Composite pack having an elliptical laminated hole, a cardboard/plastic composite material, a blank made from this, and a pouring element for use with such a composite pack

Abstract

The invention illustrates and describes a composite pack, in particular a parallelepipedal cardboard/plastic composite pack for pourable products, having an elliptical laminated hole which is provided in the composite pack gable, with an elliptical main axis and an elliptical minor axis, and a pouring element, comprising a basic body, a cutting element movably guided in the basic body and having the shape of a hollow cylinder with a cylinder outer diameter and a resealable screw cap, wherein the screw cap serves for opening the composite pack for the first time by activation of the cutting element, which thus forms a pouring opening in the region of the laminated hole and wherein first guidance means configured on the cutting element interact with second guidance means configured on the basic body. In order to create the largest possible outflow diameter, while maintaining an already existing variant of a laminated hole, or in order to optimise the system of laminated hole and cutting element below its normal limits, it is provided that the cylinder external diameter is at least as big as the length of the elliptical minor axis. This leads to the side wall of the hollow cylinder-shaped cutting element extending the laminated hole at least in sections.

Claims

1. A cardboard/plastic composite pack having an elliptical laminated hole which is provided in a composite pack gable, with an elliptical main axis and an elliptical minor axis and a pouring element, comprising a basic body, a cutting element movably guided in the basic body and having the shape of a hollow cylinder with a cylinder external diameter and a resealable screw cap, the cutting element separates the laminated hole and a portion of the composite pack, wherein the screw cap serves for opening the composite pack for the first time by activation of the cutting element, which thus forms a pouring opening in the region of the laminated hole and wherein first guidance means configured on the cutting element interact with second guidance means configured on the basic body, wherein the cylinder external diameter is bigger than the length of the elliptical minor axis; and wherein the first guidance means are configured as a first thread and the second guidance means as a second thread and the first thread has an interrupted configuration in a bottom region of the first thread.

2. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein lengths of the elliptical main axis and of the elliptical minor axis correspond and the laminated hole thus has a circular design.

3. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the cutting element for first-time opening of the composite pack is designed to be movable on a screw thread-shaped track.

4. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the cutting element for first-time opening of the composite pack is designed to be movable on a track with different pitches.

5. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the first guidance means is configured in a lower region of the cutting element, the lower region facing the laminated hole with a smaller height than a remaining region.

6. The composite pack according to claim 5, wherein in the state of an opened composite pack, the lower region of the cutting element is below the laminated hole and inside the composite pack.

7. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the first and second guidance means are designed as a combination of individual guide walls and/or individual cams.

8. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the heights of thread sections in the lower region of the cutting element are configured to slope at the front in an opening direction of rotation, wherein the threaded sections are in the interrupted configuration of the first thread.

9. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the second thread is designed as thread sections and/or cams.

10. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the pouring element and the laminated hole are arranged eccentrically, so that even if the cylindrical external diameter corresponds precisely to the length of the elliptical minor axis, when opening for the first time the cutting element lies at least partially outside the laminated hole.

11. The composite pack according to claim 1, wherein the cutting element is made from impact-modified polystyrene.

12. A cardboard/plastic composite material having at least one cardboard carrier layer and at least one plastic material top layer, with incorporated creases for forming pack edges, for the production of cardboard/plastic composite packs as part of composite packs according to claim 1.

13. A blank made from cardboard/plastic composite material with creases incorporated in the material for forming pack edges, wherein the blank is configured with a size of a composite pack, for the production of a cardboard/plastic composite pack as part of a composite pack according to claim 1.

