ECO-CARTON

Abstract

The Eco-Carton is constructed of a paperboard core with an outside mineralized barrier coating and with an inside aluminum film moisture barrier covered with an inside mineralized barrier coating to prevent the liquid from contacting the aluminum layer. The reduction of low density polyethylene plastic film from the composition of the Eco-Carton provides better recyclability of the used product.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to a paper based gable top beverage carton utilizing a mineral based coating as a moisture barrier.

Commercial beverages (non-alcoholic) are frequently sold in recyclable paper based containers. The eco-carton introduces a unique mineralized barrier coating that reduces and replaces the polyethylene plastic coating currently in common use on all other cartons. The environmental benefit of using less plastic is readily quantifiable in terms of the reduction in carbon emissions and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) placed into the atmosphere that occurs during the processing of petroleum into plastic resins.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Commercial beverages (milk, juice, sodas, and other non-alcoholic beverages) started in transparent glass containers. Once people learned to trust the brand, the industry turned to a more practical and less expensive solution, the paper based carton. When the carton first arrived, with milk and orange juice predominantly, it co-existed on the shelf with the glass bottle offerings for years.

Paper based beverage cartons have long been in use as one of the first practical alternatives to the glass bottle. These cartons were originally coated with wax, both inside and out as a moisture barrier. The problem with the wax coating is that it prevented the carton from being recycled as the wax could not be separated from the paper fibers during the pulping process. In the last twenty years this wax based coating has been replaced in common use by a coating of LDPE (low density polyethylene plastic) film.

Unfortunately the LDPE coating emits significant VOCs into the air during the paper recycling process, requiring expensive scrubber installations in facilities to meet toxic emission requirements. This has had the undesirable effect of making existing cartons difficult and less attractive to recycle.

Evolving technology has provided us with other coatings built around minerals such as calcium carbonate that can reduce and replace the use of LDPE. These mineral based coatings have been in use with paper packaging products for cold storage and frozen meat, fish and poultry products, as well as a coating for paper based dish ware. These mineral based coatings have not been used for liquid products, the industry being resistive to changing away from the LDPE products now in use. These mineral based coatings are much more environmentally friendly and allow for significant improvement for the recyclability of the carton.

Traditionally, mixed grade paper barrier packaging applications are coated with 100% polyethylene and other similar materials, which make the resulting products poor candidates for recycling because of the difficulty recyclers have separating the plastic coating from the paperboard.

By contrast, mixed grade paper barrier packaging applications using a mineral base provide a great potential for post-consumer recyclability because they can be processed through the paper recycling stream as if there were little or no coating on them at all. Paperboards with a mineral based coating offer a recyclable alternative for any polyethylene-coated paper packaging materials.

PRIOR ART

The prior art has shown several related containers and material.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,173, issued to Peer, Jr., for a Composite Material For Secondary Container Packaging.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,229, issued to Martin, for a Method Of Making A Laminated Sheet Product.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,358, issued to Takaoka et al., for a Insulating Paper Sheet Of Synthetic Resin Flakes And Natural.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,004, issued to Ajioka et al., for a Degradable Laminate Composition.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,414, issued to Tilton, for a Plastic, Flexible Film And Paperboard Product-Retention Package.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,248, issued to Goto et al., for a Thermoplastic Composite Composition Reinforced With Mica And Wooden Fiber Filler.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,249, issued to Sears et al., for a Methods Of Making Composites Containing Cellulosic Pulp Fibers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,205, issued to Aho et al., for a Coated Paperboard Process For Manufacturing The Same And Products Obtained Thereof.

U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0052987, filed by Shetty et al., for a Paper Based Retortable Can And Method For Making Same.

U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0203208, filed by Ruiz, for a Biologically And Photochemically Degradable Polymeric Compositions And Film.

U.S. Published Application No. 2006/0198987, filed by Grob et al., for a Multiple Layer Laminate.

U.S. Published Application No. 2006/0251876, filed by Goerlitz et al., for a Sealable, Multilayer, Coextruded Packaging Film, Its Use And Process For Its Production.

U.S. Published Application No. 2010/0137493, filed by Tilton, for a High Mineral Content Film For Sealing.

European Patent No. EP 0 81 1 508, issued to Westvaco Corporation, for a Moisture Resistant Frozen Food Packaging Using An Over-Print Varnish.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a paper based gable top beverage carton utilizing a mineral based coating as a moisture barrier.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved a carton that is more environmentally friendly all along the supply chain, from its initial sourcing of materials to the end of life disposability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved carton that has a reduction of polyethylene that greatly improves the recyclability of the carton.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved carton with a mineralized barrier coating that eliminates the need to use a 100% plastic coating on the inside and outside layers of the carton.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved carton that will provide everyone with an opportunity to act more sustainably and become partners in disrupting the cycle of plastic pollution.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved carton that will empower the consumer to participate in the solution to the very real social problem of plastic waste and its toxic impact.

