EP0449794A1 - New package for liquid or powdery products - Google Patents

Abstract

The package (1) of the invention consists in an assembly composed of a cardboard box (2) and of a plastic bottle (3) contained in this box (2). The relative dimensions of the box (2) and of the bottle (3) are such that the bottle (3) may be placed either in a position in which its base (8) rests on the base (4) of the box (2) and its neck (13) is retracted into the box (2), or in a position in which the bottle (3) is suspended in the box (2) and its neck (13) projects beyond an opening (7) provided in the lid (6) of the box (2); the bottle (3) may be moved as required between these two positions. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging for liquid or pulverulent products suitable in particular for food products and chemicals.

The packaging and transport of products liable to flow (in particular liquid products) has always been a delicate problem.

Although the transport of powdered products can be carried out in other ways, the invention provides an advantageous alternative.

Metal and glass containers are much less used than in the past: they are generally heavy, allow little variation in shape and are relatively expensive. Glass containers are also breakable, which is a major drawback; metal containers are easily deformed irreversibly in the event of a fall.

Also, for several decades, the use of various plastic containers has become widespread for the packaging, among other things, of liquid food products or products used in industry or everyday life.

We therefore gradually replaced all kinds of containers formerly made of glass or metal with plastic containers intended for the same types of use, these new containers allowing easier handling and handling, in particular because of the reduction in risks damaging breakage or deformation.

A number of problems specific to the use of plastics for packaging liquid products have arisen over time, some of which still exist today, and which the present invention attempts to remedy.

For reasons of economy, it is desirable that the plastic containers are as light as possible. With this in mind, and starting from forms copied from glass or metal packaging, plastic packaging has gradually evolved into forms better suited to the characteristics of the material, these forms making it possible to optimize the resistance to vertical compression, the limit given by an invisible and non-permanent deformation of the packaging.

Most of the developed forms which have both good resistance to vertical compression and light weight, however, have a major drawback: the ratio between the volume occupied by the size of the packaging and the volume of liquid product packaged is high and in any case is never close to the optimal value of 1: 1. In teardrop-shaped bottles, for example, this ratio is generally in the range of 1.5: 1 to 2.2: 1. The loss of volume is therefore enormous and considerably increases the costs of packaging, handling, storage and distribution.

Because of their rigidity, most plastic containers also occupy a considerable place in the volume of household or industrial waste. It is easily understood that it is desirable that this volume be reduced as much as possible.

In addition, parallelepipedic packaging has been used daily for very long time for the packaging of solid materials. Cardboard boxes, light and resistant, are particularly appreciated: they allow good use of space, are easy to stack and palletize, and their volume can be reduced after use.

It is also known to use cardboard boxes for packaging liquid products, provided that they are waterproofed using plastics.

Thus, plasticized cardboard boxes of the milk brick type are known, which contain a small amount of plastic material and occupy a reduced volume in the garbage after use, provided that care is taken to flatten it.

These boxes are made on machines specially designed for this use, from a sheet of cardboard. At least one layer of polyethylene, and possibly a layer of another material such as aluminum are made integral with the cardboard sheet by lamination or other means. This results in a particularly inconvenient ecological drawback: the materials which constitute the single composite layer of the packaging are inseparable and therefore cannot be separated by simple means. They can therefore neither be selectively destroyed by incineration nor be recovered for recycling purposes. The cardboard itself, being plasticized, is made rot-proof.

The method of opening milk carton boxes is as follows: the user must lift a folded part on top of the box and folded down on the sides and cut a corner. As long as the cut is not carried out correctly, which happens frequently, there is an overflow of milk as soon as the user takes the brick in hand to pour the contents. After opening, there are no plans to be able to close this type of packaging.

For the packaging of liquid detergents, packaging has recently been developed which consists of a combination of cardboard and plastic sheets which can, in certain cases, be closed after each withdrawal of product.

