Opening device for packaging containers

Abstract: The invention concerns an opening device for tetrahedral-shaped (3) or parallelepiped-shaped (4) packagings. The strip of packaging material (1, 2) is provided with tear perforation lines (5, 6) mainly parallel to the longitudinal direction of the strip of material (1, 2) and where the tear perforation lines (5, 6) in a transverse seam (8) on the packaging (3, 4) converge at a point (7).

Description: The present invention concerns an opening device for packaging containers of the type manufactured from a continuous strip of material which is shaped to a tube, with transverse seams, with which the tube is cut up into individual packagings, at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the strip of material and the tube. Packagings of the type which is manufactured from a continuous strip of material, of paper or cardboard laminated with plastic and possibly with aluminium foil, are transversely sealed across the strip of material which has been formed into a tube and cut off in the transverse seals into individual packagings. Through orienting the transverse seals differently one can obtain packaging containers of different appearance. Through every second transverse seam being oriented 90° in relation to the previous transverse seam, one obtains packagings of tetrahedral form. Through letting all transverse seams be oriented in the same direction one obtains cushion shaped packaging objects which through a later final shaping can be brought to a parallelepiped shape. Regardless of which type of packaging is being manufactured, these packaging containers are provided with different types of opening devices. The majority of opening devices are intended for liquid contents with pouring edges and similar arrangements. Such opening devices are often less suitable for semi-liquid or almost solid products. Semi-liquid products may be such as tomato paste or fresh cream. Almost solid products are often those which have been packaged in liquid form and since congealed in the packaging such as puddings, cream cheese and also more conventional types of cheese. When one wishes to empty out the contents of packagings with such products it is often desirable to open a fairly large part of the packaging and here there is most frequently no other available means than scissors, knife or similar household implement so that one can cut along one side and thereby dig out the contents of the package with a spoon or tip them out. An aim of the present invention is to open one side of the packaging in a simple manner not requiring an implement in order thus more easily to reach the semi-solid or semi-liquid contents. This and other aims have been achieved according to the invention through the fact that the opening device of the type described in the introduction is given the characteristics that two perforation lines extending mainly in the strip's longitudinal direction coincide with a transverse seam on the packaging containers manufactured from the strip of material. Preferred embodiments of the invention have further been given the characteristics which can be seen from the sub-claims. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the enclosed drawings of which fig. 1 shows a part of a strip of material intended for tetrahedral-shaped packagings fig. 2 shows a part of another strip of material intended for tetrahedral-shaped packagings fig. 3 shows a tetrahedral-shaped packaging with an opening device fig. 4 shows a tetrahedral-shaped packaging with another version of the opening device fig. 5 shows a part of a strip of material intended for parallelepiped-shaped packagings fig. 6 shows a part of another strip for parallelepiped-shaped packagings fig. 7 shows a parallelepiped-shaped packaging with an opening device fig. 8 shows a parallelepiped-shaped packaging with another version of the opening device. The continuous strips of material 1, 2 from which verious forms of packagings 3, 4 are manufactured have a core of paper or cardboard to which various layers of thermoplastic and possibly aluminium foil are laminated. Before the lamination it is relatively simple to provide the strip of material 1, 2 with tear perforation lines 5, 6 and after that the strip 1, 2 is laminated in the usual way. Through the fact that the tear perforation lines 5, 6 run mainly along the longitudinal direction of the strip 1, 2 it has no significance for the strength of the packaging material that the strip 1, 2 is weakened along these lines as the main stress on the strip of material 1, 2 is oriented in the same direction as the tear perforation lines 5, 6. Tear perforation lines 5, 6 which run mainly along the longitudinal direction of the strip 1, 2 are defined as the fact that the tear perforation lines 5, 6 do not at any point deviate more than 45° from the longitudinal direction. Fig. 1 shows a part of a strip of material 1A intended for tetrahedral-shaped packagings 5. This strip 1A is completely without preprinted fold lines and it most freqently does not need to be kept in register either. On this strip of material 1A there are two tear perforation lines 5, 6 which run parallel to the edge of the strip of material 1A. The width between the tear perforation lines 5, 6 is chosen so that half the width is fully sufficient to offer a thumb grip when tearing off the packaging wall and opening the packaging 5. Naturally the width can vary depending on the product and the desired degree of opening. The tear perforation lines 5, 6 are oriented towards the side of the strip 1A so that in the finished packaging 5A see fig. 3 the tear perforation lines 5, 6 coincide at a point 7 or a line on one transverse seam 8, which is completely necessary since this creates an indication for tearing when one starts to open the packaging 5. Fig. 2 shows another strip of material 1B which is intended for tetrahedral-shaped packagings 5. Here too there are no preprinted fold lines, but in this case it is necessary to keep the strip of material 1B in register, i.e. the transverse seams 8, 9 must occur at definite positions on the strip 1B in order to ensure that the tear perforation lines 5, 6 come exactly so that one side of the tetrahedral-shaped packaging 5B can be opened almost in its entirety. In this case too we set out from two parallel tear perforation lines 5, 6 which coincide in a transverse seam 8 at a point 7 which constitutes the indication to tear. The position of the transverse seams 8, 9 is indicated by means of dotted lines on the strip of material 1B in fig. 2. From these two parallel tear perforation lines 5, 6 the tear perforation lines 5, 6 diverge until they come to the next transverse seam 9. There the two tear perforation lines 5, 6 converge again to their parallel position before the next transverse seam 8 where the tear perforation lines 5, 6 must again coincide at a point 7. The two originally parallel tear perforation lines diverge and converge alternately along the length of the strip of material 1B. In the case that is shown in fig. 2 the packaging 5B will be given an appearance as shown in fig. 4 where one again has a point of coincidence 7 on one transverse seam 8 for the two partly parallel tear perforation lines 5, 6. From the parallel position the tear perforation lines 5, 6 diverge so that they very closely coincide with the limit lines for a side surface of a tetrahedral-shaped packaging 5A. By this means an opening device is obtained since in broad terms one whole side of the tetrahedral-shaped packaging 5B is torn off at the opening of the packaging 5B. In fig. 5 a part of a strip of material 2A is shown which is intended for parallelepiped-shaped packaging containers 4. This strip 2A is preprinted with fold lines 10, so-called bend lines. The strip 2A is cut off in transverse seams 8 which are all oriented in the same dirction and thereafter the cushion-shaped packaging object is finally shaped to its parallelepiped shape. In figure 5 the continuous strip of material 2A has been provided with tear perforation lines 5, 6 which are situated at an internal distance from each other which is less than the distance betyween two bend lines 10A, 10B, which are intended to constitute the limit of the gable on the finished parallelepiped-shaped container 4. The two tear perforation lines 5, 6 are symmetrically placed in relation to the fold lines 10A, 10B and thereby they will coincide at a point 7 at the two transverse seams 8 of the packaging 4. With similar tear perforation lines 5, 6 to those shown in fig. 5 the finished parallelepiped-shaped packaging 4A will be given an appearance like that in fig. 7. At the opening of this packaging 4A the flap which is to be found on the gable 12, which is provided with tear perforation lines 5, 6, is lifted up. By this means one obtains a thumb grip and an instruction to tear and one can in a simple manner tear off almost the whole gable side 12 of the packaging 4A. The distance between the tear perforation lines 5, 6 within the two fold lines 10A, 10B which mark the gable side 12 can vary depending on the desired degree of opening and depending on what product has been packaged. In fig. 6 another strip of material 2B is shown, this one too intended for parallelepiped-shaped packagings 4 and therewith also provided with preprinted fold lines 10. Here the two tear perforation lines 5, 6 have between them a greater distance than the two fold lines 10A, 10B which constitute the limit of one gable side 12. The tear perforation lines are placed symmetrically in relation to the fold lines 10A, 10B. With a strip of packaging material 2B as in fig. 6 one obtains packagings 4B with an appearance as shown in fig. 8. This packaging 4B also is opened through the flap 11 being lifted and one has an instruction to tear at the point 7 where the tear perforation lines 5, 6 meet. Naturally the width between the tear perforation lines can also be varied here depending on the degree of opening desired and on what is packaged in the packaging container. As an intermediate position between the embodiments in fig. 5 and fig. 6 one can naturally conceive that the tear perforation lines 5, 6 should coincide with the fold lines 10A, 10B which constitute the limiting surface of one gable 12 of the packaging container. By this means the packaging will at the opening of it have one of its gables 12 torn off in its entirety. As became clear from the above description an opening device for packaging containers is achieved with the present invention which makes it possible in a simple and cheap manner to open a greater part of the packaging in order thus to be able in a simple manner to gain access to the contents of the packaging.

