Patent Publication Number: US-2019193880-A1

Title: Thermal and/or acoustic insulation packaging

Description:
This invention relates to packaging of thermal and/or acoustic insulation materials, and particularly to packaging which facilitates manual handling. It is particularly suitable for use with mineral wool insulation, for example glass wool or rock wool insulation. 
     Thermal and/or acoustic insulation tends to be bulky. For ease of handling individual packages of insulation are often assembled as a large package, for example of the type disclosed in WO 2004/103821. Such large packages are handled mechanically using appropriate mechanical handling equipment, for example using conveyor belts, packaging machinery, fork lift trucks and clamp trucks. Nevertheless, when individual packages of insulation are to be manipulated by hand, for example at the point of sale or during use of an individual package, their combined bulk and weight (often of the order of 8-16 kg) means that gripping an individual package by hand is not always convenient, especially if it is desired to grip more than one package at a time. 
     It is known to provide handles on individual packages of insulation to facilitate manual handling. For example:
     WO 93/21078A1 discloses a handle in the form of a film strip ( 6 ) secured to a film wrapping ( 3 ) which envelopes the mineral wool products. The handle ( 6 ) is secured on the outside of the package at a position where the film wrapping ( 3 ) overlaps itself and is arranged so that there is an opening formed between the strip ( 6 ) and the package.   WO 01/10737A1 discloses a carrying handle for a mineral wool package in the form of a strip connected to the outside wrapping of the package by adhesive bonding or sealing, the connection being interrupted in at least one carrying region beneath which the user can grip.   EP1798164A1 describes the problems of automatically attaching the handles disclosed in WO 01/10737A1 and proposes an alternative arrangement in which a handle  41  projects partially around the circumference of the packaging from the overlapping portion of the enveloping film.   

     None of these previously proposed arrangements has provided complete satisfaction. It is thus an aim of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement which combines practicality of use with appropriate ease and cost of manufacture. 
     According to one aspect, the invention provides a package of insulation material as defined in claim  1 . According to another aspect, the invention provides a method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material as defined in claim  10 . The dependent claims define preferred and/or alternative embodiments. 
     In accordance with the aspect of the invention defined in claim  1 , the carrying handle comprises a handle film having at least one incision which separates an attachment portion of the handle film which is secured to a portion of the surface of the enveloping film from an integral grip portion of the handle film which is configured to allow a user&#39;s hand to be inserted between the grip portion and the enveloping film to grip the package. 
     The invention is particularly suitable for use with rolls or batts or mineral wool insulation (including glass wool and rock wool) especially where the package is elongate, for example have a length in the range of 0.5 m to 1.5 m and a diameter (or width and depth) in the range 0.3 m to 0.5 m. In such packages, the insulation material is generally held in compression, for example by an enveloping film; this invention is particularly suited to such packages. The invention is particularly useful for smaller sizes of packages of insulation which configures to facilitate manual handling, for examples packages having a length in the range 0.5 m to 0.8 m, for example a length of about 0.6 m. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the handle film is provided in the form of a patch or label, for example in the form of a continuous roll of carrying handles. Such a format facilitates manufacture of the carrying handles and their automatic application to packages of insulation. 
     The handle film may comprise an extruded polymer; it may comprise a laminate of a plurality of films, preferably a cross laminate and more preferably a cross laminate of extruded polymer films. Such constructions provide good mechanical resistance for thin films. The handle film may comprise of or consist essentially of polyethylene. 
     The carrying handles may be secured to the surface of the enveloping film by an adhesive. 
     The handle film may be provided with an adhesive at its attachment portions, preferably a contact adhesive which does not require heat activation. In one embodiment the face of the handle film adapted to be placed in contact with the enveloping film of the package is provided with an adhesive at both the attachment portion and the grip portion, with the adhesive present at the grip portion being rendered totally or partially non-adhesive, for example by being coated with a non-adhesive layer or covering and/or being deactivated using an adhesive kill, for example a varnish coating. Such a configuration facilitates the adaptation and use of standard, mass produced self adhesive films for the carrying handles. 
