WO2004099031A2 - Individual packaging provided with a tearing body for a pasty food product and method for production of such a packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an individual packaging (1), for a pasty food product (P), for example, made from melted cheese or cocoa, characterised in having a pyramidal form and at least one tearing body (45), arranged along at least two sides of a triangle (17), forming a lateral face of the pyramid such as to allow access to the product (P) by removal of essentially all of said face. The pyramid has a square, triangular or rectangular base. The invention further relates to a method for production of such a packaging.

Description

 INDIVIDUAL PACKAGING CONTAINING A FOOD PRODUCT

PASTA AND EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE ARRACHING BODY, AND

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING SUCH PACKAGING

The invention relates to an individual package containing a pasty food product and provided with a pulling member, and a method of manufacturing such a package.

Currently, there are different types of individual packages containing a pasty food product based for example on processed cocoa cheese. The term cocoa paste product is a product made from cocoa beans that are picked, fermented to remove the pulp around them, dried, roasted and crushed before being converted into pulp by grinding.

These packages, also called individual portions, generally present, once filled by the pasty food product, a square, rectangular or triangular volume, and are provided with a protruding tongue tearing member called "tircel" to open the door. packaging and access the product it contains. Such portions are described in particular in documents FR-A-2,597,436 and FR-A-2,808,782.

However, from a technical point of view, the realization of the final shape from a thin flat sheet, for example heat-sealable aluminum, and the tear-off member, and then the filling of this form by the product before definitive sealing of the walls, requires multiple operations, complex and therefore expensive in time and machines.

Moreover, from a commercial and practical aesthetic point of view, the shape of the packaging of these packaging is less and less attractive for the consumer always looking for novelty.

An object of the invention is to solve these problems by proposing a simple process to implement to obtain a package that is both easy to use and visually appealing to the consumer.

More specifically, the invention relates to an individual package for pasty food product, for example based on processed cheese or cocoa, characterized in that it has a pyramidal shape and is provided with at least one peel member disposed along at least two sides of a triangle forming a side face of the pyramid to allow to access the product by tearing substantially all of said face.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the tearing member has a shape of Y and comprises for this purpose two tear strips arranged along two sides of a triangle and meeting at its apex for extend by a pull tab protruding from said pyramid.

Preferably, at least two faces of the pyramid, contiguous or opposite, are provided with a Y-shaped tearing member. According to another embodiment of the invention, the pulling member is in the form of a Y-shaped tearing member. shape of a petal tearing segment covering substantially the entire surface of a triangle and extending by a pull tab protruding from the pyramid.

Preferably, at least two faces of the pyramid, contiguous or opposite, are respectively provided with a tear-off member in the form of a petal.

Advantageously, the pyramid is square, rectangular or triangular.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a package for a pasty food product, based for example on processed cheese or cocoa, comprising the following steps: a) making a portion of the package in the form of an open-bottomed pyramid using at least one flat sheet, providing on said sheet at least one tear member attached along at least two sides of a triangle forming a side face of the pyramid and provided to allow access to the product contained in the pyramidal package by tearing substantially all of said face, b) placing the packaging portion by its top in a filling mold having substantially the same hollow shape, c ) pour the pasty food product into the packaging part to a height lower than that of the pyramid, d) place a suitable shaped film above the product to form the bottom of the pyramid, e) fold free edges to peripherals of the packaging part on the background film to maintain it, and f) removing from the mold the pyramidal individual package thus formed.

Preferably, the method consists, in step c), in letting the free peripheral edges of the packaging part pass from said filling mold.

Advantageously, the method consists, in step e), in heat-sealing the free peripheral edges of the packaging part on the film forming the bottom of the pyramid.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, in step a), the sheet forming the packaging part comprises triangles identical and contiguous two by two each forming a side face of the pyramid, and each tearing member comprises a petal-shaped tear-off segment substantially covering the entirety of a triangle and a tear-off tongue protruding from the triangle. Preferably, two identical petal-shaped tear-off members are provided on two opposite or contiguous triangles of the sheet, the pull tab of each pulling member protruding from each triangle by its base.

