Foil bag for packaging moist tissues

Abstract

The subject matter of the invention is a foil bag for packaging moist tissues, said foil bag, which is formed from a hose-like, flexible foil, comprising on its top side a dispensing opening for one-by-one removal of the moist tissues. To provide a foil bag of the type mentioned herein above that keeps the tissues moist and clean over a long period of time even after the package has been put to use, a mechanically openable and closable closure element (16) is embedded in an opening provided on the top side (12) of the foil bag (10), said closure element forming a substantially airtight engagement with the foil bag (10) and being reclosable so as to form an airtight engagement after each use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

DE 20 2004 000 278.7 dated Jan. 10, 2004

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a foil bag for packaging moist tissues, said foil bag, which is formed from a hose-like, flexible foil, comprising on its top side a dispensing opening for one-by-one removal of the moist tissues.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Such type moist tissues, which are made from a nonwoven material or from paper, are moistened by adding a moistener and serve for example for body care or for cleaning in household and industry. These moist tissues are packaged either in airtight dispenser boxes or in airtight foil bags, with the dispensing openings being closed by a dispenser device bonded to the foil or by a closure label. In both cases, the difficulty arising is that either the closure label or the dispenser device cannot be fully closed after having been opened for the first time so that the solvent evaporates and the tissues dry out, or there is a risk that the adhesive of the closure label or of the dispenser device bonded thereon will contaminate the moist tissues or induce a chemical reaction, thus negatively affecting the moist tissues.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view thereof, it is the object of the present invention to provide a foil bag of the type mentioned herein above that will durably keep the moist tissues moist and clean, even after the package has been put into use.

As a technical solution to this object, a foil bag in accordance with the features of claim 1 is being proposed. For advantageous developments of this foil bag, the reader is referred to the subordinate claims.

A foil bag configured in accordance with this technical teaching has the advantage that, since the closure element is opened mechanically, any adhesive may be excluded so that contamination is unlikely to occur. Another advantage is that this mechanically openable and closable closure element is adapted to close so as to maintain an airtight hermetic seal over a long period of time; that is, even after repeated opening and closing, so that the moist tissues are kept in an airtight enclosure even after the package has been put into use, thus eliminating the risk of drying.

It has thereby been found advantageous to weld the closure element made of a hard plastic material to the foil bag by plastic welding. This dispenses with the need for attaching the closure element by adhesive means so that in this case as well contamination or chemical reaction of the adhesive with the solvent is very unlikely to occur.

In a preferred embodiment, the closure element is configured to be a frame with a lid attached thereon, said frame circumscribing an accurately defined dispensing opening while the lid is retained on the frame by means of a living hinge. The advantage thereof is that such a closure element is readily manufacturable at a low cost. Another advantage of using a living hinge is that it permits a plurality of opening cycles to be performed without damage to the closure element.

Manufacturing the closure element using a casting method results in very low manufacturing costs and allows for the use of a hard plastic, which is easy to recycle.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, a detent means is formed on the closure element. This makes it possible to repeatedly open the lid by allowing it to disengage from the detent, and to close it again by allowing it to engage into the detent, so that a reliable opening and closing mechanism that would be durable in operation is achieved.

In another preferred embodiment, a perimeter collar, which is oriented so as to conform to the frame and which projects into the dispensing opening when the lid is closed, is formed on the lid. It has thereby been found advantageous to place said collar so as to minimize the spacing between the collar and the opening. The advantage thereof is that, to some extent, the lid is sealed against the frame so that the solvent is prevented from escaping and the moist tissues from drying.

In a preferred developed implementation, the seal of the closure element is enhanced by having a bearing surface on which the lid is resting in its closed state being formed on the frame.

In another preferred embodiment, the seal of the closure element is further improved by a perimeter ridge being formed beside the bearing surface on the frame, said ridge being oriented to conform to the lid which it surrounds. It has thereby been found advantageous to minimize the spacing between the ridge and the lid for optimum sealing.