     The handle film may be provided on a carrier film adapted to facilitate its manipulation and/or application to the packaging. For example, where the handle film carries an adhesive adapted to participate in securing the carrying handle to the packaging, the handle film may be provided with a release film covering the adhesive which is adapted to be removed to permit adhesion of the handle film to the package; this may be a release paper, for example a silicone coated backing paper. 
     The use of incision(s) to define an attachment portion and a grip portion of the carrying handle facilitates manufacture of the carrying handles from standard, mass produced films in a single, simple supplementary manufacturing operation. Alternatively or additionally, the use of incisions facilitates embodiments in which the grip portion is defined in a central portion of the handle film surrounded or substantially surrounded by the attachment portion of the carrying handle; such a configuration provides a large surface area for the attachment portion which facilitates secure attachment to the enveloping film of the package and assists in providing an even distribution of forces to the enveloping film when the package is lifted or handled using the grip portion. 
     The incision(s) may be stamped or die cut in the handle film. Rip stops may be provided as a prolongation of the incisions, for example a curved or arced prolongation. 
     The carrying handle may have:
         a length greater than about 150 mm, 180 mm, 200 mm or 220 mm; and/or   a length less than about 350 mm, 320 mm, 300 mm or 280 mm; and/or   a width greater than about 50 mm, 75 mm or 100 mm; and/or   a width less than about 160 mm or 140 mm.       

     One preferred size for the carrying handle is a length of about 250 mm and a width of about 120 mm; such a size provides a good combination of available surface area for the attachment portion and the grip portion of the carrying handle whilst being easily manipulated during automatic application to a package and without requiring excessive amounts of material. The carrying handle may be substantially rectangular. 
     The carrying film may have a thickness greater than 80 μm or 100 μm and/or less than 200 μm or 170 μm 
     Where the grip portion is provided as a elongate portion in the form of a strip, it may have a width greater than 25 mm and/less than 50 mm; it may have a length greater than 90 mm and/or less than 150 mm. 
     In particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention an enveloping film of low thickness (for example 35 to 70 μm) is used, with the configuration of the carrying handle being arranged to provide adequate resistance (to allow the package to be carried and handled using the grip portion without ripping of the carrying handle) and suitable force distribution to the enveloping film (to avoid ripping of the enveloping film when the carrying handle is used). 
     Preferably, the carrying handle lies flat against the surface of the packaging; this helps to avoid the risk of snagging, for example when the package is handled by mechanical handling equipment. Particularly where the packaged insulation material is resiliently deformable, for example if the package is a package of mineral wool insulation, the user may insert his or her hand or fingers between the grip portion and the enveloping film by pushing against and slighting deforming the insulation material so as to grip the grip portion. 
     The handle film may be transparent; this provides that advantage of allowing the carrying handle to be positioned over the enveloping film without obscuring any markings or information printed on the enveloping film. This facilitates the manufacturing process as the enveloping film need not be designed specially to receive a carrying handle (so that the same enveloping film can be used for packages provided or not provided with carrying handles) and it avoids the necessity of aligning the position of the carrying handle with a specific position around the periphery of the package. 
     The handle film may be configured to allow it to be applied to the package using part of the mechanism of a label printer and/or label applicator. Label printers and/or label applicators are commonly used in the packaging process for insulation materials and a method in which a label printer and/or label applicator is used to apply the carrying handle to the package has the advantage of allowing standard equipment, often pre-existing equipment at a manufacturing line, to be used to apply a carrying handle. The handle film, and any carrier film when present, may pass through the print head of a label printer/applicator in the process of applying the carrying handle to the package. It is advantageous if the thickness of the handle film (including any carrier film) is less than 300 μm, preferably less than 250 μm or 220 μm, to facilitate such a possibility. 
