Patent Publication Number: US-2011052762-A1

Title: Package With a Food Product Therein and Machine for Manufacturing a Packaged Food Product

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from German Utility Model No. 202009011507.0, filed Aug. 24, 2009, and issued Dec. 24, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     FIELD 
     This application generally relates to a package with a food product therein and, in particular, a coffee product, and to a machine for manufacturing such a package. 
     In the field of food packaging, it is often necessary to package the food in a hermetically sealed manner in order to ensure its freshness and, for example, in the case of coffee, its aroma even in the opened state. Furthermore, the package should be easy for the consumer to open. Finally, the producer of the food may have an interest in providing the package with information, such as, for example, a logo, details of the contents, information for use, competitions, etc. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are known coffee packages available from Kraft Foods, for example, under the trade name “Krönung”, that are largely cuboidal and are usually presented upright on one narrow side. This package comprises a largely cuboidal, inner bag produced from foil and what is known as an outer wrapper, which is usually made of coated paper. 
     A flexible vacuum-packed bag which has an opening that can be reclosed by means of a label is known from EP 1 608 567 B1. 
     SUMMARY 
     This application describes a package comprising an inner package and an outer package with a view to preserving the freshness of the product packaged therein over the lifetime of the package. Furthermore, it describes a machine for manufacturing such a package. 
     In one example, the package with a food product therein, in particular coffee, comprises one inner package and one outer package having at least one means for reclosing provided on the inner package and/or on an inner side of the outer package. 
     The at least one means for reclosing may comprise an adhesive strip for reclosing the package. The at least one means for reclosing the inner package and, in particular, an adhesive strip for reclosing the inner package, can have the advantage that reclosing can be effected relatively dependably on the inner package, such as an inner package that is preferably produced from foil. Adhesive means or adhesive materials that make dependable reclosing possible can be advantageously found for the foil materials that can be typically used for foil bags and, in particular, where the bags can be closed or sealed under a vacuum. In addition, in the initial state, the means for reclosing can be advantageously concealed under the outer package. In other words, the appearance of the package does not necessarily have to change as a result of the addition of a means for reclosing. Rather, the outer package can remain relatively unchanged. When the consumer opens the outer package to open the package as a whole, the consumer can find the means provided for reclosing and can advantageously be able to use the means for reclosing after the opening of the inner package. 
     An additional benefit of the adhesive strip for reclosing is that it can be provided with further information, such as, for example, instructions for opening the inner package and for using the adhesive strip for reclosing, for additional advertising, competitions or the like. The adhesive strip can be attached to the inner package foil that can be used for producing the inner package even with extremely short cycle times, such as approximately 0.2 seconds, that can apply in the case of packaging machines currently in use. This can apply in relatively the same way to an alternative embodiment in which the means for reclosing, in particular an adhesive strip, can be attached to the inner side of the outer package. Similarly, there can be an advantage that the outer side of the outer package can remain relatively unchanged, and that the consumer can find the described means, in particular an adhesive strip, when the consumer has removed at least part of the outer package to open the package as a whole. In order to make it possible for the adhesive strip to be detached easily and nondestructively from the inner side of the outer package, it can be preferable that the outer package can comprise a material on the inner side, at least in certain regions, for example a material comprising silicone, from which an adhesive strip can be easily detached. An adhesive strip, if provided on the inner side of the outer package, can preferably be provided in an upper region, in particular above a tear-open strip. In this way, the adhesive strip can be provided in a region of the outer package that can be removed when the package is opened as a whole and from which the adhesive strip for reclosing the inner package can consequently be easily removed. 
     Alternative embodiments may include, for example, using a hook-and-loop closure, in other words a closure based on hooks and loops, optionally obtainable under the trade name Velcro®, on the inner package. For example, a strip with hooks or loops that extends largely from top to bottom on the inner package may be provided on the inner package at an upper region that can be increasingly emptied of food, and a strip with complementing elements, that is loops or hooks, may be provided at a lower region and on an opposite side. As a result, the increasingly emptied inner package can be rolled up at its upper region and the hook-and-loop closure can be used for reclosing. In another aspect, this can apply in a similar way to an alternative embodiment in which a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive can be provided on the inner package, at least in certain regions, for example in the form of a strip that can extend largely from top to bottom and in the initial state can preferably be covered, for example, by a strip of material, and onto which the upper, increasingly emptied region of the inner package can be pressed such that said region can adhere thereto for reclosing. 
     With regard to such an adhesive, and the adhesive strip described herein, adhesives can be obtained, for example, from companies such as Tesa, Polygrafica or Avery Dennison, which can provide the adhesive properties necessary for reclosing. These adhesives can maintain, in particular, the necessary adhesive force even in cases of repeated reclosing and storing of the package in a refrigerator. With regard to the relationship between the inner package and the outer package, each inner package can be provided with an outer package, such that there is not more than one reclosable inner package in a single outer package. The package may also be referred to as two-ply or two-layered, and the package structure described, which can be produced at low cost, can be advantageously retained. The outer package may also be referred to as an outer wrapper. Similarly, this can apply in the same way to an alternative embodiment in which the inner package can be a vacuum package and two or more inner packages can be provided with a single outer package. In this aspect, the food product can be vacuum-packaged. 
