WO2000076877A1

WO2000076877A1 - Stackable packaging system

Info

Publication number: WO2000076877A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/004418
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graham Mark Houlder
Original assignee: Hindustan Lever Ltd; Unilever NV
Current assignee: Hindustan Unilever Ltd; Unilever NV
Priority date: 1999-06-15
Filing date: 2000-05-12
Publication date: 2000-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 2001-12-15
Also published as: JP2003502224A; AU4566100A

Abstract

A stackable packaging system for delicate articles is described. The system comprises a deformable and resealable pouch (1) that accommodates a sleeve (3) that contains the articles. The pouch is mouldable or foldable around the sleeve to provide a stackable structure that protects the delicate articles. The sleeve has a detachable sleeve portion that is accessible when the pouch is opened and which when detached provides access to the articles contained in the sleeve. A method for making such a packaging system is also described.

Description

STACKABLE PACKAGING SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a stackable packaging system suitable for storing delicate articles, particularly three- dimensional tea bags.

Background and prior art

Infusion packages such as tea and coffee bags are well known m the art. Typically formed from corresponding pieces of porous material that are joined at their peripheral margins, they are predominantly rectangular in shape and substantially two- dimensional. This construction facilitates high-speed mass production as well as tidy and efficient collation into secondary packaging such as cardboard cartons .

The bags tend to be stacked and packed in cardboard cartons.

These cartons can be neatly stacked on supermarket shelves ready for purchase.

Tea can suffer when exposed to moisture so the bags are often sealed in foil or the carton itself is sealed m a plastic film.

Foil packing requires purpose built equipment that adds to the cost to the manufacturer and ultimately the consumer. Sealing cartons in plastic film also requires special equipment and materials. Some consumers have difficulty removing the plastic film. In both cases the moisture barrier cannot be resealed and the tea will gradually lose its freshness.

Some consumers transfer new bags to a caddie or other preferably airtight container and discard the carton that came with the bags. However that practice seems to be coming increasingly unusual as most consumers prefer the convenience of using the carton to store the bags until use. Some tea companies package tea or tea bags in resealable bags but these are not stackable. Some store the resealable packages in cardboard cartons for stacking and storage however this dual packaging tends to be expensive.

A partial solution to the problem of stacking tea bag packages is the doypack or standing pouch. This is essentially a flat, rectangular packet made from a laminate of foil and a plastic material. The foil provides the interior surface of the packet and acts as a moisture barrier. The plastic provides a durable the external surface that can be readily emblazoned with brand graphics and instructions for use. The bottom end of the packet unfolds to provide a base that can support the packet in an upright position for display purposes. Doypacks however are only stackable in one dimension, that is, they can be lined up on supermarket shelves but they cannot be stacked on top of each other. The lines quickly become an unsightly jumble as shoppers hope to obtain the fresher products near the back. Placing the doypacks in plastic trays can alleviate this problem but it does not overcome it. Providing these trays adds to the cost and general inconvenience to the retailer. The doypacks that are presently commercially available are also non-resealable .

Soft packaging such as doypacks pose particular problems for storing delicate articles such as three-dimensional tea bags. The soft walls of the doypacks often cause the bags to be deformed or squashed during handling and storage. If the bags have strings and tags there is a tendency for the strings to become intertwined, thus requiring the user to disentangle the strings before being able to use the bags.

A partial solution to some of these problems comprises a cardboard carton sealed in a foil lined plastic bag. The plastic bag is tightly packed around the carton and is thus to a large extent stackable. The carton has a lid that can be raised by awkwardly probing ones fingers into the opening of the bag and prising the lid open from underneath. This action tends to tear the lid making it difficult to close it again. The bag opening is provided with a sticker that can be used to reseal the bag however the user is required to carefully refold and flatten the bag first and the adhesive fails after only a few resealings.

Faced the problem of devising a packaging system for delicate articles (such as three-dimensional tea bags) that is convenient to stack on supermarket shelves and also convenient for purchasers to store the articles as they consume them, the applicants have invented a packaging system that involves moulding or folding a resealable pouch around a sleeve that has a detachable sleeve portion.

Statement of the invention

In broad terms the present invention relates to a stackable packaging system for delicate articles comprising a deformable and resealable pouch that accommodates a sleeve that contains the articles, the system is characterised in that said pouch is mouldable or foldable around the sleeve to provide a stackable structure that protects the delicate articles and said sleeve has a detachable sleeve portion that is accessible when the pouch is opened and which when detached provides access to the articles contained m the sleeve.

Preferably the sleeve has four sides. It is especially preferable that the stackable structure is a parallelepiped.