     The carrying handle may carry printed information adapted to be visible to a purchaser or user of the package; such information may be printed on to the carrying handle as part of the process of applying the carrying handle to the package (for example where the carrying handle passes through the print head of a label printer) and/or may be provided on the handle film in a separate step. Particularly where the handle film is transparent, a printed indication may be used to facilitate identification of the grip portion. 
     Particularly when the carrying handle is adapted to be applied to the package using a label applicator, the handle film and/or any carrier film may include a visual marking indicating the position of the leading and/or training edge of a carrying handle. For example, where carrying handles are provided on a roll, a marking, for example in the form or a machine readable line running across part or all of the width of the roll may be used to provide an indication of the position of the carrying handle. Particularly when the handle film is transparent, such a visual marking may be provided on any carrier film. 
     Preferably, a package in accordance with the invention is provided with a single carrying handle. Such an arrangement provides the desired functionality whist minimising additional packaging materials and costs. Nevertheless, in some embodiments, a plurality of carrying handles may be provided as part of each package, such multiple carrying handles be spaced axially along the length of the package and/or circumferentially around the perimeter of the package. 
     In a particularly preferred embodiment, the package comprises two axially aligned rolls of mineral wool insulation encased by a circumferential enveloping film which is provided with a circumferential perforation, weakness or rip cord at an axial position corresponding to abutting ends of the axially aligned rolls. Individual carrying handle attached to the external circumference of the package on the enveloping film, each at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of each respective mineral wool roll, facilitae handling both of the entire package and of each individual roll when separated from the package. 
    
    
     
       Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention comprising a roll of mineral wool insulation; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention comprising slabs of mineral wool insulation; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  showing an alternative orientation for the carrying handle; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of one form of carrying handle; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view of a roll of carrying handles; 
         FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are plan views of alternative forms of carrying handle; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  shown a package  10  comprising a roll of mineral wool insulation  11  held in compression by an enveloping film  12  and provided with a single carrying handle  13 . The carrying handle  13  is secured to the external surface of the enveloping film  12  by adhesive (not shown). The positioning of the carrying handle  13  substantially centrally along the axial length of the package proximate to the centre of gravity of the package facilitates balance and stability of the package when manually gripped using the handle. The enveloping film  12  entirely surrounds the circumferential perimeter of insulation roll  11  and partially covers each end face  14  of the roll  11 . 
     In the arrangement shown in  FIG. 2 , the package  20  comprises a series of stacked slabs of insulation material  21  with a carrying handle  23  secured to the enveloping film  22  at a central position of one side face of the package. 
     In the  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  arrangements, a grip portion  15 ,  25  of the carrying handle  13 ,  23  comprises a strip which projects substantially along the axis of the package.  FIG. 3  shows and alternative arrangement in which the grip portion  35  of the carrying handle  33  comprises a strip which projects at an angle of about 90° to the axis of the package. In other potentially advantageous arrangements (not illustrated) the grip portion may comprises a strip which projects at an angle of about 30°, or 45° to the axis of the package. 
     The embodiment of a carrying handle  43  shown in  FIG. 4  comprises a handle film  41  provided with a pair of spaced incisions  46 ,  47  which separate a central grip portion  45  of the handle film  41  from a peripheral attachment portion  44  of the handle film  41 . Each incision  46 ,  47  is provided with a rip stop  48  at each of its ends to prevent undesired ripping of the handle film  41  when a package is gripped and handled using the grip portion  45 . In this embodiment, the rip stops  48  are provided as continuations of the incisions  46 ,  47  taking the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion  45  and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion  45 , preferably towards a central position of the grip portion. 
     In this embodiment the handle film  41  is transparent and is provided with a visual indication  49  in the form of a printed message readable by the user. 
     The handle film  41  is provided with an adhesive layer over the entire surface intended to be secured to the enveloping film of the package, the adhesive at the position of the grip portion  45  being “killed” by a varnish coating applied to this portion. The total thickness (handle film+adhesive+varnish+ink) is about 170 μm. The carrying handles are provided on a carrier film provided by a glassine backing paper liner (not shown) having a thickness of about 60 μm. The total thickness of the carrying handles and the carrier film is thus less than 250 μm. 
