GB2563279A

GB2563279A - Container

Info

Publication number: GB2563279A
Application number: GB1709214.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Myerscough Martin; William Slack Henry
Original assignee: Frugalpac Ltd
Current assignee: Frugalpac 2 Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-09
Filing date: 2017-06-09
Publication date: 2018-12-12
Also published as: GB201709214D0

Abstract

A container 12 with a body 24 and a neck 54 is formed of three paperboard blanks all bonded together. One blank 22 is opposite the neck and forms the base 30 while the others 18, 20 extend up from the base 30 and have portions which form the neck 72. Since the neck is narrower excess material of each blank forms a web 134 projecting radially outward from the neck. The container contains an inner liner. Initially the blanks are flat but can be pressed into 3D shapes by hot pressing before bonding. Ideally there is a shoulder between the body and the neck and the web extends from the shoulder to the other end of the neck. The blanks can be multi-ply paperboard bonded together with adhesive. The container wall and neck can be continuous and cylindrical with the neck narrower than the body. The liner could be in the form of a bag with a screw threaded aperture to engage the top of the neck. The blanks could be printed, embossed or debossed

Description

Container

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to containers. In particular this invention relates to bottles having an outer cardboard shell and an inner liner or pouch and to a method of manufacture of such bottles.

There is a general desire and need to reduce the amount of waste that is produced and a drive to recycle as much as possible. One particular area that is receiving a lot of attention is containers for food and drink.

Traditionally wine has been stored and sold in glass bottles. The glass used is relatively heavy and typically makes up about 40% of the weight of the filled bottle of wine. This means that the transportation costs are high. Furthermore, glass breaks relatively easily when, for example, a bottle is dropped. The bottle will typically break into sharp fragments which may cause injury to a consumer.

It is known to make a bottle having a pulp moulded cardboard outer shell and a blow moulded inner plastics lining. Although these containers have a decreased weight compared to glass bottles, they have a number of disadvantages. The shelf life of the wine within the bottles is decreased compared to glass bottles, it is difficult to apply print to the outer surface of the bottle and the unit cost of manufacture is typically significantly greater than the unit cost of a glass bottle.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved bottle that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of previous bottle designs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a container comprising a paperboard outer shell and an inner liner, the container having a main body portion, a neck portion providing an opening of the container extending from a first end of the main body portion and a base on which the container may be supported in use disposed at a second end of the main body portion, and the outer shell comprising: a first side wall element including a part of the neck portion and a part of the main body portion of the container; a second side wall element including a part of the neck portion and a part of the main body portion of the container; and a third base element including the base of the container, wherein, said first, second and third elements are separate elements bonded together to form the shell, wherein each of said first, second and third elements are formed from a single flat sheet of material pressed to form the 3-dimensional shape, and wherein each of the first and second side wall elements comprises a web extending radially outwardly along a length of the neck portion.

In preferred embodiments each of the first and second side wall elements includes a shoulder portion between the main body portion and the neck portion, and the web extends for the full length of the neck portion between the shoulder portion and an end of the neck portion furthest from the main body portion.

Preferably the flat sheet material is multi-ply paperboard having at least two layers. In this way, an outer layer of the paperboard may provide a good surface for printing.

The first and second elements will typically form a continuous side wall of the shell.

Preferably the first, second and third elements are bonded together with an adhesive. In preferred embodiments the adhesive is a heat activated adhesive.

The main body portion may be substantially cylindrical. Additionally, the neck portion of the shell may be substantially cylindrical, and preferably a diameter of the neck portion is smaller than a diameter of the main body portion, such that the container has the appearance of a traditional wine bottle.

Preferably the third element comprises a base panel and a side wall extending substantially perpendicularly from around a perimeter of the base panel. To aid in handling of the container, the base panel preferably comprises a concave recess in an external surface of the base panel.

In preferred embodiments the first and second elements are bonded together to form a generally cylindrical side wall of the container, the base panel is substantially circular, and an outer surface of the side wall of the third element is bonded to an inner surface of the first and second elements.

