WO2008056036A1

WO2008056036A1 - Package for sheet material such as paper

Info

Publication number: WO2008056036A1
Application number: PCT/FI2007/050602
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kai Latvala
Original assignee: UPM Kymmene Oy
Current assignee: UPM Kymmene Oy
Priority date: 2006-11-10
Filing date: 2007-11-08
Publication date: 2008-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2009-05-10
Also published as: WO2008056027A1; FI20065711L; EP2117964A1; FI20065711A0; JP2010509145A; CN101616850A; RU2009122227A; FI20065711A7; US20090321293A1; RU2430870C2; EP2117964A4

Abstract

This invention relates to a package (1) for sheet material such as paper intended for printing or photocopying use, in which package a set of paper sheets (10) is placed within a continuous protective wrap (2). The package (1) is arranged to be placed in a machine that uses paper sheets (10) essentially as a whole bundle, with the wrap (2) at least partly removed.

Description

PACKAGE FOR SHEET MATERIAL SUCH AS PAPER

This invention relates to a package for sheet material such as printing and photocopy paper, as described in the preamble to claim 1.

Today's photocopiers and printers can be very large, efficient and fast, which also means that they use a lot of paper. In known technology, office paper provided in sheet form, such as A4-sized photocopy and printing paper, is usually packaged in corrugated board boxes, each box containing five paper packages wrapped in individual wrappings. Each paper package, known as a ream wrap, contains 500 A4-sized sheets of paper. A corrugated board box provides office paper with good protection during transport, but is problematic due to its cost and to the space taken up by the empty box before it is disposed of or recycled. Another problem is related to fast machines and to situations in which paper is used almost constantly, in that refilling the paper tray is slow because the ream wrap must be removed individually and each bundle of 500 sheets must be loaded into the machine individually, even though the machine could fit up to thousands of sheets at a time.

There are also corrugated board boxes containing for example 2,500 loose sheets. In this case ream wraps do not have to be opened or disposed of, but they still have the problem of slow loading into the machine, because the paper must be lifted by hand out of the box in bundles that fit into the hand, and piled up into a larger pile in the photocopier or printer. Removing the sheets from the box is problematic, as is the larger amount of material to dispose of in the box.

The object of this invention is to remove the problems described above and achieve insofar as possible, an inexpensive package for office paper, from which the paper is easy and quick to load into a photocopier, printer or other piece of office machinery that uses paper. The package described in the invention is characterised by what is disclosed in the characterisation part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterised by what is disclosed in the other claims.

The benefit of the solution according to the invention is that the package according to the invention is very cheap and quick to produce. Another benefit is that the office paper can be unloaded from the package into the machine that uses it quickly and easily, a sufficient number of sheets at a time. This reduces the downtime of the machine. Another benefit is that the invention facilitates the lifting of the package using two hands, which distributes the load evenly between both hands. Thanks to suitably shaped carry handles or similar devices, the weight does not strain the hands in the way that previously used thin plastic strips do. A further benefit is that the package only has one relatively thin wrap around all the paper sheets, so the wrapping does not cause much waste.

Below, the invention is described in detail using application examples, by referring to the appended figures, in which

Figure 1 shows a package according to the invention viewed diagonally from the side,

Figure 2 shows a package according to Figure 1, viewed diagonally from the side, with a part of the packaging wrap turned open from the opening strip,

Figure 3 shows a package according to one embodiment of the invention viewed diagonally from the side, Figure 4 shows a package according to Figure 3, viewed diagonally from the side, with the protective wrap removed from the ends of the package from the opening strips, Figure 5 shows a package according to another embodiment of the invention viewed diagonally from the side,

Figure 6 shows a package according to Figure 5, viewed diagonally from the side, with the protective wrap removed from the ends of the package and the package turned into an upright position,

Figures 7-10 show diverse carry handle solutions for the package according to the invention, and Figures 11-13 show diverse layer structures for the protective wrapping according to the invention, in simplified and enlarged form.

