Laminated container

Abstract

Disclosed is a container and a method of producing the same, wherein the container is formed from a laminate having a base layer and a sheet.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 971,553, filed Feb. 7, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to containers, and more particularly to laminated containers formed from sheets laminated with a base layer. Background Art

[0004] It is generally desirable to store products or contents in containers or packages. For one or various purposes, it is often desirable to provide multiple layers to the container or package, such as a barrier layer that can increase the shelf life of the contents of the container or package; layers for decorative purposes, for tactile purposes, or for any other purpose or combination of purposes. For any or all of these purposes, the container or package can be provided with multiple layers while the container or package is provided in a manner that optimizes or minimizes the amount of material required to achieve these purposes. For example, the laminated containers discussed herein can be used as part of a package in a beverage brewing system, such as a single-use beverage brewing system. A package can be provided that can be used in such a system, where the package has barrier properties that can increase the shelf life of the contents of the package while also minimizing or optimizing the materials used in the package and / or facilitating the recyclability of the container or package. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a container formed from a laminate including a base layer and a sheet. The sheet can be relatively thin and provide any of a variety of properties, such as, for example, barrier properties, sealing properties, or decorative properties.

[0006] In one aspect, for example, the container can be provided as including a sidewall having a sidewall area and a bottom having a bottom area. The sidewall and the bottom are formed from a laminate having a base layer and a sheet. The base layer has a base layer thickness and the sheet has a sheet thickness. The laminate has a laminate thickness that is at least the sum of the base layer thickness and the sheet thickness. The sheet has at least one sheet layer and at least one sheet layer has a thickness that is equal to or less than 5% of the laminate thickness. The sidewall and the bottom at least partially define a part area. The container is formed from a laminate having a laminate area for forming the container. The formed container has an area stretch ratio greater than about 2.5.

[0007] In another aspect, for example, a container can be configured to include a sidewall having a sidewall area and a bottom having a bottom area. The sidewall and the bottom are formed from a laminate having a base layer and a sheet. The sheet has a sheet thickness, the sheet includes at least one barrier layer having a barrier layer thickness, and wherein the base layer has a base layer thickness. The laminate has a laminate thickness. The barrier layer thickness is less than about 5% of the laminate thickness. The sidewall and the bottom at least partially define a part area. The container is formed from a portion of the laminate having a laminate area. The container has an area stretch ratio greater than about 2.5.

[0008] In yet another aspect, for example, a process for forming a container is provided. The base layer is formed from a base layer material. A sheet having at least one layer is provided. The base layer is laminated to the sheet to form a laminate. The laminate is thermoformed into a part having an area stretch ratio of at least about 2.5. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments are shown. In fact, the embodiments may be illustrated or described in many different forms, and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout the text, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and in which:

[0010] Figure 1 A perspective view of an embodiment of a generally cylindrical container that can be configured for use, for example, in a beverage brewing system is illustrated;

[0011] Figure 2 A perspective view of an embodiment of a box-type package including a container that can be used, for example, in a beverage brewing system is illustrated; Figure 1 is illustrated;

[0012] Figure 3 A perspective view of another embodiment of a generally rectangular container is illustrated;

[0013] Figure 4 A perspective view of another embodiment of a package including a container is illustrated; Figure 3 is illustrated;

[0014] Figure 5 A side perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of a laminate that can be used to form a container is illustrated;

[0015] Figure 6 A cross-sectional side view of a portion of a laminate is illustrated; Figure 4 is illustrated;

[0016] Figure 7 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of a laminate having a base layer and a three-layer sheet or film is illustrated;

[0017] Figure 8 A side view of a portion of another embodiment of the laminate is illustrated;

[0018] Figure 9 An embodiment of a laminate forming apparatus and process is illustrated;

[0019] Figure 10 An embodiment of a thermoforming apparatus and process is illustrated;

[0020] Figure 11 A top view of a portion of an embodiment of a sheet in the form of a disk adapted for use in a forming process is illustrated;

[0021] Figure 12 Illustrated is Figure 9 a side perspective view of the disk;

[0022] Figure 13 Illustrated is formed from a portion of a sheet in the form of a disk having Figure 11 and Figure 12 a side perspective view of an embodiment of a part or container;