We have marketed, in particular, packaging of the milk brick type described above, the opening mode of which is different: in the center of the upper wall of the box is stuck a spout consisting of an injected piece of polyethylene. The consumer must, during the first use, drill himself a hole in the wall of the packaging, through the neck, thus creating lips directed towards the inside of the box, which prevent the total emptying of the latter. this. As the neck is applied on the external part of the composite film which constitutes the wall of the packaging, it may come off in the event of impact or rough handling. As in milk cartons, any recycling of plastic or cardboard is impossible. In addition, stacking and palletizing are difficult due to the prominence of the spout.

Another type of packaging known on the market and intended for liquid detergents allows easier pouring of the product. It is a package consisting of a cardboard sheet which is given the shape of a box, in which a sheet of plastic material welded in the form of a bag is glued in many places. The upper wall of this packaging is perforated, from manufacture, in an off-center manner. A neck secured to the cardboard and the plastic sheet is placed at the location of the hole provided on the top of the box. The opening, closing and pouring of the product are relatively easy. It is nevertheless observed in practice that, in particular because of the parallelepiped shape of the box, it is also practically impossible to empty it.

Here again, the components (cardboard and plastic) are very difficult to separate, which is undesirable from an ecological point of view. In addition, this type of packaging requires the use of a large amount of glue. The stacking and palletizing problems are also not resolved.

There is a particular model of this type of packaging, in the lid of which a large opening has been provided. The neck, which is then secured only to the plastic sheet can sink into the box through this opening. From that moment, it often happens that it turns obliquely and disappears in the box, where it is then difficult to recover it. The orientation of the product jet is also not guaranteed during pouring.

There is also another particular model of this type of packaging where the neck is located in a "cut corner" of the cardboard box. In this case, the resistance of the packaging to vertical compression is reduced. In the last four versions mentioned above, the packaging is not designed to be filled by the neck. They must be manufactured and filled by complex and costly machines, which form the cardboard, apply the plastic material to it and immediately fill it. This means in each case that the manufacturer of the packaged product will have to transport his goods in bulk to the premises where the packaging is produced or invest in packaging manufacturing machines, which entails additional costs.

The object of the invention is to provide a packaging for liquid or pulverulent products which can, if necessary, be treated as a bottle or as a box.

This packaging can be manufactured by traditional machines and filled by the neck on filling lines traditionally used for filling bottles. It will allow, in use, easy pouring of the product and good orientation of the jet, as can be done with a simple bottle. It can also, during handling, transport and storage, be stacked on other packaging and palletized as a simple box.

We can also, after use, very easily separate the cardboard box and the empty plastic bottle, for possible recycling.

The subject of the invention is a packaging for liquid or pulverulent products, which consists of an assembly consisting of a cardboard box and a plastic bottle contained in this box without being attached to it, that is to say without being glued or welded to it, so that the bottle can be separated from the box very easily and without any tearing off after this box has been opened. The box in question has side walls and a cover. An opening is provided in this last. The bottle has a bottom, a body, shoulders, a neck and a neck, on which a cap is fitted.

The relative dimensions of the bottle and the box are such that the bottle can be placed either in a position in which its bottom is located at the same level as the lower end of the side walls of the box and its neck is retracted into the box, or in another position in which its bottom is located above the level of the lower end of the side walls of the box, its neck then being engaged in the opening of the cover. The bottle can be moved vertically from one position to another and vice versa. The bottle, as contained in the box, can be filled through the neck, the cap can be put on and removed when desired, and the contents of the bottle can be poured through the neck. The neck of the bottle is provided with means which, when it is engaged in the opening, cooperate with the cover to ensure that the neck is kept outside the box and the bottle is suspended therein. These means thus achieve a state of temporary retention of the bottle in height which can cease thanks to the temporary deformation of the carton of the cover when a total force, greater than that exerted by the weight of the bottle and of the product which it may contain, is exerted vertically downwards on the neck.

The cardboard box could possibly be devoid of bottom (on the side opposite the lid in which an opening is made), but it is generally preferable that the box has a bottom.