It is an object of the present invention to use low cost minerals in the resin blend used in the mineral based coatings, offsetting traditional 100% resin blends, thus providing a material cost savings.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a superior barrier performance, resulting in an lower gauge coat weights, leading to source reduction and potential cost savings.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the large percentage of plastic by weight that would otherwise be found in a carton with traditional polyethylene coating.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cut-away view showing the construction of the carton material.

FIG. 2 is a view of the carton flat.

FIG. 3 is a view of the assembled carton.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described to best explain the invention so that others, skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, might utilize its teachings.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a cut-away view showing the construction of the carton 1. The structural core of the carton 1 is a layer of paperboard 2. The outside of the carton 1 is covered with a mineralized barrier coating 3. The mineralized barrier layer is a highly mineralized resin alternative to traditional polyethylene barrier coatings for paperboard packaging applications. The mineralized barrier coating is a flexible film composite suitable for use as a primary or secondary packaging material. The mineral material being selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, slate, or possibly combinations of the above. In addition to the mineral-containing layer, the composite can contain one or more non-mineral containing layers, including various combinations of extruded resins. The mineral-containing layer is substantially and continuously bonded to the other layers. The inside of the carton 1 has a moisture barrier 4 which is connected to the paperboard 2 by a mineralized adhesive layer 5. The mineralized adhesive layer is a heat sealable layer of the flexible film composite including at least one mineral-containing layer and containing a thermoplastic bonding agent, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE). Because the material contains thermoplastic content as a bonding agent (albeit reduced content) it is compatible with the industry standard sealing methods, allowing for efficient filling and sealing during the packaging process. The moisture barrier 4 is an aluminum film. The aluminum film is separated and recaptured during the recycling process. Another mineralized barrier coating 6 is connected to the moisture barrier 4 by another mineralized adhesive layer 7. The mineralized barrier coating 6 prevent the liquid inside the carton 1 from coming in contact with the aluminum moisture barrier 4. Finishing the construction of the carton 1 is a plastic cap 8. The plastic cap 8 is preferably made of a non-BPA (Bisphenol A) plastic material.

FIG. 2 shows an unassembled carton flat 9. The flat 9 has an opening 10 for the installation of the plastic cap 8 (not shown in FIG. 2). The fold lines 11 are for forming the assembled carton 12. The flat 9 is folded along the fold lines 11 to form the assembled carton 12 shown in FIG. 3. The top, bottom and edge of the carton are sealed in a convention manner.

Although the Eco-Carton and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A carton for holding liquids comprising:

a paper board core layer,

an outside mineralized barrier coating,

an inside moisture barrier, and

an inside mineralized barrier coating,

said inside moisture barrier being positioned between said paperboard core layer and said inside mineralized barrier coating.

2. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first mineralized adhesive layer is positioned between said paperboard core layer and said inside moisture barrier.

3. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second mineralized adhesive layer is positioned between said inside moisture barrier and said inside mineralized barrier coating.

4. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inside moisture barrier comprises an aluminum film.

5. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outside mineralized barrier coating comprises a first flexible film composite, said first flexible film composite comprising a least one mineral material selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, and slate.

6. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inside mineralized barrier coating comprises a second flexible film composite, said second flexible film composite comprising a least one mineral material selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, and slate.

7. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first mineralized adhesive layer comprises a heat sealable layer of a first flexible film composite including at least one mineral-containing layer and containing a thermoplastic bonding agent.

8. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second mineralized adhesive layer comprises a heat sealable layer of a second flexible film composite including at least one mineral-containing layer and a thermoplastic bonding agent.

9. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carton comprises a gable top carton.

10. A carton for holding liquids comprising:

a paper board core layer,

an outside mineralized barrier coating, said outside mineralized barrier coating comprising a first flexible film composite, said first flexible film composite comprising a least one mineral material selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, and slate,

a first mineralized adhesive layer, said first mineralized adhesive layer comprising a heat sealable layer of a second flexible film composite including at least one mineral-containing layer and containing a thermoplastic bonding agent,

an inside moisture barrier, said inside moisture barrier comprising an aluminum film,

a second mineralized adhesive layer, said second mineralized adhesive layer comprising a heat sealable layer of a third flexible film composite including at least one mineral-containing layer and a thermoplastic bonding agent, and

an inside mineralized barrier coating, said inside mineralized barrier coating comprising a fourth flexible film composite, said second flexible film composite comprising a least one mineral material selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, and slate,

said inside moisture barrier being positioned between said paperboard core layer and said inside mineralized barrier coating,

said first mineralized adhesive layer being positioned between said paperboard core layer and said inside moisture barrier,

said second mineralized adhesive layer being positioned between said inside moisture barrier and said inside mineralized barrier coating.

11. The carton for holding liquids as claimed in claim 10, wherein said carton comprises a gable top carton.