[0023] Figure 14 A top view of a portion of another embodiment of a sheet in the form of a blank adapted for use in a forming process is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 15 Illustrated is Figure 14 a side perspective view of the blank;

[0025] Figure 16 Illustrated is formed from a portion of a sheet in the form of a blank having Figure 14 and Figure 15 a side perspective view of another embodiment of a part or container;

[0026] Figure 17 A side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a container with the laminate layer on the outer side is illustrated;

[0027] Figure 18 Illustrated is the use of Figure 17 a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a box-type package of the container;

[0028] Figure 19 A side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a container with the laminate layer on the inner side is illustrated; and

[0029] Figure 20 A side cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a container with one laminate layer on the inner side and another laminate layer on the outer side is illustrated. Detailed Description

[0030] Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments may be shown. In fact, the embodiments may take many different forms and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0031] According to certain embodiments, the term "substantially" or "essentially" may cover all that is specified, or according to other embodiments, may cover most but not all of what is specified.

[0032] Some embodiments of the package 50 including the container 55 and components of the container 55 may have features similar to those shown, for example, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 . The package 50 may include a cup-like or box-like container 55 having a product storage area 40 at least partially defined by the sidewall 10 and / or the bottom 20. The container 55 may be formed, for example, as a box or a carton adapted to be used in a beverage brewing device, but it will be understood that the container 55 may take any of a variety of shapes, sizes or forms discussed in more detail below. The container 55 may include a flange or rim 30 adjacent to an opening leading to the product storage area 40 and / or adjacent to the top of the sidewall 10. The container 55 and / or the sidewall 10 may have an outer surface 11 and / or an inner surface 12. For any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to, for example, structurally supporting and / or strengthening the container 55 and / or facilitating stacking of one or more containers 55, the container 55 may include features such as shoulders 16 and / or ribs located on the bottom 20. If shoulders 16 and / or other surface features (e.g., ribs, protrusions, recesses, etc.) are included, it will be understood that any number of shoulders 16 and / or other surface features may actually be present, the shoulders 16 and / or other surface features may actually be arranged in any manner, e.g., symmetrically or asymmetrically, and any one or all of the shoulders 16 and / or other surface features may extend any amount of the height, width and / or thickness of the container 55 anywhere from the bottom 20 to the rim 30 or anywhere between the bottom 20 and the rim 30, and / or the shoulders 16 or other features may be omitted as they are optional. The container 55 may, for example, include a sealing surface 35 located on or near the flange 30 to provide a convenient surface for sealing the lid 100 to the container 55.

[0033] For any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to providing a sealed package for storing the contents and / or for extending the life or shelf life of the contents, e.g., in Figure 2As shown in, the package 50 may include a container 55 and / or a lid 100. For example, the package 50 may include contents for preparing a beverage, such as the contents 80 represented by, for example, Figure 18 coffee powder or tea leaves. To help provide an extended shelf life or for any other reason, the package 50, the container 55, and / or the lid 100 may include, for example, a barrier or barrier properties to prevent, inhibit, and / or slow the transmission of oxygen or other gases that may pass through the package 50. Oxygen and / or other gases may act to damage, degrade, and / or impair certain contents 80, and thus the package 50 and / or any component of the package 50 may be provided with barrier properties or other properties to slow, inhibit, and / or prevent such gas from entering or passing through the package 50. As discussed in more detail below with reference to Figure 18 the lid 100 may include a central or covering region 110 and / or a peripheral or sealing region 120.

[0034] For example, in Figure 3 and Figure 4 an alternative embodiment of a package 750 including a container 700 and components of the container 700 is shown. The package 750 may include a bucket-type or barrel-shaped container 700 having a product storage region 740 at least partially defined by sidewalls 710 and a bottom 720. The container 700 may be formed as a bucket-type and / or may actually be formed in any shape, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4The generally rectangular shape shown. For example, the container 700 may be suitable for storing and / or preserving perishable products, such as food, but it is understood that the container 700 and / or the enclosure 750 may be used for any one or a combination of various reasons without limitation. The container 700 may include a flange or edge 730 adjacent to an opening leading into the product storage area 740 and / or adjacent to the top of the sidewall 710. The container 700 and / or the sidewall 710 may have an outer surface 711 and / or an inner surface 712. For any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to, structurally supporting and / or strengthening the container 700 and / or facilitating the stacking of one or more containers 700, the container 700 may include features such as a shoulder 716 and / or a groove 715. If a groove 715 and / or other surface features (e.g., ribs, protrusions, recesses, etc.) are included, it is understood that any number of grooves 715 and / or other surface features may actually exist, the grooves 715 and / or other surface features may actually be arranged in any manner, such as symmetrically or asymmetrically, and any one or all of the grooves 715 and / or other surface features may extend any amount of the height, width, and / or thickness of the container 700 anywhere from the bottom 720 to the edge 730 or anywhere between the bottom 720 and the edge 730, and / or the groove 715 or other features may be omitted as they are optional. The container 700 may include, for example, a sealing surface 735 located on or near the flange 730 to provide a convenient surface for sealing the lid 800 to the container 700 to form the enclosure 750.