In still another preferred embodiment, a perimeter welding edge is formed on the frame of the closure element. Said welding edge, which protrudes therefrom in a collar-like fashion, serves to receive a portion of the foil bag so that the foil bag may be welded to the frame of the closure element in the region of its opening using a plastic welding process.

In a completely different preferred embodiment, the dispensing opening of the closure element is sealed by a sealing plate attached to the frame and providing an airtight hermetic seal. It has thereby been found advantageous to retain the sealing plate on the frame through a perimeter break line so that said sealing plate may be readily removed by a user. If a pivotal ring pull is mounted to the sealing plate, removal of said sealing plate is particularly easy. Such type ring pulls are known from other packages such as from tin cans or canned fish.

The advantage of such a sealing plate is that the moist tissues are packaged by the manufacturer under the strictest hygienic conditions and that the unbroken seal of the sealing plate indicates to the customer that said package has not yet been opened since the sealing plate can only-be removed by causing damage to the closure element.

In still another preferred embodiment, an elastomer gasket is provided between the frame and the lid of the closure element, said elastomer gasket being preferably formed from PETP, PP, PE, PTA or PTE. This relatively soft elastomer has the advantage of sealingly fitting corresponding surfaces of the closure element formed from hard plastic, thus further improving the seal of the foil bag. Another advantage is that such an elastomer may be injection molded integral with the closure element formed from hard plastic at a very low cost.

In a preferred developed implementation, the elastomer gasket is disposed within the closure element so that the closure element provides for a first seal, with the additional elastomer gasket optimizing said seal. The elastomer gasket is disposed within the closure element so as to be already protected from environmental conditions, which results in a very long life of the elastomer gasket.

In a preferred developed implementation it has been found advantageous to configure the elastomer gasket in such a manner that it is slightly compressed when the lid is closed. The restoring forces inherent in the elastomer are activated as a result thereof, thus reliably pushing the elastomer gasket against the respective confronting wall so that the gap to be sealed is provided with a durable seal, even if irregularities in the material or manufacturing inaccuracies in the sizes of the various component parts result in differently sized gaps.

In another preferred embodiment, the elastomer gasket is provided on the perimeter. Comprehensive sealing is thus ensured.

In a particular embodiment, the elastomer gasket is attached to the lid and fits against a shoulder extending along the perimeter of the frame. When the lid is being closed, the elastomer gasket is moved together with the lid toward the opening and is seated onto the corresponding perimeter shoulder. The advantage thereof is that the gasket fits in a defined manner on the perimeter shoulder so that an outstanding seal is achieved. Another advantage is that the gasket can be attached to the lid at low cost.

In another preferred embodiment, a perimeter collar is formed as an integral part of the lid with the elastomer gasket being embedded in the frame at a shoulder and coming to rest against said collar. The advantage thereof is that the shoulder can be formed to conform to the contour of the elastomer gasket, thus permitting further improved sealing.

In a preferred developed implementation, the elastomer gasket is configured to have a mushroom-type cross section with the small face of the elastomer gasket being embedded in the shoulder. The advantage thereof is that the relatively wide mushroom head comes to rest against the lid and/or collar so that there is a very large surface available for sealing.

In another preferred embodiment the elastomer gasket is designed to be of a much larger size than the spacing between the frame and the lid. As a result, the elastomer gasket is partially turned up so that the restoring forces inherent in the elastomer push the elastomer gasket against the lid, thus ensuring a good fit of the elastomer gasket against the lid.

