ARRANGEMENT IN PACKING OF SHEET MATERIAL SUCH AS PAPER

Abstract

This invention relates to an arrangement for packaging sheet material such as paper intended for printing or photo-copying use, in which arrangement a set of paper sheets (3) is placed within a continuous protective package (1). Inside the protective package (1) there is at least one handle (4), which is placed essentially around all of the paper sheets (3) in the package.

Description

This invention relates to an arrangement for packing sheet material such as printing and photocopy paper, as described in the preamble to claim 1.

Today's photocopiers and printers can be very large, efficient and fast, which means that they use a lot of paper. In known technology, paper provided in sheet form, such as A4-sized photocopy and printing paper, is usually packaged in corrugated board boxes, each box containing five paper packages wrapped in individual paper wrappings. Each paper package, known as a ream wrap, contains 500 A4-sized sheets of paper. A corrugated board box provides office paper with good protection during transport, but is problematic due to its cost and to the space taken up by the empty box before it is disposed of or recycled. Another problem is related to fast machines and to situations in which paper is used almost constantly, in that refilling the paper tray is slow because the ream wrap must be removed individually and each bundle of 500 sheets must be loaded into the machine individually, even though the machine could fit up to thousands of sheets at a time.

There are also corrugated board boxes containing for example 2,500 loose sheets. In this case ream wraps do not have to be opened or disposed of, but they still have the problem of slow loading into the machine, because the papers must be lifted by hand out of the box in bundles that fit into the hand, and piled up into a larger pile in the photocopier's or printer's paper tray. Lifting an entire bundle of paper with a single lifting handle is also difficult because the bundle might weigh for example 10-15 kg. However, the heavy bundle then has to be placed accurately onto the photocopier's or other machine's feed tray without damaging the sheets' corners or edges. A heavy bundle can bend at the handle if only one handle is in use. This can cause damages to individual sheets or deform the bundle, which makes placing the bundle onto the feed tray difficult. When lifting with a single handle, a heavy bundle might tip and come apart. Lifting sheets of paper out of cardboard boxes is also problematic. Another problem with cardboard boxes is that, being larger and made of thicker material, they cause a greater amount of waste to be disposed of.

The object of this invention is to remove the problems described above and achieve an optimally beneficial arrangement for packaging sheet material such as office paper so that the paper is easy and quick to load into a photocopier, printer or other piece of office machinery that uses paper. The arrangement described in the invention is characterised by what is disclosed in the characterisation part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterised by what is disclosed in the other claims.

The benefit of the solution according to the invention is that the package according to the invention is very cheap and quick to manufacture. Another benefit is that the office paper can be unloaded quickly and easily from the package into the machine that uses it, a sufficient number of sheets at a time, using the handle inside the wrapping being as a package protection or inside the cardboard box. This reduces the downtime of the machine and keeps the sheets in optimal condition. A further benefit is the use of a base plate as a support under the sheet bundle, as the base plate protects the sheets at the bottom of the bundle from damage. The base plate keeps the bottom sheets from being damaged for example when the handles are pulled off, and therefore prevents blockages which could be caused in the photocopier's, printer's or other machine's paper line by damaged sheets.

Further, the bundles equipped with two handles and placed inside a wrap or box, are easier to manage than those with just one handle. When a bundle is lifted by two handles, it maintains its balance better, removing the risk of tilting and consequent breakage of the bundle and/or damaging of the sheets. It also reduces the bending caused by lifting, and point loading at the edge of the bundle's base plate is halved in comparison with the use of a single handle. When sheets are fed into a machine using two hands and two handles, the risk of deforming the bundle and consequently damaging the sheets is significantly reduced. Another benefit is that in the package according to the invention, there is one carry handle on the outside of the ream wrap and two handles inside the ream wrap, all situated at different points. Thus the loading caused by moving the package and lifting the bundle is on different points of the base plate, which keeps the base plate in better condition and ensures that the bundle remains tight, as there are no deformities in the base plate that might loosen the bundle's carry and lifting handles even if the package is moved or lifted several times before it is opened.

