WO2006051328A2

WO2006051328A2 - Improvements in or relating to pour spout devices

Info

Publication number: WO2006051328A2
Application number: PCT/GB2005/004383
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nils Peter Adler; Wolfgang Kieser
Original assignee: Elopak Systems AG
Current assignee: Elopak Systems AG
Priority date: 2004-11-12
Filing date: 2005-11-14
Publication date: 2006-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-12
Also published as: EP1812228A2; EP1812228B1; ES2396538T3; DK1812228T3; ATE539880T1; WO2006051328A3

Abstract

A one-piece pour spout device (2) comprises a pour spout (6), a cover (8) for closing the pour spout (6), and one or more tamper-evidence legs (36) attached to the cover (8) substantially simultaneously and by ultrasonic welding. The device (2) is welded to a wall (4B) of a container (4), and the leg(s) (36) is/are welded to the pour spout (6) and/or to the wall (4B).

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO POUR SPOUT DEVICES

This invention relates to a method of applying a pour spout device to a container and also relates to a pour spout device itself.

US-A-5, 108,029 discloses a reclosable, one piece, pour spout device for attaching to a container, the device including a pour spout comprised of a flange and a pour spout body which consists of a cylindrical extension which extends upwards from the flange and a cylindrical stem which extends downwards from the flange. A cap-form cover is hingedly connected to the flange and is adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the cylindrical extension in order to prevent or permit discharge of the contents from the container. The device has a tamper-evident feature in the form of a pair of legs which are formed integrally with the cover preferably and subsequently have their free ends bead- welded to the upper surface of the flange.

GB-A-2,301,098 discloses a tamper-evident, thermoplastics, pour spout device having a spout and a plug-form cover attached to a plastics or plastics-coated container. The fitment and the cover are moulded simultaneously with a substantial space between them and with an elongate runner connecting them. Upon retraction of the mould core, the cover is pulled into the spout until shoulders on the parts engage, whereupon the cover is stripped from the mould core. The runner comprises a tear tab which slides through an apertured space on the cover. When the parts engage, tangs on the tear tab engage in the space, making the assembly tamper-evident. The device has a flange which may be welded or otherwise secured to the container. The tab may be pulled by the consumer to open the container. The cover may be unscrewed from the spout or otherwise disengaged. Internally, the inner end of the spout has integrally formed therewith a sealing ring which slants downwardly and inwardly to engage a smooth surface on the exterior of a skirt of the cover, the primary liquid-tight seal of the device being preferably the sealing effect between that ring and that smooth surface.

CA-A-2,502,868 discloses a hatch-type pour spout device for a container of composite packaging material. The device comprises a pour spout and a flanged, tub-shaped cover moulded thereto via a hinge arrangement. The pour spout is fused or bonded to the outside of the container with the flat underside thereof and comprises a rounded enclosing projection extending upwards to form a pouring spout body The inner end of the projection is open, hi the opened state, the tub-shaped portion of the cover projects upwards to present a planar upper surface and, in the closed state, is a positive fit in the pouring opening in the underside of the spout. In the closed state, that planar surface either is flush with the underside of the spout, or extends below the same by a maximum of 0.5mm., and is either bonded with the outside of a pre-punched zone of the composite packaging or fused to a sealing film of the composite packaging which is exposed due to punching. The cover also includes an external flange, and the hinge arrangement extends between that flange and an external flange of the spout. On both sides of the tub-shaped portion of the cover there are L-shaped tamper-evident wings moulded to the underside of the flange of the cover. The shorter legs of these wings are dimensioned in such a way that, when the cover is turned onto the spout, they fit into square indentations in the flange of the spout, with which they are fused after initial closing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising:- providing a pour spout device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a tamper-evidence arrangement attached to said cover, attachingly applying said device to a wall of a container, and attaching said arrangement to said pour spout and/or to said wall, said attaching of said arrangement being substantially simultaneous with said attachingly applying of said device.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to simplify the production apparatus and process, since the attachingly applying of the device to the wall and the attaching of the tamper-evidence arrangement can be performed by one-and-the-same piece of equipment, in particular by an ultrasonic sealer.

