EP1604913B1 - Food package - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging unit for foodstuffs, in particular, for fish and fish products comprises a shell (10) with a bottom (12) and at least one side (14, 16) joining the bottom along a curved fold line (18, 20), and a foil serving as a cover for the shell.

Description

The present invention relates to a package for food, in particular fish and fish products, which may be present as fresh fish and / or smoked fish or in other preparations, but also for poultry, salads and the like.

Out DE 2992039621 a package for fish or fish products is known, comprising a container and a container placed around the shrink film of gas-tight or high-density plastic material, wherein a protective gas filling is provided in the container having a proportion of 1-20% oxygen.

Out DE 19508484 A1 For example, there is known a cup-shaped package for liquid-segregated food, such as fish, which is provided with a bottom and four sidewalls projecting therefrom. The bottom has a lower layer and a top layer, between which a liquid receiving space is formed. The upper layer of the soil is provided with one or more openings, which coincide with the Fluid receiving space communicate. The packaging is made of a non-foamed plastic material.

Out DE 148718 A1 is a caterpillar-shaped food casing known, which consists of a one-sided closed, seamless, tubular casing, which is coated on its outside with a food additive.

Out DE 2 802 385 is a holding device for sausages, biscuits and the like known. The holding device consists of a paperboard or cardboard blank in oblong shape, which has longitudinally on the sides two edge portions connected via curved upsetting or stamping lines. To grasp the sausage, the two edge parts are pressed together and so kept the sausage in the sausage shell.

Out GB 2 339 756 is a food package with a folded shell known. The side walls of the shell are hinged to the shell via convexly curved fold lines. The side walls are glued to a packaging material that lines the shell. In a packaged state, the packaging material is wrapped around the article to be packaged so that the sidewalls are held in an upright position.

Out US 3,298,506 As the closest prior art, a package for a neck bandage, a so-called bow tie, is known. The packaging has a bowl-shaped element, the side walls are erected. The cup-shaped element additionally has hinged wall elements that hold the side walls in the raised position via side flaps. Furthermore, insertion means are provided to connect the bottom of the cup-shaped element with a further wall portion. The element is surrounded by a transparent foil.

In the field of fish packaging but also in packaging for other foods, a distinction is made between transport and presentation packaging. The transport packaging is used to safely package and transport the food when distributed to the shops. The presentation packaging serves to present the food to the shopper in the shop in an appealing manner. Due to their different use and their different uses transport and presentation packaging must meet different requirements.

The present invention has for its object to provide a suitable in particular for the presentation of food, such as fish and fish products suitable packaging that allows simple means an attractive presentation of the product and at the same time avoids damage.

According to the invention the object is achieved by a package having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments form the subject of the dependent claims.

The packaging according to the invention consists of a shell element and a sheath made of film material. The shell element has a bottom element and at least one side wall. When packaged, the sheet material encloses the shell member and holds the at least one sidewall in an upright position. In the erected position, the at least one side wall forms an angle with the bottom element and is in particular inclined out of a main plane of the bottom element. According to the invention, the at least one side wall is articulated along a curved fold line on the bottom element. In the unpackaged state, the shell element lies flat with the side wall (s). If the wrap applied, the side wall is erect, the curved fold line prevents them from bending over on the bottom element, so that a cup-shaped packaging is formed. For the purposes of the invention, a bent fold line is understood to mean any line which is not completely straight, that is to say, for example, piecewise straight traverses or bent sections with a piecewise straight or curved course.

In a preferred embodiment, two side walls are provided, which are articulated on opposite sides of the floor element. But there are also embodiments with one, three or more side walls possible.

The fold lines of the side walls are preferably curved opposite to each other, wherein the bottom element, starting from the center of the fold lines has an increasing width. The floor element is given a waisted shape by the curved fold line.

Preferably, the fold line is approximately in the shape of a circular or hyperbolic sheet, with the fold lines oppositely curved opposite each other.

In one possible embodiment, each of the side walls has a wall height varying along the floor element in the erected position. In the erected position, the floor element is below and the edge of the side walls form the lateral upper edge of the shell.

In a preferred embodiment, the side walls have a curved upper edge, preferably with a region of greater wall height and a region of lesser wall height. The regions of each side wall preferably form a wavy upper edge.

Particularly preferably, the side walls are congruent, that is formed with the same shape, and arranged with opposite orientation to the bottom element, so that the region of greater wall height on one side wall is opposite to the region with lower wall height on the other side wall. Preferably, the side walls have rounded corners.

Due to the curved fold line, the bottom element in the erected state of the side walls has a curved shape in which the edges of the bottom element are raised between the side walls. The curved fold line for the side elements creates a bowl-shaped container with two raised side walls and a curved floor element.

The bottom element preferably has in each case a straight edge between the side walls, which extend for example parallel to one another.

Preferably, a shrink film is provided as a wrapper for the packaging according to the invention. A shrink film exerts, in the shrunk-on state, a force directed towards the center of the container on the side walls. Normally, this force requires a special design of the blank so that the container is not deformed by the force exerted by the shrink film. In the case of the packaging according to the invention, the force of the shrink film is utilized to hold the package in the erected position. The side walls can not fold out due to the shrink film. A folding inwards to the bottom element is not possible because the fold lines are bent and thus prevents the correspondingly deformed bottom element from folding inside.

