Method for treating the open cut edges of packaging material for the production of cardboard/plastics composite packaging and a packaging material, a composite packaging produced therefrom and a container for receiving packaging material

Abstract

A method for treating open cut edges of a packaging sleeve, blank or web material of a packaging material rolled up into a roll, in particular a composite cardboard/plastics material, by applying or introducing a disinfectant-containing treatment agent to or into the outer region of the cut edges. To provide a particularly resource-efficient composite packaging and a production method required for this purpose, it is proposed that at least some of the treatment agent is not applied directly to the cut edges, but that a load carrier is loaded, which load carrier absorbs the treatment agent so that an actively sterilising atmosphere which is created then acts on the open cut edges of the packaging sleeve, blank or web material and performs the desired sterilisation. The invention also relates to a packaging material, to a combipack produced therefrom and to a container for receiving the packaging material.

Claims

1. A method for treating open cut edges of a packaging sleeve, blank or rolled web material of a packaging material, comprising: applying a treatment agent containing a disinfectant to an outer region of the cut edges, wherein at least some of the treatment agent is not applied directly to the cut edges; loading a load carrier, wherein the load carrier absorbs the treatment agent, so that an actively sterilising atmosphere is created; wherein the actively sterilising atmosphere acts on the open cut edges of the packaging sleeve, blank or web material and performs a sterilisation.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising indirectly transferring at least some of the treatment agent by evaporation and subsequent absorption in the open cut edges.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising separating the actively sterilising atmosphere from surroundings by a container.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising wetting at least parts of the container, in particular parts of an inside, with the treatment agent, and using the parts as the load carrier.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising inserting carrier elements into the container, and using the carrier element as the load carrier.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising loading the load carrier with the treatment agent before the container is closed.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising loading the load carrier with the treatment agent after the container is closed.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using a treatment agent which contains a dye, and discoloring treated regions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A is a plan view of a blank for beverage cartons,

(2) FIG. 1B shows a flat-folded packaging sleeve, produced from a blank according to FIG. 1A,

(3) FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a covering box for receiving a plurality of packaging sleeves with upwardly open cardboard flaps,

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an upwardly open covering box with flat-folded packaging sleeves located therein,

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an upwardly open covering box with flat-folded packaging sleeves located therein,

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an upwardly open covering box with flat-folded packaging sleeves located therein,

(7) FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of a container,

(8) FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a container for receiving a roll of packaging material, and

(9) FIG. 8 is a detail view of a corner of a container with a carrier element fastened inside.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(10) FIG. 1A shows a blank B which is produced from a composite laminate and has three zones 1, 2, 3 at the top, bottom and on its right side for the later seam production and is also provided with a plurality of crease and fold lines 4 which facilitate the later folding up of the finished beverage carton and of which only a few have been provided with reference numeral 4 in FIG. 1A. On the top of the blank B, a round perforation P has been provided as a weakened zone for a pouring element (not shown) which is to be applied.

(11) FIG. 1B shows a packaging sleeve S, produced from a blank B according to FIG. 1A, said blank B having been joined in its seam region 3 to form a sheath by sealing a longitudinal seam 6 and having been folded flat to form a packaging sleeve S. The blank is folded flat simply because the packaging sleeves S are usually produced in another location compared to the subsequent further processing to produce beverage packagings, which processing is carried out in filling plants in different locations. For this purpose, a plurality of flat-folded packaging sleeves S is packed, standing upright, in so-called covering boxes 7 and is transported to the respective plants. The residence time of the packaging sleeves S in the covering boxes 7 up until they are opened directly in front of the filling machine is generally significantly longer than three days.

