SE1650309A1

SE1650309A1 - Packaging container for scoopable contents.

Info

Publication number: SE1650309A1
Application number: SE1650309A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Herlin Henrik
Original assignee: A & R Carton Lund Ab
Priority date: 2016-03-08
Filing date: 2016-03-08
Publication date: 2017-09-09
Also published as: WO2017155453A1

Abstract

A packaging container comprising a container body (2) comprising a container wail (3) extending from a container bottom (4) to a container body opening (6), and a closure arrangement comprising a lid (14), an interior compartment (11) being arranged in the container body (2). The interior compartment comprises scoopable bulk solids and the packaging container comprises a scoop (44) having a scoop handle (50) and a scoop head (51). The scoop handle (50) has a proximal end (52) at the scoop head (51) and a distal end (53) remote from the scoop head (51). A scoop retainer (40) is arranged at the container body opening (6), the scoop retainer (40) comprising a first scoop retention element (42) and a second scoop retention element (43). The first scoop retention element (42) is arranged to releasably engage with a mating fastening element arranged at the distal end of the scoop (44) and to hold the scoop (44) in a first retention position. The second scoop retention element (39, 47) comprises or consists of a scoop head retention opening (47) being arranged to receive and hold the scoop head (51) in a second retention position wherein the scoop handle (50) is held at a distance from the scoopable bulk solids (34) and is directed inward from the container wall (3) at the container body opening (6).(Fig. 1 for publication)

Description

PG20645SEOO PACKAGING CONTAINER FOR SCOOPABLE CONTENTS TECHNICAL FlELD The invention pertains to a packaging container for scoopable contents, the packagingcontainer comprising a container body comprising a container wall extending from acontainer bottom to a container body opening in a height direction of the container, and aclosure arrangement comprising a lid. The packaging container further comprises a scoopcomprising a scoop handle and a scoop head, the scoop handle having a proximal end at the scoop head and a distal end remote from the scoop head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ln the area of packaging of consumer goods, and in particular when packaging dryflowable pulverulent consumer goods it is common to use rigid paperboard packagingcontainers which serve as protective transport and storage containers at the retail endand as storage and dispensing containers at the consumer end. Such paperboardcontainers are usually provided with an openable and closable lid, and with an innerremovable or breakable barrier membrane which keeps the contents fresh and protectedagainst contamination up until opening of the packaging container by a consumer. lt isalso important that the contents in the packaging container are protected fromcontamination once the inner barrier has been destroyed in order to gain a first access tothe packaged goods. lt is a concern that the packaging container allows repeated andhygienic removal of packaged goods from the packaging container, in particular when thepackaged goods is intended for ingestion by humans or animals. A packaging containerfor bulk solids usually contains more of the packaged product than will be used at eachdispensing occasion. Thus, it is desirable that the product remaining in the packagingcontainer remains fresh and un-contaminated at least for a time period corresponding tothe time it is expected to take for a consumer to use up all the contents in the packaging container.

PG20645SE00 2 When using a scoop to take out contents from a packaging container, it is desirable thatthe scoop is arranged inside the packaging container such that the scoop can be takenout of the packaging container and be used without needing to touch the scoop head andwithout having to dig out the scoop from the remaining contents in the packaging container. it has been suggested to provide packaging containers with means for conveniently andhygienically holding the scoop inside the packaging container between dispensingoccasions. One such means is attachment members arranged on the inner surface of thecontainer lid. However, it has been found that users find attachments in a swinging lid tobe difficult to manipulate with a single hand with the result that the attachments tend toremain unused. lt has also been suggested to provide a packaging container with a ring-shaped scoop-holder placed on an inwardly directed surface of an edge rim, as disclosedin WO 2014/129887 A1. However, all such features which protrude into the containeropening effectively reduce the size of the container access opening, i.e. the part of thecontainer opening which is available for accessing the packaged goods. Furthermore,rounded and irregularly shaped features which protrude into the container opening, suchas the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887 A1 increases the risk that the feature will comeinto contact with the hand of a person taking out contents from the packaging containerand become contaminated. Another risk is that the scoop accidentally catches on thescoop-holder resulting in that scooped-up material is spilled or that the scoop is dropped into the contents in the packaging container.

WO2006125363 A1 discloses a can box with built-in using tools in the can body, whereinthe can body is provided with a support for a knife, fork or spoon at a portion of the canmouth inner edge. A tool handle or tool head can be inserted beneath a securing strip onthe support and be held in place at the can opening. The support has a triangular shapeand is arranged with a corner of the triangle protruding into the can opening and has two edges which can be used as a scraping means for scraping off excess material.

Like the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887, the tool support in WO2006125363 A1 has thedrawback that it considerably reduces the size of the access opening of the can.Moreover, removal and attachment of a tool handle in the tool support in WO2006125363A1 can generally not be made without touching or even gripping a tool part such as ascoop head at the opposite end of the tool handle.

PG20645SE00 lt is therefore an object of the present invention to offer a packaging container withimproved capability of holding a scoop in a user-friendly and hygienic position in thepackaging container. A further object of the invention may be to facilitate hygienic removalof packaged goods from the packaging container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is offered a paperboard packaging container forscoopable bulk solids, in accordance with claim 1, which packaging container may offer amore hygienic and easier removal of scoopable bulk solids packaged in the packagingcontainer. Further embodiments are set out in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

The packaging container comprises a container body comprising a container wallextending from a container bottom to a container body opening, and a closurearrangement comprising a lid. An interior compartment adapted to contain scoopable bulksolids is arranged in the container body. The packaging container further comprises ascoop comprising a scoop handle and a scoop head, the scoop handle having a proximalend at the scoop head and a distal end remote from the scoop head.

A scoop retainer comprising a first scoop retention element and a second scoop retentionelement is arranged at said container body opening. The first scoop retention element isarranged to releasably engage with a mating fastening element arranged at the distal endof the scoop handle and to hold the scoop in a first retention position. The second scoopretention element comprises or consists of a scoop head retention opening beingarranged to receive and hold the scoop head in a second retention wherein the scoop handle is directed inward, away from the container wall at the container body opening.

The scoop may be held in the second retention position with the scoop handle at an angled to a horizontal plane through the packaging container of from O° to 20°. The scoophandle may be inclined slightly downward into the container, may be arranged horlzontallyin the packaging container or may be inclined slightly upward. lt may generally bepreferred that the scoop handle is arranged horlzontally, or at least nearly horlzontally when the scoop is in the second retention position.

PG20645SEOO The scoop retainer in a packaging container as disclosed herein is a single elementproviding two alternative and selectable means for holding a scoop in a predeterminedposition in the packaging container. ln both retention positions, the scoop is held with thedistal end of the scoop handle readily accessible at the container body opening.

While a modified rectangular footprint with rounded corners may be preferred for thepackaging container, the packaging container as disclosed herein may have any suitablefoot-print shape, such as circular, elliptic, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, pentagonal,hexagonal, octagonal, etc. ln a packaging container having a polygonal foot-print, thecontainer body may have curved corner portions instead of being formed with sharp COFHSFS.

The scoop retainer may be arranged at a bent wall portion of the packaging container andmay be arranged to bridge the bent wall portion.

As set out herein, the bent wall portion may be a container wall corner portion whichconnects a first container wall portion with a second container wall portion of a packagingcontainer having a polygonal foot-print or may be a curved segment of a wall in apackaging container having a container body with a circular, elliptic or oval foot-print or amodified rectangular container body with rounded corners. The scoop retainer extends from the first container wall portion to the second container wall portion.

