Card Based Package for Powdered Infant Nutrition Products

Abstract

A card-based package for powdered infant nutrition, comprises a container portion, the container portion defining an interior space for receiving the powdered infant nutrition and having a base and a sidewall extending to an upper peripheral edge for receiving a removable seal for hermetically sealing the container portion prior to use. The package further comprises a collar portion and a lid portion. The collar portion is connected to and extends upwardly from the upper peripheral edge of the container portion and comprises a connection segment and an upper peripheral closure rim surrounding an access opening giving access to the interior space. The lid portion comprises a lid and a frame and forms a re-closable joint with the upper peripheral closure rim of the collar portion, allowing repeated and selective opening and closing of the access opening. The container portion, the collar portion and the lid portion all comprise card-based material.

Claims

1. A card-based package for powdered infant nutrition, comprising: a container portion, the container portion defining an interior space for receiving the powdered infant nutrition and having a base and a sidewall extending to an upper peripheral edge for receiving a removable seal for hermetically sealing the container portion prior to use; a collar portion, connected to and extending upwardly from the upper peripheral edge of the container portion and comprising a connection segment and an upper peripheral closure rim surrounding an access opening giving access to the interior space; and a lid portion, comprising a lid and a frame and forming a re-closable joint with the upper peripheral closure rim of the collar portion, allowing repeated opening and closing of the access opening, wherein the container portion, the collar portion and the lid portion are all formed of card-based material.

2. The package according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the collar portion has a height of between 10 mm and 70 mm, preferably between 20 mm and 40 mm.

3. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar portion comprises a functional insert, including one or more functionalities selected from the group consisting of: scoop leveller, scoop holder, latch, stiffening flange, insect barrier and sealing surface.

4. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid and frame are joined together, preferably in a folded seam.

5. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the frame extends downwards to form a skirt that, in the closed position of the lid portion, covers at least part of the upper peripheral closure rim.

6. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid portion further comprises a gasket located at an underside of the lid and having a resilient edge

7. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper peripheral edge of the container comprises a circumferential flange extending outwards from the container.

8. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein an inner circumference of the connection segment engages around an outer circumference of the container portion.

9. The package of claim 8, wherein the connection segment comprises a circumferentially extending groove which receives part of the upper peripheral edge of the container in an interference fit.

10. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a locking arrangement between the lid portion and the collar portion

11. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a hinge between the lid portion and the collar portion.

12. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a paper banderol provided prior to use around at least part of the collar portion and the lid portion.

13. The package of claim 12, wherein a circumferentially extending section of the banderol is removable to form a hinge between the lid portion and the collar portion.

14. The package of claim 13, wherein the circumferentially extending section of the banderol is a strip defined by one or more lines of weakness and removal of the strip preferably reveals a contrasting colour beneath the banderol.

15. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein inner surfaces of the package have a food compatible surface.

16. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the card-based material of at least the collar portion and the frame is made of spiral wound cardboard.

17. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the card-based material of the lid portion and/or the collar portion comprises at least 90 wt % paper, preferably at least 95 wt % paper or at least 98 wt % paper.

18. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a removable seal hermetically sealing the container prior to use.

19. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a scoop located within the collar portion beneath the lid.

20. The package of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a scoop holder, preferably located on an underside of the lid.

21. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base and sidewall are joined together, preferably in a folded seam.

22. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container portion is a tube of a constant first outer cross-section.

23. The package of claim 22, wherein the base comprises a downwardly extending rim having the first outer cross-section and the lid portion has a second outer cross-section that is greater than the first outer cross-section, such that the base of a first container can stack on the lid of a second container.

24. The package of claim 23, wherein a latch for releasing the lid portion from the collar portion is located on the lid at a position that lies within the downwardly extending rim.

25. The package of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the re-closable joint has no gaps of greater than 150 microns, preferably less than 100 microns and more preferably less than 70 microns.

26. A package constructed of card-based material, the package comprising a longitudinal extending tubular body with at least four transverse elements, sealingly connected to the tubular body at four junctions, comprising in sequence: a first element forming a base; a second element forming a removable seal for enclosing an interior space; a third element being a functional insert; and a fourth element forming a lid.

27. The package according to claim 26, wherein at each junction, the tubular body is folded or rolled into a rim or flange.

28. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an amount of powdered infant nutrition sealed within the interior space.

29. The package according to claim 28, where the interior space contains an inert gas and less than 2% oxygen.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the package of FIG. 1.

[0042] FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view through the collar portion of FIG. 2 on the sagittal plane X-Z.

[0043] FIG. 3B shows a top view of the collar portion of FIG. 2.

[0044] FIG. 3C show a top view of the collar portion of FIG. 2 with a functional insert according to an alternative configuration and a scoop.

[0045] FIG. 4A shows an exploded view of the lid portion of FIG. 2.

[0046] FIG. 4B shows a cross-section through the lid portion on the sagittal plane X-Z.

[0047] FIG. 5A shows a partial cross-section through the package of FIG. 1 on the sagittal plane X-Z.

[0048] FIG. 5B shows a closeup of part of the closure between the lid portion and collar portion from FIG. 5A.

