FR2680160A1 - Packaging box provided with a sealing tongue - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fluid-tight packaging box formed from a container and a lid fitting over the latter, the container having an upper edge (1) forming a sealing ring, this ring (1) being traversed by at least one passage (4 to 7) connecting the inside of the container to the exterior, the lid comprising obturating means (11 to 14) having a complementary cross-section and a location corresponding to the said passage (4 to 7) of the sealing ring (1) in order to at least partially obturate the latter, characterised in that the border (10) of the lid has on its internal surface a sealing tongue (50) which presses against the lateral wall of the upper edge of the fluid-tight box in the closed position. Applications: packaging of food products or of cosmetic products.

Description

PACKAGING BOX WITH A TONGUE
SEALING
The present invention relates to a sealed packaging box comprising a receptacle and a cover covering the latter, such boxes being intended in particular for the conservation of food products such as caviar, and more generally for the conservation of all substances and products likely to be denatured by contact with air.

 We know in the prior art such a box constituted by a receptacle having an upper edge in the form of a ring crossed by passages which can be closed off by complementary shutter members provided on the cover. These shutter members extend, according to the embodiment, radially inward or radially outward of a ring intended to be applied against the sealing ring of the receptacle when the box is closed.

 The seal results from contact between the side surfaces of the edge of the packaging box and the inner edge of the cover and the sealing edge of said cover on the other hand. However, surface defects can cause slight leaks.

 The object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks by means of an edge of the cover which has on its inner surface a sealing tongue which comes to bear on the side wall of the upper edge of the sealing box in the closed position.

 Preferably, the annular tongue is disposed substantially at half the height of the lateral strip between the groove delimiting the tamper-evident band and the bottom of the cover.

 Another improvement consists in facilitating the positioning of the cover relative to the box. To this end, the packaging consists of a receptacle and a cover, each having at least one angular locating means capable of cooperating with complementary positioning means provided on a holding device.

 These locating means make it possible to position the obturation members in a certain manner in front of the passages. This avoids closing the box imperfectly tight, and also deforming the shutter members in the event of forcing when the cover is incorrectly positioned relative to the receptacle at the time of closing.

 According to a first embodiment, the locating means are constituted by at least one stud forming projections on the receptacle. This stud is inserted into a complementary cavity on the assembly tool and ensures always identical positioning of the receptacle on the support.

 Preferably, the bottom of the receptacle has a projecting ring, said ring having at least one locating zone. Such a ring is often provided on the bottom of the receptacle of the state of the art, because it guarantees good stability to the packaging box, the bottom of which is in some cases rounded. Preferably, the locating zone is constituted by a substantially radial protuberance.

 The means for locating the cover advantageously consists of a side tab. This tab can be constituted by the tear-off tab of the tamper-evident band. This avoids too many outgrowths which can make it difficult to store the boxes on the storage site.

 The invention also relates to a device for closing packaging containers composed of a support having a cavity of complementary shape to the shape of the bottom of the receptacle and by a gripping tool having a cavity of complementary shape to the outside surface of the cover. The gripping tool comprises a means movable axially between a rest position in which it does not exceed the useful surface of said cavity and a second position in which it causes the cover to expel.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, setting out a particular example of embodiment referring to the drawings in which:
- Figure 1 shows a top view of the receptacle
- Figure 2 shows a bottom view of the cover
- Figure 3 shows a view in section AA 'of the open box
- Figure 4 shows a view along section AA 'in the closed position.

FIG. 5 represents a view along section AA "of the open box,
- Figure 6 shows a view section AA "in the closed position.

 The box according to the example described consists of a receptacle shown in top view in Figure 1 and a cover shown in bottom view in Figure 2.

 The receptacle shown is supposed to be made of a transparent material allowing the exterior parts to be seen. It is generally truncated and has a bottom (1) and a side wall (2) of flared cylindrical shape. The upper edge (3) forms a sealing ring traversed by passages (4, 5, 6, 7) extending radially. These passages are made over a height of about a millimeter and allow the passage of air and possibly liquids contained in the packaging box to the outside during the closing phase. Seen in section along a transverse plane, the passages (4 to 7) have a shape evoking a diabolo, that is to say that they widen inwards and outwards and have a middle part (8) narrowed.

 The cover shown in Figure 2 on the same scale is also made of plastic, or any other suitable material known to those skilled in the art. It has the general shape of a disc, and comprises a sealing ring (9) whose outside diameter corresponds substantially to the inside diameter of the edge (2) of the receptacle. The cover also has an edge (10) whose internal diameter corresponds substantially to the external diameter of the upper edge (2) of the receptacle.

 The sealing ring (9) of the cover has shutter members (11, 12, 13, 14) extending radially on the outer surface, the position of which corresponds to the position of the passages respectively (4, 5, 6, 7) of the receptacle. The shape of these shutter members (11 to 14) is complementary to the flared outer part of the passages (4 to 7). At the location of the shutter members, the ring (9) of the cover has tabs extending the edge and completing the seal resulting from the cooperation of the shutter members (11 to 14) with the passages (4 to 7).