The packaging container may be rectangular cuboid, having a rectangular or generallyrectangular foot-print with a container wall having front wall portion, a rear wall portion andtwo side wall portions. ln a cuboid packaging container having a lid which is hingedlyconnected to the rear wall portion, the container wall corner portion across which thescoop retainer extends may be a corner portion which connects the front wall portion with one of the side wall portions.

As disclosed herein, a periphery of the scoop retainer may be defined by an inner bentedge which is adapted to the shape of a bent wall portion and an outer straight edge. lfthe bent wall portion is a corner portion, the scoop retainer may have a triangular shape ora modified triangular shape if the corner portion is a curved corner portion. As the outerstraight edge of a triangular or generally triangular scoop retainer extends the shortest PG20645SEO0 distance between the first and the second container wall portions, the scoop retainer intrudes minimally on the access opening of the packaging container.

By placing the scoop retainer in a corner portion of the packaging container, thepackaging container in the second retention position may accommodate a scoop having alonger scoop handle than if the scoop retainer is placed at a planar or near planar wall portion.

The scoop retainers as disclosed herein, offering two different and distinct retentionpositions make the packaging container more user friendly, as it is more convenient touse for a larger number of users than a packaging container having only a single way ofholding the scoop in the container. The provision of dual retention positions also increasesthe chances of the scoop retainer actually being used for hygienically holding the scoopwith the scoop handle away from the packaged contents instead ofjust dumping thescoop back into the contents in the container after having used the scoop for removingcontents from the packaging container. By way of example only, when the scoop retaineris placed in a left corner portion of a rectangular packaging container a left-handed usermay find the first retention position more convenient to use, while a right-handed user mayfind that it is easier to insert and remove the scoop from the second retention position. lfthe scoop retainer is instead placed in a right corner portion the first retention positionmay be more convenient for a right-handed user and the second retention position may be more convenient for a left-handed user.

The second retention position with the scoop head inserted into the scoop head retentionopening may be preferred by a manufacturer as it may be technically easier to place thescoop with the scoop head in the scoop head retention opening than to connect matingfastening elements with each other. ln addition, in the second retention position, thescoop is neatly presented to a user when first opening the packaging container as it isbeing held horizontally or nearly horizontally and completely away from any sealing membrane or exposed packaged contents.

The scoop fastening element on the scoop retainer may be a female fastening element,such as an opening or a depression which is arranged to cooperate with a correspondingmale fastening element such as a hook or protrusion which is arranged at the distal end of the scoop handle.

PG20645SEOO Alternatively, the scoop retention element on the scoop retainer may be a male fasteningelement, such as a hook or a protrusion which is arranged to cooperate with acorresponding female retention element such as an opening or a depression which is arranged at the distal end of the scoop handle. lt may be preferred that the scoop retention element on the scoop retainer comprises orconsists of an opening and that the corresponding scoop retention element at the distalend of the scoop handle comprises or consists of a hook which can be hooked into theopening. The opening may be the same opening as the scoop head retention opening ormay be an additional opening formed in the scoop retainer. A scoop with a hook at theend of the handle can be easily attached to or removed from the scoop retainer withoutneeding to overcome an attachment force. The hook may be directed towards the openingin the scoop head, away from the opening in the scoop head or to a side of the scoop, i.e.parallel with the plane of the opening. lt is generally desired to minimize the presence of irregularities such as ridges andprotrusions on the inner surface of the packaging container in the vicinity of the containeraccess opening as pulverulent contents in the container may get caught on suchirregularities. A user opening the packaging container and discovering an upper portion ofthe container which is soiled by the pulverulent material in the container, will perceive thepackaging container as being messy and less hygienic than desired. Furthermore, it maybe desired to keep the packaged pulverulent material away from the access openingwhere it is more exposed to contamination as it may more easily come into contact withthe hands of a person opening the packaging container and removing contents throughthe access opening. Contaminated contents in the packaging container which are caughton features at the access opening may fall back into the container and may, in turn, contaminate the remaining contents in the container.

As the scoop retainer provides means for safely holding a scoop such that it is prohibitedfrom falling down into the contents of the packaging container, and with the scoop handlein a position at the container opening, a user opening the container can easily find thescoop and safely remove it from the scoop retainer when wishing to use it for takingcontents out of the packaging container. The first scoop retention element which isconfigured to cooperate with the mating fastening element at the distal end of the scoop PG20645SE00 7 handle, signals to a user of the packaging container how to correctly apply the scoop inthe scoop retainer in the first position. The scoop head may preferably be provided with across-sectional shape which at least partly mimics a cross-sectional shape of the scoophead retention opening in order to signal to the user that the scoop head may be placed inthe scoop head retention opening.

The scoop retainer in the packaging container as disclosed herein may comprise a scraping edge for scraping off excess scooped-up pulverulent material from the scoop.

By combining the scoop retaining function with a scraper function in a single element, thearea of the container opening is only reduced to a small degree, and the packagingcontainer is provided with a large access opening with a minimum of irregularities andinwardly protruding parts which may obstruct the access opening and make it difficult tosafely and hygienically remove contents from the packaging container. Accordingly, evenif provided with the scoop retainer as disclosed herein, the packaging container may havea large access opening with a regular contour without protruding features which greatlyfacilitates removal of the contents from the packaging container either by scooping or bypouring. The scraping function is preferably provided by a single straight scraping edgewhich bridges the bent wall portion, i.e. which extends the shortest distance across thebent wall portion.

The scoop retainer as disclosed herein may be formed as a generally two-dimensionalstructure such as a plate, a grid or a bar having a planar extension which considerablyexceeds the thickness of the piece of material. The scoop head retention opening may beformed in a plate-shaped scoop retainer or between a scraper bar and a container cornerwall portion. The scraper bar has a first edge facing away from the container wall andconstituting a scraping edge and a second edge facing the container wall. A second edgeof the scraper bar constitutes a portion of an edge of the scoop head retention opening.The edge of the scoop head retention opening may further comprise edges of a first and asecond side bar, which extend from the scraper bar towards the container wall cornerportion. The scraper bar and the side bars form a grid-shaped scoop retainer with a largeopen area. A grid-shaped scoop retainer may be preferred as it provides a scoop headretention opening with high shape stability and with a minimal surface on which scoopablecontents in the container may be deposited. The grid shape is neat and hygienic and maybe produced with very little material. ln order to further reduce the risk that pulverulent PG20645SEOO 8 material is caught on the scoop retainer, the scraper bar and/or one or both of the sidebars may have an upwardly arched outer surface in a height direction of the packagingcontainer. Upwardly arched surfaces include those surfaces having an curve shape suchas an inverted U-shape, as well as upwardly peaked surfaces such as surfaces having aninverted V-shape. An upwardly arched surface as used herein has a maximum with a verysmall or preferably non-existing planar portion facing upwards in the packaging containerand side portions sloping downward on each side of the maximum. By using profiledelements with a minimum of horizontal upwardly facing surface area, any pulverulentmaterial falling onto the scoop retainer will fall or slide off the scoop retainer, back into thepackaging container. A curved portion of the upwardly arched surface may preferably have a curvature of less than 10 millimeters.

The scraper bar and the side bars as disclosed herein may each have a width of from 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters.

The scoop head retention opening may be formed with a three-dimensional shape. Purelyby way of example, the scoop head retention opening may have a scoop head supportingflange at the opening edge forming a tapering receiving structure for the scoop head.

