FOIL PACKAGING BAG

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a foil bag with a bag body made of a bag film having at least two opposing front walls, wherein a printed material section is attached to one of the front walls by a permanent fastening seam on a part of a circumferential edge of the material section and has a tear line in the form of a material weakening adjacent to the fastening seam.

[0002] The foil bag is specifically designed as a foil packaging bag and can, for example, be equipped with a stand-up base for holding liquids such as detergents, cleaning agents, liquid soap, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, or similar products. Besides other liquids such as various household chemicals, other packaging purposes for which foil bags are commonly used are also possible.

[0003] Conventional foil packaging bags are used in practice as mass-produced items, the typical structure of such foil packaging bags being known, for example, from EP 2 032 454 B1 and EP 2 364 848 B1.

[0004] Often, the material used for the bag wall is a laminated composite consisting of a bag film with an inner film made of polyethylene (PE) and an outer film based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or biaxially oriented polypropylene (BO-PP), whereby a printing layer in such a laminated composite is applied to the inner contact surface either on the outer film or the inner film before the inner film is bonded to the outer film and is then visible through the transparent outer film.

[0005] These conventional foil packaging bags are characterized by a particularly high-quality appearance and good functional properties. However, due to the lamination of different polymer materials, pure plastic recycling is not possible, which is why such foil packaging bags are generally disposed of as single-use items after use or, at best, incinerated, although thermal recovery is still possible.

[0006] In contrast, single-type plastic waste can be easily recycled, although the printing ink often present on the bag wall can hinder the formation of high-quality recycled products, depending on its composition.

[0007] With regard to recycling, single-material and unprinted plastic waste is particularly advantageous. In contrast, film bags, and especially film packaging bags, require a high-quality appearance, which, in addition to appealing graphic design, also necessitates the inclusion of product and consumption information on the film bags.

[0008] To meet these requirements, various and sometimes conflicting approaches are known from the state of the art.

[0009] According to JPH 5-84640 U, ​​a foil pouch for refilling a liquid is proposed, which is provided with a separate, circumferential band. The separate, relatively stiff band stabilizes the foil pouch, while also allowing a user to easily grip the pouch by the band.

[0010] Furthermore, multilayer film bags and film packaging are known in which individual layers are peelable, i.e., separably bonded. This involves creating bonding seams whose adhesive strength is adjusted such that these bonding seams separate when a tensile force is applied to the contact surface of the successive layers. Various embodiments of such film bags and film packaging are described, for example, in JPH 8-2536 A, US 2018 / 0009587 A1, US 3,114,643 A, and US 6,280,085 B1.

[0011] A foil bag of the type, on the other hand, is made of EP 3 168 169 A1 ( Fig. 1 The printed material section extends only over a central area of ​​the film bag's height and is attached there to the underlying front wall by permanent, i.e., non-peelable, heat-sealed seams. Preferably, the two opposing front walls are each provided with a printed material section, and such a configuration is particularly preferred within the scope of the present invention.

[0012] Once the standard foil pouch is emptied, most of the printed material section can be torn off along the weakening lines located directly adjacent to the heat seals on the long edges, thus optimizing recycling. Only narrow edges of the material section remain immediately at the heat seals. If this section is intentionally unprinted, the remaining pouch body after tearing off the material section is completely unprinted. This allows for easy recycling, especially with single-material pouches.

[0013] Against this background, the present invention aims to improve the application and design possibilities of the foil bag without impairing the possibility of recycling.

[0014] The subject of the invention and the solution to the problem is a foil bag according to claim 1.

[0015] Starting with a generic foil bag, it is therefore provided that the fastening seam extends over a proportion of between 50% and 98% of the circumferential edge. While according to EP 3 168 169 A1, starting with a rectangular shape of the material section in the manner of a banderole, fastening is deliberately only carried out on the narrow sides of the banderole, the fastening seam according to the present invention extends over a proportion of between 50% and 98% of the edge, so that overall a better and more complete fastening of the material section to the associated front wall is achieved.