The invention can also be said to relate to a method for making a stackable packaging system for delicate articles comprising the steps of: inserting a sleeve that contains the delicate articles within a deformable and resealable pouch; moulding or folding said around the sleeve to provide a stackable structure that protects the delicate articles, and closing the pouch, said sleeve having a detachable sleeve portion that is accessible when the pouch is opened and which when detached provides access to the articles contained in the sleeve.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention relates to a packaging system for delicate articles such as, but by no means exclusively, three-dimensional tea bags. A preferred embodiment of the packaging system of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This description is provided purely to illustrate the invention.

In the drawings :

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a perspective view of the pouch and the sleeve of the preferred embodiment of the invention .

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention in its unused stackable form.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention in its used form with the detached sleeve portion removed and the pouch resealed.

The preferred embodiment of the packaging system of the present invention is shown in Figure 1. It comprises a pouch 1 and a sleeve 3. The system has been designed to store tetrahedral tea bags (not shown m the drawings) however it could contain other articles that are prone to damage, deformation or are otherwise delicate .

The pouch 1 resembles a pocket that has an opening 6 which can be resealed by a zip-lock arrangement 9 or any suitable resealing arrangement such as a hook and loop (VELCRO™ type system) or an adhesive. The pouch of the preferred embodiment is made of a foil to provide a moisture seal however one could naturally use another material to suit a particular purpose. The pouch material could be a laminate of two or more materials if required. In any case the pouch material must be suitably deformable so that it can be moulded, folded or otherwise secured around the sleeve to yield a stackable structure.

The sleeve 3 provides the "skeleton" of the stackable structure that protects the delicate articles that are stored in the packaging system of the invention. In the preferred embodiment the sleeve 3 has four sides or walls comprising a base wall 12, a front wall 15, a back wall 18 and a top wall 21. All four walls are rectangular. The dimensions of the base wall 12 matches those of the top wall 21 and the dimensions of the front wall 15 matches those of the back wall 18. In this way the when the pouch 1 is moulded, folded or otherwise secured around the sleeve 3 the stackable structure formed is a parallelepiped (a solid figure bounded by six parallelograms, opposite pairs being identical and parallel) or brick (see Figure 2) .

The sleeve 3 of the preferred embodiments is made from cardboard in order to provide sufficient strength at a favourable cost however one could choose another material to suit the purpose.

The sleeve 3 has a detachable sleeve portion that when detached provides access to the articles contained in the sleeve. In the preferred embodiment the top wall 21 comprises the detachable sleeve portion. Lines of perforations divide the top wall 21 from the front wall 15 and the back wall 18 for this purpose. Finger holes 24 are formed in the top wall 21 to facilitate detaching the top wall 21 from the rest of the sleeve 3. Once the top wall 21 has been removed the structure can be partially collapsed thereby still providing protection for the articles (see Figure 3) .

In an alternative embodiment (not shown m the drawings) the detachable sleeve portion comprises a part of the top wall 21. It can thus be removed without disturbing the shape of the stackable structure .

The present invention also concerns a method for making a stackable packaging system for delicate articles. A preferred embodiment of that method provides the preferred embodiment of the stackable packaging system that has been described above. The preferred method comprises inserting the sleeve 3 that has been filled with tetrahedral tea bags within the pouch 1, folding the pouch 1 around the sleeve 3 to provide a stackable structure that protects the tea bags, and closing the pouch 1.

Claims

1. A stackable packaging system for delicate articles comprising a deformable and resealable pouch that accommodates a sleeve that contains the articles, the system is characterised in that said pouch is mouldable or foldable around the sleeve to provide a stackable structure that protects the delicate articles and said sleeve has a detachable sleeve portion that is accessible when the pouch is opened and which when detached provides access to the articles contained m the sleeve.

2. A stackable packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve has four sides.

3. A stackable packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the stackable structure is a parallelepiped.

4. A stackable packaging system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the detachable sleeve portion comprises one of the sides of the sleeve.

5. A stackable packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detachable sleeve portion is defined by lines of perforations that are formed in the sleeve.

6. A stackable packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein finger holes are formed m the detachable sleeve portion to facilitate its removal.

7. A stackable packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein once the detachable sleeve portion has been removed the stackable structure is partially collapsible.

8. A stackable packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the delicate articles are three- dimensional tea bags.

9. A stackable packaging system according to claim 8, wherein the delicate articles are tetrahedral tea bags with strings and tags .

10. A method for making a stackable packaging system for delicate articles comprising the steps of: inserting a sleeve that contains the delicate articles within a deformable and resealable pouch; moulding or folding said around the sleeve to provide a stackable structure that protects the delicate articles, and closing the pouch, said sleeve having a detachable sleeve portion that is accessible when the pouch is opened and which when detached provides access to the articles contained in the sleeve.