The scoop retainer may be provided as a separate part which can be attached by a userat any one of at least two selectable locations at the access opening of the packagingcontainer. The scoop retainer is then preferably provided with snap-in locking meanswhich cooperate with corresponding snap-in locking means on the packaging container,e.g. on an upper reinforcing rim allowing the scoop retainer to be attached by snapping itin place at the desired location and/or to detach an already attached scoop retainer and move it to another location. ln a packaging container as disclosed herein a vertical distance between the scoopretainer and an inner surface of the lid in a closed configuration of the packagingcontainer may be smaller than a scoop release distance between the scoop retainer andthe inner surface of the lid, the scoop release distance being a minimum vertical distancebetween the scoop retainer and the inner surface of the lid which is required for the scoopto be moved out of any one of the first retention position and the second retention position.

PG20645SEOO 9 The vertical distance between the inner surface of the container lid and the scoop retaineris selected to be sufficiently small to prohibit a scoop which is connected to the scoopretainer from moving out of engagement with the scoop retainer when the closedpackaging container is moved, shaken, or turned upside-down. The vertical releasedistance is > O millimeters. lt may be preferred that the vertical release distance is s 40millimeters.

The vertical distance between the scoop retainer and the inner lid surface may be adistance between a scoop restraining member arranged on the inner surface of the lid andthe scoop retainer. The scoop restraining member may be a protrusion arranged todiminish the distance between the inner surface of the lid and the scoop retainer and maybe made integrally with the inner surface of the lid or as a separate component which isattached to the lid. The scoop restraining member may be in contact with the scoop whenthe packaging container is closed or may be placed at a distance from the scoop. A scooprestraining member which contacts the scoop and optionally exerts a restraining pressureon the scoop may diminish a tendency of the scoop to rattle inside the packagingcontainer. The scoop restraining member may be a pressure resilient member serving to dampen scoop movements and to further reduce rattling.

The scoop retainer may be arranged directly on the inside of the container wall or on anupper reinforcing rim which is attached to the container wall at the container bodyopening. The scoop retainer may be formed integrally with an upper reinforcing rim ormay be formed as a separate part.

The reinforcing rim and the scoop retainer are preferably made as a single integralcomponent from thermoplastic material which allows the reinforcing rim and the scoopretainer to be thermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. An injection molding process maybe used to form plastic components having different polymer compositions in differentparts of the plastic component. By way of example, the surface of a plastic reinforcing rimwhich is welded to the container body may be formed from a polymer composition havinga lower softening and melting point than other parts of the reinforcing rim. Moreover, anabutment surface on the upper reinforcing rim may be formed from a resilient thermoplastic polymer.

PG20645SE00 The upper reinforcing rim may be attached to the container wall by any suitableattachment method, including adhesive attachment, mechanical attachment and welding.lt may be preferred that the upper reinforcing rim is welded to the inner surface of thecontainer wall. Any suitable welding technique may be used, such as uitrasonic welding, hot air welding or high frequency welding, with high frequency welding being preferred.

By joining the upper reinforcing rim to the inner surface of the container wall by means ofwelding, it is possible to obtain a tighter and siimmer attachment than is possible with anadhesive attachment. The welded reinforcing rim is preferabiy a plastic rim and connectsthe inner surface of the container wall with the inner surface of the container lid and contributes to create a barrier between the container wall and the container lid. in a paperboard packaging container as disciosed herein an access opening has a shapewhich differs from the container body opening and which is smaller than the containerbody opening. The size and shape of the access opening is defined by an inner profile of the scoop retainer and of the upper reinforcing rim, if present.

The paperboard container may comprise an inner peelable or openable sealingmembrane forming a cross-sectional seal between an inner compartment in the containerbody and the container opening. The inner peelable or openable sealing membrane is atransport and storage seal which is eventually broken or removed by an end user of the packaging container.

The scoop may be placed by the manufacturer on the membrane, i.e. not placed in thescoop retainer. The scoop may be inserted in the packaging container in a protectivewrap, such as a plastic bag. When opening the packaging container for a first time, theuser takes out the scoop, removes the sealing membrane, takes the scoop out of anyprotective wrap and can subsequently apply the scoop in the scoop retainer in any one of the two retention positions.

By an openable or peelable sealing membrane is meant a membrane that may be fully orpartly removed by a user in order to provide access to an interior compartment of thepackaging container either by breaking a seal between the sealing membrane and the inner surface of the container wall, or by tearing or otherwise breaking the sealing PG20645SEOO 11 membrane itself. Tearable sealing membranes may be provided with one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane.

A peelable or tearable sealing membrane may be gastight or gas-permeable. A gastightmembrane may be manufactured from any material or materia! combination suitable forproviding gastight sealing of a compartment deiimited by the sealing membrane, such asaluminium foil, silicon-coated paper, plastic film, or laminates thereof. A gastightmembrane is particularly advantageous when the pulverulent material stored in thepackaging container is sensitive to air and/or moisture and to keep fragrances andaromas in the packaging container and prevent the packaged contents from taking upscents and flavours from the ambient air. A gastight membrane provides additionalprotection of the packaged goods before a first opening of the packaging container by a presumptive consumer. lt may be preferred that the inner peelable or openable sealing membrane is a gas-tightpeelable or openable sealing membrane. lt may also be preferred that the packaging container is a gas-tight packaging container.

The barrier properties of the packaging containers disclosed herein may be designed tomeet different requirements of tightness depending on the goods which is packaged in thepackaging container. By way of example, in a packaging container for dried peas a lowerbarrier level may be sufficient than in a packaging container for e.g. infant formula which is highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture exposure.

The packaging containers as disclosed herein may have barrier properties which remainlargely unaltered even after removal of the inner sealing membrane. ln other words, thecontents in a closed packaging container may be equally well protected or nearly equallywell protected regardless of whether the inner sealing membrane has been removed ornot. This also means that also temporary seals such as a seal created by between the lidand an upper reinforcing rim and permanent seals such as a weld seal or adhesive sealbetween an upper reinforcing rim and the wall of the packaging container preferably havebarrier properties offering the same level of protection of the packaged contents as theinner sealing membrane and other container components which separate the contents in the container from the environment outside the packaging container.

PG20645SEOO 12 The packaging containers as disclosed herein are containers for scoopable bulkmaterials, which are flowable pulverulent materials capable of being poured or scoopedout of the containers. The containers are generally disposable paperboard packagingcontainers, which are intended to be discarded when they have been emptied of theircontents.

The paperboard packaging container may further comprise an outer rim or frame structurewhich is applied to the packaging container at the container body opening and which ismechanically connected to an inner reinforcing rim which is attached e.g. by welding to the inner surface of the container wall.

An upper reinforcing rim may form part of a lid component which further comprises a lidpart. The upper reinforcing rim and the lid part may be connected by a hinge. ln acorresponding manner a frame structure may form part of a lid component, which furthercomprises a lid part and wherein the frame structure and the lid part may be connected bya hinge.

A lid hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendable connection between the lid and thecontainer body or an upper plastic rim or frame structure. A live hinge may be formedintegral with the lid and/or with an edge rim or frame structure or with an upper edgeportion of a container body or may be a separately formed element which is attached tothe container lid and to the container body or an edge rim or frame structure. Alternatively,the hinge may be a two-part hinge, with a first hinge part arranged on the container lid anda second hinge part arranged on the container body or on an edge rim or frame structure.The hinge may be arranged at any suitable location at the container body opening suchas at a rear edge of the opening, at a side edge, etc.