[0016] In this context, the present invention is based on the finding that the strength according to the embodiment known from the prior art is sufficient in itself, but that on the longitudinal sides of the material section, in the manner of a banderole, there is a large unconnected length between the material section and the associated front wall over the entire width of the foil bag.

[0017] Especially with such a large unconnected length, there is a risk that the section of material may get caught on an obstacle in some way during use of the foil bag, for example during transport or handling by the user, so that despite an otherwise sufficient fastening, the section of material is torn off.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the prior art, the material section can detach significantly from the underlying front wall due to its large unconnected length. This applies, for example, when the foil bag has greater flexibility after partial removal of the contents and, in particular, when the bag body is no longer fully filled. The resulting visual impairment (with an even greater risk of the previously described "snagging") is also avoided in the invention by the larger proportion of the fastening seam along the circumferential edge.

[0019] The fastening seam preferably extends over a proportion of at least 60% of the circumferential edge.

[0020] Since the material section is attached to the associated front panel with a permanent, i.e., non-peelable, fastening seam, a free area of ​​the fastening seam must remain along the perimeter edge so that a user can reach between the separate material section and the associated front panel and then tear off the material section, or the portion of the material section within the tear line, from the associated front panel. Accordingly, the fastening seam preferably extends over a maximum of 90% and particularly preferably over a maximum of 85% of the perimeter edge.

[0021] The fastening seam and the tear line can each have several spaced-apart fastening seam sections or tear line sections along the perimeter. The proportion of the fastening seam along the perimeter is then the sum of the proportions of all fastening seam sections.

[0022] Where the fastening seam (or fastening seam sections) is provided along the circumferential edge of the material section, the tear line or tear line sections also run adjacent to and offset inwards, because otherwise the desired material separation in the event of tearing off the material section cannot be ensured.

[0023] If the fastening seam is formed from several, preferably a maximum of six, fastening seam sections, the fastening seam sections are particularly preferably each continuous. Alternatively, the fastening seam sections can, in principle, be discontinuous – similar to a perforation as a material weakening – with connected and unconnected areas alternating in quick succession.

[0024] Within the scope of the invention, the term "fastening seam section" always refers to a length along the circumferential edge over which, when the material section tears away from the associated front wall, a continuous crack is formed along the tear line. If, however, in the case of successive connected and unconnected sections, the crack reaches the outer edge of the material section when it tears away, then, according to the invention, there is also an interruption of the fastening seam at that point. As long as the crack propagates along the tear line of the fastening seam when it tears away, it is ultimately irrelevant whether the seam is continuous or discontinuous, even though a continuous design is preferred in practice.

[0025] Although different designs are possible for the fastening seam, it is preferably implemented as a heat-sealable seam. The bag film is then expediently heat-sealable on one inside and one outside of the bag, whereby the front walls and any folds and / or functional features arranged between the front walls, such as a spout or a resealable strip, can also be formed into the bag body by heat sealing.

[0026] To ensure that the material section can be torn off the associated front wall as completely as possible after use of the foil bag, the tear line, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, runs at a distance of between 4 mm and 20 mm, preferably between 6 mm and 12 mm, from each adjacent outer edge of the material section. This distance is chosen so that a seam, particularly a heat-sealable seam, can be formed between the tear line and each adjacent outer edge of the material section. The tear line can be formed, for example, by perforation, indentation, or laser. In the case of perforation, the tear line consists of alternating sections and ribs in quick succession.

[0027] In a notch, the material section at the tear line has a reduced thickness. This can be achieved, for example, by partially cutting the material section in the thickness direction. Material displacement, such as through embossing, can also be used. In particular, the described measures can also be combined with perforation. Depending on the type of perforation, weakened and unweakened areas can alternate along the tear line. To facilitate particularly easy tearing, weakened and completely separated areas can also alternate, similar to perforation.

[0028] Furthermore, the tear line can also be created using a laser. Irradiation with a laser then results in material removal and / or embrittlement. When using a laser, the material section can also contain absorbing additives so that the tear line can be formed particularly effectively without damaging any further layers. Embrittlement is also possible through the application of heat. In heat sealing, the tear line can also be formed directly through the application of heat and / or material displacement or shifting.