Claims: Opening device for a packaging container (3, 4) of the type that is manufactured from a continuous strip of material (1, 2) which is shaped to a tube with transverse seams (8, 9) at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the strip of material and the tube, at which the tube is cut up into individual packagings, characterised in that two perforation lines (5, 6), mainly extending in the longitudinal direction of the strip (1, 2), converge at a transverse seam (8) on the packaging container (3, 4) manufactured from the strip of material (1, 2). Opening device according to patent claim 1 where every second transverse seam (9) is oriented 90° in relation to the previous transverse seam (8), characterised in that the perforation lines (5, 6) are mainly parallel. Opening device according to patent claim 1, where every second transverse seam (9) is oriented 90° in relation to the previous transverse seam (8), characterised in that the perforation lines (5, 6), from being two parallel lines, alternately diverge and converge. Opening device according to patent claim 1, where all transverse seams (8) are parallel and where the strip of material (2) has a preprinted pattern of fold lines (10), characterised in that the perforation lines (5, 6) are mainly parallel. Opening device according to patent claim 4, characterised in that the perforation lines (5, 6) on both of the transverse seams (8) of the packaging container (4) converge at a point (7). Opening device according to patent claim 4, characterised in that the distance between the perforation lines (5, 6) is less than the distance between two fold lines (10A, 10B) which constitute limit lines for a gable (12) on the finished packaging container (4). Opening device according to patent claim 4, characterised in that the distance between the perforation lines (5, 6) is greater than the distance between two fold lines (10A, 10B) which constitute limit lines for a gable (12) on the finished packaging container (4). Opening device according to patent claim 4, characterised in that the perforation lines (5, 6) coincide with two fold lines (10A, 10B) which constitute limit lines for a gable (12) on the finished packaging container (4).

Inventors: NILSSON BO, OTTOCAN DORIANO, SPONHOLTZ PER, NILSSON, BO, OTTOCAN, DORIANO, SPONHOLTZ, PER
Applicants: TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE, TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE S.A.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5, B65D85, B65D75