[0049] FIG. 6 shows a perspective rear view of the package of FIG. 1 with the lid portion partially open.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the upper part of the package of FIG. 1 stacked with another package.

[0051] The figures are meant for illustrative purposes only, and do not serve as restriction of the scope or the protection as laid down by the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0052] The following is a description of certain embodiments of the invention, given by way of example only and with reference to the figures.

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a card-based package 10 for powdered infant nutrition according to the present invention, comprising a container portion 20, a collar portion 30 and a lid portion 40. The package 10 further comprises a banderol 50 surrounding the collar portion 30 and part of the lid portion 40, which is present prior to first use to guarantee sealing during storage and transportation.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the card-based package 10 of FIG. 1 illustrating the arrangement of the individual portions. The package 10 has a longitudinal axis X-X, by which may be defined a transverse plane X-Y and a sagittal plane X-Z. In the following, reference to upper, lower, top, bottom etc. is given with respect to the package 10 in its upright condition, with the axis X-X arranged vertically.

[0055] The container portion 20 comprises a container 21 with a tubular body, having a base 22 and a sidewall 23 extending upwards to an upper peripheral edge 24 to define an interior space S for receiving the powdered infant nutrition. The upper peripheral edge 24 comprises a circumferential flange 25 extending outwards from the container 21, to connect to the collar portion 30 and to receive a removable seal 26. The removable seal 26 hermetically seals the container prior to use and may be removed partially or completely by the user to have access to the interior space S.

[0056] The collar portion 30 comprises, at the bottom, a connection segment 31; and at the top, an upper peripheral closure rim 32 defining an access opening O to the interior space S of the package 10 after opening of the seal 26. The collar portion 30 has a height of around 35 mm in the illustrated embodiment but it will be understood that this may be adapted according to requirements. The height of the collar portion 30 defines an additional inner space above the container 21 that allows for the presence of additional optional elements inside the package 10, for example, an informational leaflet and/or scoop.

[0057] In the package presented in FIG. 2, the collar portion 30 includes a functional insert 33. Insert 33 comprises scoop levellers 34 and detent 72. FIGS. 3A and 3B, described below, show two examples of the insert 33 configured with different functionalities.

[0058] The banderol 50 is a narrow band of paper material of under 10 g/m.sup.2 having a height of around 35 mm corresponding to that of the collar portion 30. In this view it can be seen to further comprise two circumferential lines of weakness 52 that define a removable strip 51. When the package is to be used for a first time, the strip 51 can be removed to allow the lid portion 40 to be open. The strip 51 preferably has a contrasting colour, to that of the underlying collar portion 30, that functions as tamper evidence and includes grasping tabs 54, that facilitate its removal.

[0059] The lid portion 40 provides a closure to the package 10 and includes a locking element 71. Further details on the construction of the lid portion 40 are described below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0060] FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view through the collar portion 30 of FIG. 2 on the sagittal plane X-Z. The collar portion 30 is formed of spiral-wound card material of around 540 gsm. The insert 33 comprises a die-cut plate of card-based material, with an aperture O corresponding to the package access opening. It is connected to the collar portion 30 by a folded seam that forms the upper peripheral closure rim 32. As can be seen in this view, the upper peripheral closure rim 32 has a slightly smaller outer cross-section that the rest of the collar portion 30. At a lower part of the collar portion 30, groove 35 is formed between two corrugations of the card material. The groove 35 and corrugations extend circumferentially completely around the connection segment 31 of the collar portion 30. The detent 72 is formed by a portion of the insert 33 folded upwards out of the plane of the insert 33 into a triangular or prismatic form. The insert 33 is also folded over at the position of the scoop levellers 34 to give additional strength to the edge that is intended for levelling.

[0061] FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C show top views of the collar portion 30 of FIG. 2 with two possible configurations of insert 33. In the configuration of FIG. 3B, the insert 33 comprises two scoop levellers 34 extending inwards at two corners of the insert 33 at either side of the detent 72. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3C, the insert 33 is provided with scoop levellers 34 and a scoop holder 61 to receive a scoop 60.

[0062] FIG. 4A shows an exploded view of the lid portion 40 according to the package of FIG. 2. The lid portion 40 comprises a frame 42 and a lid 41. The frame 42 is made of spiral wound card of a similar quality to that of the collar portion 30.

[0063] The lid 41 is formed as a die-cut plate of card-based material, shaped to be bowed upwards in the central region 47. A supplementary plate 45 is provided at an underside of the lid portion 40 and has the same general shape as the lid 41, also being bowed upwards. The supplementary plate 45 has different functions. In this example, the supplementary plate 45 reinforces the lid 41 providing the lid portion 40 with a more durable and solid construction. Furthermore, the supplementary plate 45 is configured to include scoop holder 61 to have easy access to a scoop after opening the lid portion 40. Finally, in the closed position of the lid 41, a resilient edge 48 of the supplementary plate 45 has the function of a gasket to improve the closure of the lid portion 40. Further details of the gasket function are described below with reference to FIGS. 4B and 5.