(12) The invention has now recognised not to directly expose the open packaging edges, which are a problem in view of contamination, anymore at the top and bottom of the packaging sleeves S to a disinfectant, but to expose them in such way that at least some of the disinfectant-containing treatment agent is applied to a carrier element so that the actively sterilising atmosphere which is created then acts on the open cut edges and performs the desired sterilisation of the peripheral regions 5 of the edges or of the annular regions 5 of the packaging sleeves S. A covering box 7 of corrugated board can preferably be used as the carrier element, in which covering box the top and bottom flaps 8A and 8B, 8A and 8B are wetted on the inside of the cardboard with a treatment agent, more specifically in the region of the arrows in FIG. 2 which are not designated in more detail.

(13) In this manner, created in the closed covering box 7 is an actively sterilising atmosphere in which the treatment agent can penetrate the open cut edges of the packaging sleeves S, or in which the cardboard material, located in the peripheral region or in a perforation at the open cut edges, is induced to absorb the treatment agent. There, the disinfectant penetrates to such an extent (a few millimetres) into the cardboard material that an adequate sterilisation is achieved.

(14) However, it is also possible that the treatment agent is not applied directly to the surface of the covering box 7 but is introduced there by means of a carrier element or a load carrier. For this purpose, for example strips 9, as shown in FIG. 3, consisting of adhesive tape, felt or other suitable materials can be affixed to the inside of the covering box 7 or can just be placed in the lower region of the covering box 7. It has been found that a full-surface wetting is not absolutely necessary to achieve a satisfactory saturation of the atmosphere with disinfectant.

(15) FIG. 4 shows that it is also possible to place an insert sheet 10 into the covering box 7 (at the top and/or bottom), said insert sheet 10 having been wetted with the required amount of treatment agent over its entire surface or just over a part thereof.

(16) FIG. 5 shows that it is also possible to provide an insert sheet 11 with strip-shaped load carriers 12, which sheet 11 is then turned over and placed on the upper open cut edges of the packaging sleeves S before the covering box 7 is closed. Of course, it is also possible to place a correspondingly prepared insert sheet on the bottom of the covering box 7 before the packaging sleeves S are introduced into said box 7 in order to also disinfect the lower open cut edges of the packaging sleeves S.

(17) It can be seen in FIG. 6 that the upright, flat-folded packaging sleeves S can also be transported in an outer packaging made of a plastics material. The figure clearly shows in a vertical sectional view a plastics container 13, on which a matching lid 14 has been placed. Inserted into the headspace of this outer packaging 7 is a prepared insert sheet 11 which serves as a load carrier, to achieve the necessary sterile atmosphere. To provide a better closure, the open transitions between container 13 and lid 14 can also be closed with adhesive tape.

(18) It has not been shown that a plurality of upright, flat-folded packaging sleeves can be enclosed not by a fixed outer packaging, but by a shrink film, for example, in which case an appropriate insert of carrier material is previously introduced into the region of the open cut edges in order to carry out the desired sterilisation there.

(19) FIG. 7 shows that it is also possible to treat a roll R of a composite packaging material, wound up onto a holder T, on its open edges by the method according to the invention. This is particularly advantageous when the roll width corresponds exactly to the packing height, because then the two circular areas of the roll consist almost over the entire surface of open cut edges. For this purpose, in the illustrated embodiment which is preferred in this respect, the roll R is enclosed by a two-part shrink cap consisting of a relatively small cap part 15 and a relatively large cap part 16, adapted thereto. It can also be seen here that insert sheets 11 are present in the region of the open cut edges to create the desired sterile atmosphere. Of course, it is also possible where the packaging of roll materials is concerned to package them in shrink film after they have been provided with load carriers 11, as previously described.

(20) FIG. 8 shows on the example of the upper left-hand corner of the container from FIG. 6 that it is also possible to introduce as load carrier a slightly more voluminous strip 17 of felt material or the like and, in this case, the strip 17 can also be loaded with treatment agent after the container has been closed. For this purpose, a wall of the container is pierced by a needle and, in this manner, the internal strip 17 is saturated with the required amount of treatment agent in order to adequately sterilise the open cut edges of the ready packed, flat-folded packaging sleeves S. For this purpose, the container can have a channel-prepared opening 18. It is also possible to provide further strips 17 as load carriers in the headspace of the container, if required.