The tamper-evidence arrangement may comprise one or more tamper-evidence legs attached at one end to the cover and at an opposite end to the pour spout and/or to the wall of the container. There are advantageously a plurality of such tamper-evidence legs spaced apart from each other around the cover. The tamper-evidence leg(s) can be positioned at any appropriate location(s) at the periphery of the cover, for example at respective opposite sides of a front part of the cover and/or at the very front of that front part. The device may be applied to the outside surface of the wall of the container, around a pouring hole or potential site of a pouring hole through the wall, with a flange of the pour spout being sealed, preferably ultrasonically, round the hole or the potential site, and with the leg or legs being sealed, preferably ultrasonically, to that flange and/or to the external surface of the wall. Alternatively, the device may be introduced into the container before filling and brought to protrude outwardly through a hole through the wall, with a flange of the pour spout being sealed, preferably ultrasonically, to the inside surface of the wall round the hole and with the legs being sealed, again preferably ultrasonically, between the flange and the inside surface of the wall.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pour spout device for applying to a wall of a container, comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a hinge arrangement between said pour spout and said cover and about which said cover may be turned relative to said pour spout, said pour spout comprising a pour spout body encircling a pouring outlet and having an inflow mouth and an outflow mouth, said cover comprising a ring-form skirt closely receivable in said pour spout body, said pour spout body including an inwardly protruding, ring-form, readily flexible, resilient lip defining said inflow mouth for sealingly bearing on said ring-form skirt, and said device having been moulded in one piece.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package comprising a container and a pour spout device attachingly applied to a wall of said container, said device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a hinge between said pour spout and said cover and about which said cover may be turned relative to said pour spout, said pour spout comprising a pour spout body encircling a pouring outlet and having an inflow mouth and an outflow mouth, said cover comprising a ring-form skirt closely receivable in said pour spout body, said pour spout body including an inwardly protruding, ring-form, readily flexible, resilient lip defining said inflow mouth for sealingly bearing on said ring-form skirt, and said device having been moulded in one piece.

Owing to these aspects of the invention, it is possible to provide a ring-form, relatively flexible, resilient lip seal at a location where it is particularly effective and yet can be provided in a simple manner.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hatch-form pour spout device for applying to a wall of a container, comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and an arm proj ecting from and extending over an outer surface of said cover for use in opening said cover.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package comprising a container, and a pour spout device attached to a wall of said container, said device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and an arm projecting from and extending over an outer surface of said cover for use in opening said cover.

Owing to these two aspects of the invention, it is possible to facilitate opening of the cover, because the device presents to the consumer an arm which can be readily engageable for pulling open the cover.

In order that the invention may be clearly and completely disclosed, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a pour spout device for a packaging carton, the device being in a condition following production thereof by moulding,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device in the condition shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with the device in a closed condition,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the device in the closed condition, Figure 5 shows a section taken on the line V-V of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5, but showing the device in a condition near to that of Figures 3 to 5,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, cross-sectional view illustrating a method of ultrasonically welding the device to a wall of a carton,

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a modified version of the device in the condition shown in Figure 1,

Figure 9 is an underneath plan view of the modified version in that same condition, and

Figure 10 is a side elevation of the modified version in that same condition.

Referring to Figures 1 to 7, the pour spout device 2 takes the form of a fitment which in the condition shown in Figures 1 and 2 is for applying, as shown in Figure 7, to a wall 4 of a packaging carton for a flowable substance, the wall 4 comprising a paperboard layer 4A coated at its inner and outer surfaces with thermoplastics layers 4B and 4C. The layers 4B and 4C may be of a moisture barrier plastics material, particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE), and there may be an oxygen barrier layer (not shown) of, for example, aluminium foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) between the layers 4A and 4B. The flowable substance contained may be a liquid, such as milk or fruit juice, or a powder, such as washing powder.

The device 2 comprises a pour spout 6 and a cover 8 for closing the spout 6. The pour spout 6 includes a pour spout body 10 encircling a pouring outlet 12 and having an inflow mouth 14 and an outflow mouth 16.

The body 10 is widened at its forward part so as to provide a widened pouring outlet 12. The pour spout 6 also includes a flange 18 which protrudes radially outwards from the body 10 and whereby the spout 6 is welded in a fluid-type manner to the layer 4B, the device 2 being of a thermoplastics material suitable for being ultrasonically welded to the layer 4B.