Figures 1 and 2 show one package 1 according to the invention, in which a bundle of paper sheets 10, e.g. of AA size, is packaged into a single continuous wrap 2. The package is made out of a reel-based wrap 2, which wrap 2 is pulled directly off a reel during packaging and cut off at the correct length, after which the wrap 2 is rolled around a set of for example 2,500 separate office paper sheets 10 piled on top of each other, such that the top, bottom and both long sides of the bundle are wrapped in a continuous wrapper, in which the back end 8 of the wrap 2 overlaps the forward end of the wrap by a suitable amount and is glued down by its inner surface to the outer surface of the forward end. The hidden forward end of the wrap 2 is indicated here and in other figures using a dashed line. The back end 8 of the wrap 2 is placed suitably on top of the package 1, essentially close to one of its long corners. At each end of the package there are at least outer folds 3 and 4 and inner folds 5 and 6, which folds are placed at least partially overlapping. The folds at the ends form a strengthened protection for the ends of the office paper sheets in the package, where even a small accident could easily cause damage to several sheets. In the package 1 in Figure 1, the external folds 3 and 4 are glued using for example hot glue to each other and at least to the outer surface of the inner fold 5, such that at least the lower edges of the outer folds 3 and 4 are separate from the outer surfaces of the inner folds 5 and 6. Thus a downward-opening lifting gap 7 is left between the outer folds 3 and 4 and the inner folds 5 and 6, which gap can be expanded outward from the end of the package 1 so that the person lifting the package can fit several fingers into the lifting gap 7 from below, while the lower edges of the outer folds 3 and 4 act as a support.

Figure 1 also has a dashed line indicating an opening strip 9, glued to the inner surface of the wrap 2. The opening strip 9 is essentially the same length or suitably longer than the width of the wrap 2 before it is wrapped around the bundle. The opening strip 9 is attached to the wrap 2 such that in a finished package 1 the opening strip 9 is on one long side of the package 1, placed essentially in the middle of the side, and passes through the outer folds 4 at each end of the package. Thus the opening strip 9 does not surround the whole package 1, but only about half of the package's diameter, essentially in a horizontal direction in parallel with the paper sheets 10. Although the package in Figure 1 is intended to be carried by the lifting gaps 7, the package may also have a handle or carry handle placed around it or attached to it in another way, such as those presented in Figures 7-10.

Figure 2 displays a package 1 according to the invention, opened at the opening strip 9. In this case the package has first been placed on a suitable base so that the opening strip 9 is essentially in a horizontal position on one side of the package. The opening strip 9 has been torn open and the loosened edge of the wrap 2 has been lifted up, revealing the office paper pile packed inside the package 1, where the paper sheets 10 are indicated by short parallel lines. Underneath, i.e. on the inside of the wrap 2, is a handle 11 that surrounds the paper sheets 10, with which the paper sheets 10 are designed to be lifted as a single pile or bundle into the machine that uses them, after the removal of the wrap 2 from around it. The handle 11 is also helpful when removing the wrap 2. The tightness of the handle 11 around the sheet bundle 11 is arranged to be such that fingers can be easily slipped in between the handle and the sheet bundle. When the sheet bundle 10 has been lifted into the paper tray of the machine that uses paper sheets, the handle 11 is cut and slid out from underneath the sheet bundle, after which the paper sheets 10 are ready to use.