Another benefit of the invention is that it facilitates the lifting and moving of a heavy package using two hands, which distributes the load evenly between both hands. Thanks to well-shaped handles or similar devices, the weight does not strain the hands in the way that previously used thin plastic strips or single lifting handles do. A further benefit is that when the package only has one relatively thin wrap around all the paper sheets, the wrapping itself does not cause much waste.

Below, the invention is described in detail using application examples, by referring to the appended figures, in which

FIG. 1 shows the package according to the invention, viewed diagonally from the side, with the as a package protection being wrapping or box removed,

FIG. 2 shows a package according to the invention viewed diagonally from the side,

FIG. 3 shows a package according to FIG. 2, viewed diagonally from the side, with the carry handle removed and a part of the as a package protection being wrapping turned open from the opening strip,

FIG. 4 shows another package according to the invention, viewed diagonally from the side, where the bundle of sheets is in a box with a part of the lid cut off,

FIGS. 5-8 show diverse carry handle solutions for the package according to the invention, and

FIGS. 9-11 show diverse layer structures for the protective wrapping according to the invention, in simplified and enlarged form.

FIG. 1 shows a package according to one beneficial embodiment of the invention, where a sheet bundle 2 consisting of separate paper sheets 3 has been extracted from its packaging. Similarly, FIG. 2 shows a paper sheet package according to one beneficial embodiment of the invention, where the sheets are packed in a single, essentially continuous protective package 1. The protective package 1 consists of an essentially thin and flexible wrap 1a. Around the wrap 1a is an external carry handle 12 that surrounds the package essentially around its shorter perimeter, used for lifting and moving the package.

FIG. 1 shows a package according to the invention, opened so that the wrap 1a used as a protective package 1 is completely removed and the paper sheets 3 contained in the package are indicated with short lines. The paper sheets 3 are all piled on top of each other in a single bundle of for example 2,500 sheets or more. Underneath, i.e. inside, the wrap 1a acting as a protective package 1 contains, when unopened, two essentially identical handles 4, which surround the bundle of sheets 2 essentially around its shorter perimeter, which handles are placed at a suitable horizontal distance from each other and in essence symmetrically in relation to the midline of the bundle of sheets. Therefore the handles 4 are placed for example essentially at the same distance from each of the ends of the sheet bundle 2, and situated so that they are not both at the midline of the sheet bundle 2, where the carry handle 12, which may be located on the outside of the unopened package, would be placed. According to the invention, the paper sheets 3 are arranged to be lifted using both handles 4 with both hands, as a single sheet bundle 2, into the machine that uses paper, after removing the wrap 1a used as a protective package 1 completely or partially from around the sheet bundle 2. The handles 4 are also helpful when removing the wrap 1a. The tightness of the handles 4 around the sheet bundle 2 is arranged to be such that fingers can be easily slipped in between the handles 4 and the sheet bundle 2. When the sheet bundle 2 has been lifted into the paper tray of the machine that uses paper sheets 3, the handles 4 are cut and slid out from underneath the sheet bundle 2, after which the paper sheets 3 are ready for use.

FIG. 1 also shows a base plate 5, placed in the unopened package inside the protective package 1, at the bottom of the sheet bundle 2, which base plate is meant for supporting the sheet bundle 2 and to make it easier to remove the handles 4 in a way that does not damage the paper sheets 3 in the bundle 2. The base plate 5 for example keeps the bottom sheets 3 from being damaged when the handles 4 are pulled off, and therefore prevents blockages that could be caused in the photocopier's, printer's or other machine's paper line by damaged sheets. The base plate 5 is made of a thicker and stronger material than the paper sheets 3. The base plate 5 can be placed at the bottom of the sheet bundle 2 in all of the packages according to the invention, even if it is not shown in the figures. The base plate 5 also works in other solutions according to the invention in the same way as in the package of the described embodiment, by supporting the sheet bundle 2 and making the removal of the handles 4 easier. Further, the base plate 5 is constructed in a way that makes it stay at the bottom of the paper tray and not be taken into the photocopier or printer. The base plate 5 is removed from the feed tray before a new sheet bundle 2 is loaded.