According to another embodiment, in step a), the sheet forming the packaging portion comprises triangles identical and contiguous two by two each forming a side face of the pyramid, and each pulling member comprises two strips of pulling welded along two sides of a triangle, from said vertex, to form a Y, and a common pull tab protruding from said triangle at its top.

Preferably, in step a), the sheet is provided with three or four identical equilateral triangles and the bottom film of the pyramid has a triangular, rectangular or square section.

Preferably, the method consists in producing a plurality of individual pyramidal packages on the same filling mold.

Advantageously, the sheet and the bottom film are made of heat-sealable aluminum-based material.

The method finds particular application in the case where, in step c), the food product is based on processed cheese or molten cocoa. Other characteristics, details and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description made with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of example, which respectively represent:

FIG. 1, a perspective view of a pyramidal individual package with a square base containing a pasty food product based on processed cheese or melted chocolate,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a sheet making it possible to produce part of the open-bottomed pyramidal package of square section, FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4, another variant embodiment of FIG. 3 in which the sheet makes it possible to produce a triangular pyramid

FIG. 5, a perspective view of a first manufacturing step of the method according to the invention implementing the open bottom pyramidal packaging part and a filling mold,

FIGS. 6 and 7, views respectively from above and in section of FIG. 4, illustrating a second step of manufacturing the package consisting in pouring a pasty food product through the open bottom of the packaging part; FIG. 8, a sectional view of a third step of manufacturing the package consisting of placing a bottom film on the pasty product poured, and

- Figures 9 to 11, respectively sectional and top views of a fourth step manufacture of the package consisting of the closure of the packaging part

FIG. 12, a perspective view of an open pyramidal package with a square base,

FIG. 13, a perspective view of a pyramidal package with a triangular base in the open position, and FIGS. 14 to 17, other embodiments of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an individual package 1 of pyramidal shape provided with a tear-off member 45 and containing, at the end of the manufacturing method forming the subject of the present invention, a pasty food product based on cheese. molten. Melted cheese means the product obtained by hot melt, in the presence or absence of cast iron salts, cheese curds, cheese (s) alone or mixed with other dairy raw materials such as butter, milk or whey powder, fats, anhydrous, protein concentrates, etc. The term processed cheese also includes products in which the cheese or dairy raw materials are partially or completely replaced by vegetable materials, such as fats or proteins.

At first, a packaging portion 100, as illustrated in FIG. 5, is produced using a thin flat sheet 10, for example made of heat-sealable aluminum.

According to a first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the flat starting sheet 10 comprises four identical equilateral triangles referenced 15, 16, 17 and 18 and presenting, two by two, a common side so as to form together a substantially rolling pattern. on himself.

Thus, the end triangle 15 has a base 15a, a first side 15b and a second side 15c; the contiguous triangle 16 has a base 16a, a first side 16a coincides with the side 15c, and a second side 16c; the following triangle 17 has a base 17a, a first side 17b coincides with the side 16c, and a second side 17c; and the last end triangle 18 has a base 18a, a first side 18b coincides with the side 17c, and a second side 18c.

The four triangles meet at their common summit at a point of intersection O opposite the bases 15a, 16a, 17a and 18a. Strips forming flaps 19 are also provided around said triangles.

Two tearing members 25 and 35 are provided on two triangles of the sheet 10, for example the opposite triangles 15 and 17. These tearing members 25 and 35 are in the form of pulling segments 26 and 36 in the form of petal whose point coincides appreciably with the vertex O and which flare towards the base of the corresponding triangle. Each tearing segment 26 and 36 is extended by a pull tab 28 and 38 protruding from the side of the triangle considered which faces the vertex O, that is to say respectively exceeding the bases 15a and 17a. Thus, the tearing members 25 and 35 cover almost all the triangles on which they are welded and take substantially the form of a pie shovel.

According to a second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the sheet 10 is provided with a single Y-shaped tear-off member 45 in the form of two tear strips 46a and 46b welded for example along the lengths 17b and 17c sides of the triangle 17 and joining at the top O to extend by a pull tab 48 protruding from said triangle 17.