     Advantageous developments of the package can be found in the claims. 
     For the use of the adhesive strip for reclosing by the consumer, it can be advantageous for it to be provided with at least one non-adhering border region. At this non-adhering border region, the adhesive strip can be easily gripped and brought into use for the reclosing. 
     In one aspect, it can be preferable for the inner package to consist of a foil and the food product can be preferably vacuum-packaged in the inner package. Firstly, a foil can be used to produce the preferably cuboidal inner package in a simple, tried-and-tested manner and, secondly, it can be possible to determine good, durable adhesive values for the adhesive strip that is used on the foil for reclosing. 
     For the outer package, in one aspect, it can be preferred that it consists of coated paper. For example, a silicone coating can give the product a pleasant feel and can provide the possibility of printing various kinds of information on the outer package. 
     As previously discussed, the package can preferably be cuboidal, and in this case the means for reclosing, such as an adhesive strip, can preferably be provided on a narrow side face of the package initially. The printing on the outer package can preferably be provided in such a way that the product stands upright, and consequently, in one aspect, on one of the two smallest side faces. In addition, one of the largest side faces can usually form the front side, in one aspect, and the adhesive strip for reclosing can preferably be provided on one of the remaining lateral side faces. This can offer the advantage that the adhesive strip is not concealed by a folded gusset that can usually be formed on the upper side of the package, for example. This is so because, on the upper side of the package, between the front side and the rear side there can extend a seam which can lead to two lateral gussets that can be folded either onto the upper side of the package or onto the front side and rear side. In both cases, the laterally attached adhesive strip for reclosing can remain uncovered and can remain directly visible thus allowing the strip to be used and also to provide visible access to information provided on the strip for the consumer who has already opened the outer package. 
     The inner package can have at least one air supply opening, which in the initial state is closed by the adhesive strip. Closing the package under a vacuum can provide the inner package with a comparatively hard form, and the previously mentioned gussets or seams that can be opened or cut off to open the inner package can be comparatively difficult to expose. At the time at which opening of the inner package is intended, air can be admitted into the package in order to make the package soft. This can allow those regions that can be opened or cut off in order to open the inner package to be easily gripped, and the opening of the package can be facilitated. In addition, the opening of the air supply opening not only can allow air into the package but can also allow the aroma of the packaged food product, for example coffee, to escape the package through this opening, and so, for the consumer, there can already be provided a pleasant perception of the aroma of the food during the opening of the package. The last-mentioned feature can be independent of the previously mentioned features, in particular the presence of an outer package, and even without these features can have its advantages with regard to the opening properties and the aroma thereby released. The feature last described can, however, be advantageously combined with all the other features described herein. Particular synergistic effects can be obtained by the use of the adhesive strip both for reclosing the package and for closing the air supply opening in the initial state. Consequently, both the opening properties and the properties with regard to preserving the aroma and the freshness over the lifetime can be improved. 
     The machine can comprise in this sequence along the machine direction, that is along the path by which the materials involved can advance through, a device for applying a means for reclosing to an inner package and/or to the inner side of the outer package, such as an adhesive strip, which is provided in a machine direction upstream of a device for providing one outer package surrounding one inner package. 
     With such a machine, a two-layered package can be advantageously provided with a means for reclosing the inner package while maintaining comparatively short cycle times of, for example, 0.2 seconds. By one approach, preferred developments of the machine can be obtained from the preferred embodiments of the package. All the explanations given for the adhesive strip can also apply to any other means for reclosing, such as those that have been described above. 
     The adhesive strip can be applied to the inner package when the latter has already been formed into a bag to be filled, but it may be preferred to apply the adhesive strip to an inner package that can initially be in the form of a band. 
     Accordingly, a device for forming the inner package into a bag, for example, with the aid of a mandrel, can be provided downstream of the device for applying the adhesive strip. 
     It may be favorable to apply the adhesive strip to the inner package, which in one example can be in the form of a band, from the underside of the inner package. This can allow adaptation to existing packaging machines to be achieved particularly well, where the inner side faces upward. 
     It is conceivable to cut the adhesive strip for reclosing to the intended size just before application. However, it can be preferred to supply the adhesive strip cut to the intended size, and to do so, for example, as a sequence of numerous adhesive strips on a supply belt, by one approach, preferably attached transversely to the direction in which they may be supplied, and accordingly to provide a device suitable for this. 
     In order to advantageously ensure that the packages can be provided with the adhesive strip for reclosing, it can be preferred to provide a device for checking the presence and/or absence of the adhesive strip upstream of the device for applying the outer package, again considered in the machine direction. This may be supplemented by providing a device for rejecting packages that, for whatever reasons, do not have the adhesive strip. 