FIG. 1 also shows a top plate 6, placed in the unopened package inside the protective package 1, at the top of the sheet bundle 2, which top plate is meant for supporting the sheet bundle 2 from the top so that the paper sheets 3 particularly at the top of the bundle 2 are not damaged. The top plate 6 is made of a thicker and stronger material than the paper sheets 3. The top plate 6 can be placed at the top of the sheet bundle 2 in all of the packages according to the invention, even if it is not shown in all of the figures. The top plate 6 is removed from the top of the sheet bundle 2 after the handles 4 have been removed.

In FIG. 2, a sheet bundle 2 consisting of a pile of paper sheets 3, e.g. of A4 size, is packaged into a continuous wrap 1a that acts as a protective package 1, and that is made of a paper-based, flexible material. The package is made out of a reel-based wrap 1a, which wrap 1a is pulled directly of the reel during packaging and cut off at the correct length, after which the wrap 1a is rolled around a set of for example 2,500 separate office paper sheets 3 placed on top of each other into a pile, equipped with handles 4, such that the top, bottom and both long sides of the bundle are wrapped in a continuous wrapper, in which the back end 8 of the wrap 1a overlaps the front end 8a of the wrap 1a by a suitable amount and is glued down by its inner surface to the outer surface of the front end 8a. The hidden front end 8a of the wrap 1a is indicated here and in other figures using a dashed line. The back end 8 of the wrap 1a is placed suitably on top of the package, essentially close to one of its long corners. At each end of the package are at least outer folds 1b and 1c and inner folds 1d and 1e, which folds are placed at least partially overlapping. The folds at the ends form a strengthened protection for the ends of the paper sheets 3 in the package, where even a small accident could easily cause damage to several sheets 3.

In the package in FIG. 2, the external folds 1b and 1c are glued using for example hot glue to each other and at least to the outer surface of the upper inner fold 1d, such that at least the lower corners of the outer folds 1b and 1c are separate from the outer surfaces of the inner folds 1d and 1e. Thus a downward-opening lifting gap 7 is left between the outer folds 1b and 1c and the inner folds 1d and 1e, which gap can be expanded outward from the end of the package so that the person lifting the package can fit several fingers into the lifting gap 7 from below, and that the lower edges of the outer folds 1b and 1c act as a support.

FIG. 2 also has a dashed line indicating the opening strip 9, glued to the inner surface of the wrap 1a. The opening strip 9 is essentially the same length or suitably longer than the width of the wrap 1a before it is wrapped around the bundle. The opening strip 9 is attached to the wrap 1a such that in a finished package the opening strip 9 is on one long side of the package, placed for example vertically and essentially in the middle of the side, and passes through the outer folds 1c at each end of the package. Thus the opening strip 9 does not surround the whole package, but only about half of the package's perimeter, essentially in a horizontal direction in parallel with the paper sheets 3. The material of the opening strip 9 can vary but it is sufficiently strong and essentially inelastic or very slightly elastic. The opening strip 9, hidden inside the wrap 1a, is shown using a dashed line in FIG. 2. FIGS. 5-8, on the other hand, only display the end of the opening strip, which end is equipped with incisions 20.

The package in FIG. 2 is surrounded by an external carry handle 12, intended for lifting and carrying the package. Carrying the package with just one hand can be heavy, so the package can also be carried with both hands placed in the lifting gaps 7. The package can also be produced without the external carry handle 12, with the intention of carrying the package only by the lifting gaps 7. The package may also contain otherwise placed handles or carry handles, for example as in the handle solutions displayed later in FIGS. 5-8.