Figures 3 and 4 display a package 1 according to a beneficial embodiment of the invention. This package has two essentially identical opening strips 9a, which are glued to the inside of the wrap 2 before the wrap is cut to size. In this case the opening strips 9a are essentially the same length as or suitably longer than the wrap 2. The opening strips 9a are placed close to the centre of the package 1, at equal distances from the ends of the package 1, such that between the opening strips 9a there is a suitable horizontal space for a handle 11a that surrounds the package, which handle is designed to surround the package in between the opening strips 9a. At the ends of the opening strips 9a, in line with the end 8 of the wrap 2, the edge of the wrap 2 is cut open such that at each side of the opening strip 9a is a suitably long incision 20, lengthwise in line with the opening strip 9a. This makes it easy to get hold of the end of the opening strip 9a, and the wrap 2 can be torn open using both opening strips 9a right around the package 9a, crosswise in relation to the positioning of the paper sheets 10.

Figure 4 displays a package 1 according to Figure 3, opened at the opening strips 9a. Here the opening strips 9a have been torn open and the loosened ends of the wrap 2 have been removed, which has only left a narrow centre part 2a of the wrap in place, on top of which centre part is the handle 11a that surrounds the package, with which handle the paper sheets 10 can be lifted in one bundle into the machine. The handle 11a is also helpful when removing the ends of the wrap 2. The tightness of the handle 11a around the sheet bundle is arranged to be such that fingers can be easily slipped in between the handle 11a and the sheet bundle. The handle 11a can be separate, or it can be laminated directly onto the lifting wrap 2. When the sheet bundle has been lifted into the paper tray of the machine that uses paper sheets 10, the handle 11a and the narrow centre part 2a of the wrap are cut and slid out from underneath the sheet bundle, after which the paper sheets 10 are ready for use.

Figure 4 also shows a base plate 12, placed in the wrap 2, at the bottom of the sheet bundle, which base plate is meant for supporting the sheet bundle and making it easier to remove the handle 11a and the narrow centre part 2a of the wrap in a way that does not damage the paper sheets in the bundle. The base plate 12 keeps the bottom sheets 10 from being damaged when the handles are pulled off, and therefore prevents blockages that are caused in the photocopier's, printer's or other machine's paper line by damaged sheets. The base plate 12 can be placed at the bottom of all of the packages according to the invention, even if it is not shown in the figures. The base plate 12 also works in other solutions according to the invention in the same way as in the package of the described embodiment, by supporting the sheet bundle and making the removal of the handle easier. Further, the base plate 12 is built in a way that makes it stay at the bottom of the paper tray and not be taken into the photocopier or printer. The base plate 12 is removed from the feed tray before a new sheet bundle is loaded.

Figures 5 and 6 display a package 1 according to another beneficial embodiment of the invention. The figure has a dashed line indicating the opening strip 9b, glued to the inner surface of the wrap 2 before the wrap is cut-off. Thus the opening strip 9b is essentially the same length or suitably longer than the width of the wrap 2. The opening strip 9b is placed at a suitable horizontal distance from the end of the package 1. At the end of the opening strip 9b, in line with the end 8 of the wrap 2, the edge of the wrap 2 is cut open such that at each side of the opening strip 9b is a suitably long incision 20, lengthwise in line with the opening strip 9b. This makes it easy to get hold of the end of the opening strip 9b, and the wrap 2 can be torn open right around the package 1, crosswise in relation to the positioning of the paper sheets 10.

Figure 6 displays a package 1 according to Figure 5, opened at the opening strips 9b. Here the opening strip 9b has been torn open and the loosened end of the wrap 2 has been removed, which has left a section 2b of the wrap in place, reaching just over halfway across the package 1, on top of which section is a handle lib that surrounds the package, with which handle the paper sheets 10 can be lifted in one bundle into the machine. The tightness of the handle lib around the sheet bundle is arranged to be such that fingers can be easily slipped in between the handle lib and the sheet bundle. In addition the package 1 has been lifted using the handle lib onto the paper tray 18 of a machine that uses paper, which paper tray 18 has been turned using the machine's own swing element 19 essentially by 90 degrees so that the remaining section 2b of the wrap 2 is left on top of the package and can be easily lifted off the sheet bundle together with the handle lib, in the direction of arrow A. Lifting is made easier by the lifting gap 7 left under the wrap's folds 3 and 4. The handle lib can for example be glued to the end section 2b of the wrap, in which case it is removed from the paper bundle together with the wrap section 2b. When the end section 2b of the wrap and the handle lib have been removed from the paper bundle, the paper tray 18 is turned back to a horizontal position in the direction of arrow B, which makes the paper sheets 10 ready to use.

