DE8915897U1 - Packaging for bulk goods - Google Patents

Abstract

In a package (1) for pourable substances like liquids or loose fine granulates consisting of an inner plastic container (2) holding the substance to be packed and a cardboard envelope surrounding the plastic container (2), where the plastic container takes the form of a thin-walled hollow plastic body (2) made by a blowing process and the envelope, when set up as a package, is at least locally in contact with the plastic container (2) and is fitted with apertures facilitating its holding, a system is to be found maintaining all the handling advantages of prior art packages while at the same time minimising the proportion of plastic in the package. This is achieved in that the hollow plastic body (2) has at least two straight surfaces substantially forming one edge, in which a region of this side has a recess (4), and in that the apertures in the cardboard envelope formed as a supporting case (3) correspond to the recess (4) in the edge region of the hollow plastic body to provide a handle (5).

Description

Henkel KGaA
11. 10. 1991
Dr. Bm/C

Utility model application
D 8729 a

"Packaging for bulk goods"

The invention relates to a packaging for pourable goods of the type specified in the preamble of the main claim.

A large number of packagings are known that consist of at least two elements: an inner plastic container or bag and an outer cardboard cover, such as those described in GB-A-944 565 or DE-A-29 03 562. If the inner plastic container has little or no stability, the cardboard cover is generally used to stiffen the container, but it also makes it easier to apply prints or the like. One packaging, for example, can also be found in EP-O 225 677-A2.

As environmental awareness increases, efforts are being made to reduce the amount of plastic in packaging as much as possible and, if necessary, to increase the amount of paper or cardboard wrapping, as the latter can be obtained from recycled waste paper. Efforts are also being made to ensure that such packaging can be refilled, while maintaining all the key functions of stability, ease of handling, etc.

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A packaging according to the preamble of the main claim is known from FR-A-2.013.654. The packaging described therein is a hollow plastic body that is produced by blow molding and whose support casing is fixed to the hollow plastic body by several openings being formed in the support casing, which engage with corresponding raised embossings on the hollow plastic body. This causes the disadvantage that the support casing and the hollow plastic body in the round packaging described above either have to be guided towards one another in a targeted manner or rotated against one another until the cutouts in the support casing and the raised embossings on the hollow plastic body engage with one another. This requires a special effort in the production of the packaging. The large number of locking elements that engage with one another also makes it difficult to separate the hollow plastic body and the support casing, since considerable force would be required to pull the support casing off the hollow plastic body. In another embodiment of the packaging known from the French literature, the support casing is fixed in a groove-shaped channel in the hollow plastic body. Here too, the separation of the support casing and the hollow plastic body requires considerable effort. Finally, the previously known packaging does not have any recesses or handles for handling the packaging.

US-A-3,160,326 discloses a packaging that has a hollow plastic body and a cardboard casing surrounding it. However, this is not a supporting casing, but rather an outer box with bottom and lid flaps. This outer box has flaps that slide inwards into a recess formed in the hollow plastic body.

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are folded. This creates handle recesses. In this previously known packaging, the outer wrapping is not fixed to the hollow plastic body by the tabs, but by means of the lid and base tabs.

GB-A-2 206 567 discloses a thin-walled plastic hollow body which is provided with a reinforcing shoulder in the area of its closure.

From DE-C-193 757 a bottle provided with a covering is known, whereby the covering is provided with cut-outs in certain areas to detect the fill level of the bottle.

Finally, US-A-4,368,827 discloses a hollow plastic body which has an indentation in the area of a side edge in the form of a handle that allows the user to reach through.

The object of the invention is to create a solution with which all handling advantages are retained in a packaging of the type described at the beginning and at the same time the plastic and cardboard content of the packaging is kept as low as possible, whereby a simple separation of the plastic hollow body and the supporting casing is possible and the supporting casing is nevertheless securely fixed to the plastic hollow body at the same time.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of the main claim.

The invention achieves that, in addition to the manufacturing advantages of such thin-walled plastic hollow bodies, sufficient handling with the handle recess in the support casing

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on the one hand and the corresponding recess on the container on the other hand, whereby simple shapes are possible. Conversely, this means that the two elements can be separated relatively easily when the raw materials are recycled.