FIG. 4 shows another solution according to the invention. In this solution, the protective package 1 is a corrugated board box 11 equipped with a lid 10, or a similar box. For clarity, a part of the lid 10 has been cut off in FIG. 4. The sheet bundle 2 with its handles 4 and its possible base and top plates 5 and 6, is placed in one bundle into the box 11, which is closed with the lid 10. When the sheet bundle 2 is placed into the feed tray of a photocopier or printer, the lid 10 of the box 11 is removed and the sheet bundle 2 is lifted as one bundle, using two hands on the handles 4, from the box 11, and placed in the feed tray. If the bundle 2 is tight inside the box 11, the box walls can be opened at the corners and folded down before the bundle 2 is lifted. An essentially identical carry handle 12 as that shown in FIG. 2 can be placed around FIG. 4's protective package 1 consisting of the box 11 and its lid 10.

All of the solutions shown in the examples above, and all other solutions according to the invention, are characterised by the fact that the paper packages are manufactured so that a large number of paper sheets 3 can be placed in the machine that uses them as ergonomically, quickly and easily as possible. Therefore the sheet bundle 2, enclosed in its protective package 1 consisting of a wrap 1a or a box 11, is arranged to be placed in the machine that uses paper sheets 3 essentially as a whole bundle, so that at least a part of the protective package 1, for example a part of the wrap 1a or of the box 11 or a similar package, is removed before the bundle is placed in the machine. If necessary, the whole protective package 1, e.g. the wrap 1a, the box 11 or similar package, can be removed before the bundle 2 is lifted into the machine. If only, for example, one part of the wrap 1a is removed before the bundle 2 is placed in the machine, the rest of the wrap is removed immediately after the bundle 2 is placed in the machine.

FIGS. 5-8 show other kinds of carry handle solutions for the package according to the invention. FIG. 5 shows a package according to the invention, with a separate carry handle 13 at each end of the package. The strip-shaped, suitably enforced carry handle 13 is glued at each end of the package in between the outer folds 1b and 1c and the inner folds 1d and 1e.

Similarly, FIG. 6 shows a package according to the invention, with a separate carry handle 14 at the top of the package. The carry handle 14 is made for example out of fibre-reinforced paper laminate, and glued at the ends to each end of the package, for example so that the glue seam is placed between the inside of the handle and the outside of all of the package's end folds 1b-1e. In addition the carry handle 14 can be glued along a short distance to the top of the package at the ends of the package. This creates a durable and easy-to-use carry handle solution.

FIG. 7 shows a similar handle solution to that in FIG. 6, but in this embodiment a strip-shaped carry handle 15 is placed crosswise across the package and glued at the ends to the sides of the package. For increased durability, the carry handle 15 can be glued along a short distance to the wrap at top of the package, starting from the upper edges of the package.

The carry handles 14, 15 described in FIGS. 6 and 7 can also be made to surround the whole package, being glued for example at the bottom to the package so that the carry handle will not disappear. In such a case the carry handle also supports the load, which means that the wrap 1a can be thinner than that used in solutions where the handle is glued to the wrap or ones where the package is lifted by the wrap's end folds.

FIG. 8 shows a carry handle solution in which a strip-shaped handle 16 is placed crosswise across the package and glued at the ends to the top of the package. The attachments are strengthened with a reinforcement tag 17, which tag has a hole in the middle for the carry handle 16 to pass through. The reinforcement tag 17 is glued to the top of the package so that it covers the ends of the carry handle 16.

The wrap 1a according to the invention must fulfil certain requirements related to protectiveness, bursting strength, tear resistance, gluability and printability. In addition, the wrap 1a must protect the contents of the package from moisture. Thus the material of the wrap 1a can for example be formed such that the base layer 22 is paper, to which an additive is added during production as online coating in the paper machine's coating section, which additive consists of plastic, a polymer mixture or a similar suitable material 23 that slows down moisture absorption, in a suitable quantity such that the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of the wrap 1a, calculated according to the ISO 2528:1995 standard, is less than approximately 50 g/m²/d, preferably a maximum of 30 g/m²/d and favourably a maximum of 10 g/m²/d. Such polymers or polymer mixtures added during the paper's production process are for example latex and various mineral mixtures.