The closure arrangement on the packaging container may comprise a lockingarrangement which is configured to maintain the lid in a closed position at the container opening. ln a packaging container provided with a lid which is attached with a hinge at a rear edgeof the access opening, it may be preferred that the scoop retainer is placed across a forward corner portion of the packaging container where it is easily accessible for PG20645SEOO 13 removing the scoop from the scoop retainer and for scraping off excess scooped-up contents if the scoop retainer is provided with a scraping edge.

The scoop comprises a scoop handle and a scoop head. The scoop handle has aproximal end at the scoop head and a distal end remote from the scoop head. The scoopretention element which is arranged at the distal end of the scoop handle is arranged toconnect with the corresponding scoop retention element of the first scoop retentionmember of the scoop retainer. The scoop retention elements are mating fasteningelements implying that when the fastening element on the scoop retainer is a femalefastening element, the fastening element on the scoop handle is a male fastening elementand when the scoop fastening element on the scoop retainer is a male fastening element, the fastening element on the scoop handle is a female fastening element.

The scoop handle may be provided with a fastening element which connects with thefastening element on the scoop retainer such that the opening in the scoop head facestowards the contents in the packaging container, or with the opening in the scoop headfacing away from the contents in the packaging container or towards a side wall in the packaging container.

By arranging a fastening element at the end of the scoop handle, the scoop may be heldin the scoop retainer in the first retention position with the handle at the container openingand with the scoop head directed downward into the packaging. The opening in the scoophead may be directed upward, away from the scoopable contents, downwards towardsthe scoopable contents, or towards the container wall when the scoop is in the firstretention position. A user can easily lift the scoop out of the scoop retainer without havingto touch other parts of the scoop than the scoop handle. ln particular, the scoop can betaken out of the packaging container without the user touching the scoop head which isthe part of the scoop which will be dipped into the scoopable contents when removingcontents from the container. The risk of contamination of the contents is considerablylowered by ascertaining that the scoop handle is kept away from the contents in thecontainer compartment. Depending on the degree of filling of the packaging container,when the scoop is held in the first position in the scoop retainer the scoop head may hangfreely downward in the container or may rest on the surface of the pulverulent material inthe container compartment. Hence, when using the provided scoop retainer, no part of thescoop which is handled by a user comes into contact with the contents in the packaging PG20645SEOO 14 container and the scoop is held in the packaging container in a hygienic and readily accessible way.

The scoop head is shaped and configured to fit in the scoop head retention opening andto be secureiy held in the scoop head retention opening in the second retention position.The scoop head has an open upper end and a closed lower end and is applied to thescoop retainer with the lower end inserted into the scoop head retention opening. Thescoop head retention opening is sized and shaped to receive the lower end of the scoophead such that the edge of the retention opening comes into engagement with the outsideof the scoop head thereby holding the scoop in a predetermined position in the scoop retainer.

Secure retention of the scoop head in the scoop head retention opening may be achievedin different ways. By way of example, the scoop head may have a tapering shape from theupper end towards the lower end allowing only the lower end of the scoop head to passthrough the scoop head retention opening. The tapering shape may be a graduallytapering shape allowing the scoop head to be wedged into the scoop head retentionopening or may be a shape with a distinct, step-wise change in the cross-sectional size ofthe scoop head. ln the latter case, the wider upper part of the scoop head may rest on theupper surface of the scoop retainer and act as a stop for further movement of the scoophead down through the scoop head retention opening. The scoop head retention openingmay be provided with a profiled edge, such as an edge flange having a shape at leastpartly corresponding to the shape of the scoop head to reduce the risk that the scoop willtilt when held in the second retention position.

The scoop head may be provided with one or more retention elements arranged tocooperate with the edge or with elements at the edge of the scoop head retention openingto hold the scoop head inserted at a predetermined level in the scoop head retentionopening. Such retention elements may be one or more knobs, ridges, ledges, etc.arranged on the outside of the scoop head. lt may be preferred that an edge portion of thescoop head located diametrically opposite the scoop handle is free of protruding retentionelements as it may be desirable to use that edge portion of the scoop to scrape upscoopable material from the bottom of the packaging container.

PG20645SEOO The packaging container may be delivered to the end user with the scoop attached to thescoop retainer in the first or in the second retention position. As set out herein, the scoophead is directed downward into the container when the scoop is attached to the scoopretainer in the first retention position. The scoop may be held with the scoop handleinclined downwardly, such that the proximal portion of the scoop handle is located belowthe distal part of the scoop handle. The connection between the scoop retainer and thescoop may be arranged to allow the inclination of the scoop handle to increase as thepackaging container is successively emptied of its contents, such as when the fasteningelements are constituted by a hook and an opening. When first opening a fresh packagingcontainer as disclosed herein, the scoop head may rest on a sealing membrane, if provided. ln the second retention position, the scoop head is retained in the scoop head retentionopening, and the scoop is held by the scoop retainer with the scoop handle extendingfreely out from the scoop retainer into the container opening and being readily grippablefor removal of the scoop from the scoop head retention opening. The scoop head is heldin the scoop head retention opening with an upper part of the scoop head above thescoop retainer and with a lower part of the scoop head below the scoop retainer. The partof the scoop head which is arranged above the scoop retainer should preferably beshielded by the container wall which means that it should preferably not protrude abovethe opening edge of the container. Furthermore, the part of the scoop head which isarranged above the scoop retainer should be adapted to be accommodated in the spacebetween the scoop retainer and the inner surface of the lid when the packaging containeris closed. As set out herein, the vertical distance between the scoop retainer and the innersurface of the lid in the closed configuration of the packaging container may be smallerthan the distance which is required for moving the scoop head out of the second retentionposition in order to ascertain that the scoop is held in the retainer even if the closed container is turned upside-down or shaken.

The provision of readily identifiable mating fastener elements on the scoop handle and onthe scoop retainer prompts a user to apply the scoop in a correct fashion in the scoopretainer, with the mating fastener elements connected with each other and with the scoophead directed away from the container opening. Depending on how the mating fasteningelement are arranged, the opening in the scoop head may be directed upwards,downwards or to a side when the scoop is in the first fastening position. By way of PG20645SEO0 16 example, a hook placed at the distal end of the scoop handle may be arranged such that itis placed on the same side of the scoop handle as the opening in the scoop head or onthe opposite side. A further possibility is to place the hook in a plane parallel with theplane of the opening in the scoop head such that the scoop can be hung sideways in the scoop holder.

As set out herein, it may also be desirable that the scoop head retention opening has anedge contour which matches a corresponding outer contour on the scoop head to indicateto a user that the scoop head is intended for insertion into the scoop head retention opening.

The packaging containers as disclosed herein are preferably paperboard packagingcontainers. As used herein, a paperboard packaging container is a packaging containerwherein the container body is formed from paperboard web material. The web materialmay be provided in the form of a continuous web or may be provided as individual sheetsof material. The paperboard container may be formed in any manner known in the art, e.g.by forming a container body by bending a paperboard material into a tubular shape andlongitudinally closing the tube by joining overlapping or abutting side edges of thepaperboard material. The join between the side edges may be covered by a sealing strip.The container bottom may be formed from a separate bottom disc which is attached atone end of the container body tube or may be formed by folding an end portion of the container body tube.

As used herein, a paperboard material is a web material predominantly made fromcellulose fibers or paper fibers. The paperboard material may be a single ply or multi-plyweb and may be a laminate comprising one or more layers of materials such as polymericfilms and coatings, metal foil, etc. The polymeric films and coatings may include or consistof thermoplastic polymers. The paperboard material may be coated, printed, embossed,etc. and may comprise fillers, pigments, binders and other additives as known in the art.The paperboard materials as disclosed herein may also be referred to as cardboard or carton materials.

