FR2566738A1 - Improvements to closure means for containers of food fluids and to their methods and means of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

Means of closure for containers of food fluids, their methods and means of manufacture. These means consist of a composite sheet 2 comprising a thin inner layer 3 made from aluminium and an outer layer 4 made from paper of low GSM, which is provided with a weakening zone 6 of a form and dimensions which are suitable for the insertion of a drinking straw 7 for sucking up the beverage in the container 1. Application to the closure of single pots or groups of pots.

Description

 The present invention relates to means for closing pots or the like intended to contain food fluids such as drinks, yoghurts with a liquid consistency, etc. and a process for manufacturing these closing means.

 There are known individual jars containing drinks, the closing element of which has a small diameter opening preformed at the time of manufacture; into which is introduced a suction torch for the drink contained in the jar. We also know pots intended for the same use, the closing element of which is made of a paper possibly lined with polyester, and in which is formed a weakening zone which has come from manufacture which is pierced by simple pressing of the lower end of the suction torch. of drink. The first solution mentioned above is not satisfactory from the point of view of the tightness of the closure. As for the second, if it is suitable for cases where the closure consists of strong paper, cardboard or polyester lined paper, it is unsuitable for the closing means constituted by an aluminum / paper composite. It would however be particularly desirable to have two-layer closing means, the layer of which in contact with the food fluid would be made of Aluminum, the neutrality and tightness of which vis-à-vis the latter present great security for both the consumer and the manufacturer. , and whose outer layer is made of paper to allow the printing of different indications and graphics on the closure means, printing considerably easier to achieve on a paper medium than on any other medium. I1 would also be desirable to have sealing means which are sealed until consumption, but nevertheless of easy access for the consumer by simple insertion of the beverage suction torch.

 The present invention has therefore given itself the aim of providing closure means for containers of food fluids, which better meet the needs of practice than the closure means for the same purpose previously known, in particular in that they are thin, completely waterproof during storage and transport and easy to open by simply pushing in a beverage suction torch.

 The present invention relates to closure means for containers of food fluids characterized in that they consist of a composite sheet comprising an inner layer of thin aluminum and an outer layer of light weight paper, in that the constituent layers of the composite sheet are assembled together into a unitary assembly, by any suitable means and in particular by laminating, in that said composite sheet is placed in the closed position of the upper opening of containers by welding or the like on the upper rim of said containers and in that only the outer paper layer is provided with a weakening zone of shape and dimensions suitable for the introduction of a beverage suction torch into the container.

 According to an advantageous embodiment of the closure means according to the invention, the inner aluminum layer of the composite sheet which constitutes said closure means, has a thickness preferably between 8 / 1000th and 20 / 1000e of mm.

 According to another advantageous embodiment of the closure means according to the invention, the outer paper layer of the composite sheet which constitutes said closure means, is chosen from papers whose grammage is preferably between 30 and 80 g .

 The closure means according to the present invention consequently have a weakening zone formed only in the paper layer and which therefore does not compromise the sealing of the containers.

 The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing closure means for containers of food fluids as defined above, which consists in creating on a layer of light weight paper, preferably between 30 and 80 g, weakening zones of suitable shape and size to allow insertion of a beverage suction torch or the like, which weakening zones are suitably distributed so that each weakening zone is circumscribed in unitary closure means separate juxtaposed, then to assemble the layer of paper provided with said weakening zones, with a continuous layer of aluminum of small thickness, preferably between 8 and 20 / 1000th of mm, by any appropriate means and in particular by gluing, and to subjecting the composite sheet thus obtained to any appropriate subsequent treatment such as printing on the outer layer of paper, and application, by welding or the like, on the openings of containers previously filled with a food fluid.

 The present invention also relates to a device for creating zones of weakness in a layer of paper unwound from a roll, which is characterized in that it comprises a cylinder carrying a plurality of projections of dimensions and shape suitable, suitably distributed over the periphery of said cylinder to create by stamping in said layer of paper weakening zones of dimensions and shape corresponding to those of said projections, the distribution of which corresponds substantially to the number of closing means capable of being formed from the composite sheet, which stamping cylinder cooperates with a counter-stamping cylinder to allow the passage of said layer of paper to be stamped between said two cooperating cylinders.

 According to an advantageous embodiment of the device for creating the abovementioned weakening zones, it is mounted in an installation for manufacturing aluminum-paper composite sheets by laminating, on the unwinding path of the paper layer, upstream of the assembly station of the paper layer with the aluminum layer.

 In addition to the foregoing provisions, the invention also comprises other provisions, which will emerge from the description which follows.

 The invention relates more particularly to containers provided with closure means in accordance with the above provisions, the grouping of such containers, the means specific to the production of the above closure means and the production and packaging lines in which the means are included. for manufacturing the above-mentioned closing means.

The invention will be better understood using the additional description which follows, which refers to the accompanying drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a view in plunging perspective of a group of containers provided with closing means in accordance with the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an installation including the stamping device according to the invention, for producing a composite sheet suitable for being used as a closing means according to the invention, and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the stamping device shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2.

 it should be understood, however, that these drawings and the corresponding descriptive parts, are given solely by way of illustration of the subject of the invention, of which they do not in any way constitute a limitation.