Preferably the inner liner comprises a fitment and a bag secured to the fitment, and wherein the fitment is engaged with the neck portion of the shell and the bag extends into the main body portion of the shell.

To improve the appearance of these containers, the container may comprise embossed or debossed shapes formed in a part of the shell.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a container according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the steps of: cutting a first side wall blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the first side wall blank to form the first side wall element; cutting a second side wall blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the second side wall blank to form the second side wall element; cutting a base blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the base blank to form the third element; inserting an inner liner between the first and second side wall elements; and bonding the first, second and third elements together to form a shell around said liner.

In preferred embodiments each of the first and second side wall blanks includes a main body panel and a neck panel, and the method preferably comprises: hot pressing the neck panel of the first side wall blank such that outer regions of the neck panel form the neck portion of the first side wall element and a central region of the neck panel forms a neck web extending radially outwardly from the neck portion; and hot pressing the neck panel of the second side wall blank such that outer regions of the neck panel form the neck portion of the second side wall element and a central region of the neck panel forms a neck web extending radially outwardly from the neck portion.

In preferred embodiments the first side wall blank includes a first tab panel extending from each side of the main body panel and a second tab panel extending from each side of the neck panel. In these embodiments the method preferably comprises applying an adhesive to said first and second tab panels, joining the first and second side wall elements such that the tab panels of the first side wall element overlap regions of the second side wall element, and adhering the tab portions of the first side wall element to the second side wall element.

Preferably the method comprises: applying a heat activated adhesive to regions of the first side wall blank; hot pressing the first side wall blank to form the first side wall element with the adhesive in a non-activated state; and subsequently, activating the adhesive using a heat source to bond the first, second and third elements together.

To improve the appearance of the container, the method preferably comprises printing on a surface of the flat sheet of paperboard material before cutting one or more of the first side wall blank, second side wall blank and base blank from said printed sheet of paperboard. The method may comprise embossing or debossing a shape into a part of the first or second side wall element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an external shell of a bottle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the bottle of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of the bottle of Figure 1 perpendicular to the side view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side view of a side wall element of the shell of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the side wall element along the line V - V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the side wall element along the line VI - VI of Figure 4;

Figure 7 shows an outline of a blank according to a preferred embodiment of the invention used to form a first side wall element of the shell of Figure 1;

Figure 8 shows an outline of a blank according to a preferred embodiment of the invention used to form a second side wall element of the shell of Figure 1; and

Figure 9 illustrates a method step in forming a neck region of the shell of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a container 1 in the form of a wine bottle 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The container or bottle 1 is generally cylindrical and has an elongate, cylindrical main body portion 2 having a first, larger diameter, and an elongate, cylindrical neck portion 4 having a second, smaller diameter. The neck portion 4 extends from a first end of the main body portion 2, and in this example a longitudinal axis 8 of the neck portion 4 is coaxial with a longitudinal axis 8 of the main body portion 2. This axis 8 forms a longitudinal axis of the complete bottle 1. A tapered or rounded shoulder portion 10 of the bottle 1 extends between the neck portion 4 and the main body portion 2.

The bottle 1 comprises an outer shell 12 made of a paperboard or cardboard material and an inner liner or bag (not shown) supported within the shell 12 by means of a fitment 16. The fitment 16 is engaged with the neck portion 4 of the shell 12 such that the bag is suspended from the fitment 16 and extends downwards into the main body portion 2 of the shell 12, in the orientation shown in Figure 2. The bag and fitment 16 are, preferably each made of a plastics material.