[0035] For any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to protecting or containing the contents, providing a sealed enclosure for storing the contents and / or for extending the life or shelf life of the contents, as shown, for example, in Figure 4 the enclosure 750 may include the container 700 and / or the lid 800. In the case where a lid 800 is included, the lid 800 may include a central or covering area 810 and / or a peripheral or sealing area 820.

[0036] The container 55, the container 700, and / or other containers or parts may be formed, for example, from a laminate 200, a portion of which is in Figure 5 and Figure 6Shown in. The laminate 200 may include a base layer 210 and / or a film or sheet 220. The base layer 210 may be a substrate material and / or may form an important part of the structural support or component of the container 55 or container 700 and / or the package 50 or package 750. For example, the base layer 210 may be a thermoplastic material or other suitable material such as, for example, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polylactic acid (PLA), bioplastics and / or generally recyclable, compostable and / or biodegradable materials. It is understood that the base layer 210 may be formed of materials other than plastics or may include a mixture of plastics and non-plastic materials. For any of a variety of reasons, such as, for example, providing barrier properties, aesthetic properties (e.g., printed layers or printable layers), in-mold labeling (IML); providing sealing materials and / or sealing areas or surfaces, tactile layers; and / or any other reason or combination of these reasons, one or more sheets 220 and / or any other sheet or material may be included. In some embodiments, the sheet 220 may, for example, include a gas barrier property or barrier layer, such as an EVOH layer, which may help prevent or inhibit the transmission of gases and / or fluids through the layer and / or protect or preserve the contents stored in the container 50 and / or container 700. The sheet 220 may be disposed on the outer surface of the container 50 or container 700, on the inner surface of the container 50 or container 700, or on both the outer and inner surfaces.

[0037] The sheet 220 may be combined, laminated, adhered and / or joined to the base layer 210 to form the laminate 200. For example, the sheet 220 may be substantially formed of a film, such as a blown film, that can be thermally bonded to the base layer 210 or otherwise bonded to the base layer 210 to form the laminate 200. In some examples, instead of or in addition to a blown film, the sheet 220 may include a cast film or an extruded film. The relative thicknesses of the various components shown throughout the various figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the blown film used to form the sheet 220 may be relatively thin compared to the base layer 210 and may be much thinner relative to the base layer 210 than shown in the figures. The thickness of any layer of the laminate 200 shown in the various figures, the thickness of the laminate 200 as a whole (or the thickness of the disk 60 or blank 900 discussed in more detail below), and / or the thickness of the container 55 or container 700 may not be drawn to scale and may be enlarged to more clearly illustrate the concepts described herein.

[0038] As Figure 6 shown, the sheet 220 may have a sheet thickness t S, the base layer 210 may have a base layer thickness t B , and / or the laminate 200 may have a laminate thickness t O . Although shown as a single layer in Figure 6 , the base layer 210 and / or the sheet 220 may include multiple layers. For example, the sheet 220 may include, for example, three layers as shown in Figure 7 or five layers as shown in Figure 8 . For example, a three-layer sheet 220 may be provided such that the first layer 230 is an adhesive layer that can be used to bond the second layer 240 to the base layer 210. The third layer 250 may be, for example, an outer skin layer for protecting the second layer 240 from the external environment. For example, the second layer 240 may be a barrier layer, such as an EVOH barrier layer, that is protected from the environment by the third outer skin layer 250 and bonded to the base layer 210 through the first adhesive layer 230. A fourth layer 260 and / or a fifth layer 270 or any other layer or feature may be added to provide any one of various other properties or supports to the laminate 200. In an embodiment using a five-layer structure of the sheet 220, the outer layer or the first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270 may provide protection, sealing performance, desired touch, and / or other features, while the third layer 250 may provide a barrier layer and / or other features, and the second layer 240 and the fourth layer 260 may be adhesive layers adapted to bond, couple, or attach the first layer 230 and / or the fifth layer 270 to the third layer 250. For example, the first layer 230 may be configured to seal, adhere, and / or bond to the base layer 210, and / or the fifth layer 270 may be configured to seal, adhere, and / or bond to a lid, such as the lid 100. The sheet 220 may actually include any number of layers, and the exemplary three-layer structure and five-layer structure shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 are provided only as two examples of the number of layers that may be included in the sheet 220.

