PACKAGING

Abstract

A flow-wrapped package (14) is made of a length of flexible material (16). The package is closed by means of a longitudinal seal along one face and transverse end seals (20, 22) formed using a cold seal adhesive. One of the end seals (20) has an aperture (24) for suspending the package for display purposes. The end seal (20) with the aperture (24) may be embossed and/or it may have a greater depth (D) than the other end seal (22), at least over a region in which the aperture is formed. The longitudinal seal (118, FIG. 3) is a fin seal which 26 may be folded to overlay the display aperture (124, FIG. 2) and may have an aperture (124A, FIG. 3) corresponding to and aligned with the display aperture (124, FIG. 2) in the end seal. The display aperture (224, FIG. 4) may be positioned laterally off-centre so that the package hangs at an angle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging, and in particular, but not exclusively, to packaging for food and more specifically confectionery products.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

It is known to package food products such as chocolate bars and other snack type confectionery products in a package which is formed from a length of flexible material. The material has an inner surface directed to the food product and an outer surface. The outer surface may be printed on or may otherwise be provided with information for the consumer.

One known packaging arrangement is commonly referred to as a flow-wrap package. This type of package is produced using a flow-wrap method in which a film of material is supplied in a roll to package a number of products in a substantially continuous process. The method is particularly suitable for wrapping generally rigid products including generally blocked shaped products such as chocolate or other confectionery bars and the like. However, the method can be modified to package products of different shapes or to package multiple products in a single package, wherein the products may be arranged in a side-by-side array.

In the flow-wrap method, the material is fed through a machine which folds it about each product or array of products so that opposing longitudinal side edges are brought into contact inner face to inner face and bonded together to form a longitudinal fin seal. The material is crimped to form transverse end seals at either longitudinal end of the package and the material is cut to separate each package in turn from the remainder of the film. In the known arrangements, the seals may be formed using an adhesive such as a cold seal adhesive to bond the opposing surfaces of the material or by fusing the material together to form a welded seal. There are a number of known techniques for producing welded seals including heat sealing and ultra sonic sealing. When used to package a product using this method, the material is often referred to as a wrapper as it is wrapped around the product.

A variety of materials can be used for forming flow-wrapped packages including polymeric materials, metallic foil, and paper. Often the material will be a laminate having two or more layers of different materials. For packaging confectionery products, a commonly used laminate comprises an inner layer of paper and an outer layer of a metallic, often aluminium, foil. Polymeric materials are also used in packaging laminates and these include thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), for example. Depending on the types of materials used, the known packages may be substantially gas and moisture impervious. However, for some food and confectionery applications, a hermitically sealed package is not desirable.

One of the principle functions of packaging, particularly for products such as confectionary and other snack type food products which are often purchased by consumers on impulse, is its attractiveness and distinctiveness to a potential consumer. Accordingly, companies devote considerable resources to developing packaging which is not only functional but attractive to consumers and/or which allows products to be presented to consumers in unusual and attractive ways.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved flow-wrap package.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide an improved flow-wrap which can be displayed in an alternative manner to conventional flow-wrapped packages.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing an improved flow-wrap package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a packaging assembly comprising a flow-wrapped package containing at least one product, the package comprising a length of flexible material folded about the at least one product and being closed by means of at least one fin seal extending longitudinally along a face of the package and by means of a transverse end seal at either longitudinal end of the package, wherein the end seals are formed using a cold seal adhesive and a first end seal has an aperture defined there through by means of which the package can be suspended for display purposes.

The material in the first end seal may be embossed. The material may be embossed with a pattern comprising a plurality of elongate ridges. The ridges may extend in a direction which is substantially horizontal when the package is suspended by means of the display aperture. The ridges may extend in a transverse direction of the package across the end seal.

The end seals may be each of substantially constant depth, the first end seal having a depth which is greater than the depth of the other end seal.

The first end seal may be shaped to have a region of increased depth within which the display aperture is located. The other end seal may be correspondingly shaped to have a region of reduced depth.

In one embodiment, the fin seal is folded over to overlay the display aperture in the first end seal and a corresponding display aperture provided in the fin seal.

The display aperture may be positioned off-centre relative to a longitudinal centre line of the package. The package may be substantially square in plan and the display aperture may be located towards one transverse edge of the package, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the package hangs substantially diagonally.

The display aperture may be located at or near a corner of one of the end seals such that upon hanging, the package hangs off-centre. The package may hang so that a longitudinal centre line of the package is aligned at an angle to the vertical in the range of 10° to 45°, or in the range of 20° to 45°, or in the range of 25° to 45°, or in the range of 30° to 45°, or in the range of 35° to 45°.