This bottom of the box may however be incomplete and formed, for example, of the edges of the side walls folded inwards at the bottom of the box, the width of these edges being such that an opening remains in the middle of this bottom of the box. box.

According to a particular embodiment, the neck of the bottle is threaded and the stopper is correspondingly threaded.

However, this type of closure of the neck is by no means critical and many other closure systems can be used such as, for example, "bayonet" closure systems.

The body of the bottle can have flexibility and dimensions in width such that it substantially matches the side walls of the box.

The means which can cooperate with the cover of the box to ensure the maintenance of the neck outside the box and the suspension of the bottle in the box when the neck is engaged in the opening may consist of a collar which surmounts the lower part of the collar.

The packaging of the invention can therefore adopt a "box position" in which the neck is retracted and a "bottle position" in which it is, on the contrary, prominent.

Advantageously, the neck of the bottle can also be provided, at its lower part, with means which cooperate with the cover to ensure the rotational locking of the neck (and therefore of the whole bottle) when said neck is engaged in the opening of the cover. The lower part of the neck and the edges of the opening can be notched. They can also have a shape which is not circular, for example an oval, elliptical or polygonal shape. We will successfully use hexagonal, octagonal, square or even triangular shapes.

When the neck is retracted inside the box, it is advantageous that the plug does not fully fit there. To this end, the threaded plug will advantageously be provided with a stop member, which may consist simply of a shoulder located near the top of the plug.

Preferably, it will be provided with a retaining member which, when the neck is retracted inside the box, cooperates with the underside of the cover and prevents the involuntary exit of this neck out of the box, for example , following shocks which may occur during handling or transport. It can be pins or a collar.

According to an alternative embodiment, the opening in the lid of the box has dimensions such that, when the neck is retracted inside the box, the edge of this opening laterally encloses the cap and thus prevents involuntary exit neck (with its cap) out of the box.

When the neck is retracted inside the box and you want to get it out, for example to pour the product, the operation will be facilitated by the presence, on the cap, of at least one handle intended to favor the traction of the neck out of the box.

Preferably, the body of the bottle of the packaging according to the present invention is furnished, over at least part of its height and at least part of its periphery, with stiffening means, for example grooves and ribs which can be arranged either axially or radially, or by a combination of the two.

The bottle may have substantially a circular shape, or a rectangular shape with rounded corners of any other desired shape. The box can be cylindrical or prismatic.

A particularly interesting material for the manufacture of the bottle is polyethylene, but it is also possible to use poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene or other recyclable or incinerable plastics without release of harmful gases. The use of polyethylene is advantageous for more than one reason since it is particularly well recyclable.

The bottle of the packaging of the invention may not be self-supporting, its stability being ensured by the box itself.

The packaging of the invention is not heavier than a traditional bottle of the same capacity and, in certain embodiments, makes it possible to use up to three times less plastic. When pouring the product, it flows continuously without causing air bubbles to rise in the bottle, which allows good precision of the orientation of the jet.

Because the external presentation of the packaging of the invention is ensured by the cardboard box, it is possible to use for the manufacture of the light bottle, plastic waste from the process of manufacturing conventional packaging. It is thus possible to manufacture a monolayer bottle entirely of recovered plastic material. Its lightness, consistency and functionality will be identical to that of a bottle made from virgin material. Only its appearance will be modified, for example in the case where the plastic material recovered comes from screen printing waste, which brings about a change in the color of the bottle.

On the other hand, the coextrusion technique now makes it possible to produce multilayer bottles, with the aim of recycling the plastic material contaminated by products and coming from the consumer trash. In order for this recycling to take place, it is essential to prevent the material that has been contaminated and no longer offering the guarantees of purity commonly demanded from all packaging from being separated from the content by a layer of virgin plastic material intended to prevent contact between the recycled and contaminated material and the contents of the packaging.

The color of the recycled material, tending to the most varied grays, imposes on traditional bottles also a layer of external plastic material called presentation when the color requested for the bottle is incompatible with gray.

