WO2017089919A1

WO2017089919A1 - Process for packaging a foodstuff product, and wrapping sheet used in the process

Info

Publication number: WO2017089919A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/056738
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giuseppe Terrasi; Igor ROMANO; Piercarlo Scaliti; Andrea VASCONI
Original assignee: Ferrero SpA; Soremartec SA
Current assignee: Ferrero SpA; Soremartec SA
Priority date: 2015-11-25
Filing date: 2016-11-09
Publication date: 2017-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2018-05-25
Also published as: ITUB20155888A1

Abstract

Described herein is a process for wrapping a foodstuff product in a sealed package, which envisages use of a particular wrapping sheet characterized in that it has, on the inner side that is to receive the product, both hot-sealing material and cold-sealing material, which are positioned according to a mutual alternating arrangement.

Description

"Process for packaging a foodstuff product, and wrapping sheet used in the process"

TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to sealed packages (the so-called "hermetic" packages) for foodstuff products, such as confectionery products.

In particular, the present invention regards packages obtained starting from a single wrapping sheet that is wrapped round the product and closed via one or more sealing bands provided along flaps of the sheet that project with respect to the product and that are brought into mutual contact.

Prior art

A type of package thus obtained is represented by so-called flowpacks. These are obtained starting from a reel of sheet material, which is wrapped round the product in a longitudinal direction by a forming device so as to form a continuous tubular wrapping blank, closed along a first longitudinal sealing line. The products to be packaged advance in the tubular blank, and the ensemble thus obtained is subjected to the action of one or more closing stations. Here the tubular blank is flattened, sealed, and cut in the areas of separation between successive products so as to give rise to individual packages. An example of this technique is provided in the document EP-A-0957043.

A second type of sealed package obtained from a single sheet is represented by packages wrapped round the product to form a tube and closed at the ends through respective twists obtained by twisting the ends of the tube. The two documents EP0929467 and EP0837010 illustrate a wrapping sheet purposely pre-arranged for providing sealed packages closed by end twists. This is characterized in that it has on the inner side a first pair of sealing strips set at a distance apart from one another and oriented in the longitudinal direction of the sheet and, moreover, in that it has a second pair of strips set at a distance apart from one another, oriented, instead, parallel to the transverse direction of the sheet. The two pairs of sealing strips identify on their inner side the part of the sheet that is to receive the product, and hermetically close this part. In particular, the two longitudinal strips close it in the longitudinal direction of the package, whereas the other two strips close it in the transverse direction. The strips in question are obtained via hot-sealing or else cold-sealing material according to the requirements of the specific applications. As is known, a hot-sealing material needs to be heated above a pre^¬ set temperature so that it can melt or soften and hence provide an effect of adhesion on the surfaces that come into contact therewith. A cold-sealing material does not require, instead, any preliminary heating and is able to exert an action of adhesion simply as a result of contact.

Once again with reference to sealed packages provided with end twists, the document EP1477423 filed in the name of the present applicant describes, instead, a package that is closed through a single sealing line that extends along a path that partially surrounds the product and has the ends located at the curved part formed as a result of folding the wrapping sheet round the product. Also in this case, the wrapping sheet may envisage, in order to provide the sealing line in question, cold-sealing material or else hot-sealing material.

Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a sealed package of the type indicated above that will be improved as compared to known solutions, in particular in terms of durability, degree of hermetic sealing achieved thereby, and moreover in terms of speed and reliability of the packaging process via which it is produced.

Summary of the invention

The object indicated above is achieved via a process having the characteristics specified in Claim 1. The present invention also regards a wrapping sheet according to Claim 6.

In a way in itself known, the process described herein for wrapping a foodstuff product comprises the steps of:

- providing a wrapping sheet having an inner side and an outer side, where the inner side has a layer of hot-sealing material;

- wrapping said sheet round the product with the inner side of said sheet facing said product;

setting in contact with one another, over a given area of contact, flaps of said sheet, on said inner side of said sheet; and

- joining via a sealing process said flaps in said given area of contact so as to close hermetically the sheet around the product.

The process described herein is characterized in that that the inner side of said sheet has a layer of a second material that is a cold-sealing material and that is positioned according to an arrangement mutually alternating with said first material,

in such a way that identified on said area of contact are:

a set of first portions, in which the first material of one flap is in contact with the first material of the other flap;

- a set of second portions, in which the first material of one flap is in contact with the second material of the other flap; and

- a set of third portions, in which the second material of one flap is in contact with the second material of the other flap.

The process envisages carrying out a hot-sealing operation over the entire area of contact of the flaps of the sheet.