More than one product may be contained in the package. Each product may be individually wrapped.

The, or each, product may be a food and more particularly a confectionery product. The, or each, product may be a chocolate bar.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a packaging assembly comprising a package containing at least one product, the method comprising:

• • flow-wrapping a length of flexible material about the at least one product, bringing the inner faces of opposing side edge regions of the material together and bonding to form a longitudinal fin seal;
  • bringing the inner faces of opposing end edge regions of the material that extend beyond the ends of the at least one product into contact and bonding together with a cold seal adhesive to form transverse end seals;
  • cutting the material to separate the closed package from the remainder of the material; and
  • forming a display aperture in a first one of the end seals.

The method may comprise forming the end seals by clamping the material between opposed jaws, at least one of the jaws having a punch configured to produce the display aperture when the material is clamped between the jaws to form the first end seal.

The method may comprise embossing the material in the first end seal.

The method may comprise embossing the material to form an embossed pattern comprising a plurality of elongate ridges. The method may comprise forming the ridges so that they extend in a direction which is substantially horizontal when the package is suspended by means of the display aperture. The method may comprise forming the ridges so that they extend in a transverse direction of the package across the first end seal.

The method may comprise forming the end seals so that they each are of substantially constant depth, the first end seal having a depth which is greater than the depth of the other end seal.

The method may comprise shaping the first end seal so as to have a region of increased depth and positioning the display aperture within the region of increased depth. The method may also comprise shaping the other end seal so as to have a correspondingly shaped region of reduced depth. In which case, the method may comprise clamping the material between a pair of jaws to simultaneously form the first end seal of a first package and the other end seal of a second package, and cutting the material between the first end seal and the other end seal to separate the first and second packages, the line of the cut being configured to produce the region of increased depth in the first end seal and the correspondingly shaped region of reduced depth in the other seal.

The method may comprise folding the fin seal so as to over to overlay the display aperture in the first end seal and forming a corresponding display aperture in the overlaying region of the fin seal.

The method may comprise positioning the display aperture off-centre with respect to a longitudinal centre line of the package, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the longitudinal centre-line of the package is angled relative to the vertical. The method may comprise forming a package that is substantially square in plan and locating the display aperture towards one transverse edge of the package, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the package hangs substantially diagonally.

The method may comprise enclosing more than one product in the package. In which case, the method may also comprise individually wrapping each of the products.

The, or each, product may be a food and more particularly a confectionery product. The, or each, product may be a chocolate bar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view from the front of a first embodiment of a package in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 but shows a second embodiment of a package in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view from the rear of the package of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view from the front of a yet further embodiment of a package in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the front and to one side of a still further embodiment of a package in accordance with the invention, showing the package suspended from a display hook.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a number of the packages of FIG. 5 aligned as they would be if suspended from a common display hook; and

FIG. 7 is a view from the front of a further embodiment of a package in accordance with the invention used to package a plurality of products.

The same reference numbers but increased by 100 in each case will be used to identify the same or similar features in each of the embodiments to be described.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a packaging assembly 10 in accordance with the invention. The packaging assembly 10 comprises one or more products, in this case a chocolate bar (not shown in FIG. 1), which is encased in a generally tubular package 14 formed from a length of flexible material 16 in the form of a wrapper. The wrapper is folded about the product and sealed along a rear face by means of a longitudinal fin seal (not shown in FIG. 1 but see 118 in FIG. 3) and at either end by means of a transverse end seal 20, 22.

The package 14 is a flow-wrap package produced using a flow-wrap packaging machine (not shown), in which the material 16 is fed from a roll to be folded about each product in turn and sealed to define a cavity fully enclosing the product. As each package 14 is closed, the material 16 is cut to separate the closed package 14 from the remainder of the film. During the process of forming the package, opposing side edge regions of the material 16 are brought into contact and bonded together, inner face to inner face, to form the longitudinal fin seal that extends along a rear face of the package. Opposing end edge regions of the material 16 that extend beyond the ends of the product are also brought into contact and bonded together in face to face relation to form first and second transverse (i.e. laterally extending) end seals 20, 22 at either end of the product. In the present embodiment, at least the transverse end seals 20, 22 are formed by bonding the opposed edge regions of the material together using a cold seal adhesive. For convenience, the fin seal will usually also be formed using a cold seal adhesive but it could be formed using an alternative adhesive or by welding.