[0039] Figure 7 The laminate 200 shown may include a sheet 220 having a sheet thickness t S , wherein the sheet 220 is substantially formed by the first layer 230, the second layer 240, and / or the third layer 250. The first layer 230 may have a first layer thickness t 1 , the second layer 240 may have a second layer thickness t 2 , and / or the third layer 250 may have a third layer thickness t 3 , and these three layers may be stacked together to form the sheet thickness t S . The sheet thickness t S and the base layer t B may be stacked together and / or form the total laminate thickness t O . As shown in Figure 8As shown, the sheet 220 may further include a fourth layer 260 and a fifth layer 270 having thicknesses t 4 and t 5 respectively to form a five-layer sheet 220.

[0040] An exemplary five-layer structure may include a first layer 230 configured to bond and / or laminate to a base layer 210. For example, if the base layer 210 is PP or includes PP, the first layer 230 may also include PP to facilitate thermally laminating the base layer 210 to the first layer 230. The third layer 250 may include EVOH to facilitate forming a barrier layer to prevent or inhibit gas transmission through the layer. The fifth layer 270 may be configured as an outer skin or surface layer and may include, for example, PP to give the outer side surface similar characteristics to the inner side surface formed by the base layer 210. The second layer 240 and / or the fourth layer 260 may be configured to act as tie layers to facilitate bonding the first layer 230 and / or the fifth layer 270 to the third or barrier layer 250.

[0041] In one embodiment, the base layer 210 may be formed substantially of PP, and the first layer 230 and / or the fifth layer 270 may be formed of or include a substantial amount of PP and / or copolymer suitable for laminating to the base layer 210. The third layer 250 may be formed of EVOH or include an effective amount of EVOH to act as a barrier layer. The second layer 240 and / or the fourth layer 260 may be formed of adhesive PP or include an effective amount of adhesive PP to act as a tie layer between the respective first layer 230 and / or third layer 270 and the third layer 250.

[0042] The sheet 220 and / or any one of the component layers 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 can be made in any of a variety of ways. For example, the sheet 220 can be one or more blown films or can include one or more blown films, and / or can be cast and / or coextruded, or can be made in any other way or in fact in any of a variety of ways. It will be understood that generally thinner films and / or layers within the film can be provided when blowing films as compared to coextruded films. As discussed herein, a blown film can be laminated to a substrate, such as the base layer 210 for example. In an exemplary embodiment of the laminate 200 used in the examples below, the base layer 210 can have a thickness of about 10 mils or greater and / or a thickness of about 20 mils or greater. The base layer 210 can have a thickness in the range of about 20 mils to about 100 mils. The base layer 210 can have a thickness in the range of about 20 mils to about 60 mils and / or in the range of about 40 mils to about 60 mils. The base layer 210 can have a thickness of about 20 mils, a thickness of about 30 mils, a thickness of about 32 mils, a thickness of about 40 mils, a thickness of about 44 mils, a thickness of about 45 mils, and / or a thickness of about 50 mils or greater. It will be understood that the base layer 210 can be any thickness of a variety of thicknesses and can always have a variable thickness. It will also be understood that the base layer thickness can be the average thickness of the base layer 210.

[0043] In a first example of a film for forming sheet 220, the PP barrier sheet 220 is provided to have five layers and have a total thickness of about 2.5 mils. Both the first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270 are formed to include a PP copolymer and are adapted to bond or laminate to the PP base layer 210. The first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270 each have a thickness of about 0.800 mils or about 32% of the total thickness of the sheet 220. The third layer 250 formed of EVOH has a thickness of about 0.300 mils or about 12% of the thickness of the sheet 220. The second layer 240 and the fourth layer 260 are each formed of an adhesive PP for joining the EVOH third layer 250 to the first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270. The second layer 240 and the fourth layer 260 each have a thickness of about 0.300 mils or about 12% of the thickness of the sheet 220. This example of the PP barrier sheet 220 having a thickness of about 2.5 mils can be laminated to a base layer 210, such as a base layer 210 including PP having a base layer thickness of about 20 mils or greater and / or a base layer thickness of about 21.5 mils or greater. For example, a 21.5 - mil thick base layer 210 can be laminated with or to the 2.5 - mil sheet 220 to form a 24 - mil thick laminate 200 having an EVOH third layer 250 that is about 0.3 mil thick. In this example, the EVOH third layer 250 is about 1.25% of the thickness of the total laminate and the sheet 220 is about 10.4% of the total laminate thickness. If in this example the base layer 210 is made thicker than 21.5 mils, the third layer 250 will be less than about 1.25% of the total laminate thickness and the sheet 220 will be less than about 10.4% of the total laminate thickness. In another example, the 2.5 - mil sheet 220 can be laminated to a base layer 210 having a thickness in the range of about 40 mils to about 60 mils, a thickness in the range of about 44 mils to about 53.5 mils, a thickness in the range of about 44 mils to about 45 mils, and / or a thickness of about 44.5 mils or about 52.5 mils, which can provide a laminate 200 having a thickness in the range of about 42.5 mils to about 62.5 mils, a thickness in the range of about 46.5 mils to about 56 mils, a thickness in the range of about 46.5 mils to about 47.5 mils, and / or a thickness of about 47 mils or about 55 mils.

[0044] In a second example of a film for forming a sheet 220 adapted to be laminated to a PP substrate 210, a blown film is used to provide a sheet 220 having a total thickness of about 3.75 mils. In the second example, each layer is substantially similar in sequence and composition to the corresponding layer of the first example. The first layer 230, the second layer 240, the third layer 250, the fourth layer 260, and the fifth layer 270 have relative thicknesses of 32%, 12%, 12%, 12%, and 32%, respectively. Given the use of a thicker sheet 220 in the second example compared to the first example, in the second example using a 3.75 - mil sheet 220, each layer is thicker: the first layer 230 has a thickness of about 1.200 mils, the second layer 240 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, the third layer 250 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, the fourth layer 260 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, and the fifth layer 270 has a thickness of about 1.200 mils. The PP barrier sheet 220 having a thickness of about 3.75 mils of this example can be laminated to a substrate 210, such as a substrate 210 having a substrate thickness of about 30 mils or greater, about 32 mils or greater, and / or about 35 mils or greater, including PP. For example, a 32.25 - mil - thick substrate 210 can be laminated with or to a 3.75 - mil sheet 220 to form a 36 - mil - thick laminate 200 having an EVOH third layer 250 that is about 0.45 mil thick. In this example, the EVOH third layer 250 is about 1.25% of the thickness of the total laminate and the sheet 220 is about 10.4% of the thickness of the total laminate. If the substrate 210 is made thicker than 32.25 mils in this example, the third layer 250 will be less than about 1.25% of the total laminate thickness and the sheet 220 will be less than about 10.4% of the total laminate thickness.

[0045] In a third example of a film for forming a sheet 220 adapted to be laminated to a PP substrate layer 210, a blown film is used to provide a sheet 220 having a total thickness of about 5.0 mils. In the third example, the layers are substantially similar in sequence and composition to the corresponding layers of the first example. The first layer 230, the second layer 240, the third layer 250, the fourth layer 260, and the fifth layer 270 have relative thicknesses of 32%, 12%, 12%, 12%, and 32%, respectively. Given that a thicker sheet 220 is used in the third example compared to the first example, in the second example using a 5.0 mil sheet 220, each layer is thicker: the first layer 230 has a thickness of about 1.600 mils, the second layer 240 has a thickness of about 0.600 mils, the third layer 250 has a thickness of about 0.600 mils, the fourth layer 260 has a thickness of about 0.600 mils, and the fifth layer 270 has a thickness of about 1.600 mils. The PP barrier sheet 220 having a thickness of about 5.0 mils of this example can be laminated to a substrate 210, such as a substrate 210 having a substrate thickness of about 40 mils or greater and / or about 45 mils or greater, including PP. For example, a 43 mil thick substrate 210 can be laminated with or to a 5.0 mil sheet 220 to form a 48 mil thick laminate 200 having an EVOH third layer 250 that is about 0.6 mil thick. In this example, the EVOH third layer 250 is about 1.25% of the thickness of the total laminate and the sheet 220 is about 10.4% of the thickness of the total laminate. If the substrate 210 is made thicker than 32.25 mils in this example, the third layer 250 will be less than about 1.25% of the thickness of the total laminate and the sheet 220 will be less than about 10.4% of the thickness of the total laminate.

[0046] In a fourth example of a film for forming a sheet 220 adapted to be laminated to a PE substrate 210, a blown film is used to provide a sheet 220 having a total thickness of about 3.75 mils. In the fourth example, each layer is substantially similar in sequence and thickness to the corresponding layer of the first example, but is different in composition to facilitate lamination to the PE substrate 210. In this fourth example, the first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270 are substantially formed of LDPE, while the second layer 240 and the fourth layer 260 are substantially formed of an adhesive linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) adapted to bond to the EVOH barrier third layer 250. The first layer 230, the second layer 240, the third layer 250, the fourth layer 260, and the fifth layer 270 have relative thicknesses of 32%, 12%, 12%, 12%, and 32%, respectively. Each layer in the fourth example has the following approximate thickness: the first layer 230 has a thickness of about 1.200 mils, the second layer 240 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, the third layer 250 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, the fourth layer 260 has a thickness of about 0.450 mils, and the fifth layer 270 has a thickness of about 1.200 mils. The PE barrier sheet 220 having a thickness of about 3.75 mils of this example can be laminated to a substrate 210, such as a substrate 210 having a substrate thickness of about 30 mils or greater, about 32 mils or greater, and / or about 35 mils or greater, including PE. It will be understood that the first example, the second example, the third example, and the fourth example provided above, together with the sub-examples regarding the substrate 210, can be modified to materials other than PP or PE, such as, for example, PET, LDPE, HDPE, PS, PLA, bioplastics, and / or other suitable plastic materials or other materials, or any combination thereof.

[0047] The EVOH barrier layer or third layer 250 can be about 5% or more of the thickness of the sheet 220. Any of the layers used in the sheet 220 can be from about 1% to about 100% of the thickness of the sheet 220. Any of the layers used in the sheet 220 can be about 0.03 mils or greater, about 0.10 mils or greater, and / or about 0.3 mils or greater. For example, in some multi-layer sheet structures, any of the layers in the sheet can have a thickness between about 2% and about 99% of the thickness of the sheet 220 and / or between about 10% and about 80% of the thickness of the sheet 220. One or two outer layers of the sheet 220, such as the first layer 230 and the fifth layer 270 in the above example, can have a thickness in the range of about 10% to about 50% of the sheet 220, in the range of about 15% to about 40% of the thickness of the sheet 220, in the range of about 20% to about 35% of the thickness of the sheet 220, in the range of about 25% to about 35% of the thickness of the sheet 220, and / or a thickness of about 32% of the thickness of the sheet 220. Any or all of the layers in the inner layer, such as the second or tie layer 240, the fourth or tie layer 260, and the third or barrier layer 250 in the above example, can have a thickness in the range of about 1% to about 30% of the thickness of the sheet 220, in the range of about 5% to about 20% of the thickness of the sheet 220, in the range of about 5% to about 15% of the thickness of the sheet 220, in the range of about 10% to about 15% of the thickness of the sheet 220, and / or a thickness of about 12% of the thickness of the sheet 220.

[0048] The sheet 220 can have a thickness of about 0.5 mils or greater. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 0.5 mils to about 100 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 1.0 mils to about 50 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 1.0 mils to about 20 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 1.0 mils to about 10 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 1.0 mils to about 8.0 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 2.0 mils to about 6.0 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 2.0 mils to about 5.0 mils. In some embodiments, the sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 2.0 mils to about 3.0 mils. In some embodiments, the sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 3.0 mils to about 4.5 mils. In some embodiments, the sheet 220 can have a thickness in the range of about 4.0 mils to about 6.0 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness of about 2.5 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness of about 3.75 mils. The sheet 220 can have a thickness of about 5.0 mils.

[0049] The first layer 230 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 5 mils. The first layer 230 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 2 mils. The first layer 230 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.8 mils to about 1.6 mils. The second layer 240 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mils to about 2 mils. The second layer 240 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 1 mils. The second layer 240 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.3 mils to about 0.6 mils. The third layer 250 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mils to about 2 mils. The third layer 250 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 1 mils. The third layer 250 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.3 mils to about 0.6 mils. The fourth layer 260 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mils to about 2 mils. The fourth layer 260 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 1 mils. The fourth layer 260 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.3 mils to about 0.6 mils. The fifth layer 270 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 5 mils. The fifth layer 270 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.2 mils to about 2 mils. The fifth layer 270 may have a thickness in the range of from about 0.8 mils to about 1.6 mils.

[0050] The exemplary thicknesses listed above are provided for illustrative purposes and are merely exemplary. It is understood that other thicknesses, other layers, more or fewer layers, other orders or sequences of layers, and other variations may be used. Additionally, it is understood that the thickness may be measured before or after forming a part, such as container 55 or container 700, but the exemplary measurements listed above are made with respect to the blown film sheet 220 before laminating to the base layer 210 and before forming into a part, such as container 55 or container 700. It is also understood that the thickness measurement for a given element or component may be calculated or measured at a given point or location, and / or the average thickness of the element or component or a portion or subset of the element or component may be measured or calculated.

[0051] As Figure 9 shown in the exemplary illustration of the laminating process in B , the laminate 200 may be formed, for example, by laminating or bonding the sheet 220 to the base layer 210. The base layer 210 may be disposed in a roll 310 located on a first roller 311 or along the base layer movement direction M B disposed. For example, the base layer 210 may be extruded or co-extruded and then directly along the base layer movement direction M BTravel and / or not initially set in the roll 310 or not set on the first roller 311. The sheet 220 can be set in the roll 320 located on the second roller 321 or along the sheet movement direction M S Set. For example, the sheet 220 can be extruded, co-extruded, cast, blow molded or otherwise formed and then directly along the sheet movement direction M S Travel and / or not initially set in the roll 320 or not set on the second roller 321. The sheet 220 can be formed, for example, in the blow molding operation discussed herein and then provided from the roll 320 and / or the second roller 320 for lamination with the base layer 210. For example, the sheet 220 can be provided from the roll 310 along the sheet movement direction M S Provided, while the base layer 210 can be directly provided along the base layer movement direction M by an extrusion process B Provided and / or can bypass or omit the roll 310.

[0052] An upper roller 410 and / or a lower roller 420 can be provided to press, heat and / or bond the base layer 210 to the sheet 220 to form a laminate 200 moving along the laminate movement direction M L Moving laminate 200. For example, the laminate 200 can be stored for subsequent processes, such as thermoforming as shown in Figure 10 Or the laminate 200 can directly move along the laminate movement direction M L Travel to a forming process, such as thermoforming or any other process. It can be understood that any one of various processes and / or mechanisms can be used to form the laminate 200 and / or bond, attach or couple the base layer 210 and the sheet 220, and Figure 9 The thermo-laminating roller process depicted in is only an illustration of one such process. It can also be understood that although the base layer 210 is shown on top of the sheet 220 in Figure 9 The sheet 220 can be set side by side and / or almost in any orientation on top of the base layer 210 or above the base layer 210 for lamination or any other purpose.

[0053] As Figure 10 Shown, the laminate 200 can be processed and / or formed in a forming process or by a forming device 500. For example, the upper die 510 and / or the lower die 520 can be used to form the laminate 200 from its first state as a relatively flat material part into its second state formed into a part with additional depth. For example, the forming device 500 can be a thermoforming machine or device or can include a thermoforming machine or device. In Figure 10 In the embodiment shown, the laminate 200 can be moved along the upper die movement direction M by the upper die 510 UMove downward to press the laminate 200 downward into the cavity of the lower die 520 or the lower die 520 to form and / or thermoform, or vice versa, and give the laminate 200 a formed shape.