By omitting a handle on the plastic hollow body itself, additional plastic material is saved. The support casing is designed as a cardboard casing that is open on both sides, so that comparatively little material is used here too. A plastic bottle with handle lugs in an edge area is shown, for example, in US-A-4,368,827.

It is intended that the supporting surfaces of the cardboard casing corresponding to the indentation on the hollow plastic body are designed as inwardly foldable cutouts to form a handling handle exclusively in the casing.

If a handle design according to the invention were also possible in principle for packages with a round cross-section, such a design is technically easier to achieve if it is designed in the area of at least two abutting straight surfaces. It is therefore advisable to design the packaging with a rectangular, square or polygonal cross-section in such a way that at least one edge suitable for a handle recess is formed. In one design, it is therefore provided that the hollow plastic body is equipped with at least two straight surfaces that essentially form an edge, with an indentation being formed in the edge area of these surfaces and the inwardly foldable tabs of the wrapping forming a handle with handle recesses that allow the user to reach through.

D 8729 a

and in a further embodiment, that the plastic container and the support casing are essentially rectangular or square in cross-section in the handling position.

In addition, it is expedient if the adhesive tab of the support casing is arranged in the corner edge area which is used in the position of use to form the handling handle, so that a wall reinforcement is achieved here with simple means by means of a double layer.

Furthermore, the invention provides that the plastic hollow body and the support casing are essentially rectangular or square in cross section in the handling position and indentations are formed in opposite straight surfaces of the plastic hollow body.

It is particularly useful, as the invention also provides, if at least one locking projection is provided on the hollow plastic body in the recess for additional fixation of the tabs, so that gluing the fold is not necessary. This results in a solid unit between the inner hollow plastic body and the support casing, without making it difficult to separate the different materials after the packaging has been used up. Separate disposal between the support casing and the plastic part is thus ensured in any case, since both can be easily separated.

In order to simplify the manipulation options, i.e., among other things, the machine filling and the machine closing of the packaging, the invention provides that the plastic container is provided with a reinforcing shoulder in the area of the closure.

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ter is provided with at least two opposing straight contact surfaces, in particular the cross-section of the outer wall is square, hexagonal, octagonal or similar.

The invention also provides that the hollow plastic body is provided with reinforcing webs and/or in some areas with outward-facing locking webs and the supporting casing is provided with punches enabling the locking webs to engage.

The cutouts in the support casing can also be used to monitor the fill level inside the plastic body, for which purpose the invention provides that the support casing is designed in regions with cutouts to detect the fill level of the plastic body.

To increase stability, it can also be provided that at least areas of the free lower edges of the support casing are equipped with reinforcement tabs that can be folded inwards. By reinforcing the hollow plastic body in the base area, a high level of stability can also be achieved. If the surrounding support casing is made slightly shorter than the support wall surface, the ingress of moisture from the area around the base surface into the cardboard support casing can be at least partially prevented.

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The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, which shows in

Fig. 1 a side view of the packaging with the wrapping partially broken open,

Fig. 2 a section along line H-II in Fig. 1 and in

Fig. 3 shows a section through a modified embodiment of the packaging according to the invention.

In the example shown, the packaging, generally designated 1, consists of a hollow plastic body 2 with a substantially square cross-section and a supporting casing 3 made of cardboard or a comparable material.

In one corner, the plastic hollow body 2 is provided with an indentation marked 4, which is shown in dashed lines in Fig. 1. Conversely, the support casing 3 has two grip recesses 5 in this area, whereby the corner marked 6 is designed in multiple layers such that areas of the punched-out tabs, marked 7 in Fig. 2, are folded inwards and fixed there. The corner 6 itself can also be provided with the adhesive tab of the support casing 3, which is not shown in more detail.

In the area of the closure 8 of the plastic container 2, the latter has an upper circumferential support shoulder 9 and, in the example, hexagonal in shape, contact surfaces 10. The plastic hollow body 2 is also equipped with an upper support shoulder 11, which in the position of use rests on the free edge 12 of the surrounding support casing 3.

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In Fig. 1, two different base designs of the plastic hollow body 2 are shown, on the bottom right are reinforcing webs 13 and on the left in Fig. 1 the base is designed in the shape of a spherical section, which is designated with 14.