An aperture 24 is provided in a first one of the end seals 20 to enable the package to be suspended for display purposes. The aperture 24 in this embodiment is in the form of a Euro-slot to enable the product to be suspended on a Euro-hook but the aperture can be any suitable shape depending on the nature of the hook or other device from which the package is to be suspended.

The end seals 20, 22 will typically be formed using a pair of opposed jaws that successively clamp the film between them after it has been wrapped about each product. Typically, each time the jaws are clamped about the material they simultaneously produce one of the first and second end seals 20, 22 to close one package and the other of the first and second end seals of the next package. The jaws have opposing surfaces which are brought together to clamp the film in between when forming the end seals. Conveniently, one of the jaws can be provided with a cutting formation or punch arranged to pass through the film when the jaws are clamped about the material so that the aperture 24 is formed at the same time as the end seal 20. The jaws may be arranged to move to linearly to clamp the film or at least one jaw may be mounted to a roller so that it is brought into alignment to clamp the film between each product. In some applications, more than one jaw is mounted to the, or each, roller so that successive jaws are brought into alignment to clamp the film as the roller rotates.

The ability to suspend the flow-wrapped package 14 from a display hook enables the product to be displayed in a variety of different ways and in different locations within a retail outlet. For example, flow-wrapped products such as chocolate bars are normally displayed generally horizontally on shelves that are located within in the main body of the shop. Providing a display aperture in an end seal allows the package to be hung generally vertically and means they can be displayed more easily in regions close to the till or sales counter where customers often have to queue and where they may be open to impulse purchasing.

Whilst it is known to provide a suspension aperture in the header seal of a pouch or bag type of package so that it can be suspended from a display hook, this method of display has not been generally adopted with flow-wrapped products, particularly where the end seals are bonded using a cold seal. Cold seal adhesives have relatively weak bond strength in comparison to welding or other permanent laminating adhesives and are often used where the seal is designed to be peeled apart by the consumer to open the package. The formation of an aperture, such as a display aperture 24, in a cold seal area might therefore be expected to lead to premature peeling of the cold seal. Furthermore, the strength of typical known packaging substrates 16 might not be expected to be sufficient to be able to support the weight of the product over a small area without splitting where an aperture is placed in an end seal region of conventional dimensions. These issues are particularly significant where the material of the packaged product is relatively dense, as is the case with a solid chocolate bar for example, such that the product is relatively heavy for its size and the size of the package.

To alleviate some of these potential problems, whilst both end seals have a substantially constant depth (as measured in the longitudinal direction of the package), the end seal 20 in which the display aperture 24 is located has a depth D which is greater than the depth d of the other end seal 22. This allows the display aperture 24 to be located within the end seal 20 so that there is sufficient material outboard or above the aperture 24 to support the weight of the product and sufficient material inboard or below the aperture 24 to maintain an effective seal but without increasing the overall length of package or the length of material required to form a package for a particular product or group of products.

Furthermore, the material in the transverse end seals 20, 22 (or at least the end seal 20 in which the display aperture 24 is formed) has an embossed pattern lines or ridges that extend in the transverse direction as indicated at 26. Embossing the end seals in this way resists splitting of the material 26 when it is suspended from a hook. Whilst embossed transverse lines or ridges 26 are thought to be particularly effective at resting longitudinal splits in the material 16, other patterns of embossment that resist splitting can be used. Furthermore, as will be discussed below in relation to alternative embodiments, the display aperture 24 need not be provided centrally of the end seal but could be offset so that the package hangs at an angle when suspended from a hook. In this case, the lines or ridges of embossment may be arranged so as to run in a direction which is aligned substantially horizontally when the package is suspended.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a second embodiment of a packaging assembly 110 in accordance with the present invention.

In most respects, the packaging assembly 110 of the second embodiment is the same as the packaging assembly 10 in accordance with the first embodiment described above to which the reader should refer. The packaging assembly 1 10 differs from the previous embodiment in that the transverse end seals 120, 122 have the same or a similar depth over the majority of their width but are profiled so that the end seal 120 in which the display aperture 124 is located has a region 120A of increased depth about the display aperture 124. In order to produce the increased depth region 120A in the end seal 120, a correspondingly shaped cut-out 122A is formed in the other end seal 122. This results in the other end seal 122 having a region 122B which is reduced in depth when compared to the remainder of the end seal but the package is designed so that this reduced depth region is sufficient to maintain the integrity of the seal in normal use. This profiled arrangement allows the aperture 124 to be spaced outwardly from the inner edge 120B of the end seal so that the integrity of the seal is not compromised, whilst allowing a sufficient depth of material 16 above the display aperture 124 to support the weight of the product when suspended from a display hook. This arrangement enables a package to be produced using a similar length of material as would be required to produce a conventional package with no display aperture in an end seal.