According to a third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the flat starting sheet 10 comprises three identical equilateral triangles referenced 15, 16 and 17 arranged in staggered rows and presenting two by two a common side. A tear-off member 55 in the form of Y is provided on this sheet and it comprises two tear strips 46a and 46b welded for example along the sides 16b and 16c of the triangle 16. The tear strips 46a and 46b join together towards the top O and are extended by a single pull tab 58 protruding from said vertex O.

According to the four other embodiments of the invention derived from FIG. 2 and illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 18, the two tearing members 25 and 35 are connected to each other near the vertex O for sequential tearing off of several faces. one step.

In Figure 14, the first peel member 25 is identical to that of Figure 2 while the second peel member 35 is devoid of pull tab. Thus, the sequential tearing of the two faces 15 and 17 is achieved by pulling only on the tongue 28 of the tear-off segment 26 in the shape of a petal.

In FIG. 15, the tear tab 28 of the first tearing segment 26 is off-center towards one of the sides of the triangle 15, for example the side 15b, while the second pulling segment 36 does not occupy the entire of the triangle 17 and is devoid of pull tab. In FIG. 16, the first tearing member 25 is identical to that of FIG. 2, that is to say in the form of a petal with a central pull tab 28, and the second pulling member 35 It occupies only a part of the triangle 17 and does not have a pull tab. In FIG. 17, the two tearing members 25 and 35 are identical to those of FIG. 2 except that they are interconnected with each other. O level of the triangles. With the aid of this configuration, it will thus be possible to open the package by pulling on one or other of the tabs 28 or 38.

As can be seen, in each of the solutions illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 14 to 17, at least one tearing member extends along at least two sides of the same triangle of the base sheet 10 that is, along at least two sides of a face of the pyramidal package, for example by taking the form of a petal or a "Y".

The pyramid-shaped packing portion 100 shown in FIG. 5 is made by folding the sheet 10 of FIG. 2 on itself so as to bring the end triangles 15 and 18 closer together. Once these triangles 15 and 18 close, their flaps 19 are heat sealed.

This packing part 100 is then placed, top O downwards, in a filling mold M having substantially the same hollow shape. The peripheral free edges 19 of the packaging portion 100 then advantageously exceed the filling mold M.

Once positioned, the packaging portion 100 is filled with a pasty food product P based on processed cheese. The filling is performed up to a height less than that of the pyramid, that is to say substantially at the upper surface of the mold M or slightly below, to be able to achieve the next step of closing the pyramid . This filling step is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Once the pasty product is a little less fluid and less hot, a film 115 of heat-sealable aluminum and of square section for example, whose shape is substantially identical to that of the top section of the hollow portion of the mold M, is placed on said product P to form the bottom, that is to say the base of the pyramid. This step is illustrated in FIG. 8. After placing the base film 115 on the pasty product P, the peripheral free edges 19 of the pyramid are folded down and then heat-sealed on the bottom 115, as illustrated in FIG. 19 can be folded successively by pair of opposite edges, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. According to the embodiment of Figure 4 in which the base sheet 10 has three triangles instead of four, the differences with the method thus described mainly concern the shape of the mold M, triangular-based pyramid, the shape of the backsheet 115, which is an equilateral triangle, and the flaps 19 which are folded one after the other consecutively into triangle. In order to have access to the pasty product based on processed cheese, the user uses the tear-off organ (s) from which he pulls the tear-off tongue in order to open the pyramidal individual package 1 manufactured using the described method. previously. Thus, the opening of the square-based pyramidal individual package of FIG. 12 and the triangular-based pyramidal individual package of FIG. 13 is achieved by substantially tearing a complete face of said pyramid, or even two when there are two tearing members as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this particular embodiment, the opening is called the "butterfly" type because two faces open from their base to the vertex O. In the modes embodiment shown in Figures 14 to 17, the opening is said to be sequential because it is linked from one face to another in a single tearing step.

It should be understood, however, that these examples are given solely by way of illustration of the subject of the invention and in no way constitute a limitation thereof. Thus, it is possible to combine different types of peelers with each other. In particular, it is possible to combine a solution in which the pyramid is provided with a petal-shaped tearing member on a first face and a Y-shaped tearing member on a second face.

It is also possible to provide a multitude of molds mounted on a support for mass production using an automated chain.

