive container 1101 for determination of the adhesion of opening aids 501 to containers. The opening aid 501 of the container 1101 is fixed here in the clamping ring 1002 by means of the Inbus screw 1001.
[0189] FIG. 12 shows a photograph of the measurement device 1200 for determination of the adhesion of opening aids 501 to containers. What can be seen is a noninventive container 1101, at one end of which is secured, as shown in FIG. 11, the pull-off device 1000. The other end of the pull-off device 1000 is secured to the measurement unit 1202. The opening aid 501 is pulled by a vertical lifting movement of the pneumatic cylinder 1201, which can be adjusted by means of the manometer 1203 and the hand lever 1206. The resulting force can be read off from the measurement unit 1202. The pull-off device 1000 deflects the lifting movement and transmits the force to the opening aid 501. When pulling on the opening aid 501, the container 1101 is kept in position by means of a fixing unit 1204.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0190] 100 Sheetlike composite according to the invention [0191] 101 Outer face [0192] 102 Groove of the multitude of grooves [0193] 103 Seam area [0194] 104 Grooves of the first portion of the multitude of grooves [0195] 105 Convex-curved part of a groove [0196] 106 First part-area of the roof area [0197] 107 First length L.sub.1 [0198] 108 Second length L.sub.2 [0199] 109 Longitudinal direction [0200] 110 Circumferential direction [0201] 111 Hole [0202] 112 Further part-area of the roof area [0203] 113 Third length L.sub.3 [0204] 114 Triangular area bounded by groove lines of the multitude of groove lines [0205] 115 First longitudinal edge [0206] 116 Further longitudinal edge [0207] 117 Longitudinal groove from which no longitudinal edge is formed [0208] 118 Longitudinal groove from which a flattened longitudinal edge is formed [0209] 200 Container precursor according to the invention [0210] 201 Fold [0211] 301 Longitudinal seam [0212] 401 Inner face [0213] 500 Closed container according to the invention [0214] 501 Opening aid with lid [0215] 502 Fin seam [0216] 503 Top region [0217] 504 Base region [0218] 505 Rounded longitudinal edge [0219] 506 Non-rounded longitudinal edge [0220] 507 Roof area [0221] 601 Colour application [0222] 602 Outer polymer layer [0223] 603 Carrier layer [0224] 604 Polymer interlayer [0225] 605 Barrier layer [0226] 606 Inner polymer layer [0227] 700 Method according to the invention for production of a sheetlike composite [0228] 701 Method step a) [0229] 702 Method step b) [0230] 703 Method step c) [0231] 704 Method step d) [0232] 800 Method according to the invention for producing a container precursor [0233] 801 Method step a. [0234] 802 Method step b. [0235] 803 Method step c. [0236] 900 Method according to the invention for producing a closed container [0237] 901 Method step A) [0238] 902 Method step B) [0239] 903 Method step C) [0240] 904 Method step D) [0241] 905 Method step E) [0242] 1000 Pull-off device [0243] 1001 Inbus screw [0244] 1002 Clamping ring [0245] 1101 Noninventive container [0246] 1200 Measurement device for measuring the adhesion of opening aids [0247] 1201 Pneumatic cylinder [0248] 1202 Measurement unit [0249] 1203 Manometer [0250] 1204 Fixing unit [0251] 1205 Hand lever