[0029] As previously explained, the invention aims in particular to prevent accidental tearing of the material section and excessive protrusion of the material section from the associated front wall. Accordingly, it is provided that the maximum unconnected length between the material section and the associated front wall along the circumferential edge is kept short and is less than 160 mm. Preferably, the maximum unconnected length is between 40 mm and 120 mm.

[0030] Regarding the lower limit, it should be noted that at least at one point in the material section a user should have the opportunity to reach between the material section and the associated front wall in order to be able to pull off the unconnected part of the material section by means of a tearing motion.

[0031] The longest unconnected length is preferably located in an upper region of the film bag, particularly preferably in the area of ​​an upper corner of the bag. Such an arrangement reduces the risk of accidental tearing (of "snagging"), as a user will naturally look for a point of leverage to tear off the material section, especially in the upper region of the bag and particularly at a corner.

[0032] In a typical embodiment, the front walls are approximately rectangular with two side edges, an upper edge, and a lower edge. Particularly when the film bag is intended for holding liquid, the upper corners of the front walls may be cut at an angle, as is known, for example, from EP 3 168 169 A1 and US 2018 / 0009587 A1. Such front walls are also referred to as being substantially rectangular within the scope of the invention.

[0033] In principle, the material section on the associated front wall can be arranged in various ways. In particular, it is not excluded that the material section is arranged at a distance from the edges of the associated front wall. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the material section extends to at least one of the edges of the associated front wall.

[0034] Preferably, the material section extends to the side edges, the lower edge and the upper edge of the associated front wall, with the material section then also being attached at least partially at each of the edges by the fastening seam.

[0035] With regard to a rectangular or substantially rectangular front wall design, the material section is held at all edges and thus well protected against accidental tearing. Furthermore, the front wall is largely, almost completely, or even completely covered by the material section, resulting in a particularly high-quality appearance for the user, similar to a conventional foil bag, although it cannot be recycled in the same way.

[0036] If the material section extends to at least one edge, and preferably all edges, of the front wall, the fastening seam is generally also, at least partially, overlapping with a connecting seam where the front walls are joined either to each other or to a fold arranged between the front walls. Particularly when the film bag is intended for holding liquids, a bottom fold may be provided between the front walls, which also forms a base.

[0037] The material section can also have a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape. A particularly preferred design is one in which at least one corner is cut off at an angle, starting from a rectangular shape. It can also be advantageous if the material section is set back from the underlying front wall at the angled corner. In such a recessed area, for example, the fastening seam can be interrupted along an unconnected length to allow a user to access and detach the material section.

[0038] The recessed arrangement of the material section can also be advantageous if a functional feature is provided in the underlying area of ​​the bag body. Suitable functional features include, in particular, a spout, a carrying handle, or a resealable strip.

[0039] While the spout and resealable strip are supplied as separate parts, a carrying handle can be formed in various ways. Besides attaching a separately supplied handle loop, a carrying handle can, in a particularly preferred manner, be formed simply by a punch or a cut. Such a punch or cut is then expediently formed in an area that is separated from the actual receiving space of the bag body by a seal. Reference is made, by way of example, to EP 3 168 169 A1.

[0040] Within the scope of the invention, it may be sufficient if only one of the two front walls is provided with a material section in the manner described, whereby in such a design the material usage is minimized and only one printed material section needs to be removed. The disadvantages of printing during recycling were already addressed in the discussion of known embodiments.

[0041] However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, both front walls are each provided with an associated material section which, with regard to the features described above, can be identical or different without restriction.

[0042] This takes into account the requirement that foil pouches should generally have different designs on their front and back. While the front can feature an attractive design, a logo, and easily legible labeling, the back can contain detailed information about the ingredients, uses, other properties, warnings, and the like.

[0043] To enable particularly good recycling, the bag film can be made entirely from polyolefin. Recyclates or blends containing recycled materials are also suitable for all components of the bag, and especially for the bag film itself and the material scrap.