The region of increased depth 120A is shaped to accommodate the aperture 124 and its shape and location can be varied accordingly depending on the size, shape and position of the display aperture 124. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the display aperture 124 is located in the centre of the end seal 120 but this need not be the case and the aperture could be located off-centre, in which case the shape of the end seals 120, 122 will be correspondingly modified.

The fin seal 118 extends over the full length of the package, including the end seals 120, 122 and is folded over to one side so that it lies generally parallel to the rear face 128 of the package 114 as shown in FIG. 3. To provide further support for the weight of the package, the fin seal 118 is positioned so that when folded it overlies the region of the end seal 120 in which the display aperture is provided and a corresponding display aperture 124A is formed through the overlaying part of the fin seal 118. Thus the package is suspended by means of aligned apertures 124, 124A in the end seal 120 and the fin seal 118 respectively and so provides a double thickness of material 16 for supporting the weight of the product. In the present embodiment where the display aperture 124 is located in the centre of the end seal 120, the fin seal is formed off-centre so that when folded over it overlies the region 120A of increased depth in which the display aperture is located. As discussed above, the display aperture 124 need not be located centrally and that the position of the fin seal 118 can be varied accordingly so that it overlies the position of the display aperture in the end seal 120. The corresponding display aperture 124A in the fin seal is preferably formed at the same time as the display aperture 124 in the first end seal 120. This requires the fin seal 118 to be formed and folded before the material is clamped to form the first end seal 120.

The end seal 120 in the second embodiment, and indeed in any of the further embodiments to be described below, could also be embossed as described in relation to the first embodiment 10. It should also be noted that the package 14 of the first embodiment can be modified so that the fin seal overlies the display aperture 24 in the end seal and a corresponding display aperture provided in the fin seal as described above in relation to the second embodiment.

A further embodiment of a packaging assembly 210 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 4. This embodiment is substantially the same as the packaging assembly 10 in accordance with the first embodiment described above, to which the reader should refer for details, but illustrates how the display aperture 224 may be located in the end seal 120 off-centre and angled so that the package is suspended at an angle, i.e. so that the longitudinal axis X of the package is angled relative to the vertical, when hung from a hook.

As with the second embodiment 110, corresponding display apertures 224, 224A are formed both through the end seal 220 and an overlapping portion of the fin seal 218, the position of which along the rear face of the package is indicated in hidden detail by the dashed lines.

Whilst the end seals 220, 222 in the third embodiment are formed in the same manner as those of the first embodiment so that the end seal 220 in which the display aperture 224 is located has a greater depth than the other end seal 222, they could be profiled in the manner shown in the second embodiment. This allows the display aperture 224 to be located within the end seal 220 so that there is sufficient material outboard or above the aperture 224 to support the weight of the product and sufficient material inboard or below the aperture 224 to maintain an effective seal but without increasing the overall length of package or the length of material required to form a package for a particular product or group of products.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of a packaging assembly 310 in accordance with the invention when suspended from a display hook 330. As with the previous embodiment, the display aperture is located off-centre so that the package hangs at an angle. In this embodiment, the display aperture 324 is a simple round hole for suspending the package from a round hook and is located close to one transverse edge of the package. The product is longer in the transverse direction than the longitudinal direction so that the package, including the end seals 320, 322, is generally square in shape when viewed from the front in plan and when suspended from the hook hangs diagonally. The printing on the package is aligned so that is in the correct orientation to be read when the package is suspended.

FIG. 6, illustrates the appearance of a number of the packages 310 of FIG. 5 when suspend from a common hook for display purposes, though the display hook itself is omitted. It can be seen that angling the packages creates an unusual display arrangement which is eye-catching to potential consumers. Hanging the products at an angle helps to break up or disrupt the alignment of packages as compared with conventional packaging arrangements in which rectangular or square packages are displayed in a conventional upright orientation.

As with previous embodiments, corresponding display apertures 324 may be provided in the end seal 320 and an overlapping region of the fin seal 318 and the end seal 320 may be embossed.

The packaging assembly 310 is otherwise substantially the same as that of the first embodiment 10 as described above to which the reader should refer for details.

A still further embodiment of a packaging assembly 410 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 6. This embodiment is substantially the same as the packaging assembly 10 in accordance with the first embodiment described above, to which the reader should refer for details, but illustrates how a package in accordance with the invention can be used to package a plurality of products 430. The products 430 can be any suitable products which may themselves be individually wrapped so that the whole package is in the form of a multi-pack. The products could, for example, be individual chocolate or other confectionery bars. It should be appreciated that any of the packaging embodiments disclosed above could be modified for packaging a plurality of products in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6.