Further advantages of the foil bag of the invention will become apparent in the appended drawings and in the following description of embodiments thereof. Likewise, the invention lies in each and every novel feature or combination of features mentioned above or described herein after. The embodiments discussed herein are merely exemplary in nature and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a foil bag of the invention with the sealing plate being shown half open;

FIG. 2 shows the foil bag of FIG. 1 in the opened condition;

FIG. 3 shows the foil bag of FIG. 1 in the closed condition;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the foil bag of FIG. 1, taken along section line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the device for manufacturing a foil bag of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of a second embodiment of a foil bag of the invention, taken along section line VI-VI of FIG. 6b;

FIG. 6a shows the foil bag of FIG. 6 with the lid being open;

FIG. 6b is a plan view of the foil bag of FIG. 6a;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view-of a third embodiment of a foil bag of the invention, taken along section line VII-VII of FIG. 7d;

FIG. 7a shows the foil bag of FIG. 7 with the lid being open;

FIG. 7b is an enlarged detail of the foil bag of FIG. 7, taken along line VIIb of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7c is an enlarged detail of the foil bag of FIG. 7, taken along line VIIc of FIG. 7a;

FIG. 7d is a plan view of the foil bag of FIG. 7a;

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of a fourth embodiment of a foil bag of the invention, taken along section line VIII-VIII of FIG. 8b;

FIG. 8a shows the foil bag of FIG. 8 with the lid being open;

FIG. 8b is a plan view of the foil bag of FIG. 8a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate a first embodiment of a foil package containing moist tissues. Said moist tissues are made from a nonwoven material and are kept moist by means of a solvent. The foil package includes a foil bag 10 at the top side 12 of which, approximately in the center thereof, there is formed a dispensing opening 14 through which the moist tissues can be removed one by one. A closure element 16, which is made from a hard plastic material by a casting method, is embedded in the top side 12 of the foil bag 10, said closure element including a substantially square frame 18 and a lid 20 retained on said frame. The lid 20 is pivotally retained on frame 18 by means of a living hinge that has not been illustrated in closer detail herein. To singly remove moist tissues, said lid 20, which is pivotally retained on frame 18, can be opened and closed again after removal, with the lid 20 fitting on frame 18 so as to be in airtight engagement therewith.

At the bottom side of the lid 20, a perimeter collar 22 that protrudes from the lid 20 is formed. A bearing surface 24, against which the lid 20 comes to rest in the closed condition, is concurrently provided on the frame 18. A perimeter ridge 26 is provided on the frame 18 next to the bearing surface 24, said ridge surrounding the lid 20 in the closed condition. Both the collar 22 and the ridge 26 are thereby placed such that the spacing between the respective ones of the lid 20, the collar 22 and the frame 18, and the ridge 26 is minimized so that good airtight closure is achieved.

To facilitate operation of said closure element 16, a pull strap 28 is formed on the lid 20, with the perimeter ridge 26 missing in the region of said pull strap 28. In this region, a detent means is formed on the closure element 16, said detent means including a collar protrusion 30 formed on the collar 22 and a frame protrusion 32 formed on the frame 18, said collar protrusion 30 engaging behind the frame protrusion 32 in the closed condition. A reliable detent means is thus provided which retains the lid 20 in the closed condition while ensuring airtight closure thereof.

As used herein, airtight means that moisture is kept from escaping from the moist tissues to the greatest possible extent.

A vertically protruding perimeter-welding edge 34 is formed on the frame 18, said welding edge engaging inside the foil bag 10, said foil bag 10 coming to rest against said welding edge 34 and the foil bag 10 being welded to the frame 18 at this welding edge 34.

The foil bag 10 is supplied with the dispensing opening 14 defined by the frame 18 being closed by a sealing plate 36. A pull ring 38 is pivotally attached to the top side 12 of the sealing plate 36. A break line 40 is provided on the perimeter of the sealing plate 36 so that the sealing plate 36 can be broken out of the closure element 16 along said break line 40. To this purpose, the user only needs to lift the pull ring 38 on one side so that part of the sealing plate 36 is pushed down by the pull ring 38, causing a first portion of the break line 40 to break. As the pull ring 38 is pulled further, the break line 40 continues to break until the entire sealing plate 36 is released and can be removed. After that, it is possible to remove the moist tissues one by one.