As used herein, the terms “bulk solids” and '“scoopable bulk solids” refer to a pulverulentsolid material which is flowable and which can be scooped or poured out of a packagingcontainer. The bulk material may be dry or moist. Bulk solids in the context of the present application may be digestible, such as infant formula, coffee, tea, rice, flour, sugar, PG20645SEO0 17 cereals, soup powder, custard powder, or the like. Alternatively, the bulk solids may benon-digestible, such as tobacco, detergent, fertilizer, chemicals or the like.

By a pulverulent material as used herein is implied any material in the form of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, seeds, flakes, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a packaging container; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the packaging container in Fig. 1 with anopen lid; Fig. 3 shows a schematic top view of a container opening with a scoopinserted in a second position in a scoop retainer; Fig. 4 shows a side view of the scoop in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows a top view of a container opening with a scoop inserted in afirst position in a scoop retainer; Fig. 6 shows a schematic top view of a container opening with a scoopretainer; Fig. 7 shows a scoop for use with the scoop retainer in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 shows an embodiment of a scoop and a scoop retainer; Fig. 9 shows a further embodiment of a scoop and a scoop retainer; Fig. 10 shows a reinforcing rim with a scoop retainer and a scoop; PG20645SE00 18Fig. 11 shows a packaging container with a scoop retainer and a scoop;Fig. 12 shows the packaging container in Fig. 11 with the scoop in the firstretention position; andFig. 13 shows the packaging container in Fig. 12 with the scoop in the second retention position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION lt is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components arenot necessarily drawn to scale. The packaging container, reinforcing rim and Iidcomponent shown in the figures are provided as examples only and should not beconsidered limiting to the invention. The scoop retainer as disclosed herein may be usedwith packaging containers having completely removable lids. The scoop retainer asdisclosed herein is also useful in packaging containers having a hinge-lid arrangementdifferent from the rim/frame arrangement shown in the figures. Such hinge-lidarrangement may be any suitable hinge-lid arrangement as known in the art includinghinge-lid arrangements where the hinge is a two-part hinge and hinge-lid arrangementwithout a reinforcing rim and/or without a frame-structure. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is determined solely by the appended claims. Furthermore, as set out herein, the scoop retainer may be used in packaging containers without an upper reinforcing rim.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a packaging container 1 for pourable orscoopable bulk solids. The particular shape of the container 1 shown in the figures shouldnot be considered limiting to the invention. Accordingly, the packaging container according to the invention may have any useful shape or size, as set out herein.

The packaging container 1 comprises a container body 2 formed by a tubular containerwall 3 including a front wall portion 3a, a rear wall portion 3b and two side wall portions 3c,3d. The container wall 3 extends from a container bottom 4 to a container body opening 6in a height direction H of the packaging container 1. The container wall 3 has an innersurface 7 facing towards an inner compartment 11 in the packaging container 1 and anouter surface 8 facing away from the inner compartment 11 and being exposed to theexterior of the packaging container 1. A bottom disc 9 is positioned at the bottom 4 of thecontainer body 2. The container body 2 is made from paperboard material as defined PG20645SEO0 19 herein. The container body 2 may be formed by bringing together the side edges of a webof paperboard causing the material to assume a tubuiar shape, where after the side edgesare sealed together. Sealing of the side edges may be made by any suitable method asknown in the art, such as by welding or giuing, with welding being preferred. Sealing ofthe side edges of the container body web may involve using a seaiing strip, as known inthe art. The bottom disc 9 may be made from paperboard, metal, plastic, or from any suitable combination of such materials as known in the art.

The edge of the container bottom 4 is reinforced by a plastic bottom rim 10 which isapplied to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3, on the outside of the bottom disc 9and which has an outwardly directed flange which covers the paperboard edge of thecontainer bottom 4 and forms a bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1. The bottomrim 10 reinforces the paperboard edge of the container wall 3, stabilizes the shape of thecontainer body 2 and protects the bottom edge of the container wall 3 from mechanicaldeformation. The plastic bottom rim 10 also serves as a protective barrier against waterand other fluids which may be present on a surface on which the packaging container isplaced. The bottom rim 10 delimits a downwardly open space between the bottom disc 9and the bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1 which may be used toaccommodate stacking elements arranged at an upper end of another packaging container when stacking two or more packaging containers on top of each other.

As an alternative to a plastic bottom rim, the bottom edge of the packaging container maybe formed by a rolled edge of the paperboard container body, or may be provided by asimple, non-rolled join between the bottom disc 9 and the container body 2.

The container bottom may alternatively be formed without a bottom disc by folding of the container wall material, as known in the art.

The paperboard packaging container 1 is provided with a closure arrangement comprisinga lid 14 and an upper reinforcing rim 15 extending along the upper edge of the containerwall 3 and defining a perimeter of a container access opening 35 which is smaller than thecontainer body opening 6 which is defined by the upper edge of the tubular containerbody 2.

PG20645SE00 As set out herein, the upper reinforcing rim 15 is preferably a plastic rim, most preferablya thermoplastic rim. As shown in Fig. 2, the reinforcing rim 15 may be attached to theinner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 at the container body opening 6. The upperreinforcing rim 15 has an extension in the height direction, H, of the container 1 and hasan upper rim edge 19 facing away from the container bottom disc 9. The upper reinforcingrim 15 extends around the full periphery of the container body opening 6. The upper partof the reinforcing rim 15 protrudes upwards in the height direction, H, above the upperedge of the paperboard container body 2.

The upper reinforcing rim 15 is joined to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3 bymeans of a weld seal extending around the container opening 6. The weld seal preferablyextends continuously around the container body opening 5 and is a sift-proof weld sealand is preferably also a moisture proof weld seal and most preferably a gas-tight weldseal.

The weld seal is formed by supplying energy to heat and locally soften or melt one ormore thermoplastic components in a thermoplastic rim 15 and/or in a coating or film onthe inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 and by pressing the reinforcing rim 15 andthe container wall 3 together in a direction perpendicular to the container wall 3. Thethermoplastic material used to create the weld seal may be provided by a fully or partlythermoplastic reinforcing rim 15, by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7of the container wall 3, or by both a fully or partly thermoplastic reinforcing rim and by athermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3. A plasticreinforcing rim 15 is preferably made from thermoplastic material which allows it to bethermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. Any suitable welding technique may be used,such as ultrasonic welding or high frequency welding, with high frequency welding beingpreferred.

The lid 14 is formed from an outer lid part 14a and an inner lid part 14b. The outer lid part14a is a profiled part with a three-dimensional shape providing an upper outer surface 25of the lid 14. The inner lid part 14b is a planar disk. The inner lid part 14b has an inner lidsurface 24 which faces towards the bottom disc 9 when the lid 14 is closed on thecontainer access opening 35.

PG20645SEOO 21 The outer lid part 14a is connected by a hinge 29 to a frame structure 30, the lid 14 andthe frame structure 30 together forming a lid component 31. The hinge 29 is a live hinge,formed integrally with the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30 as a flexibleconnection between the upper lid part 14a and the frame structure 30. As set out herein,the illustrated hinge is only intended as a non-limiting example and it should beunderstood that any other type of functional hinge may be used for the connectionbetween the frame structure and the lid. Moreover, the lid may be of the removable kind,without any permanent connection to a frame structure, a reinforcing rim or to the container body. ln the packaging container 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the frame structure 30 is applied tothe packaging container at the upper edge of the container body 2 and is mechanicallyattached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by a snap-on connection. The frame structure 30may be attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 after the reinforcing rim 15 has beenwelded to the inner surface 7 of the paperboard container wall 3. The frame structure 30is applied to the upper reinforcing rim 15 by pressing the frame structure 30 down over theupper edge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 until the frame structure 30 locks in placeon the upper reinforcing rim 15 by means of mating snap-in features on the upperreinforcing rim 15 and the frame structure 30. When the frame structure 30 has beenattached to the upper reinforcing rim 15, it can only be removed again by breaking or damaging the snap-in connection between the rim 15 and the frame structure 30.