It is possible to arrange an insert for receiving fat and / or liquid on the floor element. Additionally or alternatively, the insert may reinforce the floor element.

For the production of the shell element to offer a number of different materials. For example, the shell element can be made of cardboard material, for example paper or cardboard material. The cardboard material may be provided with a corresponding grease and water impermeable coating.

Alternatively, the shell element may also be made of a plastic material. In this case, offer as a plastic material, for example, polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) or a mixture of these plastic materials. It is also possible to provide a foamed plastic as a packaging material, for example Styrofoam® or a nonwoven fabric, which has applied layered on its outside a dense film and a perforated film on the inside. It is also possible to use wood or wood veneer or combinations of other materials with wood.

The object of the invention is also achieved by a method for packaging a food having the features of claim 26.

The inventive method is particularly suitable for the packaging of fish and fish products and for fresh and smoked fish. In a first method step, the food to be packaged is placed on an elongate blank with two opposite side walls. The side walls are connected by a curved fold line with the blank. Folding line here is again generally any line in the blank, which allows a kinking of the side walls, so in particular also folded lines and creasing lines. In a second step, in the method according to the invention, the blank with the food is introduced into a film tube which is locked at the head and foot ends. In a subsequent step, the film is shrunk, the side walls of the blank are erected and a bottom member is curved outwards. In the method according to the invention, the food is placed on a flat blank, from which a cup-shaped packaging which forms a shrink film. Before the shrinking process, the film rests against the side walls. Here, the side walls are easily positioned so that the sealed film tube easily straightens the sidewalls. Film tube and fold lines are dimensioned in the inventive method such that the sealed film tube easily straightens the side walls. The dimensioning preferably follows such that when the shrinking film shrinks by 20 to 60%, the side walls are erected by the shrinkage.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment.

Fig. 1

den Zuschnitt der Verpackung im flachen Zustand,

Fig 2

die aufgerichtete Verpackung mit Schrumpffolie,

Fig. 3

einen Querschnitt durch eine aufgerichtete Verpackung,

Fig. 4

schematische Darstellung zum Ablauf des Verfahrens,

Fign. 5 a-c

Faltschale mit nicht stark genug gerillter Faltlinie,

Fign. 6 a-c

Zuschnitt mit zu stark gerillter Faltlinie und

Fign. 7 a-c

zeigen das erfindungsgemäße Schalenelement.

It shows:

Fig. 1

cutting the packaging in flat condition,

Fig. 2

the erected packaging with shrink wrap,

Fig. 3

a cross section through an erected packaging,

Fig. 4

schematic representation of the procedure of the method,

FIGS. 5 ac

Faltschale with not strong enough grooved fold line,

FIGS. 6 ac

Cutting with too grooved fold line and

FIGS. 7 ac

show the shell element according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a developed blank 10 for the packaging according to the invention. The blank has a bottom element 12 and two side walls 14 and 16. The side walls 14 and 16 are hinged on curved fold lines 18 and 20 on the bottom element, wherein the fold lines may be formed as a score or score lines.

The bottom member 12 has two edges 22 and 24 which extend parallel between the side walls 14 and 16. The bottom element 12 has a quadrangular shape with two parallel straight edges 22 and 24 and two inwardly curved fold lines 18 and 20. As a result, the bottom element 12 is given a waisted shape.

The side walls 14 and 16 are congruent and reversed articulated on different sides of the floor element 12. The side wall 14 has an upper edge 22 so that the side member has a varying height along the bottom member 12. In the developed representation in Fig. 1 The height of the side wall 14 results from the distance of the upper edge 22 from the fold line 18. Side wall 16 has the same course of the upper edge 28, but the change of the side wall height in the opposite direction to that of the side wall 14. The package has only two erected side walls.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the package with a shrink film 30. For clarity, the shrink film 30 is indicated by a few lines. However, the shrink film is shrunk onto the blank 10 without wrinkles, kinks or the like. How out Fig. 3 As can be seen, the side walls 14 and 16 form a right angle with the bottom element 12. The shrink film 30 runs around the shell, so the bottom member and the side walls 14 and 16.

In Fig. 2 An auxiliary line A is drawn in, which indicates a storage area for the packaging. It can clearly be seen that the packaging along the edges 22 and 24 is spaced from the ground by the height h. The distance h depends on the curvature of the fold lines 18 and 22. By raising the edges 22 and 24, the bottom member 12 forms a trough-like Aufnehmung for the fish or fish products to be packaged (not shown).

On the bottom element 12, a receptacle for absorbing water and / or fat may be provided, which consists for example of a coated nonwoven material. It is also possible to insert an additional reinforcing insert into the bottom element 12, which reinforces the bottom element.

The packaging may be made of different materials depending on the fish or fish product to be packaged. For example, can be used for the packaging of smoked fish, a cardboard, which is additionally provided with a grease and water impermeable layer. For the packaging of fresh fish, a shell of PP or a plastic foam material, for example made of Styrofoam®, can be provided.