In addition to the described handle recess design, which simultaneously serves to lock the plastic container 2 in the support casing 3, the plastic hollow body can also be provided with outward-facing ribs 15 and the support casing with corresponding cutouts 16, as indicated in Fig. 2 above. In addition, the lower free edge of the support casing 3 can be folded inwards, the corresponding tabs are designated 17 in Fig. 1. Further cutouts 18 can be provided, for example to ensure a fill level indicator.

Instead of the outward-facing ribs 15 with corresponding cutouts 16, inward-facing spaces can also be provided in the container 2, whereby the support casing 3 can then be folded inwards, which is designated 19 in Fig. 1. The support casing 3 can also be provided with a tear thread 20 in order to facilitate the removal of the support casing.

Fig. 2 also shows the possibility of providing locking projections 21 in the plastic body, which fix the tabs 7 after they have been folded over, in order to make gluing unnecessary if necessary.

Fig. 3 shows a modified embodiment of the invention, wherein the technically identical parts there have the same reference numerals as those in the embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 2, supplemented by " ' ".

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Here, only grip recesses 4 ¹ are provided in the hollow plastic body 2', into which the tabs 5' engage in order to facilitate the handling of the container and to fix the support casing 3'.

Of course, the described embodiments of the invention can be modified in many ways without abandoning the basic idea. For example, the support casing 3 can, if necessary, be made of several layers, the closure can be provided at another location on the plastic container, and the like. Instead of the locking cams 21, grooved or friction-increasing surfaces can be provided on the plastic body, and the like.

Claims (11)

D 8729 a - 10 - Protection claims 1. Packaging (1, Γ) for pourable goods, such as liquids or free-flowing fine granules or the like, which consists of an inner hollow plastic body (2, 2') which receives the goods to be packaged and of a cardboard wrapping (3, 3') which surrounds the hollow plastic body ₍ 2, 2') and rests against the hollow plastic body (2, 2') in the packaging position, wherein the hollow plastic body (2, 2') is preferably produced by means of a blow molding process and preferably has an upper support shoulder (11) in its casing, and the wrapping (3, 3') is designed as a base- and lid-free support casing (3, 3'), preferably with an upper support edge (12) for support on the support shoulder (11), characterized, that the plastic hollow body (2, 2') is thin-walled and has at least one indentation (4, 4 ¹ ) into which tabs (7, 5') of the support casing which fix the support casing (3, 3 ¹ ) to the plastic hollow body (2, 2') and form handle recesses (5) are folded inwards. 2. Packaging according to claim 1,
characterized, that the plastic hollow body (2) is equipped with at least two straight surfaces that essentially form an edge, with an indentation (4) being formed in the edge region of these surfaces and the inwardly foldable tabs (7) of the casing (3) forming a handle with grip recesses (5) that allow the grip to be reached through. D 8729 a -U- 3. Packaging according to claim 2,
characterized, that the plastic container (2) and the support casing (3) are essentially rectangular or square in cross-section in the handling position. 4. Packaging according to claim 2 or 3,
characterized, that the adhesive tab of the support casing (3) is arranged in the corner edge region (6) which is used to form the handling handle in the position of use. 5. Packaging according to claim 1,
characterized, that the plastic hollow body (2 ¹ ) and the support casing (3 ¹ ) are essentially rectangular or square in cross section in the handling position and indentations (4') are formed in opposite straight surfaces of the plastic hollow body (2 ¹ ). 6. Packaging according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized, that at least one locking projection (21) is provided on the plastic body (2) in the recess (4) for additionally fixing the tabs (7). 7. Packaging according to claim 1 or one of the following,
characterized, that the plastic container is provided in the region of the closure (8) with a reinforcing shoulder (9) with at least two opposite straight contact surfaces (10), in particular D 8729 a - 12 - whose cross-section on the outside wall is square, hexagonal, octagonal or similar. 8. Packaging according to claim 1 or one of the following, characterized in that the hollow plastic body (2) is provided with reinforcing webs and/or in some areas with outward-facing locking webs (15) and the supporting casing (3) is provided with punched-out portions (16) enabling the locking webs to engage. 9. Packaging according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support casing (3) is formed in some areas with cutouts (18) for detecting the fill level of the plastic body (2). 10. Packaging according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least areas of the free lower edges of the support casing (3) are equipped with reinforcing tabs (17) that can be folded inwards. 11. Packaging according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hollow plastic body (2) has reinforcing webs (13) on the bottom side.