The interior compartment 11 is sealed with a fully or partly removable sealing membrane33 which is applied over the packaged goods 34 and which is sealed to the containerbody wall 3. The removable sealing membrane 33 may be attached to the container walleither from the top end of the container body 2 or from the bottom end of the containerbody 2, in which case it is attached before attaching the bottom disc 9. ln the exampleshown in Fig. 2, the sealing membrane 33 has been applied from the top end of thecontainer body 2, with a band-shaped upwardly directed edge portion 17 of the membrane33 being attached to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3. ln order to gain a first access to the packaged goods, a user needs to open the lid 14 andthen expose the packaged goods 34 by fully or partly removing the sealing membrane 33.The sealing membrane 33 may be arranged to be peeled away from the wall 3 of the container body 2 or may be arranged with means for breaking the membrane 33 so that it PG20645SEOO 22 can be at least partly removed from the container access opening 35. Such means maybe in the form of one or more predefined weakenings (not shown), such as perforations ora cut partly through the membrane. When the membrane is of the tear-open type, anarrow edge part of the sealing membrane may be left at the inner surface 7 of thecontainer wall 3. Any such remaining part of the sealing membrane should preferabiy notbe so large so that it extends into the container access opening. lt may be preferred that aremaining membrane part has an extension perpendicular to the height direction H of thepackaging container of at most 7 millimeters such as from 1 - 6 millimeters, from 2 - 5millimeters or from 3 - 4 millimeters. lt may be preferred that the inward extension of aremaining membrane part is 4 millimeters or less. Although generally preferred, thesealing membrane 33 is an optional feature of the disclosed packaging container 1 and may be omitted.

Once the sealing membrane 33 has been removed, it is sufficient to open the lld 14 inorder to gain access to the packaged goods 34 in the interior compartment 11 through thecontainer access opening 35. As is seen in Fig. 2, which reveals the inside of the upperreinforcing rim 15, the area of the container access opening 35 is defined by an innerperimeter 28 or inner contour of the upper reinforcing rim 15. As the upper reinforcing rim15 is applied on the inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3 and adds thickness to thebody wall in an inward direction, the area of the access opening 35 is always smaller than the area of the container body opening 6.

The upper reinforcing rim 15 which is shown in Fig. 2 carries a scoop retainer 40 whichextends across the front left corner portion of the reinforcing rim 15 as seen in the figures.The scoop retainer 40 is provided with a scraping edge 41 for scraping off excessscooped-up contents from a scoop. The provision of a scraping edge 41 is optional to the scoop retainer as disclosed herein.

As is shown in Fig. 4, a scoop 44 for use together with the scoop retainer 40, comprises ascoop handle 50 and a scoop head 51. The scoop handle 50 has a proximal end 52 at thescoop head 51 and a distal end 53 remote from the scoop head 51. The hook element 43is arranged at the distal end 53 of the scoop handle 50 and is arranged to be inserted intothe opening 42 in the scoop retainer 40, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

PG20645SE00 23 The scoop retainer 40 comprises a first scoop retention element 42 in the form of anopening which is arranged in the triangular area formed in the corner between thescraping edge 41 and the container wall 3. The first scoop retention element 42 isarranged to releasabiy engage with a mating fastening element 43 arranged at the distalend of a scoop handle 50, such as the hook arranged at the distal end 53 of the handle 50of the scoop 44 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When the first scoop retention element 42 on thescoop retainer 40 is coupled to the fastening element 43 at the distal end 53 of the scoophandle 50, the scoop 44 is held in a first retention position with the scoop head 51hanging down from the scoop retainer 40, as illustrated in Fig. 5. lt is to be noted that Fig.5 shows the packaging container 1 without a sealing membrane, and with the pulverulentcontents 34 visible.

A second scoop retention element 47 constituted by a scoop head retention opening anda scoop handle supporting edge portion 39 of the scoop retainer 40 which is foundbetween the scraping edge 41 and the retention opening 47 is arranged to receive andhold the scoop head 51 in a second retention position with the scoop handle 51 extendingaway from the container wall 3 into the packaging container and at a distance from thesealing membrane 33 which is applied over the scoopable contents 34 in the packagingcontainer. The scoop position shown in Fig. 3 may be used by a manufacturer to hold thescoop 44 in a non-rattling position which allows the scoop to be neatly and convenientlypresented to a user opening the packaging container for a first time. lt should be notedthat even after the sealing membrane 33 has been removed, the scoop handle 50 is heldwell above the scoopable contents 34 in the packaging container when the scoop 44 isplaced in the scoop retainer 40 in the second retention position. The scoop 44 may beheld in the second retention position with the scoop handle 50 at an angle oi to ahorizontal plane through the packaging container of from 0° to 20°. Accordingly, the scoophandle 51 may be inclined slightly downward into the container, may be arrangedhorizontally in the packaging container or may be inclined slightly upwardly. lt is generallypreferred that the scoop handle 50 is arranged horizontally, or at least nearly horizontallywhen the scoop 44 is in the second retention position.

As illustrated by Fig. 3, it is not necessary that the contour of the scoop head 51completely matches the contour of the scoop head retaining opening 47, as long as thescoop head 51 can be inserted in to the scoop head retention opening 47 and be securelyheld in the second position either by mating shapes of the scoop head 51 and the scoop PG20645SE00 24 head retention opening alone or by additional means such as a supporting edge portion39 of the scoop retainer 40. ln the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the scoop head 51 has astraight front edge which does not conform to the curved contour of the scoop headretention opening 47. A straight edge at the front end of the scoop head may be desiredfor facilitating scooping up material from the bottom of the packaging container.

The scoop retainer 40 may be integrally formed with an upper reinforcing rim 15 as shownin Fig. 2 or with any other type of upper reinforcing rim. Alternatively, the scoop retainer40 may be provided as a separate part which can be attached at any one of at least twoselectable locations at the access opening 35 of the packaging container 1 as disclosedherein. A separateiy formed scoop retainer 40 is preferably provided with snap-in meanscooperating with corresponding snap-in means on the upper reinforcing rim 15 allowing auser to select the most appropriate corner portion in which to attach the scoop retainer 40.The attachment is preferably a non-permanent attachment allowing a userto change theplacement of a scoop retainer 40 according to his/her preference. By way of example, ascoop retainer which has been pre-attached by a manufacturer may be detached andmoved to a more suitable location or different users such as right-handed users and left- handed users may wish to use the scoop retainer in different locations.

When the packaging container 1 has a hinged lid 14 as shown in the figures, it may bepreferred that a movable scoop retainer 40 can be attached at least across the containerwall corner portions at the front of the packaging container 1, i.e. the corner portionsformed between the front wall portion 3a and the side wall portions 3c, 3d.