The device 2 is moulded in one piece, with the connection between the spout 6 and the cover 8 being in the form of an integral hinge arrangement 20 close to the body 10, with a detent 22 included in the spout 6 being engageable in a slot 24 formed in the cover 8 to maintain the cover 8 releasably in its fully open position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The cover 8 includes inner and outer, ring-form skirts 26 and 28 which extend substantially parallelly to each other. The skirt 26 is intended to engage sealingly inside the body 10 and for that purpose is formed with a ring-form rib 30 to engage sealingly beneath a ring-form rib 32 formed round the inside of the body 10. The body 10 may be formed with an inwardly protruding, ring-form, readily flexible, resilient lip 34 defining the inflow mouth 14 for sealingly bearing on the radially outer surface of the ring-form skirt 26. The ring- form skirt 28, which may be omitted, but which has the advantage of improving the stability of the device 2, sealingly engages the radially outer surface of the ring-form body 10. It will be appreciated that the co-operation between the skirt 26 and the lip 34, between the ribs 30 and 32, and between the body 10 and the skirt 28 provides a plurality of ring-form seals arranged in series with each other and thus providing fluid-tightness, even if one of the seals, owing to manufacturing tolerances, for example, is ineffective. Provision of a sealing lip, such as 34, on the inside of the body 10 as compared with the provision of such a lip on the outside of the skirt 26, has the advantage of simpler moulding thereof, particularly if the lip is provided at the level of the flange 18.

Moulded integrally with the cover 8, at respective opposite sides of the front portion thereof ("front" in the condition shown in Figures 3 and 4), are a pair of laterally and downwardly protruding, tamper-evidence legs 36 including respective feet 38.

Following moulding of the device 2 in the form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 8 is turned about the integral hinge arrangement 20 relative to the pour spout 6 so as to cause the body 10 to be received sealingly to the outside of the skirt 26, and sealingly to the inside of the skirt 28 if provided, as illustrated in Figure 5. Then, the device in the condition shown in Figures 3 to 5 is mounted upon an anvil (not shown) and is introduced into an as- yet-to-be-filled carton and caused to protrude through a pouring hole 40 formed through the wall 4, with the feet 38 extending to between the layer 4B and the flange 18. Then an ultrasonic horn 42 with a ring-form rim 44 corresponding in shape to the flange 18 clamps the wall 4 and the flange 18 together, with the interposition therebetween of the feet 38 and ultrasonically welds those three items together round the hole 40. If desired, to promote fluid-tight welding of the joint between the flange 18 and the layer 4B, the feet 38 may be recessed into hollows (not shown) in the upper surface of the flange 18 such that, following welding, the lower surface of the layer 4B is flush with the upper surface of the flange 18 and, at the hollows, with the upper surfaces of the feet 38.

After filling and top-closing and -sealing of the carton on the form-fill-seal machine, the package so formed is ultimately supplied to a consumer. At its corners adjacent to the legs 36, the cover 8 includes turned-up ears 46, whereby the consumer can insert a finger or thumbnail under each of the ears 46 in turn and press those corners upwards to break the tamper-evidence legs 36, so that the cover 8 can be turned backwards about the hinge arrangement 20 into the condition shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which the detent 22 engages in the slot 24 to retain the cover 8 open relative to the spout 6. To facilitate breaking of the legs 36 at desired locations therealong, they may be formed at those locations with respective thinnings 48. With the cover 8 fully open, the consumer can empty at least part of the content of the package through the outlet 12. To deter liquid content being poured from the outlet 12 from running down the outside surface of the carton, the front edge of the flange 18 is undercut, as indicated at 50. Unless the whole of the content is poured out, the package can be re-sealed by turning the cover 8 back into the condition shown in Figures 3 to 5.

The version shown in Figures 8 to 10 differs from that shown in Figures 1 to 7 in a number of respects. One difference is that each ear 46 is formed with respective upward and downward protrusions 52 and 54 therefrom in the form of angled ribs to facilitate gripping of the ear by the consumer. Another difference is that the cover 8 is formed with reinforcement in the form of ribs 55 extending from front to rear of the inner skirt 26.

Thirdly, the body 10 has its upper part in the form of inner and outer skirts 1OA and 1OB, whereof the latter is discontinuous at the hinge 20. The skirt 1OB is formed at its outer peripheral surface with small protrusions 56 positioned such that, when the device is in its closed condition, the feet 38 are immediately outward thereof, as indicated in dot-dash lines at 38 ' in Figure 8. Thereby, because those protrusions 56 obstruct inward movement of the legs 36 during the ultrasonic welding, they discourage undesired inward movement of the feet 38 during the welding. Fourthly, the flange 18 is formed with a reinforcing rib 58 around its outer edge zone. Fifthly, instead of or additionally to, the grippable ears 46, the cover 8 may be provided, at the front of its exterior, with a grippable tongue 60 shown in dot-dash lines and consisting of an upwardly extending part 6OA and a substantially horizontal part 6OB extending rearwardly over the outer surface of the cover 8. For opening of the cover 8, the consumer turns the part 6OB into an upwardly extending condition and then pulls it upwards in order to break the legs 36 and turn the cover about the hinge 20. To facilitate such upward turning of the part 6OB, the tongue 60 may be formed with a weakness 6OC, in the form of a thinning serving to provide a hinge at the junction between the parts 6OA and 6OB.