In preferred embodiments the bag extends from a first, lower end of the fitment 16. In embodiments in which the container 1 is a bottle for holding wine, the bag is preferably made from a metallised plastics material. Metallisation of the plastics material decreases its permeability and extends the shelf life of the product. The bag is typically gusseted at a lower end, furthest from the fitment 16, to enable the bag to form a generally cylindrical shape when the bag is filled with liquid within the shell 12. The metallised bag with its gusseted end tends to adopt a generally elliptical shape when empty. The bag will typically be welded to the fitment 16. A second, upper end 85 of the fitment 16 protrudes from the mouth 54 of the shell 12. A portion of the outer surface of the second end 85 of the fitment 16 exposed above a first, upper end 52 of the shell 12 includes screw threads 87. The screw threads 87 are configured to receive and engage with threads of a screw cap (not shown) for sealing the bottle 1.

The shell 12 is formed of three separate elements that are bonded together. The shell 12 comprises a first side wall element 18, a second side wall element 20 and a third base element 22. Each of the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 includes a part of the neck portion 4 of the shell 12 and a part of the main body portion 2 of the shell 12. When the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 are joined together, a part of the first side wall element 18 overlaps a part of the second side wall element 20 to form a complete and continuous side wall 24 of the shell 12, as shown most clearly in Figure 1.

The base element 22 preferably comprises a base plate and a side wall extending upwards around the perimeter of the base plate. The outer diameter of the base side wall is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the side wall 24 of the shell 12. In this way the base element 22 may be inserted into a second, lower end 30 of the main body portion 2 to form a base of the bottle 1, and an outer surface of the side wall of the base element 22 may be bonded to an inner surface of each of the first and second side wall elements 18, 20. In preferred embodiments the base plate may be domed in the centre so as to provide a concave recess in a lower side of the base element 22. This concave or hemispherical recess forms the punt of the bottle 1. Preferably an annular region around the recess, forming the heel of the bottle 1, protrudes from the second end 30 of the main body portion 2 of the side wall 24, and forms a support on which the bottle 1 may stand.

The first side wall element 18, second side wall element 20 and third base element 22 of the shell 12 are all made from flat sheets of 100% paperboard that have been pressed to form the required three-dimensional shapes. In preferred embodiments the sheets of paperboard are multi-ply including a first surface layer formed from a paperboard material providing a good surface for printing. This first surface layer may comprise bleached fibres, for example. When the sheets of paperboard are pressed to form the first element 18, second element 20 and third element 22, the orientation of the paperboard is such that this first surface layer forms an external surface 40 of the shell 12.

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate the first side wall element 18 of the shell 12 in more detail. In this embodiment a main body portion 42 of the first elements 18 is semi-cylindrical having a pair of parallel side edges 44; a distance between the side edges 44 defining a diameter of the main body portion 42. An end edge, at the second end 30 of the main body portion 42, is semi-annular, and is perpendicular to and extends between the side edges 44. A neck portion 48 of each of the first and second elements 18, 20 is also semi-cylindrical having a respective pair of parallel side edges 50; a distance between the side edges 50 defining a diameter of the neck portion 48. The side edges 50 of the neck portion 48 lie in the same plane as the side edges 44 of the main body portion 42 and, when the shell 12 is constructed, these side edges 44, 50 also lie in substantially the same plane as the longitudinal axis 8 of the shell 12. An end 52 of the neck portion 48, furthest from the main body portion 42, defines a mouth or opening 54 of the complete shell 12. A shoulder portion 56 of each of the first element 18 is substantially semi-dome shaped and extends between the main body portion 42 and the neck portion 48.

In the first element 18, shown most clearly in Figures 4 to 6 a first pair of tab portions 68 extends from the side edges 44 of the main body portion 42. The tab portions 68 extend along almost the entire length of the side edges 44. The tab portions 68 and main body portion 42 form a continuous curve, as shown most clearly in Figure 6, such that a distance between distal edges 70 of the tab portions 68 is smaller than the distance between the side edges 44.

Similarly, a second pair of tab portions 72 extends from the side edges 50 of the neck portion 48. In this example these tab portions 72 are positioned proximate the end 52 of the neck portion 48. The tab portions 72 and the neck portion 48 form a continuous curve, as shown most clearly in Figure 6, such that a distance between distal edges 74 of the tab portions 72 is smaller than the distance between the side edges 50.