 The outer edge (10) also includes a tamper-evident band provided with a tab (15) having a positioning and gripping function for tearing.

 Figures 3 and 4 show, on an enlarged scale, the packaging box respectively before and after the initial closure.

The cover must be positioned relative to the receptacle so that the obturating members and the passages are facing each other. The edge (10) of the cover has a tamper-evident band (16) delimited by a groove (17) facilitating the tearing off when the box is opened. The tamper-evident band (16) has a shoulder (17) which covers after closure a complementary shoulder
(18) provided on the wall (2) of the receptacle. The passage of the tamper-evident band (16) at the time of closing is facilitated by the converging shape of the upper end (19) of the sealing ring (3) of the receptacle, and by the relative elasticity of the material. constituting the cover. Thus, the border is deformed at the time of closing in the direction indicated by the arrow (20) and is clipped onto the shoulder (17) of the receptacle. Once the cover is in place, removal is only possible. after tearing off the tamper-evident band (16), operation which is carried out by a pull exerted on the tab (15).

 The shutter member (14) extends radially relative to a lug (21) extending the sealing ring (9) of the cover. When closing, it is housed in the flared end (22) inside the passage (7). The tab (22) is pressed against the inner surface of the upper edge (3) of the receptacle and thus improves the sealing at the passages.

 As with the tamper-evident band (16), closing the cover causes a slight deformation of the tab (21) in the direction indicated by the arrow (23).

 The shutter member (14) must, to fully guarantee the tightness of the passages after closure, be positioned with great precision. This positioning is not easy because the elastic deformation of the tamper-evident band (16) which occurs when the lid and the receptacle are brought together for closure creates a certain resistance making it difficult to perceive the engagement of the shutter members. in the corresponding passages. In addition, if the operator exerts pressure on the cover to close the box while the shutter members and the passages are not facing each other, it causes a permanent and irreversible deformation of the shutter members and / or of the tabs (21 ). Sealing is no longer guaranteed. Such an incident often occurs without the operator even realizing it, which is extremely serious if the products packaged in such boxes must meet quality conditions. demanding.

To avoid such a situation, the bottom (1) of the receptacle has protuberances (24 to 27) projecting from the bottom surface (28) of the bottom (1). These protuberances (24 to 27) extend radially with respect to a lower ring (29). They are arranged opposite the passages respectively (4 to 7). Those skilled in the art may of course adopt other solutions, for example by angularly shifting the protuberances with respect to the passages at an angle half the angle separating two consecutive passages
The location of the shutter members is facilitated by the presence of the tear-off tab (15) corresponding to one of the shutter members (14). It is obvious that the cover could have other locating means, for example protuberances of the same type as that provided on the bottom (1) of the receptacle.

 Figures 5 and 6 shows a view of the packaging box in a section AA ". The border (10) has on its inner surface a sealing tongue (50) disposed substantially at half the height of the lateral strip included between the groove (17) delimiting the tamper-evident band (16) and the bottom (51) of the cover. This tongue (50), in the example described, has a length of approximately 0.3 millimeters for a box of one diameter of about 10 centimeters whose walls are about 2 millimeters thick.

It extends substantially radially to form a thin annular border which is elastically deformable. When the cover is placed on the box conditionally as shown in Figure 6, the upper edge of the box pushes the tab (50) upwards.

This tab therefore comes to bear on the lateral edge of the packaging box to form a seal that prevents any imperfections and surface defects in the packaging box. The length of the annular tongue (50) is between one and three tenths of the thickness of the packaging box. The thickness of the annular tongue (50) is between one and three twentieth of said thickness.

 It is obvious that many embodiments can be envisaged by the skilled person without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

 1 - Sealed packaging box composed of a receptacle and a cover covering the latter, the receptacle having an upper edge (1) forming a sealing ring, this ring (1) being traversed by at least one passage (4 to 7) connecting the interior of the receptacle to the exterior, the cover comprising closure means (11 to 14) complementary in section and in location corresponding to said passage (4 to 7) of the ring (1) d '' seal to come close it at least partially, characterized in that the edge (10) of the cover has on its inner surface a sealing tongue (50) coming to bear on the side wall of the upper edge of the box in the closed position.  2 - sealed packaging box according to claim 1 characterized in that the annular tongue (50) is disposed substantially at half the height of the lateral strip between the groove (17) delimiting the tamper-evident band (16) and the bottom (51) of the cover.  3 - sealed packaging box according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the receptacle and the cover each have at least one angular locating means (24 to 27) and (15) capable of cooperating with complementary positioning means (32 35), (38) provided on an assembly device.  4 - sealed packaging box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the locating means are constituted by at least one stud forming projections on the receptacle.  5 - sealed packaging box according to claim 4 characterized in that the bottom (1) of the receptacle has a projecting ring (29), said ring (9) having at least one locating zone.  6 - sealed packaging box according to claim 5 characterized in that said ring has at least one protrusion (24 to 27) substantially radial.  7 - sealed packaging box according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the locating means of the cover consists of a flat tab (15) extending radially.