14. A pouring element with a basic body, a cutting element movably guided therein and a screw cap, for use as part of a composite pack according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is described below using a drawing showing just one preferred exemplary embodiment. The drawing shows as follows:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B a perspective view of a composite pack according to the invention with and without pouring element applied;

(3) FIGS. 2A to 2E a top view of the laminated hole of a composite pack according to FIG. 1B with the cutting line plotted, in various designs;

(4) FIG. 3 a vertical view of a pouring element from FIG. 1A applied according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 a perspective view of a cutting element according to the invention of a pouring element; and

(6) FIG. 5 a composite pack according to the invention with applied pouring element after opening for the first time and resealing, shown in sliced, perspective view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1A shows a composite pack 1, as previously known for a long time in itself in the form of a parallelepipedal cardboard/plastic composite pack for pourable products. A pouring element 2 is shown arranged in the region of a subsequent opening, which opens the composite pack 1 when operated for the first time. FIG. 1B also shows a laminated hole 3, allowing simplified opening of the composite pack 1.

(8) The enlargement of the opening region in FIG. 2A clearly shows where the cutting line 4 of a cutting means is in relation to the edge 5 of the laminated hole 3. A design according to the invention with an elliptical laminated hole 3 with elliptical main axis H and elliptical minor axis N is shown here together with the cutting line 4, corresponding to the cylinder external diameter D. Thus, the edge region of the laminated hole 3 is expanded during the opening process. FIG. 2B shows an opening region, as known from the prior art. FIG. 2C illustrates a further variant according to the invention, wherein here the laminated hole 3 has a circular design. FIG. 2D shows a design according to the invention in which the cutting line 4 comes to rest precisely on the edge 5. Finally, FIG. 2E is the same variant again as shown in FIG. 2D, but with an eccentrically applied pouring element 2. Here, the laminated hole 3 is expanded more on one side during the opening process.

(9) FIG. 3 firstly shows a vertical section of the opening region of a composite pack 1. Here, the pouring element 2 is applied with a flange 6 of its basic body 7 around the laminated hole 3. Apart from the flange 6, the basic body 7 also has a tube 8. A screw cap 9, serving for opening for the first time and subsequent resealing of the composite pack 1, is also provided with an anti-tamper ring 10, which during operation for the first time of the screw cap 9 breaks away from this and remains in the lower region of the basic body 7. The cutting element 11 is connected via its first guidance means 12 with the second guidance means 13 of the basic body and guided therein, wherein in the exemplary embodiment shown, and in this connection preferred, this is designed as a pair of threads with interruptions. When guided in its movement path, the cutting element 11 is driven by a drive element 14 of the screw cap 9 during opening for the first time and moved helically down. During this movement, the composite pack 1 is separated in the region of the laminated hole 3 and the edge region extended. The sectional view also clearly shows the lower height H2 of the first thread in the lower region of the cutting element 11, and also the normal height H1 in the remaining region.

(10) The cardboard/plastic composite material comprises a cardboard carrier layer 15, an aluminium layer 16 and internal and external top layers 17. Particularly easily identifiable is also the stamped edge 5 of the cardboard carrier layer 15, defining the outer border of the laminated hole 3. So, similarly visible is the overlapping of the cutting element 11 with this region.

(11) In FIG. 4, the cutting element 11 is shown in detail. Here in particular, the first guidance means 12 are visible, in the form of external threads with interruptions 18. These interruptions 18 in the thread allow simplified assembly of the three-part pouring elements and also certain savings on materials. Furthermore, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3A, the thread is also configured in the lower region with a smaller height which, together with the interruptions 18, makes penetration into the composite material easier. In the preferred exemplary embodiment, the cutting element 11 also has two approximately opposing cutting teeth 19, for perforating and separating the composite material.

(12) In the section view of FIG. 5, the opened composite pack is shown from the inside, wherein above all a tab 20 is apparent. This results because during the separation process the laminated hole 3 loses its tension before the cutting element 11 can cut a complete circle. The tab 20, corresponding approximately to the separated laminated hole 3, held on by just one individual segment, is pushed to the side by the further movement of the cutting element 11 and thus exposes the pouring opening. This segment is sufficient to maintain the tab 20 in its flipped open state when the composite pack 1 is open, to reliably avoid an unintentional tearing-off of the tab 20. Since the cutting element 11 fills the complete laminated hole 3, unlike normal designs, no remaining edge region of the laminated hole 3 around the cutting element 11 is visible.