 In accordance with the present invention, a group of pots 1 of drinking yoghurt is provided with a tight closure constituted by a composite sheet 2 formed from an inner layer 3 of very thin aluminum, preferably of the order of 8 at 20/1000 mm, and an outer layer 4 of paper, preferably kraft paper, of light weight, preferably between 30 and 80 g.

 The sealed closure 2 comprises rupture lines 5 to allow easy detachment of two juxtaposed containers 1. Each watertight closure 2 carries ornamental, legal and / or informative prints.

It is furthermore provided, in accordance with 17 invention, dtum weakening zone 6 of suitable dimensions and shape to allow the passage of a torch 7 for suction of the food fluid contained in a pot 1, surface weakening zone since formed only in the outer layer of paper 4.

 The waterproof composite sheet 2 according to the invention is obtained in an installation such as that shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. Such an installation comprises supports 8 and 9 respectively for a roll of kraft paper and for a roll of aluminum sheet; the unwound paper 4 is guided using guide rollers 10 to a stamping device 11 in which weakening zones 6 are created and which will be described in more detail below. In parallel, the unrolled aluminum sheet 3 is guided using guide rollers 12 to a lacquering station 13, then to a gluing station 14. The sheet of paper 4 at its exit from the device stamping 11 and the aluminum sheet 3 at its outlet from the gluing station 14 are guided to a laminating station 15 constituted by two pressure cylinders between which the glued aluminum sheet 3 and the sheet of paper 4 at the exit from the laminating station 15 a composite sheet is obtained which is then subjected to various treatments such as printing, before bringing it to the filling and packaging station for pots 1, where it is applied to the upper opening of said pots and welded to the edges of said openings.

 The stamping device 11 comprises a stamping cylinder 16 on the periphery of which are distributed a plurality of stamping tools constituted by projections 17 of appropriate size and shape. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the weakening zones 6 (cf. FIG. 1) formed on the closure means 2 have the shape of a cross and, correspondingly, the projections 17 carried by the cylinder stamping 16 are cross-shaped. it goes without saying that the stamping projections can have any other shape while coming within the scope of the present invention provided that they are capable of practicing zones of weakening only in the outer layer of tissue paper. exclusion of the underlying aluminum layer from the closure means 2. The stamping cylinder 16 cooperates with a counter-stamping cylinder 18 to produce the aforementioned weakening zones, by passing the layer of paper 4 between cylinders 16 and 18.

 As is apparent from the above, the invention is in no way limited to those of its modes of implementation, embodiment and application which have just been described in a more explicit manner: on the contrary it embraces all of them. variants which may come to the mind of the technician in the field, without departing from the scope, or the scope, of the present invention.

Claims (6)

 1. Closing means for containers of food fluids characterized in that they consist of a composite sheet (2) comprising an inner layer in Aluminum (3) of low thickness and an outer layer of paper (4) of low grammage, in that the constituent layers of the composite sheet (2) are assembled together in a unitary assembly, by all appropriate means and in particular against bonding, in that said composite sheet (2) is placed in the closed position of the upper opening of containers (1) by welding or the like on the upper rim of said containers and in that only the outer layer of paper is provided with a weakening zone (6) of suitable shape and dimensions for the introduction of a beverage suction torch (7) into the container (1).  2. Closure means according to claim 1 charac terized in that the inner aluminum layer (3) of the composite sheet (2) which constitutes said closure means, has a thickness preferably between 8 / 1000th and 20 / 1000e of mm.  3. Closing means according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the outer layer of paper g4) of the composite sheet (2) which constitutes said closing means, is chosen from papers whose grammage is preferably between 30 and 80 g.  4. A method of manufacturing closure means for containers of food fluids, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it consists in creating on a layer of light weight paper, preferably between 30 and 80 g, weakening zones of suitable shape and size to allow insertion of a beverage suction torch or the like, which weakening zones are suitably distributed so that each weakening zone is circumscribed in means of separate unitary closures juxtaposed, then of assembling the layer of paper provided with said weakening zones, with a continuous layer of aluminum of thin thickness, preferably between 8 and 20 / 7000e of mm, by any appropriate means and in particular bonding, and subjecting the composite sheet thus obtained, to any appropriate subsequent treatment such as printing on the outer layer of the paper and application by welding or the like, on the openings of containers previously filled with a food fluid.  5. Device for creating weakening zones in a layer of paper unwound from a roll, for implementing the method according to Claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a cylinder (16) carrying a plurality projections (17) of appropriate dimensions and shape, suitably distributed over the periphery of said cylinder (16) to create by stamping in said layer of paper (4) weakening zones (6) of dimensions and shape corresponding to those said projections (17), the distribution of which corresponds substantially to the number of closing means according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, capable of being formed from the composite sheet, which stamping cylinder (16) cooperates with a counter-stamping cylinder (18) to allow the passage of said layer of stamping paper between said two cooperating cylinders.  6. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that it is mounted in an installation for manufacturing aluminum-paper composite sheets by laminating, on the path of the unwinding of the paper layer (4), upstream of the station assembly (15) of the paper layer (4) with the aluminum layer (3).