Packaging container and blank for a packaging container

Abstract

A gable top packaging container has a plurality of upstanding side walls including a first side wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a second side wall, wherein the front wall connects to a front gable panel and the back wall connects to a back gable panel, both extending up to a sealed top fin, the first side wall connects to a first side gable panel, and the second side wall connects to a second side gable panel, wherein the walls are separated by crease lines extending in a longitudinal direction of the packaging container, characterized in that the front wall is continuous with the front gable panel, and the back wall is continuous with the back gable panel.

Claims

1. A gable top packaging container comprising a bottom, a plurality of upstanding walls extending from the bottom to a sealed top fin, said upstanding walls including a first side wall adjacent to a back wall and to a front wall, said front wall being adjacent to a second side wall, said second side wall being adjacent to said back wall, wherein the front wall is continuous with a front gable panel via a front transition area and the back wall is continuous with a back gable panel via a back transition area, the front wall and the back wall extend to the sealed top fin, the first side wall connects to a first side gable panel, and the second side wall connects to a second side gable panel, wherein adjacent upstanding walls are separated by longitudinal crease lines extending in a longitudinal direction of the packaging container, wherein the front wall and the back wall each follow a sloping curve in the front and back transition area respectively, the longitudinal crease lines including a first longitudinal crease line separating the first side wall from the front wall, and a second longitudinal crease line separating the first side wall from the back wall, the first side gable panel being separated from the first side wall by a curved crease line, and the curved crease line being spaced from the first longitudinal crease line and the second longitudinal crease line.

2. The gable top packaging container of claim 1, wherein the curved crease line extends in a transversal direction of the packaging container and having at least one convex section, bulging towards the bottom of the container.

3. The gable top packaging container of claim 2, wherein the curved crease line follows a closed path, such that the side gable panel is confined within the constraints of the first and second longitudinal crease lines and extends up towards the top fin where two ends of the curved crease line meets.

4. The gable top packaging container of claim 2, wherein, in an area in which the curved crease line is the closest to one of the first longitudinal crease line and the second longitudinal crease line, a behavior of the curved crease line is selected from the group comprising: the curved crease line has a curved convex shape towards the one longitudinal crease line; the curved crease line has a discontinuity; the one longitudinal crease line has a discontinuity; or any combination thereof.

5. The gable top packaging container of claim 4, wherein the curved crease line comprises a concave section between a position where the two ends meet and an area in which the curved crease line is closest to the one longitudinal crease line.

6. The gable top packaging container of claim 1, wherein the curved crease line is symmetrical, such that it is mirrored in a longitudinal axis.

7. The gable top packaging container of claim 1, wherein the second side gable panel has an identical curved crease line as the first side gable panel.

8. A blank configured to be folded into a gable-top packaging container comprised of a bottom, a sealed top fin and plural upstanding walls extending from the bottom to the sealed top fin, the upstanding walls including a first side wall adjacent to a back wall and adjacent to a front wall, the front wall being adjacent to a second side wall, the second side wall being adjacent to the back wall, the blank comprising: four longitudinal crease lines extending from a bottom edge to a top edge of the blank, the four longitudinal crease lines dividing the blank into five panels, the five panels comprising a first panel, a second panel, a third panel, a fourth panel and a fifth panel; the first panel comprising a continuous area not divided by crease lines and which, when folded, forms the back wall, a back gable panel and a transition area between the back wall and the back gable panel; the second panel being adjacent to the first panel and being separated from the first panel by a first of the longitudinal crease lines, the second panel, when folded, forming the first side wall and a first side gable panel; the third panel being adjacent to the second panel and being separated from the second panel by a second of the longitudinal crease lines, the third panel comprising a continuous area not divided by crease lines and which, when folded forms the front wall, a front gable panel, and a transition area between the front wall and a front gable panel; the fourth panel being adjacent to the third panel and being separated from the third panel by a third of the longitudinal crease lines, the fourth panel, when folded, forming the second side wall and a second side gable panel; the fifth panel being separated from the fourth panel by a fourth of the longitudinal crease lines, the fifth panel being configured to be sealed to the first panel during formation of the gable-top packaging container; the first side gable panel being separated from the first side wall by a curved crease line, and the curved crease line being spaced from the first longitudinal crease line and the second longitudinal crease line.

9. A method for manufacturing a blank of claim 8, comprising: providing web of packaging material with a crease pattern, cutting the web of packaging material into separate blanks.

10. The method of claim 9, preceded by forming the web of packaging material from a paper core provided with laminated layers of material, providing the thus formed web of packaging material with a print onto one side thereof.