A third layer of material, sandwiched between the first two, will allow the incorporation of waste from the manufacture of the packaging itself (waste can represent 50% of the net weight of a handle bottle, for example) and the use of matter actually recycled, that is to say contaminated and coming from refuse ("post-consumer" recycling).

The invention makes it possible to increase the proportion of recycled material by eliminating the presentation layer, which becomes useless since it is the cardboard box which provides its attractive appearance to the packaging.

We are currently trying to develop degradable plastic packaging. One of the difficulties encountered by such projects is to determine the lifespan of the material before degradation begins.

In the packaging of the invention, the bottle is protected from light by the cardboard box until the product has been used. It therefore allows the use of plastics very rapidly degradable under the effect of light, that is to say of UV radiation. The degradation of the plastic material begins as soon as the bottle is exposed to light, that is to say as soon as it is separated from the box, either by human will or by the natural decomposition of the cardboard.

• la Fig. 1 est une vue, partiellement en coupe, d'un emballage pour produits liquides ou pulvérulents suivant l'invention, dont le goulot est en position proéminente ("position flacon");
• la Fig. 2 est une autre vue, partiellement en coupe, du même emballage, dont le goulot est en position escamotée ("position boîte");
• la Fig. 3 est une coupe suivant la ligne III-III de la Fig. 1, et
• la Fig. 4 est une vue en perspective d'un flacon extrait, après usage, d'un emballage selon l'invention, et réduit à un faible volume.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the appended drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a view, partially in section, of a packaging for liquid or pulverulent products according to the invention, the neck of which is in prominent position ("bottle position");
• Fig. 2 is another view, partially in section, of the same packaging, the neck of which is in the retracted position ("box position");
• Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and
• Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bottle extracted, after use, from a package according to the invention, and reduced to a small volume.

Figs. 1 to 3 show a packaging for liquid or powdery products according to the invention, designated under the general reference 1.

This package 1 consists of a cardboard box 2 of rectangular section and a bottle 3. For ease of reference, the bottle 3 is shown in elevation and the box 2 in section in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The box 2 conventionally comprises a bottom 4, four side walls 5 and a cover 6. In the latter is formed a hexagonal opening 7.

Bottle 3 is made of polyethylene and is extremely light; it comprises a bottom 8, a body 9 of substantially rectangular section with rounded corners, and shoulders 10 extending from the upper end of the body 9 to a surface 11 which constitutes the limit between the shoulders 10 and the neck 12. This extends in height up to the start of the threading (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1) of the threaded neck 13 onto which is screwed a threaded plug 14. This plug 14 makes it possible to open and close the packaging 1 as many times as desired.

As seen in Fig. 4, when the bottle 3 is empty, it can easily be separated from the box 2, to which it is not attached either by gluing or by welding or in any other way. It can then be rolled by hand like a toothpaste tube, which allows it to occupy a very small volume in the waste.

This also makes it possible to recover up to the last drop of the product, which avoids wastage and mixing of product residues in the garbage. Box 2, on the other hand, can be flattened like any cardboard box.

It will be understood that the packaging of the invention, which allows complete separation of the cardboard and plastic components, is particularly advantageous from an ecological point of view: these components can be sorted, collected selectively and recycled.

The neck 12 is divided into three distinct elements along its height: the lower part 15, the collar 16 and the upper part 17.

It is clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2 that the bottle 3 can occupy, relative to the box 2, two different positions. It can pass from one to the other thanks to a pressure or traction force exerted on the neck 13.

Fig. 1 shows the package 1 in its "bottle position" in which the neck 13 is completely pulled out of the box 2. In this position, the package 1 can be treated as a simple bottle; after removal of the cap 14, the product contained in the bottle 3 can be poured. Due to the flexibility of the walls of the bottle 3, the product flows, during pouring, in a regular and well oriented jet.

The lower part 15 of the neck 12 is engaged in the opening 7 of the cover 6, where it is locked in rotation, thanks to its hexagonal shape and to the hexagonal shape of this opening 7.