Claims

1. A method comprising:- providing a pour spout device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a tamper-evidence arrangement attached to said cover, attachingly applying said device to a wall of a container, and attaching said arrangement to said pour spout and/or to said wall, said attaching of said arrangement being substantially simultaneous with said attachingly applying of said device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to said attaching of said arrangement, said arrangement comprises one or more tamper-evidence legs the or each of which is in a condition with one end attached to said cover and the opposite end free, said attaching of said arrangement comprising attaching the or each said opposite end to said pour spout and/or to said wall.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said attachingly applying and said attaching are performed by ultrasonic welding.

4. A method according to any preceding claim, and further comprising, prior to said attachingly applying and to said attaching, producing relative displacement between said device and said container to cause said cover to pass from inside said container through a hole through said wall to outside of said container and said attachingly applying comprises attaching said pour spout to the inside surface of said wall around said hole.

5. A pour spout device for applying to a wall of a container, comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a hinge arrangement between said pour spout and said cover and about which said cover may be turned relative to said pour spout, said pour spout comprising a pour spout body encircling a pouring outlet and having an inflow mouth and an outflow mouth, said cover comprising a ring-form skirt closely receivable in said pour spout body, said pour spout body including an inwardly protruding, ring-form, readily flexible, resilient lip defining said inflow mouth for sealingly bearing on said ring-form skirt, and said device having been moulded in one piece.

6. A pour spout device according to claim 5 and further comprising a tamper- evidence leg or tamper-evidence legs, the or each of which is attached at one end to said cover and is either attached at an opposite end to said pour spout or attachable at an opposite end to said pour spout and/or to said wall of said container, said pour spout body having projecting outwardly relative thereto a protrusion associated with the or each leg to deter undesired inward movement of the leg during the attachment thereof to said pour spout and/or said wall.

7. A device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said cover has an arm projecting from and extending over an outer surface thereof for use in opening said cover.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said arm has a hinge portion whereby turning of at least an outer length of said arm away from said outer surface of said cover is facilitated.

9. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein said pour spout further comprises an external flange in the region of said inflow mouth and by way of which said device is attachable to said wall, said hinge arrangement being connected to said pour spout at an outer peripheral region of said flange.

10. A package comprising a container and a pour spout device attachingly applied to a wall of said container, said device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and a hinge between said pour spout and said cover and about which said cover may be turned relative to said pour spout, said pour spout comprising a pour spout body encircling a pouring outlet and having an inflow mouth and an outflow mouth, said cover comprising a ring-form skirt closely receivable in said pour spout body, said pour spout body including an inwardly protruding, ring-form, readily flexible, resilient lip defining said inflow mouth for sealingly bearing on said ring-form skirt, and said device having been moulded in one piece.

11. A package according to claim 10, wherein said device further comprises a tamper-evidence leg or tamper-evidence legs, the or each of which is attached at one end to said cover and is attached at an opposite end to said pour spout and/or to said wall of said container, said pour spout body having projecting outwardly relative thereto a protrusion associated with the or each leg and used to deter undesired inward movement of the leg during the attachment thereof to said pour spout and/or said wall.

12. A package according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein said cover has an arm projecting from and extending over an outer surface thereof for use in opening said cover.

13. A package according to claim 12, wherein said arm has a hinge portion whereby turning of at least an outer length of said arm away from said outer surface of said cover is facilitated.

14. A package according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein said pour spout further comprises an external flange in the region of said inflow mouth and by way of which said device is attached to said wall, said hinge arrangement being connected to said pour spout at an outer peripheral region of said flange.

15. A hatch-form pour spout device for applying to a wall of a container, comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and an arm projecting from and extending over an outer surface of said cover for use in opening said cover.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein said arm has a hinge portion whereby turning of at least an outer length of said arm away from said outer surface of said cover is facilitated.

17. A package comprising a container, and a pour spout device attached to a wall of said container, said device comprising a pour spout, a cover for closing said pour spout, and an arm projecting from and extending over an outer surface of said cover for use in opening said cover.

18. A package according to claim 17, wherein said arm has a hinge portion whereby turning of at least an outer length of said arm away from said outer surface of said cover is facilitated.