According to one of the embodiments of the invention, the wrap 1a that forms the protective package 1 is so smooth that it can be coated in plastic more easily. In this case the wrap is coated at least on one side with a plastic film using a separate extruder, as is done in some known solutions. Thanks to the smoothness of the paper, less plastic has to be used than before. Suitable plastic films for this purpose include polyethylene (PE) films, poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) films and polypropylene (PP) films.

A further embodiment of the invention consists of the combination of the two embodiments described above. In this solution, the wrap 1a consists of paper to which a polymer compound has been added during production in the paper machine's coating section, after which a plastic film is added to the paper in a separate extruder.

The materials and thicknesses of the different layers of the wrap 1a are chosen so that the end result in each of the three embodiments of the invention described above is a wrap in which the total quantity of plastic out of the overall layering of materials is essentially less than 10% of the total weight of the wrap 1a. Favourably, the total quantity of plastic is a maximum of approx. 5% of the wrap's 1a total weight. This makes the wrap environmentally friendly and more recyclable, with reduced recycling costs.

FIG. 9 shows the layer structure of one of the wraps 1a according to the invention, simplified to show only the essential layers. In addition, the thicknesses of the layers are not to scale. The base of the wrap 1a consists of a base paper layer 22. Depending on the type of paper, the base paper layer 22 can have one or more layers. Only one layer is shown in the figure for simplicity. On top of the paper layer 22 is a printing ink layer 21, which covers the surface of the paper layer 22 at least partially. On the other side of the paper layer 22, is a polymer layer added during the paper's production as online coating, or a similar layer 23 that slows down the penetration of moisture.

FIG. 10 has a similar layer structure to that in FIG. 9, but the polymer layer or similar layer 23 that slows down the penetration of moisture is placed in between the printing ink layer 21 and the paper layer 22. Therefore the printing is done onto layer 23, which must be suitable for printing. In addition, an essentially thin plastic film 25, such as a PE, PET or PP film, has been added to the wrap 1a in an extruder.

FIG. 11 shows the layer structure of the third protective wrapping 1a according to the invention, simplified to show only the essential layers. In addition, the thicknesses of the layers are not to scale. The layer structure is similar to that in FIG. 9. In this structure, a surface layer 24 is added to the top of the base paper layer 22, which surface layer can be fused using heat or ultrasound. In this case, instead of using separate glue, all seams that are normally glued, can be produced by heat sealing or ultrasound. There printing ink layer 21 does not have to go over the seams that will be fused.

The layering and, particularly, the thickness of the wrap 1a can be used to regulate how resistant the paper bundles inside the package are to blows and strokes from the outside. At least the thickness of the wrap 1a should be such that the weight of the wrap is in the range 60-250 g/m². The weight can be bigger in special circumstances, up to for example 500 g/m². Depending on the wrap material, a suitable thickness range, expressed in weight, is 80-160 g/m². The thickness can suitably also be such that the weight is 120-150 g/m².

Those skilled in the art will see that the invention is not limited to the example given above, but can be varied within the scope of the patent claims given below. For example, the number of paper sheets in the sheet bundle within the wrap or box can vary, being different from the above-mentioned 2,500. Suitable sheet quantities might for example range between approx. 1,000 and approx. 5,000.

Further, those skilled in the art will see that instead of wraps described above, other kinds of thin and protective structures can be used. For example wraps consisting of nonwoven fabric or other similar thin protective materials can be used in the solution according to the invention.

Further, those skilled in the art will see that there can be just one handle instead of two. In that case the width of the handle can be similar to that of the handles described above, which makes lifting the sheet bundle easiest with one hand. The handle can also be essentially wider than the handles described above, which means that the single handle placed in the middle of the bundle can be used for lifting with both hands, by placing one hand at each edge of the handle.

Further, those skilled in the art will see that the size of the paper sheets can differ from the abovementioned A4 size. The paper sheets can be larger, smaller or differently shaped than A4 sheets.