When the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 are joined together, the tab portions 68, 72 of the first element 18 overlap edge regions of the second element 20, as shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment the tab portions 68, 72 are located on an external side of the second element 20. Because the tab portions 68, 72 extend inwardly from their respective side edges 44, 50 as described above, during construction of the container 1 the tab portions 68, 72 may be flexed outwardly to enable the respective side edges 44, 50 of the second element 20 to be received between the tab portions 68, 72. The tab portions 68, 72, therefore, have a tendency to grip the second element 20 helping to secure the first and second elements 18, 20 together.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a preferred shape of a blank used to form the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 respectively. Figure 9 illustrates one step in a method of construction of the shell 12 of the container 1 according to a preferred embodiment.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, a first side wall blank 86 is used to form the first side wall element 18, and a second side wall blank 88 is used to form the second side wall element 20. The first and second blanks 86, 88 are substantially identical to each other, except that the first blank includes regions or panels which form the additional tab portions 68, 72 of the first element 18.

Each of the blanks 86, 88 includes a substantially rectangular main body panel 64 and a neck panel 58 extending from a first end of the main body panel 64. It will be appreciated that although the body panel 64 and neck panel 58 are described as separate panels they are, in fact, integrally formed and continuous. A distance between side edges 66 of the body panel 64 is greater than a distance between side edges 60 of the neck panel 58. When the blanks 86, 88 are formed into the first and second side wall elements 18, 20, the neck panel 58 forms the neck portion 48 of the side wall element 18, 20 and the body panel 64 forms the main body portion 42. As described above, the diameter of the neck portion 48 is smaller than the diameter of the main body portion 42. A longitudinal axis 101 of each of the blanks 86, 88 extends between a distal end edge 94 of the neck panel 58 and an opposing end edge 103 of the main body panel 64. The side edges 66 of the main body panel 64 are parallel to each other and extend parallel to the longitudinal axis 101 of each of the blanks 86, 88.

In preferred embodiments of the blanks a first notch 108 and a second notch 112 are formed in the distal end edge 94 of the neck panel 58. Each of the first and second notches 108, 112 extends generally in a direction towards the opposing end edge 103 of the main body panel 64. The notches 108, 112 preferably have a substantially triangular shape, tapering in a direction towards the body panel 64. A first outer region 114 of the neck panel 58 may be defined between the first notch 108 and a first one of the side edges 60 of the neck panel 58. A second outer region 116 of the neck panel 58 may be defined between the second notch 112 and a second one of the side edges 60 of the neck panel 58.

The first side wall blank 86 includes a pair of first tab panels 118, each first tab panel 118 extending from and along a side edge 66 of the main body panel 64 and a pair of second tab panels 120, each second tab panel 120 extending from the side edge 60 of the neck panel 58. When the blank 86 is pressed to form the first side wall element 18, the first tab panels 118 become the first tab portions 68 and the second tab panels 120 become the second tab portions 72.

Although the blanks 86, 88 have been described as comprising a plurality of panels 64, 58, 118, 120, it will be appreciated that each of the blanks 86, 88 is unitary and the use of the term panel refers to a region of the blank 86, 88. A method of construction of the container 1 will now be described with particular reference to the use of the blanks 86, 88 shown in Figures 7 and 8. It will be appreciated, however, that other shapes of blanks may be used to construct a container 1 having a main body portion 2 and a neck portion 4 as described herein. A preferred first step in the method of construction of the container 1 comprises printing on a first side of a flat sheet of cardboard or paperboard. As described below, this sheet of paperboard will be used to form the shell 12, and the printed first side will form the external surface 40 of the shell 12. This enables designs and branding to be applied to the container 1 before the shell 12 is formed, thereby decreasing the complexity and costs of applying designs to the container 1. A second step in the method comprises cutting blanks from the sheet of paperboard for forming each of the first side wall element 18, second side wall element 20 and third base element 22. Each of these blanks may be cut from the same sheet of paperboard or, alternatively, each type of blank may be cut from a different sheet of paperboard. For example, blanks 86 for forming the first element 18 may be cut from a first sheet, blanks 88 for forming the second element 20 may be cut from a second sheet and blanks for forming the third element 22 may be cut from a third sheet. The blanks will typically be stamped from the sheet(s) of paperboard. A third step in the method comprises applying an adhesive to regions of each of the blanks 86, 88 used to form the first and second side wall elements 18, 20. The adhesive is applied to regions of the second side of the sheet of paperboard, i.e. on an opposite side to the printed side. The adhesive is applied to a region extending along the end edge 103 of the main body panel 64. Additionally, on the first blank 86, adhesive is applied to all of the first and second tab panels 118, 120. These regions of adhesive are indicated by the hatched areas in Figures 7 and 8. The adhesive is, preferably, a heat activated or hot melt adhesive.