11. A method for manufacturing a gable-top packaging container of claim 1, comprising: rising a blank from a flat shape to a packaging container shape having an open top and a bottom end, arranging the risen blank on a mandrel, folding and sealing one of the top end and the bottom end of the packaging container, sterilizing an interior of the packaging container, filling the packaging container, and folding and sealing the other one of the bottom end and the top end to form the packaging container.

12. Method of using the packaging blank according to claim 8, to form the gable-top packaging container, the method comprising: folding the blank along the first crease line, the second crease line, the third crease line, the fourth crease line and the fifth crease line, and folding the second panel and the fourth panel, to form the first side wall, the first side gable panel, the front wall, the front gable panel, the second side wall and the second side gable panel; and sealing the first panel and the fifth panel together.

13. The blank of claim 8, wherein the second panel and/or the fourth panel comprises a top crease pattern in the form of a curved crease line extending in the transversal direction and having a convex section, bulging in a direction of the bottom edge.

14. The blank of claim 8, wherein the curved crease line follows a closed path such that the first side gable panel is confined within the constraints of the first and second longitudinal crease lines and extends up towards the top edge where two ends of the curved crease line meet.

15. The blank of claim 8, wherein in an area in which the curved crease line is closest to one of the first longitudinal crease line and the second longitudinal crease line, a behavior of the curved crease line is selected from the group comprising: the curved crease line has a curved convex shape towards the one longitudinal crease line; the curved crease line has a discontinuity; the longitudinal crease line has a discontinuity; or any combination thereof.

16. The blank of claim 15, wherein the curved crease line comprises a concave section between a position where two ends of the curved crease line meet and an area in which the curved crease line is closest to the one longitudinal crease line.

17. The blank of claim 8, wherein the curved crease line is symmetrical, such that it is mirrored in a longitudinal axis.

18. The blank of claim 8, wherein the second side gable panel has an identical curved crease line as the first side gable panel.

19. The blank of claim 8, wherein the curved crease line comprises a concave section between a position where two ends of the first curved crease line meet and an area in which the first curved crease line is the closest to one of the first and second crease lines.

20. The blank of claim 8, wherein the curved crease line is symmetrical such that the curved crease line is mirrored in a longitudinal axis, so that the first side gable panel possesses a drop shape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a planar view of a blank for a packaging container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIGS. 3-10 are detailed partial views of a creasing pattern as used in embodiments of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a blank, according to one aspect of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 12 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a packaging container from a blank, according to another aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging container 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. In this particular embodiment the packaging container is symmetrical, such that even if only a front wall 102 and a first side wall 104 is shown, it is to be understood that a corresponding view showing the back wall 106 (shown in FIG. 2) and the second side wall 105 (also shown in FIG. 2) instead would look essentially the same. The same goes for gable panels, etc. in that panels and details on one side of the packaging container will have same appearance on an opposite side of the packaging container. This general rule does not apply to the top and bottom, which may considered as opposite sides yet which do not have a similar appearance.

(7) The front wall 102 is continuous with the front gable panel 108 via a curved transition area T, and the front gable panel in connects to the sealed top fin 110. A transversal crease line 112 separates the front gable panel 108 from the sealed top fin 110, while the front wall as such 102 is continuous with the front gable panel 108, i.e. they are not separated by a crease line in the curved transition area T. The transversal crease line 112 between the front gable panel 108 and the sealed top fin 110 is preferred for most embodiments, yet it may be left out if desired. Moving on, the first side wall 104 is separated from a first side gable panel 114 by means of a curved crease line 116 comprising a convex section A bulging towards the bottom of the packaging container 100. Convex in this context implies that the curved crease line 116 follows a smooth curve, which bulges outwards from the first side gable panel 114 and for the present section outwards corresponds to a direction towards the bottom of the packaging container. The curved crease line 116 also comprises a convex section in the area B where it is closest to a longitudinal crease line 212 (and 214) for that matter. Following an analogous terminology this corresponds to the curved crease line bulging outwards towards an adjacent longitudinal crease line. Further features of the curved crease line 116 will be described in relation to FIGS. 2-10.

(8) One or more embodiments the longitudinal crease lines 212, 214 etc may have a curved shape. Further, the back wall 106 and the front wall 102 may be divided into more walls by use of further longitudinal crease lines.

(9) A description of the back wall 106 and back gable panel would correspond to the above description of the front wall 102 and the front gable panel 108, and a description of the second side wall and the second side gable panel would correspond to the above description of the first side wall and the first side gable panel.

(10) In a further embodiment the front wall and the front gable panel may be separated by a transversal crease line, and the same goes for the back panel. This approach may be used for any of the described embodiments, and in particular embodiments where the side gable panels have the defined curved shape since sections of the curved shape may be used to guide the shape of the front wall/back wall in their transition to the front wall panel/back wall panel. Such guidance may result in that the presence of a transversal crease line in the transition area T still would not have to result in a sharp corner of the container.