[0064] FIG. 4B shows a cross-section through the lid portion on the sagittal plane X-Z. The frame 42 is connected to the lid 41 by a folded seam, which forms an upwardly extending stacking rim 44 at the top of the lid portion. The frame 42 also extends downwards to a closure skirt 43 having a larger cross-section than the stacking rim 44. In this view, it can be seen that the upwardly bowed central region 47 forms a cavity C with a height h corresponding to a height of the frame 42. The cavity C created beneath the lid 41 provides additional space for storing elements such as a scoop or the like.

[0065] The central region 47 of the lid 41 is in direct contact with and adhesively connected to the supplementary plate 45. The resilient edge 48 of the supplementary plate 45 is bowed downwards and floating with respect to the edge of the lid 41. This configuration allows the resilient edge 48 to flex. On a region of the lid portion 40, between the stacking rim 44 and the cavity C, a locking element, in this case a latch 71, is pivotally mounted through the lid 41 and supplementary plate 45. An upper part 73 of the latch 71 extends upwardly from the lid 41, while the lower part 74 has a slit 75 and extends downwards under the supplementary plate 45. A cover 76 is adhesively connected to the upper part 73 to retain it to the lid 41.

[0066] FIGS. 5A and 5B show a partial cross-section through the package of FIG. 1 on the sagittal plane X-Z.

[0067] In FIG. 5A is shown the container 21 of the container portion 20. The container 21 is made from a card blank, joined to itself in a longitudinal seam (not shown) to form a tube with constant outer cross-section. At its bottom, the base 22 and the sidewall 23 of the container 21 are joined together by a folded seam which closes the lowest part of the container 21 and forms a base rim 27 extending downwardly and having the same outer cross-section as the container 21. At the top of the container portion 20, the sidewall 23 is rolled over outwardly from the upper peripheral edge 24 of the container 21 to form the circumferential flange 25. In this embodiment, the seal 26 is placed on almost the entire surface defined by the circumferential flange 25, which forms an uppermost edge of the sidewall 23. The seal 26 ensures appropriate hermetic sealing of the container 21 prior to use. FIG. 5A also shows an alternative position for a seal 26 that may be located lower down the sidewall 23 at the upper peripheral edge 24. This alternative position may allow slightly greater headspace below the lid 41 and permits alternative joining techniques between the sidewall 23 and the seal 26.

[0068] The collar portion 30 is connected to the container portion 20 by a snap-fit joint formed between the circumferential flange 25 and the circumferentially extending groove 35. Additionally, the joint between the collar portion 30 and the container portion 20 may be glued together to ensure proper permanent sealing.

[0069] FIG. 5A also shows a scoop 60 stored in the space formed above the seal 26 by the collar portion 30 and the lid portion 40 and held by the scoop holder 61 in supplementary plate 45. The banderol 50 extends circumferentially around the outer surface of the collar portion 30 and the closure skirt 43 of the lid portion 40.

[0070] In the closed position of the lid portion 40, as shown in FIG. 5B, the closure skirt 43 covers the outer circumferential surface of the upper peripheral closure rim 32, forming a joint between the lid portion 40 and the collar portion 30. The folded seams of the closure skirt 43 and the upper peripheral closure rim 32 ensure that these elements are relatively rigid and can form a tight interference fit. Importantly, high manufacturing tolerances can be achieved ensuring that any gaps are smaller than 70 microns, ensuring adequate insect-tightness. The closure is further improved by the supplementary plate 45. The resilient edge 48 acts as a gasket, flexing into engagement with the upper peripheral closure rim 32. The resilient edge 48 also extends to meet the closure skirt 43, providing additional support for the resilient edge 48 and further enhancing the gasket function.

[0071] In the locked position of the lid portion 40, as shown in FIG. 5B, the detent 72 resides in the slit 75 of the latch 71, effectively retaining the lid portion 40. To unlock the lid portion 40, the upper part 73 of the latch 71 is pushed radially outwards, acting as a lever arm such that the slit 75 releases the detent 72. A pulling movement upwards on the lid portion 40 allows a user to open the package 10.

[0072] FIG. 6 shows a perspective rear view of the package of FIG. 1 with the lid portion 40 partially open after the removal of strip 51. Removing the strip 51 from the banderol 50 releases the joint between the lid portion 30 and the lid portion 40 and forms a hinge 53. The hinge 53 secures the lid portion 40 to the collar portion 30 after the seal 26 has been removed from the container portion 20.

[0073] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the package of FIG. 1 stacked with another package. The stacking rim 44 of the first package 10 fits radially outside the base rim 27 of the second package 10, while the base 22 of the second package 10 rests on the top the lid portion 40 of the first package. It can also be seen that there is adequate space for the latch 71 to fit radially inwards of the base rim 27, while the upwardly bowed central region 47 of the lid 41 fits beneath the base 22. This requires that the base rim 27 also extends downwards a distance greater than h below the base 22.

[0074] The invention has been described by reference to certain embodiments discussed above. It will be recognized that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms well known to those of skill in the art. In particular, both the locking arrangement and the scoop holder may be distinct from the schematically illustrated design. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have been described, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention.