PACKET WITH PRODUCT RETAINING MEANS

Abstract

An improved packet contains a group of products, in particular wrapped products, and elements for retaining the products inside the packet, which exert a predetermined retaining force on the products. According to particular aspects of the invention, the retaining elements (80) are in the form of permanent adhesion elements which cause the product to adhere to the packet and which are located on separable parts (81b) of the packet in such a way that they correctly retain the product inside the packet and, at the same time, can be separated by a predetermined force in order to allow the product to be dispensed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a packet, in particular, a packet used for packaging a food, confectionery, pharmaceutical or other type of product.

The packet according to the invention is preferable for a product in stick, bar, or powder form, in pieces or in any other like form.

BACKGROUND ART

Packets for chewing gum sticks are known, which comprise a cardboard box for containing the sticks. The sticks are normally placed side by side in such a way that a single stick can be removed from a row while leaving the others inside the packet. The sticks are normally individually wrapped in a primary wrapping.

These packets are of the type that keep their shape even after some of the sticks are removed.

This creates empty spaces inside the packet, allowing the remaining sticks to slip and slide within the packet, moving out of place and generally getting into awkward positions making it difficult for the user to get hold of them or even dropping out when the packet is next opened.

Solutions to this problem are known in prior art, which consist mainly in applying adhesives which hold the sticks non-permanently within the packet or within an intermediate wrapping that is in turn placed inside the packet. These solutions are based on the principle of friction which a non-permanent adhesive such as wax can exert on the product.

These solutions, however, constitute a compromise between the amount of force required to dispense the product and the force required to keep the product inside the packet. Thus, if the amount of adhesive is excessive, the product is correctly retained but is difficult to dispense. If the adhesive is insufficient, the product will tend to move after the product adjacent to it has been removed.

Other prior art solutions comprise frictional containing means inside the packet which apply a force sufficient to retain the product, allowing it to be dispensed easily while at the same time preventing it from moving when the product adjacent to it has been removed.

These solutions, however, not only significantly increase the cost of the packet but also make it it difficult to attain high production speeds.

Moreover, all these solutions have the inherent disadvantage that their operation by friction make it impossible to calibrate the force necessary to dispense the product since the frictional force varies according to materials used, temperature and irregularity of shape.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

This invention therefore provides a packet for products, where the products are wrapped in a respective wrapping, characterized in that it comprises means for retaining the products inside the packet and capable of exerting a predetermined force.

These means can be embodied by permanent adhesion means for attaching at least one wrapping to at least one part of the packet. These adhesion means are located on parts that can be separated in a predetermined manner from the wrapping or from the packet.

The packet thus obtained guarantees a predetermined force for detaching the product from the packet but without significantly increasing the complexity and cost of production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the invention may be clearly inferred from the preferred embodiments described below purely by way of example and without limiting the scope of protection.

FIG. 1 illustrates the product wrapped according to a first wrapping style.

FIG. 2 illustrates the product wrapped according to a second wrapping style.

FIG. 3 illustrates the product wrapped according to a third wrapping style.

FIG. 4 illustrates a group of products inside a first form of receptacle.

FIG. 5 illustrates a group of products inside a second form of receptacle.

FIG. 6 illustrates a group of products inside a first form of multiple receptacle.

FIG. 7 illustrates a first embodiment of the separable parts of the receptacle.

FIG. 8 illustrates a second embodiment of the separable parts of the receptacle.

FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the separable parts of the receptacle.

FIG. 10 illustrates a first embodiment of the sheet wrapped around the products.

FIG. 11 illustrates a second embodiment of the sheet wrapped around the products.

FIG. 12 illustrates a first embodiment of the separable parts of the sheet.

FIG. 13 illustrates a second embodiment of the separable parts of the sheet.

FIG. 14 illustrates a third embodiment of the separable parts of the sheet.

FIG. 15 is a cross section of a first embodiment of the packet composed of the wrapped product, one sheet and one outer receptacle.

FIG. 16 is a cross section of a second embodiment of the packet composed of two superposed groups of wrapped products, two sheets and one outer receptacle.

FIG. 17 illustrates a first embodiment of the separable parts of the wrapping;

FIG. 18 illustrates a detail of the preceding embodiment where one product has been taken out of the packet.

FIG. 19 illustrates a second embodiment of the separable parts of the wrapping.

FIG. 20 illustrates a third embodiment of the separable parts of the wrapping.

FIG. 21 is a cross section of an embodiment of the packet composed of a series of superposed groups of wrapped products, one sheet and one outer receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show two different product wrapping styles (10, 10a) where the wrapping (11) is made from a sheet folded round the product. Other examples of wrapping styles of this type are not illustrated because they are well known to experts in the trade and irrelevant to the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a third product wrapping style (10 b), where the wrapping (11) is made from a sheet that is folded and sealed round the product. Other examples of wrapping styles of this type are not illustrated because they are well known to experts in the trade and irrelevant to the invention.

The wrappings may be made of paper, paraffin paper, metallic foil, plastic foil or any combination of these materials.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are two examples of receptacles (41) which may constitute the outer part of the packet.

The outer receptacle is designed to contain the product at least partially and, in a first preferred embodiment of it, comprises a rear side to which are applied the permanent adhesion means (80) which hold the product (10) in position.

In a second preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, the outer receptacle comprises 5 sides all around the products and an open side (42) that enables the products to be dispensed.

Other forms of receptacle comprising any number of sides from 1 to 6 are also imaginable. For fully protecting the product inside when it is not being dispensed, the packet has a lid (43) that closes the open side.

The form and closing action of the lid may be embodied in many different ways which are not illustrated since they are irrelevant to the operation of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a third preferred embodiment (60) of the packet, comprising two or more receptacles (41) joined to each other.

Packets of this kind are well known to experts in the trade and are not described in any detail since they are irrelevant to the purpose of the invention.

The receptacles may be made of card, paper, plastic, foil or any combination of these or equivalent materials.

FIG. 7 shows a packet where the permanent adhesion means (80) are provided on a separable part (81) of the receptacle (41). In this embodiment, the separable part (81) of the receptacle is attached to the receptacle by separating lines (82) made on the receptacle (41) itself. The separating lines (82) are at least partly in the form of perforated lines made in the material the receptacle (41) is made of.

They might also be non-perforated score lines impressed in the material the receptacle (41) is made of.

The separating lines (82) are designed in such a way as to require a predetermined tearing force. By changing their length, depth and direction, it is possible to predetermine the force necessary to tear them in order to dispense the product.

In one particular embodiment, the separable parts of the receptacle are in the form of tabs (81) that protrude from one of the edges of one face of the receptacle. The tabs may have any shape and, in particular, they are substantially circular in shape.

In a second embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, the tabs (81a) protrude lengthways past the end of the product allowing the product to be dispensed without being touched.

In a third embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 9, the separable parts (81b) of the receptacle are provided on the inside face of one of the sides of the receptacle.

Yet another preferred embodiment of the packet comprises a sheet placed inside the receptacle.

The sheet (110) is designed to support the products (10) and, in a first preferred embodiment of it, comprises a rear face to which are applied the permanent adhesion means (80) which hold the product (10) in position.

In a second preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 10, the sheet is shaped like a pocket surrounding the product on 5 sides.

In a third preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 11, the sheet is shaped like a pocket surrounding the product on 4 sides.

In other preferred embodiments not illustrated, the sheet may be placed round 2 or 3 sides of the wrapped product.

In yet another preferred embodiment. shown in FIG. 13, the sheet surrounds the wrapped product completely.

The sheets (110) may be made of paper, paraffin paper, metallic foil, plastic foil or any combination of these materials.

FIG. 12 shows a packet where the permanent adhesion means (80) are provided on a separable part (130) of the sheet (110) located along one edge of the sheet.

With reference to FIG. 13, where the sheet totally surrounds the wrapped product, the separable part of the sheet extends on several adjacent sides of the sheet, that is, in this specific case, the top, one lateral face and the bottom.

In one particular embodiment, the separable part (130) of the sheet is attached to the sheet by separating lines (131) made on the sheet. Other solutions are also possible however, such as, for example, the separation of part of the sheet to a desired “depth”, equivalent to detaching a part of the foil layer of a multilayer material.

The separating lines (131) are at least partly in the form of perforated lines made in the material the sheet (110) is made of.

In another embodiment, the separating lines might be in the form of non-perforating score lines impressed in the material the sheet (110) is made of.

The separating lines are designed in such a way as to require a predetermined tearing force. By changing their length, depth and direction, it is possible to predetermine the force necessary to tear them in order to dispense the product.

In another preferred embodiment of the packet, shown in cross section in FIG. 15, permanent adhesion means (140) are provided between the sheet (110) and the outer receptacle (41). These means keep the sheet securely inside the receptacle while the wrapped product is being dispensed.

In one particular version of this embodiment, the permanent adhesion means are in the form of a permanent two-sided adhesive foil support where the central, separable support constitutes the sheet (110), the adhesive side facing the packet constituting the permanent adhesion means (140) and the adhesive side facing the product wrapping constituting the permanent adhesion means (80).

In a further preferred embodiment of the packet, shown in cross section in FIG. 16, where there are two superposed groups of wrapped products enclosed within respective sheets, permanent adhesion means (170) are provided between the sheets (110) located inside the receptacle (41). These means make it possible to retain the sheets even more securely when there are more than 2 layers and it would not be possible to fix the sheets of the central product groups which are not in contact with the outer receptacle.

In yet another particular embodiment of the packet, shown in FIGS. 18, 19, 20 and 21, the permanent adhesion means are provided on a separable part (170) of the wrapping (11). The separable part (170) of the wrapping is attached to the wrapping by separating lines (171) made on the wrapping itself. The separating lines (171) may be in the form of perforated lines made in the material the wrapping (11) is made of.

These separating lines might also be in the form of non-perforated score lines impressed in the material the wrapping (11) is made of.

The separating lines are designed in such a way as to require a predetermined tearing force. By changing their length, depth and direction, it is possible to predetermine the force necessary to tear them in order to dispense the product.

According to one particular embodiment, shown in FIG. 20, the separating lines are positioned in such a way that the wrapping (11) remains whole even after being torn since the separating line (171) is located beyond of the sealing line.

In a second embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 18, the separating line (171) is positioned on the wrapping in such a way that the action of dispensing a wrapped product uncovers a part (9) of the product large enough to enable the bare product to be pulled out of the rest of the wrapping (11b) directly with one's mouth and without touching it with one's fingers.

To enable this to be done easily, the distance between the separating line and the edge of the product that will be uncovered must be greater than 3 millimetres, that is to say, the part (9) of the product that is uncovered when the product is dispensed from the packet must be at least 3 mm long.

If the product is a stick of chewing gum, to be able to use the part of the wrapping separated from the packet to discard the chewing gum after use, the distance between the separating line and the edge of the product that will be uncovered must not exceed half the length of the product itself; that is to say, the part (9) of the product that is uncovered when the product is dispensed from the packet must be less than half the length of the product itself.

In a yet further embodiment of the packet, shown in cross section in FIG. 21, the packet contains a group of superposed products. For retaining the group of products correctly inside the packet, permanent adhesion means (80) are provided between the last wrapping (11) and the sheet (110) and non-permanent adhesion means (210) are provided between the wrappings (11) of the single products.

These adhesion means may be provided on at least one of the two main faces, that is to say, one of the two large faces, of the wrapped product, on a lateral face or on an end face of the wrapped product.

According to other particular packet configurations, the products in the packet may be placed side by side in two or more superposed groups, as shown for example in FIG. 16, or the products themselves may be superposed and two more groups of superposed products placed side by side, as shown in FIG. 5.

In all the embodiments described up to now, the permanent adhesion means may be embodied by permanent adhesives or other permanent mechanical fixing systems.

As adhesives, hot-melt glue, cold glue and contact glue may be used.

Generally speaking, the adhesion means are considered permanent when the force necessary to detach them exceeds the force needed to tear a part of the surface they adhere to.

The non-permanent adhesion means may be embodied by wax or detachable adhesives.

The packaging principles of this invention can be applied to a multiplicity of products which may be edible products such as chewing gums, bars of chocolate, biscuits or snacks.

The products that can be packaged according to the invention may also be in granular or powder form or they may be loose or all arranged in the same direction. These include sugar, tea, tobacco and coffee products.

They may be pharmaceuticals, parapharmaceuticals or nutritionals. These include, aspirins, condoms and vitamins.

According to a first preferred method, the packets according to the invention can be made by permanently attaching the wrapped product to a sheet, inserting the sheet into an outer receptacle and then completing the formation of the receptacle in such a way that the consumer can grip and dispense a product by tearing the separable part, which may be either part of the sheet or part of the wrapping.

According to a second preferred method, a sheet is inserted into the outer receptacle, the wrapped product permanently attached to the sheet, and the formation of the receptacle completed in such a way that the consumer can grip and dispense a product by tearing the separable part, which may be either part of the sheet or part of the wrapping.

According to a third preferred method, the packets according to the invention can be made by permanently attaching the wrapped product to an outer receptacle completing the formation of the receptacle in such a way that the consumer can grip and dispense a product by tearing the separable part, which may be either part of the receptacle or part of the wrapping.

According to a fourth preferred method, a weakened or separating line is made in a wrapping material, the product wrapped in the material and a part of the wrapping material then permanently attached inside a packet.

The invention thus provides a packet in which the product can be easily packaged and adequately retained until the moment of use even after the products adjacent to it have been dispensed, thanks to the fact that the retaining force is exerted by a part of the packet or product wrapping that is torn by the user when required. This force is therefore predetermined.

Moreover, all the embodiments of the packet according to the invention are easy to make by machine, with obvious advantages in terms of feasibility and production cost.

The packets illustrated herein are used for descriptive purposes only without limiting the field of application of the invention.

Modifications and extensions may be developed on the basis of the teachings hereof and of the current state of the art and such modifications and extensions are deemed to be within the scope of this present invention.

Claims

1-77. (canceled)

78. A packet for a food products wrapped in a respective wrapping (11) comprises at least an outer part of the packet and means for retaining the product to the outer part, wherein the retaining means are permanent adhesion means (80) attaching the product wrapping (11) to a part of the packet (40).

79. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the wrapping is made from a sheet folded round the product.

80. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the adhesion means exert a predetermined force for holding the products inside the packet.

81. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the adhesion means constitute a rigid connection.

82. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the packet comprises an outer containment receptacle (41), the receptacle having a plurality of sides which at least partly contain the product (10) and at least one open side (42) that enables the product to be dispensed.

83. The packet according to claim 82, wherein the adhesion means (80) attaches the wrapping (11) to the outer receptacle (41).

84. The packet according to claim 83, wherein the permanent adhesion means (80) are provided on a separable part (81) of the receptacle (41).

85. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the packet comprises at least one sheet (110) located inside the outer containment receptacle and wherein the retaining means (80) are for attaching the wrapping (11) to a part of the sheet (110).

86. The packet according to claim 85, wherein the permanent adhesion means (80) are provided on a separable part (130) of the sheet (110).

87. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the permanent adhesion means (80) are provided on a separable part (170) of the wrapping (11).

88. The packet according to claim 87, wherein the separable part (170) of the wrapping is attached to the wrapping by separating lines (171).

89. The packet according to claim 88, wherein the separating lines (171) are made on the wrapping, at least partly in the form of perforated lines made in the material the wrapping (11) is made of.

90. The packet according to claim 88, wherein the separating lines (171) are made on the wrapping, at least partly in the form of non perforated score lines, impressed in the material the wrapping (11) is made of.

91. The packet according to claim 88, wherein the separating line (171) is positioned on the wrapping in such a way that the action of dispensing a wrapped product uncovers a part (9) of the product large enough to enable the bare product to be pulled out of the rest of the wrapping (170b) directly with one's mouth and without touching it with one's fingers.

92. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the permanent adhesion means (80) are in the form of a two-sided adhesive that can be separated to a required “depth”.

93. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the wrapping (11) is made of paper, paraffin paper, metallic foil, plastic foil or any combination of these materials.

94. The packet according to claim 78, wherein it comprises a group of products placed side by side.

95. The packet according to claim 78, wherein it comprises a group of superposed products.

96. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the adhesion means are provided on at least one of the two main faces, that is to say, one of the two large faces, of the wrapped product, on a lateral face or on an end face of the wrapped product.

97. The packet according to claim 78, wherein the products are pieces, in particular sticks or bars.