Claims

1. An arrangement for packaging sheet material such as paper intended for printing or photocopying use, in which arrangement a number of paper sheets (3) is placed within a common protective package (1), characterised in that inside the protective package (1) there is at least one handle (4), which is placed essentially around all of the paper sheets (3) in the package.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that inside the protective package (1) there are two handles (4) placed horizontally at a parallel distance from each other, which handles are placed around all of the paper sheets (3) in the package.

3. An arrangement according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the handles (4) are placed in essence symmetrically in relation to the midline of the sheet bundle (2) consisting of paper sheets (3), such that each handle (4) is essentially the same distance from the end of the bundle (2) as the other.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that outside the protective package (1), essentially at the midline of the package, is a carry handle (12) that surrounds the package, and in that the handles (4) are placed horizontally at different lines than the carry handle (12), at each side of the carry handle (12).

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that inside the protective package (1), beneath the sheet bundle (2), is a base plate (5), made of a material stronger than that of the paper sheets (3), which base plate (5) is placed between the undermost sheet (3) of the sheet bundle (2) and the handles (4).

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that inside the protective package (1), at the top of the sheet bundle (2), is a top plate (6), made of a material stronger than that of the paper sheets (3), which top plate (6) is placed between the top sheet (3) of the sheet bundle (2) and the handles (4).

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the protective package (1) consists of an essentially flexible wrap (1a), which wrap (1a) has an opening strip (9), which opening strip (9) is placed on the wrap (1a) such that in an unopened package the opening strip (9) is on one long side of the package and passes through one set of outer folds (1c) at the ends of the package.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterised in that the opening strip (9) only goes around approximately one half of the package's perimeter, essentially in a line with the level of the paper sheets (3).

9. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that at each end of the package there are at least outer folds (1b, 1c) and inner folds (1d, 1e), which folds are placed at least partially overlapping, in that a lifting gap (7) is formed between the outer folds (1b, 1c) and the inner folds (1d, 1e).

10. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that plastic, a polymer mixture or another similar material that slows down the penetration of moisture is added to the wrap (1a) using the online method during the production of the wrap (1a) in a paper machine.

11. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that a maximum of 10%, favourably a maximum of approx. 5% of the total weight of the wrap (1a) consists of plastic.

12. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of the wrap (1a), calculated according to the ISO 2528:1995 standard, is less than approx. 50 g/m2/d, suitably a maximum of approx. 30 g/m2/d and favourably a maximum of approx. 10 g/m2/d.

13. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the protective package (1) is a box (11) equipped with a lid (10).

14. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the paper sheets (3) are arranged to be lifted with the use of at least one handle (4) as a single bundle (2) of essentially approx. 1,000-5,000 paper sheets (3) into a machine that uses the paper, after the partial or complete removal of the protective package (1) from around the sheet bundle (2).

15. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the paper sheets (3) are arranged to be lifted with the use of two handles (4), with both hands, as a single bundle (2) of essentially approx. 1,000-5,000 paper sheets (3) into a machine that uses the paper, after the partial or complete removal of the protective package (1) from around the sheet bundle (2).

16. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in that outside the protective package (1), essentially at the midline of the package, is a carry handle (12) that surrounds the package, and in that the handles (4) are placed horizontally at different lines than the carry handle (12), at each side of the carry handle (12).

17. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in that inside the protective package (1), beneath the sheet bundle (2), is a base plate (5), made of a material stronger than that of the paper sheets (3), which base plate (5) is placed between the undermost sheet (3) of the sheet bundle (2) and the handles (4).

18. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in that inside the protective package (1), at the top of the sheet bundle (2), is a top plate (6), made of a material stronger than that of the paper sheets (3), which top plate (6) is placed between the top sheet (3) of the sheet bundle (2) and the handles (4).

19. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in that the protective package (1) consists of an essentially flexible wrap (1a), which wrap (1a) has an opening strip (9), which opening strip (9) is placed on the wrap (1a) such that in an unopened package the opening strip (9) is on one long side of the package and passes through one set of outer folds (1c) at the ends of the package.