The method of manufacturing the foil bag 10 of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 5: the foil 44 needed for forming the foil bag 10 is unwound from a foil roll 46 and is guided to a punching station 50 via a deflection pulley 48. At this punching station 50, an opening is punched into the foil 44 into which the closure element 16 will be inserted later. Next, the portion of the foil that has been punched out is drawn by vacuum into a suction station 52 and discarded. Next, the prepared closure element 16 is inserted into the opening and the foil 44 thermally welded to the closure element 16 in a welding station 54. Then, the already prepared stacks of moist tissues 56 are supplied on a conveyor belt 58-and the foil 44 is wrapped about the moist tissues with the closure element 16 being disposed on the top side 12 of the foil bag 10. Next, in a welding and separating station 60, the thus filled and prepared foil bags are welded both on their front side and on their back side and separated from the respective one of the neighboring packages.

In another embodiment that has not been illustrated herein the welding station is configured to be an ultrasonic welding station so that the foil 44 is connected to the closure element 16 by ultrasonic welding.

The second embodiment of a foil bag 110 of the invention, which is illustrated in the FIGS. 6, 6a and 6b, has a closure element 116 at the lid 120 of which a perimeter elastomer gasket 162 is attached on the inner side thereof. Said elastomer gasket is thereby placed so as to come to rest directly beside the frame 118 when a lid 120 is closed. An inward protruding, perimeter shoulder 164 against which the elastomer gasket 162 comes to rest when the lid 120 is closed is formed as an integral part of the bottom side of the frame 118. The elastomer gasket 162 is thereby dimensioned so as to extend as far as the shoulder 164. As for the rest, this second embodiment of a foil bag 110 of the invention is configured analogous to the first embodiment described in the FIGS. 1 through 5.

The FIGS. 7, 7a through 7d illustrate a third embodiment of a foil bag 210 of the invention. Like in the first embodiment, a perimeter collar 222 is thereby formed as an integral part of the lid 220 on the inner side thereof. An inward protruding perimeter shoulder 264, in which an elastomer gasket 262 is also embedded so as to also extend along the perimeter, is integrally formed with the frame 218. As shown in detail in the FIGS. 7b and 7c, this elastomer gasket 262 is configured to have a mushroom-type cross section and has its relatively slim mushroom stem embedded in the shoulder 264. The wide mushroom head extends beyond the shoulder 264 and is compressed by the perimeter collar 222 when the lid 220 is closed, as shown in FIG. 7b. The restoring forces inherent in the elastomer reliably press the elastomer gasket 262 against the perimeter collar 222, thus providing good sealing of the inner volume of the foil bag 210. As for the rest, this third embodiment is configured analogous to the first embodiment shown in the FIGS. 1 through 5.

The FIGS. 8, 8a and 8b illustrate a fourth embodiment of a foil bag 310 of the invention the lid 320 of which is not provided with a collar like in the first embodiment. Like in the second and third embodiment illustrated in the FIGS. 6 and 7, this fourth embodiment also has an inward protruding perimeter shoulder 364 integrally formed with the frame 318, said shoulder being retained on a perimeter elastomer gasket 362. This elastomer gasket 362 is configured to be quite narrow, but very high and extends beyond the frame 318 of the closure element 316. As a result, the elastomer gasket 362 is partially turned up when the lid 320 is closed, thus reliably and sealingly fitting the lid 320. As for the rest, this fourth embodiment is configured analogous to the first embodiment of the FIGS. 1 through 5.

Claims

1. A foil bag for packaging moist tissues, said foil bag, which is formed from a hose-like, flexible foil, comprising on its top side a dispensing opening for one-by-one removal of the moist tissues,

characterized in that a mechanically openable and closable closure element (16, 116, 316) is embedded in an opening provided on the top side (12) of the foil bag (10, 110, 210, 310), said closure element forming a substantially airtight engagement with the foil bag (10) and being reclosable so as to form an airtight engagement after each use.