[0044] For practical reasons, the bag body itself is also unprinted.

[0045] Against this background, it is also advantageous if the material section in the area of ​​the attachment seam and, in particular, outside the tear line, is unprinted, even though printing there is not entirely excluded. If the material section outside the tear line is unprinted, it is ensured that no printing ink remains on the bag body even after the material section has been torn off. It is particularly preferable that the material section and the bag film are made from a single type of polyolefin, resulting in a single, unprinted residue when the material section with its printed areas is separated from the bag body.

[0046] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the material section is formed from film. Alternatively, other materials such as nonwoven fabric, coated paper, and multilayer laminates are also suitable.

[0047] The fastening seam provided on the circumferential edge, or the fastening seam sections forming the fastening seam, are usually provided as the only connection between the material section and the underlying front wall.

[0048] Even though the material section can contribute to stabilizing the bag body to some extent, it preferably has a significantly lower thickness and a significantly lower basis weight compared to the bag film.

[0049] As part of such a design, it is also taken into account that the material section can also be recycled, but that the resulting recyclate is of lower quality due to the residual printing ink, and that the possible uses of the recyclate are also limited.

[0050] The basis weight of the material section typically ranges between 18 g / m² and 150 g / m². In a preferred embodiment of the material section as a film, and with conventional plastics, this basis weight corresponds approximately to a thickness between 20 µm and 170 µm.

[0051] The bag film preferably has a thickness between 80 µm and 300 µm, particularly preferably between 100 µm and 250 µm.

[0052] Selecting the appropriate thickness for the bag film depends significantly on the size of the bag, its intended use, and the expected stresses. As the size of the bag increases, a greater thickness of the bag film, and possibly also of the material section, should be considered.

[0053] If the material section is designed as a film, it is particularly preferred that it has at most half the thickness of the bag film.

[0054] The foil bag according to the invention can be assigned a longitudinal and a transverse direction. With essentially rectangular front walls, the longitudinal direction then corresponds to the course of the side edges of the front walls, with the upper edge and the top edge running along the transverse direction.

[0055] Based on this arrangement of longitudinal and transverse directions, the material section is preferably provided with the fastening seam continuously along both of its longitudinally running side edges, which also extends at least partially along the upper and lower edges. A continuous seam is possible along the lower edge. However, it may be sufficient if only individual sections are fastened along the lower edge, each forming a comparatively short fastening seam section.

[0056] As previously explained, it is essential to the invention that the material section with the fastening seam is permanently attached to the associated front wall, so that if the material section tears off at the tear line, a material separation occurs and thus remnants of the material section remain on the front wall. It is particularly possible, and in many cases preferred, that the fastening seam constitutes the only connection between the material section and the associated front wall.

[0057] According to an alternative design, additional connection points are provided on the surface of the material section, for example to prevent the material section from protruding too far from the associated front wall, which could impair the appearance.

[0058] Additional connection points or joints can be formed in various ways. While a permanent bond is present along the perimeter of the material section, a peelable bond can also be provided at the optionally designated additional connection points or joints. A peelable heat-seal seam can be achieved, for example, through precisely selected sealing parameters, light tack welding, and / or the application of a varnish that reduces the seal strength; these variations are merely examples. A permanent or peelable bond is also possible using adhesive.

[0059] If, within the scope of the described variants, at least one additional bond is created within the area of ​​the material section by means of adhesive or heat sealing, this bond is expediently also surrounded by a material weakening corresponding to the weakening line along the attachment seam. When the material section is then torn off, in addition to the remnants of the material section at the edge of the attachment seam, individual "islands" also remain within the area of ​​the material section. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, these islands are then not printed, so that the remaining bag body with the remnants of the material section is ideally completely free of printing ink.

[0060] The invention is explained below with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a filled foil bag in perspective, Fig. 2 an alternative embodiment of the foil bag in a flat, unfilled state, Fig. 3 a section through a foil bag according to the Fig. 1 or the Fig. 2 in the area of ​​one longitudinal side, Fig. 4 an emptied and flattened foil bag during the separation of a material section.