Claims

1. Individual packaging (1) for pasty food product (P), for example based on processed cheese or cocoa, characterized in that it has a pyramidal shape and is provided with at least one pulling member (25). , 35; 45; 55) disposed along at least two sides of a triangle (15; 16; 17; 18) forming a side face of the pyramid for providing access to the product (P) by substantially tearing the whole of said face. 2. Packaging (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the tearing member (45; 55) has a shape of Y and comprises for this purpose two tear strips (46a, 46b; 56a, 56b). arranged along two sides (16b, 16c, 17b, 17c) of a triangle (16; 17) and joining at its apex (O) to extend by a pull tab (48; 58) protruding from said pyramid. 3. Packaging (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that at least two faces of the pyramid, contiguous or opposite, are provided with a Y-shaped tearing member. 4. Packaging (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the tearing member (25; 35) is in the form of a tear-off segment (26; 36) shaped petal covering substantially any the surface of a triangle (15; 16; 17; 18) and extending by a pull tab (28; 38) protruding from the pyramid. 5. Packaging (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that at least two faces (15, 17) of the pyramid, contiguous or opposite, are respectively provided with a tearing member (25, 35) shaped of petal. 6. Packaging (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pyramid is square, rectangular or triangular. 7. A method of manufacturing a package (1) for a pasty food product (P), based for example on processed cheese or cocoa, comprising the following steps: a) making part of the package (100) under the shape of an open-bottomed pyramid using at least one flat sheet (10), by providing on said sheet (10) at least one tearing member (25; 35; 45; along at least two sides of a triangle (15; 16; 17; 18) forming a face side of the pyramid and provided to allow access to the product (P) contained in the pyramid packaging (1) by tearing substantially all of said face, b) placing the packaging portion (100) by its top in a filling mold (M) having substantially the same hollow shape, c) pouring the pasty food product (P) in the packaging part (100) to a height lower than that of the pyramid, d) placing a film ( 115) of suitable shape above the product (P) to form the bottom of the pyramid, e) folding peripheral free edges (19) of the packaging portion (100) on the bottom film (115) for the maintain, and f) remove from the mold (M) the pyramidal individual package (1) thus formed. 8. The method of claim 7, characterized in that it consists, in step c), to let exceed said filling mold (M) peripheral free edges (19) of the packaging part (100). 9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that it consists, in step e), thermosouder the peripheral free edges (19) of the packaging part (100) on the film (115) forming the bottom of the pyramid. 10. Process according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, in step a), the sheet forming the packaging part comprises triangles (15, 16, 17; 18) identical and contiguous two two members each forming a side face of the pyramid, and each peel member (25; 35) comprises a petal-shaped tear-off segment (26; 36) substantially covering an entire triangle (15; 17; 18) and a pull tab (28; 38) protruding from the triangle (15; 16; 17; 18). 11. The method of claim 10, characterized in that two identical tear-off members (25, 35) in the form of a petal are provided on two opposite or contiguous triangles (15; 16; 17; 18) of the sheet (10). , the pull tab (28, 38) of each tearing member (45) protruding from each triangle (15; 16; 17; 18) by its base (15a; 16a; 17a; 18a); 12. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, in step a), the sheet forming the packaging portion comprises triangles (15, 16, 17; 18) identical and contiguous two two each forming a side face of the pyramid, and each tearing member (45; 55) comprises two tear strips (46a, 46b; 56a, 56b) welded along two sides (16b, 16c, 17b, 17c) of a triangle (16; 17), from said apex (O), to form a Y, and a pull tab common (48; 58) protruding from said triangle (16; 17) at its apex (O). 13. Process according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, in step a), the sheet (10) is provided with three identical equilateral triangles (15, 16, 17). 14. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, in step a), the sheet (10) is provided with four identical equilateral triangles (15, 16, 17, 18). 15. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 14, characterized in that it consists in producing a plurality of individual pyramid packages (1) on the same filling mold (M). 16. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 15, characterized in that it consists in giving the bottom film (115) of the pyramid a rectangular section, square or triangular. 17. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 16, characterized in that the sheet (10) and the bottom film (115) are of heat-sealable aluminum-based material. 18. Process according to any one of claims 7 to 17, characterized in that, in step c), the food product (P) is based on processed cheese or melted chocolate.