The collar 16, which overcomes the lower part 15, bears on the cover 6. The neck 13 is held in a prominent position. The bottom 8 of the bottle 3 is kept at a distance from the bottom 4 of the box 2, which amounts to saying that the bottle 3 is suspended in the box 2 thanks to the cooperation of the collar 16 and the cover 6.

It is obvious that the resistance of the cardboard which constitutes the cover 6 is sufficient to support the weight of the bottle 3, even when the latter is completely filled with liquid or powdery product. The cover 6 is capable of temporarily deforming while bending downwards when a downward pressure is exerted on the neck 13.

The collar 16 then passes under the cover 6, and the bottle 3 gradually descends into the box 2 until its bottom 8 rests on the bottom 4 of the box 2 and its neck 13 is completely retracted into this box 2, as shown in Fig. 2. This position is particularly advantageous for the transport and storage of the packaging 1, which can then be stacked without disadvantage, loaded on pallets and be treated during handling and handling like an ordinary box.

The packaging 1 can be filled, by the neck 13, on usual filling lines for bottles.

This filling can possibly be done when the neck 13 is in the prominent position (that is to say when the package 1 is in "bottle position" as shown in FIG. 1, but before the plug 14 is put in place. obviously).

It is however preferable to fill the packaging 1 when it is in "box position" (as shown in FIG. 2, but obviously also before fitting the plug 14). When the packaging 1 is in this position, the neck 13 is engaged in the opening 7 of the cover 6, but the upper edge of the neck 13 very slightly exceeds the level of this cover 6 (by about 2 mm, for example ). Therefore, the establishment of the stopper 14 (after filling of the package 1) is very easily done by the stopper mechanisms of the filling lines, because the centering of the stopper 14 relative to the neck 13 is done very precise.

The plug 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is particularly well suited to packaging 1. At its upper part, it is provided with a shoulder 18, which is supported on the cover 6 when the neck 13 has returned to the box 2 and is therefore used for stop device. Two handles 19 can be raised at its upper part so as to facilitate the manual pulling of the neck 13 out of the box 2, for example when after transport, it is desired to pour the product.

The plug 14 is provided with lugs 20 which serve to prevent an involuntary exit of the neck 13 from the box 2 during transport, by cooperating with the underside of the cover 6. When the neck 13 is pushed in, the lugs 20 penetrate under the cover 6 thanks to a temporary deformation thereof. The opening 7 of the cover 6 serves as a guide for the lower part 15 and the upper part 17 of the neck 12, even if the pressure exerted on the plug 14 is not perfectly vertical. This characteristic and the existence of the shoulder 18 and the handles 19 which are foldable provide a practically flat surface to the cover 6 of the box 2 when the packaging 1 is in its "box position" illustrated in FIG. 2.

Of course, when exercising on the handles 19 of the plug 14 the traction necessary to bring out the neck 13 of the box 2 and bring the collar 16 above the cover 6, the lugs 20 and the collar 16 pass through this cover 6 in temporarily deforming it by bending upwards.

Fig. 3 shows that, in this preferred embodiment, the bottle 3 substantially matches the side walls 5 of the box 2. Its body 9 has a wavy shape, thus forming a succession of grooves 21 and ribs 22 arranged in the axial direction (vertical).

As the walls of the bottle 3 are very thin, and particularly when the package 1 is filled with liquid product, there may in the long run swell the side walls 5 of the box 2, mainly in the lower third of the package 1, where the greatest pressure is exerted. To overcome this drawback, the body 9 of the bottle 3 has, in the corresponding zone, a slightly smaller section than in the other parts, so as to counteract the appearance of such swelling. This characteristic is of course not apparent when the bottle 3 is filled.

The embodiment described with reference to the figures has many advantages which have been enumerated above, and among these, lightness.

Many other variants can be made to the packaging described above without departing from the scope of the invention.