All of the solutions shown above, and all other solutions according to the invention, are characterised by the fact that the paper packages 1 are manufactured so that a large number of paper sheets 10 can be placed in the machine that uses them as ergonomically, quickly and easily as possible. Therefore the package 1, wrapped in its wrap 2, is arranged to be placed in the machine that uses paper sheets 10 essentially as a whole bundle, so that the wrap 2 is removed partly or wholly before the bundle is placed in the machine. If only one part of the wrap 2 is removed before the bundle is placed in the machine, the rest of the wrap is removed immediately after the bundle is placed in the machine.

The material of the opening strip 9, 9a, 9b can vary but it is sufficiently strong and essentially inelastic or very slightly elastic. The opening strip 9, 9a, 9b hidden inside the wrap 2, is shown using a dashed line in Figures 1, 3 and 5. Figures 7-10, on the other hand, only display the end of the opening strip, which end is equipped with incisions 20.

Figures 7-10 show other kinds of carry handle solutions for the package 1 according to the invention. Although the package can be lifted using two hands at the ends of the package as described above, sometimes it is easier to handle the package using purpose-made carry handles. Sometimes it is also necessary to handle the package with just one hand.

Figure 7 shows a package 1 according to the invention, with a separate carry handle 13 at each end of the package. A strip- shaped, suitably enforced carry handle 13 is glued at each end of the package in between the outer folds 3 and 4 and the inner folds 5 and 6. Similarly, Figure 8 shows a package 1 according to the invention, with a separate carry handle 14 at the top of the package. The carry handle 14 is made for example out of fibre-reinforced paper laminate, and glued at the ends to each end of the package 1, for example so that the glue seam is placed between the inside of the handle and all of the package's end folds 3-6. In addition the carry handle 14 can be glued along a short distance to the top of the package 1 at the end of the package. This creates a durable and easy- to-use carry handle solution.

Figure 9 shows a similar handle solution to that in Figure 8, but in this embodiment a strip-shaped carry handle 15 • is placed crosswise across the package 1 and glued at the ends to the sides of the package. For increased durability, the carry handle 15 can be glued along a short distance to the wrap at top of the package 1, starting from the upper edges of the package.

The carry handles 14, 15 described in Figures 8 and 9 can also be made to surround the whole package 1, being glued for example at the bottom of the package so that the handle will not disappear. In such a case the carry handle also supports the load, which means that the wrap 2 can be thinner than that used in solutions where the handle is glued to the wrap or ones where the package is lifted by the wrap's end folds.

Figure 10 shows a carry handle solution according to the invention, in which a strip-shaped handle 16 is placed crosswise across the package 1 and glued at the ends to the top of the package. The attachments are strengthened with a reinforcement tag 17, which tag has a hole in the middle for the carry handle 16 to pass through. The reinforcement tag 17 is glued to the top of the package so that it covers the ends of the carry handle 16. The wrap 2 according to the invention must fulfil certain requirements related to protectiveness, bursting strength, tear resistance, gluability and printability. In addition, the wrap 2 must protect the contents of the package from moisture. Thus the material of the wrap 2 can for example be formed such that the base layer 22 is paper, to which an additive is added during production as online coating in the paper machine's coating section, which additive consists of plastic, a polymer mixture or a similar suitable material 23 that slows down moisture absorption, in a suitable quantity such that the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of the wrap 2, calculated according to the ISO 2528:1995 standard, is less than approximately 50 g/m²/d, preferably a maximum of 30 g/m²/d and favourably a maximum of 10 g/m²/d. Such polymers or polymer mixtures added during the paper's production process are for example latex and various mineral mixtures .