[0061] The Fig. 1 and 2 These show alternative designs of a foil bag. The differences lie in a slightly different shape and the fact that the foil bag is designed according to the... Fig. 2 It is laid flat, unfilled, unsealed and not equipped with an additional functional element.

[0062] Regarding the remaining structure, the Fig. 1 and 2 however, they must be considered in their entirety.

[0063] Accordingly, it can be seen that the foil bag has a bag body 1 with two opposing front walls 2 and a bottom fold 3 arranged between the front walls. The front walls 2 are connected to each other and to the bottom fold 3 by connecting seams 4.

[0064] Furthermore, it can be seen that a separate printed material section 5 is arranged on the front wall 2 shown in the drawings. As also in the Fig. 3 As can be seen, the material section 5 is attached to the associated front wall 2 at a fastening seam 6, which is in alignment with the connecting seam 4 below.

[0065] The connecting seams 4 and the fastening seam 6 are formed by heat sealing.

[0066] While the material section 5 has a print 7 in a central area, the edges of the material section 5 and the entire bag body 1 are unprinted.

[0067] In the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 The fastening seam 4 around the circumferential edge of the material section 5 has a total of five fastening seam sections 6a, 6b, which are separated from each other by unconnected areas 8. Furthermore, in the Fig. 1 It can be seen that, starting from an approximately rectangular shape of the material section, 5 upper corners are cut off obliquely, in the exemplary embodiment at an angle of approximately 45°.

[0068] The two unconnected areas 8 with the greatest unconnected length are located in the region of the upper corners of the bag, where a user can easily grasp between the material section 5 and the underlying front wall 2. To dispose of the foil bag, a user can then tear off a large portion of the material section 5 from the bag body 1. For this purpose, the invention provides that the fastening seam 6 is permanent, i.e., non-peelable, and that a tear line 9 in the form of a material weakening runs along the fastening seam 6, i.e., typically parallel to the fastening seam 6.

[0069] Material weakening can occur in various ways. Possible causes include perforation, reduction in thickness, and / or embrittlement, for example through laser irradiation or the application of heat.

[0070] For the purpose of better visibility, the tear line 9 in the Fig. 3 The material section 5 is shown with a reduced thickness. The tear line 9 can also be formed in other ways, for example by laser and / or heat application. If the heat application is carried out appropriately during heat sealing, the process is particularly simple.

[0071] Therefore, if a user, after using the foil bag for disposal, reaches between the material section 5 and the associated front wall 2 at an upper corner of the bag and pulls on the material section 5, a material separation occurs at the tear line 9 in the material section 5, so that at the fastening seam 6 up to the tear line 9 outer remnants of the material section 5 remain on the underlying front wall 2, while the entire inner area of ​​the material section 5 with the printing is torn off.

[0072] Since the print 7 ends before the tear line 9, a bag body 1 then remains completely without printing ink.

[0073] The fastening seam 6 extends over a proportion between 50% and 98% of the running edge, wherein the proportion is preferably greater than 50% and particularly preferably greater than 60% and preferably less than 90% and particularly preferably less than 85%.

[0074] A continuous fastening seam 6 or a continuous fastening section is generally possible at a lower edge of the front wall 2. In the illustrated embodiment, however, only two short fastening seam sections 6a are provided as a type of fixation, while the fastening seam 6, together with the corresponding fastening sections 6b, extends along the entire length of the material section 5 along a longitudinal direction of the bag, up to the obliquely cut corners.

[0075] In the Fig. 3 It is shown that, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an associated material section 5 is arranged on each of the two front walls 2, wherein the material sections 5 can be largely the same or different.

[0076] From the Fig. 3 It is also evident that the material sections 5 outside the fastening seam 6 are not connected to the respective assigned front wall 2.

[0077] According to the illustrated embodiments, the foil bag is intended for holding liquids such as detergents, shampoos, conditioners, cleaning agents, or other household chemicals, although this application is merely exemplary. The design according to the invention is also suitable for other foil bags and, in particular, for conventional foil packaging bags.