     The carrying handles may be provided in the form of a continuous roll  50  as illustrated schematically in  FIG. 5 . A machine readable black line (not shown) is provided across the width of the roll on the underside of the carrier film at a position corresponding to the separation  51  between adjacent carrying handles  53  on the roll; this is used to facilitate positioning and automatic application of the carrying handles  53  to a package of insulation. 
     In the embodiment of a carrying handle  63  shown in  FIG. 6 , the handle film is again provided with a pair of spaced incisions  66 ,  67  which define a central grip portion of the handle film spaced from a peripheral attachment portion. Each incision  66 ,  67  is provided with a rip stop  68  at each of its ends to prevent undesired ripping of the handle film. In this embodiment, the rip stops  68  are again provided as continuations of the incisions  66 ,  67  taking the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion, before again doubling back on itself to again project away from the grip portion. In the  FIG. 7  embodiment, the rip stops  78  of the carrying handle  73  are again provided as continuations of the incisions  76 ,  77  which, in this case, take the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion and ending in a portion which projects towards the start of the arc of the rip stop. Each rip stop may take the form of a spiral or part of a spiral; spiral forms of rip stops may turn through an angle greater than 170°, 180°, 260°, 270°, 350° or 360° and/or an angle less than 540°. 
       FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  also illustrate a portion of the carrying handle at which an adhesive provided on the handle film is deactivated with adhesive kill. This portion  62 ,  72  of the carrying handle may extend over the entire grip portion; it may extend slightly beyond the grip portion. This portion of the carrying handle may extend at least partially in to the rip stops. Where rips stops are provided as arcing continuations of the incisions, a tangent to the rip stop at the position at which the rip stop encounters a transition between an adhesive and a non-adhesive portions of the carrying handle is preferably offset or forms an angle, preferably an angle of between 10° and 80° with respect to a principle axis of the grip portion of the carrying handle. 
       FIG. 8  shows an embodiment in which the package  80  comprise two axially aligned rolls of mineral wool insulation  81 ,  82  encased by a circumferential enveloping film  83 . A circumferential weakness  84 , preferably provided by perforations, in the enveloping film  83  allows easy separation of the package  80  in to its two individual rolls  81 , 82 . Individual first  91  and second  92  carrying handles are attached to the external circumference of the package  80  on the enveloping film, each at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of the respective first  81  and second  82  mineral wool rolls. As shown here, the individual first  91  and second  92  carrying handles may be axially aligned with each other. 
       FIG. 8  also illustrates a circumferential positioning of a carrying handle  91  spaced from and, in this case, substantially opposite an overlap portion  101  of the enveloping film  83 . The overlap portion  101  is shown separated from the enveloping film  83  for illustrative purposes but in use will be bonded to the enveloping film  83 . The carrying handle, or the central axis of the carrying handle, may be spaced from the overlap portion  101  by at least 90°, or by at least 120° and preferably by about 180°. This may help to avoid any strain from manipulation of the package using the carrying handle pulling on the overlap portion  101 ; such strain could create a risk of opening the package by undesired detachment of the overlap portion  101 . In an alternative, non-illustrated arrangement, the carrying handle may straddle the overlap portion, preferably such that at least about a third of the carrying handle is attached to the enveloping film  83  at one side of the overlap portion  101  and at least about a third of the carrying handle is attached to the enveloping film  83  at the other side of the overlap portion  101 . In this latter configuration, the carrying handle may assist in preventing undesired detachment of the overlap portion  101  from the enveloping film  83 . 
     The  FIG. 8  arrangement is particularly suitable for two compressed mineral wool insulation rolls each having a width of about 60 cm, 70 cm or 80 cm and the approximate illustrative dimensions shown in  FIG. 8  are: w=60 cm; x=17.5 cm; Cx=25 cm; Cy=12 cm.