According to one of the embodiments of the invention, the wrap 2 that forms the package 1 is smooth, so that it can be coated in plastic more easily. In this case the wrap is coated at least on one side with a plastic film using a separate extruder, as is done in some known solutions.

Thanks to the smoothness of the paper, less plastic has to be used than before. Suitable plastic films for this purpose include polyethylene (PE) films, polyethylene terephthalate

(PET) films and polypropylene (PP) films.

A further embodiment of the invention consists of the combination of the two embodiments described above. In this solution, the wrap 2 consists of paper to which a polymer mixture has been added during production in the paper machine' s coating section, after which a plastic film is added to the paper in a separate extruder.

The materials and thicknesses of the different layers of the wrap 2 are chosen so that the end result in each of the embodiments of the invention described above is a wrap in which the total quantity of plastic out of the overall layering of materials is less than 10% of the total weight of the wrap 2. Favourably, the total quantity of plastic is a maximum of approx. 5% of the wrap's 2 total weight. This makes the wrap environmentally friendly and more recyclable, with reduced recycling costs.

Figure 11 shows the layer structure of one of the wraps 2 according to the invention, simplified to show only the essential layers. In addition, the thicknesses of the layers are not to scale. The base of the wrap 2 consists of a base paper layer 22. Depending on the type of paper, the base paper layer 22 can have one or more layers. Only one layer is shown in the figure for simplicity. On top of the paper layer 22 is a printing ink layer 21, which covers the surface of the paper layer 22 at least partially. On the other side of the paper layer 22, is a polymer layer added during the paper's production as online coating, or a similar layer 23 that slows down the penetration of moisture .

Figure 12 shows a similar structure to that in Figure 11, but the layer of polymer or similar material 23 that slows down the penetration of moisture is placed in between the printing ink layer 21 and the paper layer 22. Therefore the printing is done onto layer 23, which must be suitable for printing. In addition, an essentially thin plastic film 25, such as a PE, PET or PP film, has been added to the wrap 2 in an extruder.

Figure 13 shows the layer structure of a third wrap 2 according to the invention, simplified to show only the essential layers. In addition, the thicknesses of the layers are not to scale. The layer structure is similar to that in Figure 11. In this structure, a surface layer 24 is added to the top of the base paper layer 22, which surface layer can be fused using heat or ultrasound. In this case, instead of using separate glue, all seams that are normally glued can be produced by heat sealing or ultrasound. The printing ink layer 21 does not have to go over the seams that will be fused.

The layering and, particularly, the thickness of the wrap 2 can be used to regulate how resistant the paper bundles inside the package 1 are to blows and strokes from the outside. At least the thickness of the wrap 2 should be such that the weight of the wrap is in the range 60-250 g/m². The weight can be bigger in special circumstances, up to for example 500 g/m². Depending on the wrap material, a suitable thickness range, expressed in weight, is 80-160 g/m². The thickness can also be such that the weight is 120-150 g/m².

Those skilled in the art will see that the invention is not limited to the example given above, but can be varied within the scope of the patent claims given below. For example, the number of paper sheets within the wrap can vary from the abovementioned 2,500. Suitable quantities might for example range between 1,000 and approx. 5,000 sheets.

Further, those skilled in the art will see that instead of a wrap, other kinds of protective structures than those mentioned above can be used. For example wraps consisting of nonwoven fabric or other similar thin protective materials can be used in the solution according to the invention.

Further, it is evident to those skilled in the art that instead of a paper-based wrap, the package can consist of a protective wrap made out of corrugated board or a similar material. In this case the paper sheets inside the corrugated box would be surrounded by a handle with which they can all be lifted in one go into the machine. Those skilled in the art will also see that instead of a swing-type solution the machine that uses paper sheets can use a different solution for removing the remnants of the wrap from the paper tray. The machine might for example have an arresting device that can hold the unwrapped part of the paper bundle while the remaining wrap is pulled off.

