PACKAGING FOR PRODUCTS

Abstract

A packaging for liquid food products is provided. The packaging has a flexible bag having a front wall having a transparent portion and a rear wall having, on the inner face, a distinctive region visible from outside through the transparent portion, when not covered by a product contained in the packaging.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of flexible packaging having thin walls, generally referred to as “pouches,” which are widely used for containing fruit juices or puree, yogurt, drinks and the like that are mostly intended for consumption by kids.

Packaging of this kind is typically provided with a spout which has a cap and, in the past, precisely in order to increase the children's appreciation, solutions were developed which were provided with a cap which also has a toy function.

For example, documents WO-A1-2014/083478, EP-A1-2489605 and the international application PCT/IB2018/056864, all in the name of the applicant, describe caps which can also be used as toys.

The problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing packaging which has features that are particularly attractive to a child.

This problem is solved by a pouch according to claim 1. The dependent claims describe further advantageous embodiments.

The features and advantages of the packaging according to the present invention will become evident from the following description, given by way of non-restrictive example and in accordance with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1a and 1b show packaging according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a rear wall of the packaging according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3a and 3b show packaging according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to a first embodiment of the invention (FIGS. 1a and 1b), the reference sign 1 is intended to indicate, as a whole, a packaging or pouch.

The packaging 1 comprises a flexible bag 10 comprising a front wall 12 which has lateral edges 12a, 12b, a lower edge 12c and an upper edge 12d, and comprising a rear wall 14 which has corresponding lateral edges 14a, 14b, a lower edge 14c and an upper edge 14d; the front wall 12 faces the rear wall 14.

The front wall 2 and the rear wall 4 are sealingly joined, preferably welded, along the lateral edges 2a, 2b; 4a, 4b.

The bag 10 preferably also comprises a back wall (not shown) which sealingly joins, preferably by means of welding, the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14 at the lower edges 12c, 14c.

According to a variant, the lower edges 12c, 14c are sealingly joined directly to one another, preferably by means of welding.

Moreover, the upper edges 12d, 14d are preferably sealingly joined, for example welded.

Moreover, the packaging 1 preferably comprises a spout 3, which is held between the walls 12, 14 at the upper edges 12d, 14d, and a cap 5 to close the spout 3.

Each wall 12, 14 of the bag 10 consists of a flexible film, which is preferably multilayer, which is impermeable to oxygen or permeable to oxygen.

According to the invention, the front wall 12 has a transparent portion 20, i.e. a portion which is produced using a monolayer or multilayer film and allows the inside of the bag 10 or a product P contained therein to be observed.

According to an embodiment, said transparent portion can be obtained using a multilayer film which consists of PE-PET-PETHB (from the inside out).

Said transparent portion 20 is preferably entirely contained on the front wall 12.

Moreover, said transparent portion 20 is preferably delimited by a window edge 22 having a geometric shape, e.g. circular, elliptical or polygonal, or with a fanciful shape.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the front wall 14, which has an outer face 14e facing the outside and an inner wall 14i facing the inside of the bag 10, has, on the inner face 14i, a distinctive region 30 visible from the outside through said transparent portion 20 of the front wall 12, when not covered by the product P.

The distinctive region 30 is distinguishable from the remaining part of the inner face 14i of the rear wall 14, for example by a particular choice of colors or by the presence of a meaningful or fanciful inscription or distinctive signs 32. In other words, said distinctive region 30 has graphic signs or color patterns which distinguish said region from the remaining part of said inner face 14i.

For example, as the window edge 22 of the transparent portion 20 is projected orthogonally on the inner face 14i of the rear wall 14, a projected region is obtained, and said distinctive region 30 is coincident or contained within said projected region 16 (FIG. 2).

According to an embodiment, the distinctive region can be obtained by means of a multilayer film which consists of PE-PET-PETHB or PE-PET-ALU-PET (from the inside out), in which the layer of PE-PET protects against the ink used to mark the distinctive signs.

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate a further embodiment of the invention; in these figures, the same reference signs are used as in FIGS. 1a, 1b and 2.

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate packaging 1 provided with a bag 10 having sides 18a, 18b which are sealingly joined, typically by means of welding, to the respective lateral edges 12a, 14a; 12b, 14b of the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14.

Innovatively, the invention provides flexible packaging which can be particularly appreciated by children, in that it is provided with a play aspect which consists in discovering the distinctive region inside the bag through the transparent portion of one wall, when the product is consumed.

It is clear that a person skilled in the art, in order to satisfy current needs, could modify the packaging described above entirely within the scope of protection as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1-7. (canceled)

8. A packaging for liquid food products, the packaging comprising a flexible bag comprising a front wall and a rear wall facing the front wall and comprising an outer face facing outside of the flexible bag and an inner face facing inside of the flexible bag,

wherein the front wall and the rear wall are formed by a flexible film, and

wherein the front wall comprises a transparent portion and the rear wall comprises, on the inner face, a distinctive region visible from outside through said transparent portion, when not covered by a product contained in the packaging, wherein said distinctive region has graphic signs or color patterns, made of ink, which distinguish said distinctive region from a remaining part of said inner face, wherein the distinctive region is obtainable by a multilayer film consisting of PE-PET-PETHB or PE-PET-ALU-PET, from the inside out, in which a PE-PET layer protects against the ink used to mark the distinctive region.

9. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the transparent portion is entirely contained on the front wall.

10. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the transparent portion is delimited by a window edge having a geometric shape or a fanciful shape.

11. The packaging of claim 10, wherein, as the window edge of the transparent portion is projected orthogonally on the inner face of the rear wall, a projected region is obtained, and said distinctive region is coincident with or contained within said projected region.

12. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the distinctive region is distinguishable from the remaining part of the inner face of the rear wall, by particular colors, a meaningful or fanciful inscription or distinctive signs.

13. The packaging of claim 8, wherein said film is monolayer or multilayer, impermeable to oxygen or permeable to oxygen.

14. The packaging of claim 8, comprising a spout and a cap to close the spout.