The next step in the method is to press or form each of the main body panels 64 of the blanks 86, 88 into the required shape to form the main body portion 42 of each of the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 respectively. The blanks 86, 88 are pressed using suitable heated tools to form, in this embodiment, the semi-cylindrical shape of the main body portions 42. The temperature of the heated tool and the heat insulating properties of the paperboard are such that the adhesive on the blanks 86, 88 is not activated during this pressing step.

Each of the blanks 86, 88 is then pressed or formed to shape the shoulder and neck portions 56, 48 of the first and second elements 18, 20.

As illustrated in Figure 9, the neck panel 58 of each blank 86, 88 is pressed using suitable heated tools 122. Each of the heated tools 122 includes a contact surface 124 having a concave curvature. The radius of curvature of the contact surface 124 is, preferably, equal to the radius of curvature of the neck portion 48 of the formed side wall element 18, 20.

Two heated tools 122 are preferably used to form the neck portion 48 of each of the side wall elements 18, 20. Each of the tools 122 contacts a respective one of the outer regions 114 of the neck panel 58 of the blank 86, 88. The heated tools 122 are moved in a direction towards each other and substantially towards a longitudinal axis of the side wall element 18, 20.

As the heated tools 122 approach each other, the outer regions 114 of the neck panel 58 are hot pressed and formed into a part-cylindrical shape to create the semi-cylindrical neck portion 48 of the side wall element 18, 20. It will be appreciated that, in order to achieve the required curvature of the neck panel 58, a former 126 having a convex contact surface 128 is positioned to co-operate with the heated tools 122. The neck panel 58 of the blank 86, 88 is pressed between the two heated tools 122 and the former 126. In this way, once the side wall element 18, 20 has been fully formed, the contact surface 128 of the former 126 is in contact with an internal surface of the neck portion 48 of the side wall element 18, 20 and the contact surfaces 124 of the heated tools 122 are in contact with an external surface of the neck portion 48 of the side wall element 18, 20. To aid in forming the neck portion 48, the former 126 may also be heated.

Furthermore, as the heated tools 122 approach each other, a central region 130 of the neck panel 58 is pressed or squeezed between opposing, inwardly facing side surfaces 132 of the heated tools 122. The central region 130 of the neck panel 58 may be defined as the region of the neck panel 58 between the first and second notches 108, 112.

The central region 130 of the neck panel 58 is pressed by the heated tools 122 and, due to the presence of the former 126, the material of the central region 130 moves in a radially outward direction, relative to the longitudinal axis of the side wall element 18, 20. The pressed central region 130 of the neck panel 58 forms a neck web 134 shown most clearly in Figure 1. A proximal portion of the neck panel 58 and a neighbouring portion of the main body panel 64 are curved by hot pressing to form the shoulder portion 56 of each of the first and second elements 18, 20. A further step in the construction method is to press or form the base blank into the base element 22 having a base panel and side wall. This pressing step may be carried out before, after or during the pressing of the first and second blanks 86, 88. The base blank is pressed or formed using suitable heated tools.