[0078] The tear line 9 is expediently positioned at a small distance from the fastening seam 6, so that the distance of the tear line 9 to each adjacent outer edge of the material section 5 can be, for example, between 4 mm and 20 mm, in particular between 6 mm and 12 mm.

[0079] The in the Figuren 1 and 2 The illustrated embodiments each have a handle opening 10, which is formed by a cutout in a sealed area of ​​the bag body 1. While according to the Fig. 2 Since the material section 5 also extends over the handle opening 10 and is also stamped there, this corner area is according to the Fig. 1 omitted.

[0080] In the Fig. 1 It is further shown by way of example that the bag body has a spout 11, whereby alternative functional designs such as re-closures may also be provided.

[0081] As previously explained, the Fig. 4 The remaining bag body 1, containing the remaining pieces of material section 5, is completely unprinted. It is also possible to produce material section 5 and the front walls 2 of the bag body, as well as functional elements such as the spout 11, from a single type of polyolefin, for example polyethylene or polypropylene, thus enabling particularly effective recycling.

[0082] The bag film forming the front walls 2 and preferably also the bottom fold 3 typically has a thickness between 120 µm and 250 µm.

[0083] If, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the material section 5 consists of a film, the thickness is, for example, between 20 µm and 170 µm.

Claims

1. Film packaging bag comprising a bag body (1) made of a bag film having at least two mutually opposing front walls (2), wherein a printed material section (5) is attached to a part of a circumferential edge of the material section (5) by a permanent fastening seam (6) on one of the front walls (2) and has a tear line (9) in the form of a material weakening adjacent to the fastening seam (6), characterized in that the fastening seam (6) extends over a proportion between 50 % and 98 % of the circumferential edge and wherein a largest unconnected length between the material section (5) and the associated front wall (2) along the circumferential edge is less than 160 mm.

2. Film packaging bag according to Claim 1, characterized in that the bag film is heat-sealable on a bag inner side and a bag outer side and that the fastening seam (6) is designed as a heat-seal seam.

3. Film packaging bag according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fastening seam (6) is formed from a maximum of six fastening seam sections (6a, 6b), wherein the fastening seam sections (6a, 6b) are each designed to be continuous.

4. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the tear line (9) extends at a distance of between 4 mm and 20 mm to an adjacent outer edge of the material section (5).

5. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the largest unconnected length is between 40 mm and 120 mm.

6. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the largest unconnected length is provided in the area of an upper corner of the bag.

7. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the front walls (2) have a rectangular shape with two side edges, an upper edge and a lower edge and that the material section (5) extends to at least one of the edges.

8. Film packaging bag according to Claim 7, characterized in that the material section (5) extends to the side edges, the lower edge and the upper edge of the associated front wall (2) and is attached at least in sections at each of the edges by the fastening seam (6).

9. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fastening seam (6) runs at least in sections in overlap with a connecting seam (4) at which the front walls (2) are connected either to each other or to a fold arranged between the front walls (2).

10. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that starting from a rectangular shape of the material section (5) at least one corner is cut off obliquely.

11. Film packaging bag according to Claim 10, characterized in that in the area of the cut-off corner the bag body (1) has a functional feature in the form of a spout (11), a carrying handle or a reclosure strip.

12. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that both front walls (2) are each provided with an associated material section (5).

13. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the bag film is made of polyolefins from a single polyolefin family.

14. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the bag body (1) is unprinted.

15. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the material section (5) consists of a material selected from the group consisting of film, nonwoven, coated paper and multilayer laminate.

16. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the material section (5) and the bag film are formed from polyolefins from a single polyolefin family, wherein the material section (5) is unprinted in the area of the fastening seam (6).

17. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the tear line (9) is formed by a perforation, an indentation and / or by means of a laser.

18. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the bag film has a thickness between 80 µm and 300 µm.

19. Film packaging bag according to one of Claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the material section (5) has a basis weight between 18 g / m2 and 150 g / m2.