(11) Features of the various sides of the packaging container are easily understood from studying features of a blank 200 from which the package is formed.

(12) The blank 200 for a packaging container according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in the view of FIG. 2. On the lower portion of the blank 200 a bottom sealing pattern 122 is located. A longitudinal direction corresponds to a direction from the bottom edge of the blank towards a top edge of the blank, corresponding to the natural longitudinal direction of a packaging container formed from the blank. The transversal direction is consequently at right angles to the longitudinal direction, in the plane of the blank, i.e. in the conventional way. The particular layout of the bottom sealing pattern 122 is not the focus of the present invention, and the bottom sealing pattern illustrated in FIG. 2 has been previously presented in e.g. WO 2006/019475.

(13) Four longitudinal crease lines 212, 214, 216, 218, extending from a bottom edge to a top edge of the blank 200, divides the blank into five panels. The first panel 202 will when folded form the back wall and the back gable panel, and therefore preferably consists of a continuous area not divided by crease lines. The second panel 204 is adjacent to the first panel 202, and the first longitudinal crease line 212 separates the two. The second panel 204 will when folded from a first side wall and the first side gable panel and has a creasing pattern, the curved crease line 116, separating the two panels. This curved crease line 116 forms part of the top crease pattern. The third panel 206 is adjacent to the second panel 204, separated by the second longitudinal crease line 214. The third panel 206 will when folded form the front wall and the front gable panel, and consequently the properties of the third panel 206 corresponds to those of the first panel 202. The fourth panel 208 follows next to the third panel 206, being separated therefrom by the third longitudinal crease line 216. The fourth panel 208 will when folded form the second side wall and the second side gable panel. The fifth 210 panel will eventually be sealed to the first panel 202, and it is separated from the fourth panel 208 by the fourth longitudinal crease line 218. The fifth panel will not be visible on the exterior of the formed packaging container, it is merely used to seal towards the interior of the first panel 202, to partly form the packaging container, i.e. a sleeve having two open ends later to form the top and bottom of the packaging container. The blank also have a top crease pattern which is localized to the second panel 204 and the fourth panel 208, said top crease pattern comprising a curved crease line 116 on each one of the second and the fourth panel respectively, as mentioned earlier.

(14) A portion forming the top fin 110 of the package when folded is defined by the upper edge of the blank and a transversal crease line 128 (in part corresponding to crease line 112 of FIG. 1) and the longitudinal crease lines 212-218 extends into this portion, indicating folding positions of this portion too. The particular form and arrangement of crease lines in relation to the top fin will not be discussed in any further detail.

(15) The portions of the blank which will form the front wall 102, the back wall 106, the first side wall 104 and the second side wall 105 are clearly seen in FIG. 2. The front gable panel 108 and the back gable panel 128 are not as easily spotted, since they are continuous with the front wall and the back wall respectively, continuous implying that they are not separated by a crease line. The curved crease line 116 reveals the position of the first side gable panel 114, and the second side gable panel 130, respectively, the two being identical in size and shape. Features of the curved crease line already mentioned in relation to FIG. 1 will not be repeated, while the corresponding denotation will be used in FIG. 2. The two areas A and B are only denoted in one of the side gable panels, yet they same features apply for the second side gable panel. Also shown is a concave section C, located between the area B and a position D where the two ends of the curved crease line 116 meet, which area also corresponds to the location of a longitudinal crease line of the top fin. The concave shape of the section C combines with the convex shape in area B gives the crease line an S-shape from area B to position D. A discontinuity of the curved crease line 116, if any, may be present in the area B, and in one or more embodiment the curved crease line may also (or instead) touch or partly join with the longitudinal crease line in this area, some examples of which is illustrated in FIGS. 3-7. In the illustrated embodiment, however, the curved crease line 116 is continuous throughout the area B and there is also a clearance between the curved crease line 116 and the nearby longitudinal crease line in this area, i.e. 212 and 214. In the case where there is a discontinuity in the area B, the curved crease line 116 may be said to comprise two portions, an upper and a lower, having a clearance between the upper and the lower portion in a lateral region of the drop shape. An example of this would be that the crease line 116 would be missing in the area B of FIG. 2, to be closer described in the following.