Once all of the first side wall element 18, second side wall element 20 and third base element 22 have been formed the complete container 1 can be assembled.

At a first assembly step the areas of adhesive on the tab portions 68, 72 of the first element 18, and the areas of adhesive proximate the end edge 30 of both the first and second elements 18, 20 are activated. The adhesive is preferably activated by a heat source such as hot air.

At a second assembly step the fitment 16, bag and third element 22 are positioned between the first and second side wall elements 18, 20. In particular, the fitment 16 is positioned so that the second, upper end 85 of the fitment 16 protrudes from the neck portions 48 of the side wall elements 18, 20, and the bag extends into the main body portions 42 of the side wall elements 18, 20. The third element 22 is positioned such that a part of its side wall is in contact with the main body portions 42 of the side wall elements 18, 20, with the annular region extending from the end 30 of the side wall elements 18, 20. The tab potions 68, 70 are positioned to overlap edge regions of the second side wall element 20.

Once the components are correctly positioned such that the fitment 16 is clamped between the neck portions 48, the third element 22 is clamped between the main body portions 42, and the tab portions 68, 70 overlap the second side wall element 20, a third assembly step comprises bonding the first side wall element 18, second side wall element 20 and base element 22 together. This step comprises using unheated or cold tools to press the elements together and cure or set the adhesive, thereby bonding the elements of the shell 12 together.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the neck ribs 134 extend for the full length of the neck portion 4 of the container 1. In particular, the neck ribs 134 extend from the top edge 52 of the neck portion 4 to the shoulder portion 10 of the container 1. The neck ribs 134 extend radially outwards from the neck portion 4 of the container 1 and, following construction of the shell 12, the neck ribs 134 of the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 are diametrically opposite each other and extend in opposite directions.

The neck ribs 134 serve to strengthen and stiffen the neck portion 4 of the container 1. It is also envisaged that, in some embodiments the neck ribs 134 will form a decorative feature of the container 1. For example, holes or apertures may be formed in each of the neck ribs 134 such that the neck ribs 134 have the appearance of handles.

Once the container 1 has been constructed the inner bag can be filled with a liquid, for example wine. The container 1 is then sealed closed using a suitable sealing means, such as a screw cap (not shown), engaged with either the fitment 16 or the neck portion 4 of the shell 12.

The foregoing description has primarily described a single embodiment of the container and a single embodiment of a method of construction. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments aspects of the shape and design of the container may be different, and steps in the method of construction may vary from what has been described.

In some embodiments adhesive may be applied to different regions of the first and second blanks 86, 88 and/or adhesive may be applied to regions of the third blank. In other embodiments the elements of the shell 12 may be bonded together using other bonding means such as tape or mechanical fastening means.

It may be advantageous, in some embodiments, for each of the side wall elements of the shell 12 to include one main body tab portion and one neck tab portion. In this way the blanks for each of the first and second side wall elements may be identical. In these embodiments each of the tab portions would overlap externally a corresponding edge region of the other side wall element.

In other embodiments of the container the base element may be secured to the side wall elements in a different configuration. For example, a side wall of the base element may adhere to an external surface of the side wall.

Although the above-described container 1 is substantially cylindrical, in other preferred embodiments the main body portion and the neck portion of the shell, and therefore the container, may have a hexagonal or octagonal cross-sectional shape. It will be appreciated that the main body portion and neck portion of containers of other embodiments may have any desired three-dimensional shape that may be formed from a flat sheet of cardboard and which form a continuous side wall of the container surrounding a bag.

In some embodiments it may also be desirable to include embossed or debossed decorative details in the shell 12 of the container 1. Suitable male and female tools may be used to form embossed shapes that protrude from the external surface 40 of the shell or debossed shapes that are recessed relative to the external surface 40. The regions of embossing or debossing may be formed in the main body portion 2 and/or the neck portion 4 of the shell 12. In some embodiments the blanks may be embossed or debossed before being formed into the first and second side wall elements 18, 20. In other embodiments suitable tools may be used to emboss or deboss regions of the formed elements 18, 20. This technique may, for example, be used to form a decorative detail in the form of an embossed bunch of grapes in the main body portion 2 of the shell 12 when the container 1 is to be used as a wine bottle.