This is how vials, in essence of cylindrical shape, can be adapted as well to boxes of square, hexagonal or octagonal section, for example, as to cylindrical boxes themselves.

Bottles can be made with the body lined with horizontal grooves, or a combination of horizontal and vertical grooves, or bottles stiffened with diamond-shaped relief patterns, or even smooth bottles.

The shapes of the neck of the bottle and the opening in the lid of the box can be chosen as required, and regardless of the shape chosen for the box and the bottle of the packaging.

Claims (18)

1.- Packaging for liquid or powdery products, characterized in that it consists of an assembly consisting of a cardboard box (2) and a plastic bottle (3) contained in this box (2) without to be attached, said box (2) comprising side walls (5) and a cover (6) in which an opening (7) is formed, said bottle (3) comprising a bottom (8), a body (9), shoulders (10), a neck (12), a neck (13) on which a stopper (14) is fitted, the relative dimensions of the bottle (3) and of the box (2) being such that the bottle (3) can be placed vertically either in a position in which its bottom (8) is located at the same level as the lower end of the side walls (5) of the box (2) and its neck (13) is retracted into the box (2) , or in a position in which its bottom (8) is located above the level of the lower end of the side walls (5) of the box (2), the neck (12) being engaged ge in the opening (7) of the cover (6), the bottle (3) can be moved from one of these positions to the other of these positions, the bottle (3), as contained in the box ( 2), which can be filled by the neck (13), the cap (14) can be put in place and removed when desired, and the contents of the bottle (3) can be poured through the neck (13), neck (12) of the bottle (3) being provided with means which, when it is engaged in said opening (7), cooperate with the cover (6) in order to maintain the neck (13) outside the box (2) and suspending the bottle (3) therein, thereby achieving with the cover (6) a temporary state of retaining the bottle (3) in height. 2.- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the box (2) further comprises a bottom (4) on which can rest the bottom (8) of the bottle (3). 3.- Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the neck (13) of the bottle (3) is threaded and the stopper (14) is correspondingly threaded. 4.- Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (9) of the bottle (3) has a flexibility and dimensions in width such that it can substantially match the side walls (5) of the box (2). 5. Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means which can cooperate with the cover (6) consist of a collar (16) which overcomes the lower part (15) of the neck (12). 6.- Package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the neck (12) is provided, at its lower part (15), with means which can cooperate with the cover (6) to ensure its blocking in rotation when engaged in the opening (7). 7.- Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plug (14) is provided with a stop member which, when the neck (13) is retracted inside the box (2 ) is supported on the top of the cover (6) and thus prevents the plug (14) from fully descending into the box (2). 8.- Package according to claim 7, characterized in that the stop member consists of a shoulder (18) located near the top of the plug (14). 9. Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plug (14) is provided with a retaining member which, when the neck (13) is retracted inside the box (2) , cooperates with the underside of the cover (6) and thus prevents the involuntary exit of the neck (13) out of the box (2). 10.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the opening (7) formed in the cover (6) of the box (2) has dimensions such that, when the neck (13) is retracted inside the box (2), the edge of this opening (7) laterally encloses the plug (14) and thus prevents the involuntary exit of the neck (13) out of the box (2). 11.- Package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plug (14) is provided with at least one handle (19) intended to facilitate gripping of the plug (14) and traction of the neck (13 ) out of the box (2). 12.- Package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (9) of the bottle (3) is provided, on at least part of its periphery and on at least part of its height, with means stiffening. 13.- Package according to claim 12, characterized in that the body (9) of the bottle (3) is lined with grooves (21) and ribs (22) arranged in the axial direction. 14.- Packaging according to any one of claims 12 and 13, characterized in that the body of the bottle is lined with grooves and ribs arranged in the radial direction. 15.- Package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross section of the body of the bottle has, in essence, a circular shape. 16.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the cross section of the body (9) of the bottle (3) has, in essence, a rectangular shape with rounded corners. 17.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the box has a cylindrical shape. 18.- Packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box (2) has a prismatic shape.

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