A scoop retainer 40 placed at the front of the packaging container may be preferred in apackaging container having a hinged lid 14 as such placement is convenient both whenremoving and fastening the scoop 44 in the first and second positions and when using thescraping edge 41 to scrape off excess scooped-up material. The provision of two differentand distinct ways of fastening the scoop 44 in the scoop retainer 40 allows a user to freelychoose the retention position which the user finds most convenient. By way of exampleonly, when the scoop retainer 40 is placed as shown in Fig. 2 a left-handed user may findthe first retention position more convenient to use, while a right-handed user finds that it iseasier to insert and remove the scoop 44 from the second retention position. Otherarrangements are contemplated in the packaging containers as disclosed herein. The scoop retainer 40 may e.g. be placed at the right front corner portion between the front PG20645SE00 wall portion 3a and the right side wall portion 3c or at one of the rear corner portionsbetween the rear wall portion 3b and one of the side wall portions 3c, 3d. The scoop 44may be arranged to be held in the first retention position with the opening in the scoophead 51 directed downward, towards the contents in the packaging container, as is thecase for the scoop 44 in Figs. 8 and 10 or with the opening in the scoop head 51 directedupward, away from the contents in the packaging container as is the case with the scoops44 shown in Figs.4, 5, 7 and 9. lt is to be understood that any of the types of matingfastening elements which are used for attaching the scoop 44 in the first retention positionmay be used for attaining a position with the opening in the scoop head 51 directeddownward or upward. By way of example, the hooks 43 at the distal end 53 of the scoop44 in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 may be turned towards the opening in the scoop head 51, instead ofaway from the opening in the scoop head 51. Likewise, the fastening element 43 in Fig. 8may be placed on the opposite side of the scoop handle 50 from that shown in Fig. 8.

The distance between the scoop retainer 40 and the inner lid surface 24 may be selectedto be sufficiently small to prohibit a scoop 44 which is held by the scoop retainer frommoving out of engagement with the scoop retainer 40 when the closed packagingcontainer 1 is moved, shaken, or turned upside-down. The release distance is theminimum distance between the scoop retainer 40 and the inner surface 24 of thecontainer lid 14 which is required in order to be able to move the scoop out ofengagement with the scoop retainer 40 from any one of the first and the second retentionpositons. The release distance is > 0 millimeters. lt may be preferred that the release distance is s 40 millimeters.

As is illustrated in Fig. 2, the distance between the scoop retainer 40 and the inner lidsurface 24 may be a distance between a scoop restraining member 60 arranged on theinner surface 24 of the lid 14 and the scoop retainer 40. The scoop restraining member 60may be a protrusion arranged to diminish the distance between the inner surface of the lidand the scoop retainer 40 and may be made integrally with the inner surface of the lid or as a separate component which is attached to the inner surface of the lid.

Further, non-limiting examples of scoop retainers 40 and scoops are shown in Figs. 6-9. ln the scoop fastening arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the scoop retainer 40 isprovided with a scoop head retention element/scoop head retention opening 47 which is PG20645SEOO 26 shaped and sized to receive and retain a forward portion 51' of the scoop head 51 while arearward portion 51” of the scoop head 51 is configured to rest on a supporting edgeportion 39 of the scoop retainer 40.

Fig. 6 is a highly simplified top view of the access opening 35 of a packaging container 1and shows the scoop retainer 40 arranged at a corner portion of the container body andwith a sealing membrane 33 applied over the container body opening 6. The packagingcontainer 1 in Fig. 6 is shown without components such as a lid or an upper reinforcing rim.

Fig. 8 shows an example of a generally triangular scoop retainer 40 for application in acurved corner portion of a packaging container, such as the packaging container shown inFigs. 1 and 2 wherein the container wall corner portion connects a first container wallportion 3a, 3b with a second container wall portion 3c, 3d and wherein the scoop retainer40 is arranged such that it extends from the first container wall portion to the secondcontainer wall portion. The two shorter sides of the scoop retainer 40 conform to theshape of the container wall 3 in the corner portion with the long side forms an outerstraight edge 41 which extends the shortest distance between the first and the secondcontainer wall portions 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d. By arranging the scoop retainer 40 in a cornerportion, the scoop retainer intrudes minimally on the access opening 35 of the packagingcontainer. Although less preferred, the scoop retainers 40 as disclosed herein mayinstead be arranged at a wall portion having no or only a slight curvature.

As set out herein, the scoop retainer may be formed as a generally two-dimensional pieceof material such as a plate or a band having a planar extension which considerablyexceeds the thickness of the piece of material. The scoop head retention opening may beformed in a plate-shaped scoop retainer or between a band-shaped piece of material anda bent container wall portion.

The scoop retainer 40 in Fig. 8 has a circular scoop head retention element/retentionopening 47 which is arranged to cooperate with a correspondingly shaped scoop head 51,and a first female scoop retention element 42 in the form of a small opening which isarranged to cooperate with a corresponding male fastening element 43 in the form of aknob arranged at the distal end 53 of the scoop handle 50. When the scoop 44 is attachedto the scoop retainer in the first fastening position with the knob 43 inserted in the small PG20645SEO0 27 opening 42, the scoop head 51 will be directed downward into the packaging containerand with the opening in the scoop head facing the scoopable contents in the packagingcontainer. When the scoop 44 is held in the second retention position with the scoop head51 inserted into the scoop head retention opening 47, the scoop 44 is prevented fromtilting in the scoop retainer 40 by means of a retaining fiange 56 extending circumferentially on the outside of the scoop head.

Fig. 9 shows a scoop retainer 40 with a scoop head retention element/retention opening47 having an asymmetric shape matching the shape of the scoop head 51. The matingfastening elements 42 and 43 for fastening the scoop 44 in the first retention position areconstituted by a male fastening element 42 in the form of a knob on the scoop retainer 40and a corresponding female fastening element 43 in the form of an opening at the distal end 53 of the scoop handle 50.

Fig. 10 shows a top view of an upper reinforcing rim 15 comprising a scoop retainer 40formed integrally with the rim 15 and being placed at a straight or optionally slightly curvedportion of the rim which may correspond to a front wall or a side wall of a packagingcontainer as disclosed herein. The scoop retainer 40 is shown with a scoop 44 beingapplied in the second retention position with the scoop head 51 inserted into the scoophead retention element/retention opening 47 and with the proximal end of the scoophandle 50 resting on a supporting edge portion 39 of the scoop retainer 40.

The packaging container 101 which is shown in Figs. 11-13 is of the same general type asthe packaging container 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, i.e. a packaging container forscoopable bulk solids, and comprises a container body 102 comprising a container wall103. The container wall 103 extends from a container bottom 104 to a container bodyopening 106 in a height direction H of the packaging container 101. The container body102 is made from paperboard material as defined herein.

The paperboard packaging container 101 is provided with a closure arrangementcomprising a lid 114 and an upper reinforcing rim 115 extending along the upper edge of the container wall 103 and defining a perimeter of a container access opening 135.

The lid 114 is connected by a hinge 129 to the upper reinforcing rim 115. As set outherein, the packaging container may alternatively have a completely removable lid.

PG20645SE00 28 The packaging container 101 has an interior compartment 111 which is sealed by aremovabie sealing membrane 133 which is applied over the packaged goods as illustratedin Fig. 11 and which is sealed to the container body wall 103. A scoop 144 is placed onthe non-opened sealing membrane 133. ln Fig. 11, the scoop 144 is shown to be placeddirectly on the sealing membrane 133. Alternatively, the scoop 144 may be provided with a protective wrap, such as a piastic bag.

The upper reinforcing rim 115 carries a scoop retainer 140 which extends across the frontleft corner portion of the reinforcing rim 115 as seen in the figures. The scoop retainer 140is provided with a scraping edge 141 for scraping off excess scooped-up contents from the scoop 144.