     By one approach, in providing at least one air supply opening, the machine for producing the package can preferably have a device for punching or cutting at least one air supply opening upstream in the machine direction of the device for applying the adhesive strip. This device can be independent of all the features of the machine described that are mentioned herein, but can also be advantageously combined with them. 
     Finally, with regard to further features of the package and of the machine and of the method for its production, the content of the following applications is made the subject matter of this application: EP 1 749 751 A1, and its counterpart application, U.S. Publication Number 2007/0022716; EP 1 882 581 A1; and EP 1 772 380 A1, and its counterpart application, U.S. Publication Number 2007/0087088. In other words, all the features of the package, the machine for its production and of the method thereby used that are disclosed in the documents cited can be applied to the package, machine and method described herein, and in particular the U.S. Publication Nos. 2007/0022716 and 2007/0087088 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred exemplary embodiment is explained in more detail below. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective representation of a package with an exposed adhesive strip for reclosing; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective representation of the reclosed package; and 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic representation of part of a machine for making the package with an exposed adhesive strip for reclosing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the package  10  can be substantially cuboidal and, in one aspect, can usually be provided in such a way that it can stand upright on one of the two smallest side faces. One of the two largest side faces  12  can form the front side and the other of the two largest side faces can form the rear side. In the aspect shown in  FIG. 1 , the outer package  14  can be seen in approximately the lower two thirds of the package. The upper part of this outer package has already been removed in order to open the package as a whole. This can take place by opening the inner package  16 , which can typically be produced from a foil that was formed, for example, around a mandrel, and can be provided laterally and on the upper side or underside with a seam, subsequently filled and subjected to a vacuum. Finally, the filling opening can be closed. 
     In the case of the embodiment shown, a seam  18  can extend between the front side  12  and the rear side. In view of the overall approximately cuboidal package, the seam can form two gussets  20 , which in the case of the example shown can be folded onto the front side  12  and the rear side. They may, however, also be folded onto the upper side  22 . 
     On one lateral side face  24 , the adhesive strip  26  for reclosing can be provided. This strip can be approximately rectangular and may, for example, have a length of 75 mm to 80 mm and a width of 20 mm to 25 mm. At least one border that can be a non-adhering region may be provided in order to facilitate the gripping of the adhesive strip and, in particular, can be the upper border according to  FIG. 1 , and can be, for example, 10 mm long and can extend over the entire width of the adhesive strip. The gripping of the adhesive strip can be intended for the purpose of using it for reclosing. In the case of the embodiment shown, the adhesive strip can be attached substantially vertically in the case of the upright package, but it may also be attached substantially horizontally. Initially, the seam  18 , at which two gripping tabs may be provided at the extreme upper end of the package, can usually be separated to open the package. Alternatively, the package may be cut open underneath the seam  18 . In the case of the preferred embodiment described above, an air supply opening, which can be opened by detaching the adhesive strip  26  from the inner package  16  in order to make it possible for air to flow into the vacuum package, may be provided under the adhering region of the adhesive strip  26 . As a result, the package can become soft and the opening described above at the seam  18  can be facilitated. After the opening and removal of the desired portions, it can be appropriate to roll up the inner package in the direction of the front side  12  or the rear side, since these are the wider sides. 
     In  FIG. 2 , this rolled-up state is shown. It can also be seen in  FIG. 2  that the adhesive strip  26  has been relocated from its original position, shown in  FIG. 1 , to the front side  12 , in order to join the rolled-up upper region of the package  10  to the lower region of the package  10  that can still be filled with product and in this way can reclose the package after opening for the first time. 
     In  FIG. 3 , part of a machine for producing the package is schematically shown. Here, the foil  28  for the inner package can be unwound in the form of a band from a roller  30  over various rollers. In a station  32  provided for this step, a profile cut can be provided and, at a subsequent station  34  in the machine direction, a cut that can be straight in certain regions can be made. In one aspect according to a preferred embodiment, this step can be followed by punching, cutting or forming in some other suitable way of at least one air supply opening by a suitable device  36 . This opening can be subsequently closed by an adhesive strip, which can be supplied and applied by a suitable device  38 . It can be seen from  FIG. 3  that this can take place from the underside. With respect to supplying the adhesive strip, it should be mentioned that this can preferably be provided as an adhesive strip that is ready-cut and attached transversely on a supply belt. A comparatively small distance, for example 4 mm, may be provided between the individual adhesive strips and a likewise extremely small distance, for example 1.5 mm, may be provided at the lateral borders. 
     Consequently, without any appreciable conversion work on existing machines, this machine can be used to produce the package described herein, with which reclosing of the opened package can be advantageously made possible. This can avoid the consumer having to decant the content of the package into another container, whereby the aroma can be lost. Rather, the package described herein can be kept in the opened and reclosed state, even for some considerable time, for example in a refrigerator, without sacrificing aroma to any appreciable extent.