The terms “longitudinal” and transverse” are used herein to define relative directions of the package or parts thereof in which the “transverse” direction is substantially orthogonal to the “longitudinal” direction. Depending on the design of any particular package, its “longitudinal” dimension many be longer or shorter than its “transverse” dimension.

The foregoing embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of protection afforded by the claims, but rather to describe examples as to how the invention may be put into practice. For example, whilst the embodiments described above are adapted for packaging confectionery products, the packaging arrangements described herein can be adapted for packaging other food and indeed non-food products.

Claims

1. A packaging assembly comprising a flow-wrapped package containing at least one product, the package comprising a length of flexible material folded about the at least one product and being closed by means of at least one fin seal extending longitudinally along a face of the package and by means of a transverse end seal at either longitudinal end of the package, wherein the end seals are formed using a cold seal adhesive and a first end seal has an aperture defined there through by means of which the package can be suspended for display purposes.

2. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material in the first end seal is embossed.

3. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material is embossed with a pattern comprising a plurality of elongate ridges.

4. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ridges extend in a direction which is substantially horizontal when the package is suspended by means of the display aperture.

5. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ridges extend in a transverse direction of the package across the end seal.

6. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end seals are each of a substantially constant depth, the first end seal having a depth which is greater than the depth of the other end seal.

7. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end seal is shaped to have a region of increased depth within which the display aperture is located.

8. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the other end seal is correspondingly shaped to have a region of reduced depth.

9. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fin seal is folded over to overlay the display aperture in the first end seal and a corresponding display aperture is provided in the fin seal.

10. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display aperture is positioned off-centre relative to a longitudinal centre line of the package.

11. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the package is substantially square and the display aperture is located towards one transverse edge of the package seal, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the package hangs substantially diagonally.

12. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein more than one product is contained in the package.

13. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the, or each, product is a food and more particularly a confectionery product.

14. A packaging assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the, or each, product is a chocolate bar.

15. (canceled)

16. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly comprising a package containing at least one product, the method comprising:

flow-wrapping a length of flexible material about the at least one product, bringing the inner faces of opposing side edge regions of the material together and bonding to form a longitudinal fin seal;

bringing the inner faces of opposing end edge regions of the material that extend beyond the ends of the at least one product into contact and bonding together with a cold seal adhesive to form transverse end seals;

cutting the material to separate the closed package from the remainder of the material; and

forming a display aperture in a first one of the end seals.

17. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises forming the end seals by clamping the material between opposed jaws, at least one of the jaws having a punch configured to produce the display aperture when the material is darned between the jaws to form the first end seal.

18. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises embossing the material in the first end seal.

19. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the method comprises embossing the material to form an embossed pattern comprising a plurality of elongate ridges.

20. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 19, wherein the method comprises forming the ridges so that they extend in a direction which is substantially horizontal when the package is suspended by means of the display aperture.

21. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method comprises forming the ridges so that they extend in a transverse direction of the package across the first end seal.

22. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises forming the end seals so that they are each of substantially constant depth, the first end seal having a depth which is greater than the depth of the other end seal.

23. A method of manufacturing a Packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises shaping the first end seal so as to have a region of increased depth and positioning the display aperture within the region of increased depth.

24. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 23, wherein the method comprises shaping the other end seal so as to have a correspondingly shaped region of reduced depth.

25. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 23, wherein the method comprises clamping the material between a pair of jaws to simultaneously form the first end seal of a first package and the other end seal of a second package, and cutting the material between the first end seal and the other end seal to separate the first and second packages, the line of the cut being configured to produce the region of increased depth in the first end seal and the correspondingly shaped region of reduced depth in the other seal.

26. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises folding the fin seal so as to over to overlay the display aperture in the first end seal and forming a corresponding display aperture in the overlaying region of the fin seal.

27. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises positioning the display aperture off-centre with respect to a longitudinal centre line of the package, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the longitudinal centre-line of the package is angled relative to the vertical.

28. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 27, wherein the method comprises forming a package that is substantially square in plan and locating the display aperture towards one transverse edge of the package, such that when suspended via the display aperture, the package hangs substantially diagonally.

29. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method comprises enclosing more than one product in the package.

30. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the, or each, product is a food and more particularly a confectionery product.

31. A method of manufacturing a packaging assembly as claimed in claim 30, wherein the, or each, product is a chocolate bar.

32. (canceled)