In the solution described herein, the package obtained hence has a sealing area that is obtained via a heat-sealing process, but that, instead of being constituted only by hot-sealing material, is constituted by a set of portions which include also cold-sealing material, and in the case in point is constituted by first portions in which cold-sealing material is in contact with cold-sealing material, second portions in which hot-sealing material is in contact with cold-sealing material, and third portions in which hot-sealing material is in contact with hot- sealing material.

The present applicant has noted that the above composition affords a series of advantages over conventional solutions so far known.

The presence of the cold-sealing material makes it possible to obtain an immediate anchorage of the two flaps of the sheet also prior to application of heat on the two flaps during the sealing process proper. This union is prevalently obtained in the first portions indicated above in which cold-sealing material is in contact with homologous material.

This enables, in the remaining portions, formation of passages for exit of air from the closed chamber formed by the sheet wrapped round the product and seepage of the air that may have been trapped through the passages, thus, on the one hand, preventing the effect of swelling of the package that is being formed, and on the other hand, avoiding the risk of the air, by remaining trapped inside the package and exerting a given pressure thereon, subjecting the seals of the package to stress, thus damaging them.

Heat is then applied over the entire area of contact of the flaps involving all three different sets of portions. In this connection, the present applicant has found that the presence of the cold-sealing material, and in particular the fact that it is intimately associated to the hot-sealing material according to a homogeneous alternating distribution of the two materials, enables shortening of the overall duration of the sealing process as compared to conventional processes.

The claims form an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention.

Detailed description of some embodiments

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge clearly from the ensuing description with reference to the annexed drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates an example of wrapping sheet used in the process described herein;

- Figure 2 illustrates the sheet of Figure 1 in a folded condition;

- Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the area of contact of the flaps of the sheet described herein that is obtained during the packaging process;

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of an example of the process described herein;

Figure 5 illustrates a further example of wrapping sheet used in the process described herein; and Figure 6 illustrates an example of package obtained with the sheet of Figure 5.

In the ensuing description, various specific details are illustrated aimed at enabling an in-depth understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail so that various aspects of the embodiment will not be obscured.

The references used herein are only provided for convenience and hence do not define the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

The process described herein has been specifically devised for providing sealed packages having end twists .

In any case, it should be noted that the teachings provided herein may be equally applied to obtain sealed packages also of some other type, for example of a flowpack type.

The process described herein envisages the use of a single wrapping sheet that is folded round the product to be packaged and then hermetically closed via a sealing operation.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of wrapping sheet used in the process described herein, which is designated as a whole by the reference number 1.

In general, it is characterized in that it has on its inner side, which faces the product during the packaging process, a combination of hot-sealing material and cold-sealing material mutually positioned according to an alternating arrangement so as to create a homogeneous pattern over the entire inner side of the sheet or at least in its perimetral regions. In various preferred embodiments, as in the one illustrated, the hot-sealing material and the cold-sealing material constitute respective strips 2, 4 that are parallel to one another and follow one another in an alternating succession. In addition, these strips are oriented according to an arrangement inclined with respect to the longitudinal side of the sheet. Preferably, the proportion between cold-sealing material and hot- sealing material varies from a minimum of 30 to 70 to a maximum of 70 to 30.

With reference now to Figure 2, when the sheet 1 is folded about an axis, designated by the reference X, parallel to its longitudinal direction and the resulting flaps are brought into mutual contact, the strips of sealing material of the two flaps come to be oriented so as to intersect one another. This condition makes it possible to identify on the area of contact of the two flaps three different sets of coupling portions :

a set of first portions 12, in which cold- sealing material is in contact with cold-sealing material ;

a set of second portions 14, in which hot- sealing material is in contact with cold-sealing material; and

- a set of third portions 16, in which hot-sealing material is in contact with hot-sealing material.

The first portions 12 are such as to constitute a connection between the two sheets as soon as these are brought into contact and pressed against one another.

Also the second portions 14 provide a connection between the two sheets, which, however, is of a removable type as long as they are not subjected to the heat-sealing process.

The third portions 16 are, instead, initially separate, and form a join between the two flaps only after they have been subjected to the heat-sealing process .

It should be noted that Figure 2 illustrates specifically the area of contact that forms between the longitudinal flaps, but the same configuration is clearly obtained also in the flaps projecting at the opposite ends of the product.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration in matrix form of the distribution of the different portions over the area of contact of the two flaps of the sheet; the first portions are denoted by F-F (cold-cold) , the second portions are denoted by F-C (cold-hot) , and the third portions are denoted by C-C (hot-hot) . As may be seen from this figure, the second and third portions are able to constitute together a series of passages or vents for the air that has possibly remained trapped within the sheet and that, as a result of the pressure exerted, may hence separate the two flaps at the portions in question and exit from the sheet.