The present invention, therefore, provides an improved container having a paperboard shell and an inner bag that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of previous container designs, and a method of construction of such a container.

Claims

1. A container comprising a paperboard outer shell and an inner liner, the container having a main body portion, a neck portion providing an opening of the container extending from a first end of the main body portion and a base on which the container may be supported in use disposed at a second end of the main body portion, and the outer shell comprising: a first side wall element including a part of the neck portion and a part of the main body portion of the container; a second side wall element including a part of the neck portion and a part of the main body portion of the container; and a third base element including the base of the container, wherein, said first, second and third elements are separate elements bonded together to form the shell, wherein each of said first, second and third elements are formed from a single flat sheet of material pressed to form the 3-dimensional shape, and wherein each of the first and second side wall elements comprises a web extending radially outwardly along a length of the neck portion.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each of the first and second side wall elements includes a shoulder portion between the main body portion and the neck portion, and wherein the web extends for the full length of the neck portion between the shoulder portion and an end of the neck portion furthest from the main body portion.

3. A container as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the flat sheet material is multi-ply paperboard having at least two layers.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first and second elements form a continuous side wall of the shell.

5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first, second and third elements are bonded together with an adhesive.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the main body portion is substantially cylindrical.

7. A container as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the neck portion of the shell is substantially cylindrical and wherein a diameter of the neck portion is smaller than a diameter of the main body portion.

8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first and second side wall elements are bonded together to form a generally cylindrical side wall of the container, the base element is substantially circular, and an outer surface of a side wall of the base element is bonded to an inner surface of the first and second side wall elements.

9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the inner liner comprises a fitment and a bag secured to the fitment, and wherein the fitment is engaged with the neck portion of the shell and the bag extends into the main body portion of the shell.

10. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the container comprises embossed or debossed shapes formed in a part of the shell.

11. A method of manufacturing a container as claimed in Claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: cutting a first side wall blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the first side wall blank to form the first side wall element; cutting a second side wall blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the second side wall blank to form the second side wall element; cutting a base blank from a flat sheet of paperboard material; hot pressing the base blank to form the third element; inserting an inner liner between the first and second side wall elements; and bonding the first, second and third elements together to form a shell around said liner.

12. A method as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the step of bonding the first, second and third elements together comprises adhering said elements, and wherein the method comprises applying an adhesive to regions of at least one of said first and second side wall blanks.

13. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein each of the first and second side wall blanks includes a main body panel and a neck panel, and wherein the method comprises: hot pressing the neck panel of the first side wall blank such that outer regions of the neck panel form the neck portion of the first side wall element and a central region of the neck panel forms a neck web extending radially outwardly from the neck portion; and hot pressing the neck panel of the second side wall blank such that outer regions of the neck panel form the neck portion of the second side wall element and a central region of the neck panel forms a neck web extending radially outwardly from the neck portion.

14. A method as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the first side wall blank includes a first tab panel extending from each side of the main body panel and a second tab panel extending from each side of the neck panel, and wherein the method comprises: applying an adhesive to said first and second tab panels; joining the first and second side wall elements such that the tab panels of the first side wall element overlap regions of the second side wall element; and adhering the tab portions of the first side wall element to the second side wall element.

15. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 14, wherein the method comprises: applying a heat activated adhesive to regions of the first side wall blank; hot pressing the first side wall blank to form the first side wall element with the adhesive in a non-activated state; and subsequently, activating the adhesive using a heat source to bond the first, second and third elements together.

16. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 15, wherein the method comprises printing on a surface of the flat sheet of paperboard material before cutting one or more of the first side wall blank, second side wall blank and base blank from said printed sheet of paperboard.

17. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 16, wherein the method comprises embossing or debossing a shape into a part of the first or second side wall element.