(16) FIGS. 3-10 illustrate schematically various layouts for the region B, i.e. the region where the curved crease line 116 (or 130) is the closest to an adjacent longitudinal crease line. The drawings are partial and schematic, yet by comparison with FIG. 2 the full appearance should be readily appreciated. Only one side of one curved crease line is shown, however, the general assumption is that the other side of the curved creased line has an identical layout. Though it is not a must, it is usually preferred that both curved crease lines, that is both side gable panels of the package is identical, for symmetrical reasons. FIG. 3 shows a layout similar to the one of FIG. 2 the curved crease line 116 and the longitudinal crease line 212 share a common area, but they never meet. In FIG. 4 the curved crease line is instead discontinuous in the area closest to the longitudinal crease line 212, and still the crease lines to not meet. This allows for some degree of freedom in the step of folding the blank into a package in that it for a short distance does not have to follow the curved creasing line, and it also removes the smallest tapered portions of packaging material between adjacent crease lines, which is most easily recognized by comparing FIG. 4 with the embodiment of FIG. 5. In FIG. 5 the crease lines again share a common area, and in this example the curved crease line 116 even touches upon the longitudinal crease line 212 such that they share paths for a short distance. This layout eliminates the clearance between the curved crease line and the longitudinal crease line. A further example, shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to having a discontinuous curved crease line 116 like in FIG. 4, yet allowing the curved crease line 116 to meet with the longitudinal crease line 212. In this example the crease lines share paths for a longer distance than in the previous embodiment. In this layout the curved crease line will diverge from the longitudinal crease line at a shallower angle, when leaving the common path. In the example of FIG. 7 the longitudinal crease line is discontinuous while the curved crease line 116 is continuous, and the benefit of this arrangement is similar to that of FIG. 4. FIG. 8 illustrates a slightly simplified crease pattern, in which the lower portion of the crease line 116 has a curved arcuate shape bulging into the sidewall, while the upper portion is rectilinear. In variations on this theme the upper portion may instead have an S-shape to achieve the associated advantages as described earlier, or follow a concave or convex curve, yet it would then transform into one of the embodiments disclosed above and or below. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, there is again a discontinuity in the crease line 116, wherein the upper part is shifted inwards, away from the longitudinal crease line 212 such that a clearance is formed between a lowermost end of the upper portion of the crease line 116, while the lower portion of the crease line 116 extends fully to the longitudinal crease line 212. In the specific embodiment shown there is only a lateral shift, such that the lower portion begins where the upper portion ends in a longitudinal direction while a gap is formed in the vertical direction, as is best shown in the illustrative view of FIG. 9. Also in this embodiment the shape of the upper portion may vary between the shapes already described, i.e. rectilinear, concave/convex or S-shaped. It is to be noted that the S-shape does not have to be pronounced in order to fulfill its purpose, even though there may be variations of the effect depending on the shape. In the embodiment of FIG. 10 the upper portion of the crease line 116 extends all the way to the longitudinal crease line 212 along a continuous path, which preferably but not necessarily is S-shaped. The lower portion of the crease line 116 connects to the upper portion at a distance from the longitudinal crease line 212, thus forming the characteristic shape shown in FIG. 10.

(17) Variations in crease pattern in this region B may affect the overall stability of the packaging container but that is not the sole purpose since it may also affect the design and appearance of the packaging container. The impact of the crease pattern on these two areas (the stability and the design) may also vary with the type of material used, e.g. a thinner, less rigid material may be more prone to accept a crease pattern resulting in small clearances between adjacent crease lines and areas of narrow angles, than what is the case for a thicker and more rigid material. It should also be emphasized that the variations performed in the well defined region B is not intended to alter the overall impression of the package design, merely accomplish an optimized effect on a detail level. It may also be noticed that for all embodiments the overall convex appearance prevails.

(18) A method for forming a blank, and a method for forming a packaging container from a blank, respectively, is shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, respectively.

(19) Thus far the material used in the web of packaging material (and consequently in the packaging container as well as the blank) has not been discussed. It is preferred that the material is a packaging laminate made from a paper board another fibrous core layer, preferably made from recyclable material, interposed with one or more layers of plastic, such as LDPE. The laminate may include further barrier layers, such as aluminum for prevention of passage of oxygen and/or light through the packaging container, as well as layers used for attaching separate layers to each other. There are many other types of laminates used for the purpose of forming packaging containers. This is well known to the skilled person and the present invention, as defined by the claims, should not be limited to this particular example.

(20) While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. Generally, making small alterations in the curved creasing line, such as leaving small segments non-creased should be considered as forming part of the present invention according to the previous description, unless relevant prior art prevents this broadened interpretation. Further, the lower convex segment may involve additional convex and concave segments of the same curve, arranged in an alternating fashion.

(21) All patents referred to herein, are hereby incorporated herein by reference, whether or not specifically done so within the text of this disclosure. In the present disclosure, the words a or an are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular. When used herein a drop shape is defined as a two-dimensional shape having a semicircular or semielliptical lower portion and a curved, tapered upper portion, i.e. the present definition remains within the conventional definition of a stylized drop.

(22) From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.