Consequently, the first portions are as a whole already able to provide a stable adhesion of the two flaps even before the latter are sealed, this guaranteeing immediate fixing of the geometry of the wrapper, preventing any possible misalignments.

The application of heat determined by the sealing operation, which involves the entire area of contact described above, has the effect on the one hand to constitute the union of the two flaps on the second and third portions, and on the other hand to strengthen the adhesion of the two flaps at the first portions.

At the end of the heat-sealing process, over the entire area a substantially homogeneous sealing band is formed .

As anticipated, thanks to the combination of cold- sealing material and hot-sealing material, the supply of heat may be reduced and the sealing operation may last for a time sensibly shorter as compared to a conventional operation. Since these are in any case industrial processes, already in themselves extremely fast, it is understood that the differences here recalled are of the order of milliseconds.

The packaging sheet described herein may be made of various materials and according to various modalities on the basis of the requirements of the specific applications. In various preferred embodiments, the sheet in question has a multilayer or else a single-layer basic structure, which is entirely coated with a layer of hot-sealing material. The basic structure may, for example, be constituted by one or more of the following materials: paper, aluminium, plastic film from fossil or renewable sources, with possible use of biomaterials and/or nanotechnologies . The hot-sealing material may, for example, be in turn constituted by a thermal lacquer or else by polymeric material co-extruded together with the basic layer of the sheet during production thereof. On the layer of hot-sealing material there is then further deposited the cold-sealing material according to the particular arrangement that has been described above. The cold- sealing material may, in turn, be natural and/or synthetic, and may, for example, be constituted by a latex-based or else polyurethane-based lacquer, applied via rotogravure.

Preferably, the sheet in question is obtained in the form of web wound in a reel that is cut into individual wrapping sheets directly during the packaging process.

It should be noted that the sheet described herein preferably has the pattern indicated above over the entire area of its inner side, this affording two specific advantages. In the first place, the step of folding of the sheet does not require particular precision in mutual positioning of the two flaps to be set in contact with one another in order to ensure contact between areas provided with sealing material, since the sealing material coats the entire inner side of the sheet. In the second place, the sheet thus obtained, above all when it is prepared in the form of web wound in a reel, may be used for packaging products of formats different from one another, this simply involving varying the dimensions of the individual sheets that are separated from the web via cutting. This characteristic considerably simplifies warehouse management and enables, among other things, one and the same production line to pass from production of one product to production of another without any need to replace the reels of wrapping sheet. Preferably, just the cold-sealing material may be absent for a minimum area of a width of approximately 2 mm along the edges of the individual sheet obtained via cutting of the web wound off the reel, the aim being to prevent in the packaging process the sealing material from adhering to the blade that carries out said cutting operation. In the embodiment illustrated, these edges are the opposite longitudinal edges of the sheet and the aforesaid area is designated in Figure 1 by the reference number 5.

As mentioned above, the pattern in question may present a wide range of configurations provided that these are characterized in that they are able to create the three different sets of connection portions described above, during the packaging process. Embodiments alternative to the one illustrated in Figure 1 may, for example, envisage alternating strips with a curvilinear or broken-line profile, or again patterns of various types such as orthogonal strips, hexagonal cells, etc.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of an example of the process described herein that provides a sealed package having end twists. The process illustrated uses the packaging sheet 1 wound off a reel, which is divided into individual wrapping sheets in a cutting station 10. The individual sheet is shaped to form a U in a forming station 20 and receives the product P within the curved portion formed therein. In a sealing station 30 the two flaps of the sheet are pressed against one another and heated by two opposed rollers, at least one of which has a heated outer surface. The two flaps sealed together are rolled over the product in a further forming station 40, the sheet thus assuming a closed tubular conformation. In a further sealing station 50, the ends of the tube are squeezed, and the respective flaps are joined together once again via a heat-sealing process. Finally, in a final station 60 the closed ends of the package are twisted so as to form the twists.

The steps of sealing in the stations 30 and 50 are both obtained according to the modalities described previously. In this connection, it should be noted that the advantage mentioned above regarding exit of any air that might be trapped inside in this case regards, above all, the station 50 that enables final closing of the sheet by sealing the ends of the tube previously formed .

In any case, the process described herein may also be characterized by a packaging mode similar to the one described in the prior patent EP1477423 filed in the name of the present applicant, in which the package is closed via a single sealing line that extends along a path that surrounds the product, obtained in a single sealing station. In this case, exit of any air that may be trapped in the package will clearly take place directly in this first and single sealing station.