Further, those skilled in the art will see that the size of the paper sheets can differ from the abovementioned A4 size. The paper sheets can be larger, smaller or differently shaped than A4 sheets.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A package (1) for sheet material such as paper intended for printing or photocopying use, in which package (1) a set of paper sheets (10) is placed within a continuous protective wrap (2), characterised in that the package (1) is designed to be placed in a machine that uses paper sheets (10) essentially as a single bundle, with at least a part of its wrap (2) removed.

2. A package (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that on a long side of the package (1) there is an opening strip (9) for opening the wrap (2) , and that inside the wrap (2) the paper sheets (10) are surrounded by a handle (11) .

3. A package (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the opening strip (9) is arranged onto the wrap (2) so that in the finished package (1) the opening strip (9) is on one long side of the package (1) , for example placed essentially in the middle of that side, also passing through one of the outer folds (4) at the ends of the package (1) .

4. A package (1) according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the opening strip (9) is arranged to surround only about one half of the diameter of the package (1) and is placed essentially in parallel with the direction of the paper sheets (10) .

5. A package (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the package (1) is fitted with two opening strips (9a) placed around the package crosswise in relation to the paper sheets (10) , which opening strips are placed close to the centre of the package (1), at equal distances from the ends of the package (1) , such that between the opening strips (9a) there is a suitable horizontal space for a handle (lla) that surrounds the package, which handle is designed to surround the package in between the opening strips (9a).

6. A package (1) according to claim 5, characterised in that the package (1) is arranged to be lifted essentially as a single bundle in a machine that uses paper sheets (10) with both ends of the wrap (2) removed, and with the bundle equipped only with a narrow centre part (2a) of the wrap (2) and with a handle (Ha) that surrounds the package, and that the handle (Ha) and the narrow centre part (2a) of the wrap

(2) are designed to be cut and slid out from under the sheet bundle after the package has been lifted onto the machine that uses paper sheets (10) .

7. A package (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the package (1) is fitted with an opening strip (9b) placed around the package crosswise in relation to the paper sheets

(10) , which opening strip is placed close to one end of the package (1) , and that on top of the package (1) is a handle

(lib) that surrounds the package, with which handle the paper sheets (10) are designed to be lifted as a single bundle onto the paper tray (18) of a machine with one end of the wrap (2) removed, and that the paper tray (18) is designed to be turned with the use of a swing element (19) essentially by 90 degrees so that the handle (lib) that is still on the package, as well as the remaining section (2b) of the wrap 2 can be easily lifted off the package (1) by pulling off the remaining part of the wrap (2b) essentially upwards off the package (1) .

8. A package (1) according to any of the claims above, characterised in that inside the wrap (2) of the package (1), beneath the sheet bundle is a base plate (12) , made of a material stronger than that of the paper sheets (10) .

9. A package (1) according to any of the claims above, characterised in that at each end of the package (1) there are at least outer folds (3, 4) and inner folds (5, 6), which folds are placed at least partially overlapping, and that a lifting gap (7) is formed between the outer folds (3, 4) and the inner folds (5, 6) .

10. A grouped package (1) according to any of the claims above, characterised in that plastic, a polymer mixture or another similar material that slows down the penetration of moisture is added to the wrap (2) using the online method during the production of the wrap (2a) in a paper machine.

11. A package (1) according to any of the claims above, characterised in that a maximum of 10%, favourably a maximum of approx. 5% of the total weight of the wrap (2) consists of plastic.

12. A package (1) according to any of the claims above, characterised in that the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of the wrap (2), calculated according to the ISO 2528:1995 standard, is less than approx. 50 g/m²/d, suitably a maximum of approx. 30 g/m²/d and favourably a maximum of approx. 10 g/m²/d.