2. The foil bag as set forth in claim 1,

characterized in that the foil bag (10, 110, 210, 310) is welded to the closure element (16, 116, 316) in the region of the opening.

3. The foil bag as set forth in claim 1,

characterized in that the closure element (16, 116, 316) comprises a frame (18, 118, 218, 318) circumscribing an accurately defined dispensing opening (14), said frame (18, 118, 218, 318) being connected to the foil bag (10, 110, 210, 310).

4. The foil bag as set forth in claim 3,

characterized in that a reclosable lid (20, 120, 220, 320) is attached to the frame (18, 118, 218, 318) of the closure element (16, 116, 316).

5. The foil bag as set forth in claim 4,

characterized in that the lid (20, 120, 220, 320) is retained on the frame (18, 118, 218, 318) by means of a living hinge.

6. The foil bag as set forth in claim 4,

characterized in that a detent means is formed on the closure element (16, 116, 316) so that the lid (20, 120, 220, 320) reopenably closes the dispensing opening (14) by snap-fit engagement with the detent means.

7. The foil bag as set forth in claim 4,

characterized in that a perimeter collar (22, 222), which is oriented so as to conform to the frame (18, 218) and which projects into the dispensing opening (14) when the lid (20, 220) is closed, is formed on said lid (20, 220).

8. The foil bag as set forth in claim 4,

characterized in that the lid (20) rests on a bearing surface (24) formed on the frame (18) when in the closed condition.

9. The foil bag as set forth in claim 8,

characterized in that a perimeter ridge (26, 126) is formed beside the bearing surface (24) on the frame (18, 118, 218, 318), said ridge being oriented to conform to the lid (20, 120, 220, 320) which it surrounds.

10. The foil bag as set forth in claim 3,

characterized in that a perimeter welding edge (34) is formed on the frame (18, 118, 218, 318) of the closure element (16, 116, 316).

11. The foil bag as set forth in claim 3,

characterized in that a sealing plate (36) forming an airtight closure of the dispensing opening (14) is attached to the frame (18).

12. The foil bag as set forth in claim 11,

characterized in that the sealing plate (36) is retained on the frame (18) by a perimeter break line (40).

13. The foil bag as set forth in claim 11,

characterized in that a pivotal pull ring (38) by means of which the sealing plate (36) may be removed is attached to the sealing plate (36).

14. The foil bag as set forth in claim 1,

characterized in that the dispensing opening (14) is configured as a round, oval, triangular or polygonal shape.

15. The foil bag as set forth in claim l,

characterized in that the closure element (16, 116, 316) is made of a hard plastic material.

16. The foil bag as set forth in claim 1,

characterized in that the closure element (16, 116, 316) is manufactured by injection moulding, diecasting or any other casting process.

17. The foil bag as set forth in claim 1,

characterized in that the closure element (16, 116, 316) is attached to the top side of the foil bag (10, 110, 210, 310) on the center thereof.

18. The foil bag as set forth in claim 4,

characterized in that an elastomer gasket (162, 262, 362) made of an elastomeric material, more specifically of PETP, PP, PE, PTA or PTE, is provided on the closure element (16, 116, 316), between the frame (18, 118, 218, 318) and the lid (20, 120, 220, 320).

19. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (162, 262, 362) is disposed within the closure element (16, 116, 316).

20. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (262) is partially compressed when the lid (220) is closed.

21. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (162, 262, 362) is designed to extend along the perimeter.

22. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (162) is attached to the lid (120) and comes to rest against a perimeter shoulder (164) integrally formed with the frame (118) when the lid is closed (120).

23. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (262) is embedded in a shoulder (264) integrally formed with the frame (218) and comes to rest against a collar (222) integrally formed with the lid (220) when the lid (220) is closed.

24. The foil bag as set forth in claim 23,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (262) is configured to have a mushroom-type cross section.

25. The foil bag as set forth in claim 18,

characterized in that the elastomer gasket (362) is configured to have a size that causes it to be partially turned up when the lid (320) is closed.