With reference to Figure 5, this shows a wrapping sheet 1' similar to the sheet illustrated in Figure 1, which is provided, as this, with the combination of strips of hot-sealing material 2 and cold-sealing material 4. Unlike the sheet of Figure 1, the sheet 1' has areas 5 without cold-sealing material, all along the four perimetral edges of the sheet. In this connection, it should be noted that the additional areas 5 without sealing material, which extend along the sides orthogonal to the direction X, make it advantageously possible to obtain in the final package open and hence more voluminous twists.

Applied, for example via adhesive, on the inner side of the sheet is a tear band 15, which is set orthogonal to the axis X and, preferably, traverses the sheet along a substantially central region thereof. At the end of the tear band, on the edge of the sheet 1 there may be provided at least one notch designed to define the start of tear of the sheet that is induced via the tear band 15 itself.

Figure 6 illustrates an example of a package obtained with the process described herein using the sheet of Figure 5. The package, designated by the reference number 100, is hermetically closed thanks to the seal obtained in the way illustrated above, and may be opened by the consumer by pulling the tear band 15 applied on the sheet 1' . As may be seen in the figure, the preferred position chosen of the band 15 on the sheet 1' enables the package to be opened, through the band 15, in its central region so as to render the product easily and immediately accessible. Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what has been illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the annexed claims .

Claims

1. A process for wrapping a foodstuff product, comprising the steps of:

- providing a wrapping sheet (1) having an inner side and an outer side, where said inner side has a layer of hot-sealing material (2);

- wrapping said sheet round the product (P) with the inner side of said sheet facing said product;

- joining via a sealing process said flaps in said given area of contact, so as to close hermetically the product inside the sheet;

said process being characterized in that:

the inner side of said sheet has a layer of a second sealing material (4), which is constituted by cold-sealing material (4) and is positioned according to an arrangement alternating with respect to said first sealing material,

in such a way that on said given area of contact there are identified:

- a plurality of first portions (12), in which the first material of one flap is in contact with the first material of the other flap;

- a plurality of second portions (14), in which the first material of one flap is in contact with the second material of the other flap; and

- a plurality of third portions (16), in which the second material of one flap is in contact with the second material of the other flap.

2. The process according to Claim 1, wherein said step of wrapping said sheet round said product envisages folding said sheet in a folding direction (X) , and wherein said first and second materials are positioned on said inner side according to parallel and alternating strips (2, 4) of said first and second materials, which are oriented inclined with respect to said folding direction.

3. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said alternating arrangement of said first and second sealing materials extends substantially over the entire area of the inner side of said wrapping sheet.

4. The process according to Claim 3, wherein said sheet is without said second sealing material along its opposite edges obtained by a cutting operation, in particular for an area (5) having a width of approximately 2 mm.

5. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sealing process is carried out on all said portions (12, 14, 16) of said contact area.

6. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein applied on said inner side of said sheet is a tear band (15), and wherein, preferably, said band (15) is set orthogonal to said folding direction (X) and traverses said sheet along a substantially central region thereof designed to contain said product.

7. A sheet for wrapping a foodstuff product, in particular a confectionery product, comprising an inner side and an outer side, wherein said inner side has a layer of hot-sealing material (2) in at least one first area and one second area that are to be brought into mutual contact during packaging of said product, said sheet being characterized in that said inner side moreover has a layer of a second sealing material (4) that is constituted by cold-sealing material and is positioned on said first and second areas according to an arrangement alternating with said first material.

8. The sheet according to Claim 7, wherein said first material and said second material are positioned on said inner side in respective parallel and alternating strips (2, 4) that are oriented inclined with respect to a main direction of said sheet that defines a folding direction of the sheet in the packaging process.

9. The sheet according to any one of Claims 7 and 8, wherein said alternating arrangement of said first and second sealing materials extends substantially over the entire area of the inner side of said sheet.

10. The sheet according to Claim 9, wherein said sheet is without said second sealing material along its opposite edges obtained from a cutting operation, in particular for an area (5) having a width of approximately 2 mm.

11. The sheet according to any one of Claims 7-10, wherein said hot-sealing material is chosen between a thermal lacquer or else polymeric materials co-extruded together with the basic layer of the sheet.

12. The sheet according to any one of Claims 7-11, wherein said cold-sealing material is chosen between natural or synthetic materials, and in particular, may be constituted by a latex-based lacquer or else a polyurethane-based lacquer, applied via rotogravure.

13. The sheet according to any one of Claims 7-12, having a multilayer or single-layer basic structure constituted by one or more materials chosen from among paper, aluminium, and plastic films.

14. A package for foodstuff products obtained via a process according to any one of Claims 1 to 6.

15. The package according to Claim 14, wherein applied on said inner side of said sheet is a tear band (15) .