The scoop retainer 140 comprises a first scoop retention element in the form of anopening 142 which is arranged in the triangular area formed in the corner between thescraping edge 141 and the container wall 103. The first scoop retention element 142 isarranged to reieasably engage with a mating fastening element in the form of a hook 143arranged at the distal end 153 of the scoop handle 150. When the first scoop retentionelement 142 on the scoop retainer 140 is coupled to the fastening element 143 at thedistal end 153 of the scoop handle 150, the scoop 144 is held in a first retention positionwith the scoop head 151 hanging down from the scoop retainer 140, as illustrated in Fig.12. lt is to be noted that Fig. 12 shows the packaging container 1 with the sealing membrane 133 removed but without any contents in the inner compartment 111.

The opening 142 in the scoop retainer 140 does also serve as the scoop head retentionopening 147 for receiving the scoop head 151 and holding the scoop 144 in the second retention position, as shown in Fig. 13.

The scraping edge 141 is a first edge of a scraper bar 160 having a second edge 161which constitutes a portion of the edge of the scoop head retention opening 147. Theedge of the scoop head retention opening 147 further comprises edges 162, 163 of a firstand a second side bar 164, 165, which extend from the scraper bar160 towards thecontainer wall corner portion. The remaining portion 166 of the edge of the scoop headretention opening 147 is defined by the contour of the reinforcing rim 115 at the containerwall corner portion. The scraper bar 160 and the side bars 164, 165 are arranged as a grid in the container corner portion and form a scoop retainer 140 with a large open area PG20645SE00 29 with a minimum of structural elements on which scoopable contents in the container maybe caught. As set out herein, the upwardiy facing surface of the scraper bar 160 and theside bars 164, 165 may be arched in the height direction H, further reducing the risk ofscoopable contents being accumulated on the upper surface of the scoop retainer 140.

As set out herein, the scraper bar 160 and the side bars may each have a width of from 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters.

Fig. 12 illustrates how a scoop 144 having a sideways oriented hook 143 at the distal end 153 of the scoop handle 150 will appear when hanging down from the scoop retainer 140.

As is seen in Fig. 12, the scoop 144 is oriented with the opening in the scoop head 151directed sideways instead of the upwards or downwards orientation resulting from hooksarranged as shown in Figs. 7 and 10 respectively. The hook 143 is engaged with thescoop retainer 140 by being hooked over the scraping bar 160, into the central opening142, 147 between the side bars 164, 165. lt is to be understood that the particular closure construction with a rim and a framestructure as disclosed herein is not essential to the packaging container of the claimedinvention. The scoop retainer as disclosed herein may be applied to any packagingcontainer for bulk solids having an access opening and being provided with a scoop forremoving bulk solids out of the packaging container through the access opening including containers without reinforcing plastic elements.

Claims

1. A packaging container (1; 101) comprising a container body (2; 102) comprising acontainer wall (3; 103) extending from a container bottom (4; 104) to a container bodyopening (6; 106) in a height direction (H) of said packaging container (1; 101), and aclosure arrangement comprising a lid (14; 114), an interior compartment (11; 111) beingarranged in said container body (2; 102), said interior compartment (11; 111) beingadapted to contain scoopable bulk solids, said packaging container (1; 101) furthercomprising a scoop (44; 144) comprising a scoop handle (50; 150) and a scoop head (51;151), said scoop handle (50; 150) having a proximal end (52; 152) at said scoop head(51; 151) and a distal end (53; 153) remote from said scoop head (51; 151),characterized in that a scoop retainer (40; 140) is arranged at said container body opening (6; 106), said scoopretainer (40; 140) comprising a first scoop retention element (42; 142) and a secondscoop retention element (39, 47; 147), said first scoop retention element (42; 142) beingarranged to releasably engage with a fastening element arranged at said distal end (53,153) of said scoop handle (50; 150) and to hold said scoop (44; 144) in a first retentionposition, said second scoop retention element (39, 47; 147) comprising or consisting of ascoop head retention opening (47; 147) being arranged to receive and hold said scoophead (51; 151) in a second retention position wherein said scoop handle (50; 150) isdirected inward away from said container wall (3; 103) at said container body opening (6;106).

2. A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said scoop retainer (40; 140) isarranged at a container wall corner portion, said container wall corner portion connectinga first container wall portion (3a) with a second container wall portion (3d), said scoopretainer (40; 140) extending from said first container wall portion to said second container wall portion.

3. A packaging container according to claim 2, wherein said container wall corner portion connects a front wall portion (3a) with a side wall portion (3c, 3d).

4. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein saidscoop handle (50; 150) is held at an angle to a horizontal plane (P) through saidpackaging container of from 0° to 20° when said scoop (44; 144) is in said second retention position.

5. PG20645sE0o 315. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding ciaims, wherein said firstscoop retention element (42; 142) on said scoop retainer (40; 140) comprises or consists of a retaining opening and wherein said scoop fastening element (43; 143) at said distalend of said scoop handle comprises or consists of a hook.

6. A packaging container according to claim 5, wherein said scoop retention eiement (42; 142) and said scoop head retention opening (47; 147) are constituted by a single opening.

7. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein saidscoop retainer (40; 140) comprises a scraping edge (41; 141).

8. A packaging container according to ciaim 7, wherein said scraping edge (41; 140) consists of a single straight edge arranged at a container wall corner portion.

9. A packaging container according to ciaim 8, wherein said scraping edge (41; 141) is afirst edge of a scraper bar (160) and wherein a second edge (161) of said scraper bar(160) constitutes a portion of an edge of said scoop head retention opening (47; 147).

10. A packaging container according to claim 9, wherein said edge of said scoop headretention opening (47) further comprises edges (162, 163) of a first and a second side bar(164, 165), which extend from said scraper bar (160) towards said container wall cornerportion.

11. A packaging container according to ciaim 10, wherein said scraper bar and said firstand second side bars (164, 165) each have a width of from 1 millimeter to 5 miliimeters.

12. A packaging container according to claim 10 or 11, wherein said scraper bar (160)and/or one or both of said side bars (162, 163) has an upwardly arched surface in saidheight direction (H) of said packaging container (101).

13. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein saidcontainer wall (3; 103) comprises a front waii portion (3a), a rear waii portion (3b) and twoside waii portions (3c, 3d) and wherein said Iid (14; 114) is hingedly connected to saidrear waii portion (3b) at said container body opening (6, 106). PG20645SEO0 32

14. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein avertical distance between said scoop retainer (40; 140) and an inner surface (24) of saidIid (14) in a closed configuration of said packaging container is smaller than a releasedistance for said scoop (44; 144), said release distance of said scoop (44; 144) being aminimum vertical distance between said scoop retainer (40; 140) and said inner surface(24) of said lid (14; 114) which is required for said scoop (44; 144) to be moved out of any one of said first retention position and said second retention position.

15. A packaging container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein saidscoop retainer (40; 140) is arranged on an upper reinforcing rim (15; 115) which isattached to said container wall (3; 103) at said container body opening (6; 106).

16. A packaging container according to claim 15, wherein said scoop retainer (40; 140) is formed integrally with said upper reinforcing rim (15; 115).

17. A packaging container (1; 101) according to any one of the preceding claims, whereinsaid packaging container (1; 101) comprises an inner peelable or openable sealingmembrane (33; 133) forming a cross-sectional seal between said inner compartment (11; 111) in said container body (2; 102) and said container opening (6; 106).