FIG. 4 shows schematically a view of the packaging process. In a first step 32, the flat blank 10 is fed, placed the fish to be packaged on the bottom element 12. The shell member 10 may be provided with an absorbent nonwoven material. This can be done either separately - before the fish is placed on the shell element - or glued to the shell element. In a second stage 34, the shell element is inserted into a film tube and welded to the head and foot ends. The circumference of the film tube, which is placed around the packaging, is adapted to the rebate depth, the final volume of the packaging and the amount of gas in the protective gas atmosphere. The film material can either already be available as a closed film tube, or as a film web which is closed along the longitudinal direction to form a tube. The film bag thus formed is filled in step 34 before sealing with a protective gas atmosphere. The finished bag 36 subsequently enters a shrink tunnel 38. In the shrink tunnel, the throughput speed and temperature are adjusted so that the film bag 36 shrinks to the desired final volume. The film quality is chosen so that the film shrinks by 40 to 60%. The rebate depth of the fold line is chosen as a function of the material used. The erecting of the side walls takes place in the shrink tunnel 38 with contraction of the shrink film.

The interaction between folding thickness and shrink film will be explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 5 Figure a shows a cross-section through the unripened shell element with the bottom element 12 and side walls 14 and 16. As seen in the circled detail view recognizable, this was the folding lines 18 and 20 chosen a groove depth of one third of the material thickness. FIGS. 5b and c show the result at this groove depth: The force exerted by the shrink film 30 is insufficient to fully erect the sidewalls 14 and 16. The resistance exerted by the fold lines is too large. As well as in FIG. 5c can be seen, form outwardly inclined side walls.

FIGS. 6a to 6c show the opposite case by choosing a groove depth of about two thirds of the material thickness. The too large groove depth, about two-thirds of the material thickness, leads to a weak counterforce through the side walls, so that the shrink film tends the side walls inward (see FIG. FIG. 6c) ,

FIGS. 7a to 7c show the embodiment of the invention, in which the groove depth is approximately half the material thickness. This groove depth ensures that the sides are essentially erect during processing.

Claims (20)

1. A food package, in particular for fish and fish products as well as for fresh fish and smoked fish, comprising

   - a shell element (10), having a bottom element (12) and two lateral walls (14, 16), said lateral walls joining on opposite sides of the bottom element, and

   - a wrapping (30) made of foil which in packaged state encloses the shell element (19) and which holds at least one lateral wall in an upright position,

   - wherein each of the at least one lateral walls (14, 16) are joined along a curved fold line (18, 20) to the bottom element (12), wherein the fold lines (18, 20) of the lateral walls are curved opposite one another and the bottom element (12) proceeding from the middle of the fold lines (18, 20) possesses an increasing width (B), wherein each of the lateral walls (14, 16) has a different height (H) along the floor element and a curved upper edge (26, 28), with a region of greater wall height and a region of lesser wall height, characterized in that the region of greater wall height on one of the lateral walls faces a region with lesser wall height on the other of the lateral walls.
2. The food package according to Claim 1, characterized in that the fold lines (18, 20) have the approximate shape of a circular arc or hyperbolic arc.
3. The food package according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one fold line consists of straight or curved sections piecewise.
4. The food package according to Claim 1, characterized in that the regions of the lateral walls form a wavy upper edge (26, 28).
5. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 4, characterized in that the lateral walls are configured congruent, with opposing orientation to the bottom element.
6. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 5, characterized in that the lateral walls (14, 16) have rounded corners.
7. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 6, characterized in that the bottom element (12) has a straight edge (22, 24) respectively between the lateral walls (14, 16), wherein the edges (22, 24) run parallel to one another.
8. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 7, characterized in that the bottom element (12) is curved in an upright state of the lateral walls, wherein the edges (22) of the bottom element are raised by a height (h).
9. The food package according to Claim 8, characterized in that the bottom element assumes a tub-shaped shape in an upright state of the lateral walls (14, 16).
10. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 9, characterized in that shrink wrap is provided as the wrapping (30).
11. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 10, characterized in that an insert for the absorption of grease and/or fluid is arranged on the bottom element (12).
12. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 11, characterized in that the shell element (10) is produced from a carton material, in particular paper or cardboard material.
13. The food package according to Claim 12, characterized in that the carton material is provided with a coating that is greaseproof and waterproof.
14. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 13, characterized in that the shell element (10) is made of a plastic material.
15. The food package according to Claim 14, characterized in that polypropylene or polyethylene or a mixture of both is provided as the plastic material.
16. The food package according to Claim 15, characterized in that a foamed plastic material is provided as packaging material.
17. The food package according to Claim 14, characterized in that the shell element (10) is made of a multilayered plastic material with a thick foil on the outside, a water and grease absorbing nonwoven material in an interlayer and a perforated foil on the inside.
18. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 11, characterized in that the shell element (10) is made of wood or combinations of other materials with wood.
19. The food package according to any of Claims 1 through 18, characterized in that the curved fold line is fluted from 0.4 to 0.6 of the material thickness.
20. The food package according to Claim 19, characterized in that the curved fold line is fluted from about half of the material thickness.

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