[0054] The laminate 200 can be set in a shape for forming a desired part, such as shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 for forming a generally annular or circular disk 60 of a generally cylindrical container 55 as shown, for example, in Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 13 . Alternatively, the laminate 200 can be set as shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15 for forming a generally square or rectangular blank 900 of a generally rectangular container 700 as shown, for example, in Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 16 . The disk 60 and / or the blank 900 can be pieces or parts of a larger laminate 200 before being formed into a part such as the container 55 or the container 700, and can still be attached to the larger laminate 200, rather than being clearly delineated as shown, for example, in Figure 11 , Figure 12 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 . These figures show the disk 60 and the blank 900 as separate from the rest of the laminate 200 before forming to facilitate illustration of the principles discussed herein. For example, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, multiple parts, such as the container 55 and / or the container 700, can be formed from one laminate 200 by a thermoforming process that operates multiple dies simultaneously.

[0055] The disk 60 provided by at least a portion of the laminate 200 can have a disk diameter D O , an original laminate area or sheet area or disk area A including the area of the laminate 200 for forming the container 55 O and / or a thickness t O . The disk 60 can form a generally cylindrical container 55 as shown, for example, in Figure 13 . A generally cylindrical container 55 having a sidewall 10 with a generally frustoconical shape can be formed by one die or two dies or other forming structures, such as the upper die 510 and the lower die 520 shown in Figure 10 . The container 55 can include a bottom 20 having a bottom diameter D B and / or a bottom area A B , a sidewall 10 having a sidewall area A W1 and / or a flange or rim 30 having a rim area A R . The container 55 can have a total height or part height HP1 。 Figure 13 The side wall 10 is shown as being partially cut away to illustrate the bottom 20.

[0056] Alternatively or additionally, the blank 900 provided by the laminate 200 may have a blank length L S and / or a blank width W S and / or an original laminate area or sheet area or blank area A including the area of the laminate 200 for forming the container 700 S and / or a thickness t O The blank area A S may be calculated by multiplying the blank length L S by the blank width W S . The blank 900 may be formed into a container 700 having a generally rectangular shape as shown, for example, in Figure 16 . A generally rectangular container 700 having side walls 710 with a generally frustopyramidal shape may be formed by one mold or two molds or other forming structures, such as Figure 10 the upper mold 510 and the lower mold 520 shown in SB The container 700 may have a bottom 720 including a bottom length L SB and / or a bottom width W SB and / or a bottom area A W2 side walls 710 having a side wall area A SR and / or a flange or rim 730 having a rim area A P2 . The container 700 may have a total height or part height H Figure 16 The side wall 710 is shown as being partially cut away to illustrate the bottom 720.

[0057] The relative dimensions of a formed part, such as the container 55 or the container 700, compared to a part of the laminate 200 for forming the formed part, such as the disc 60 or the blank 900, may be used, for example, to estimate the draw ratio of the formed part, such as the container 55 or the container 700. For a generally cylindrical part, such as the container 55, the part height H P1 and the disc diameter D O or the top diameter D T may be used to determine the linear draw ratio or the depth of the draw ratio, and / or the area of the sheet or disc area A O and the bottom area A B the side wall area A S and / or the rim area A RCan be used to determine the area draw ratio. The unexpected result is that the depth of the draw ratio can be achieved through a relatively thin layer in the sheet 220 in the container 55 without any layer breakage or failure and the barrier integrity is maintained. These unexpected results are achieved by laminating the sheet 220 to the base layer 210 such that a thinner layer that can still be drawn relatively deep to form the container 55 is achieved.

[0058] The laminate 200 formed by, for example, the base layer 210 and the blown film sheet 220 discussed in the various examples above can have a relatively thin layer (e.g., the EVOH third layer 250 that is about 12% of the thickness of the sheet 220 and / or the EVOH third layer 250 having a thickness of about 0.3 mil to about 0.6 mil), and the laminate 200 is still effective for a relatively high draw ratio such as for thermoforming. These results are unexpected because the trend in the industry suggests that a thicker layer, such as EVOH, is required to achieve a relatively high draw ratio associated with forming beverage cartons or containers, and these trends are contrary to the teachings of using thinner materials in the examples above. In an exemplary embodiment, the container 55 is formed to have a sheet thickness t of about 1.03 mil after forming from a 3.75 mil sheet 220 S and a total laminate thickness t of about 28.38 mil after forming O and a base layer thickness t of about 27.35 mil after forming B . The relatively thin layer can, for example, facilitate the recycling or recyclability of the container 55, the package 60, and / or the laminate 200 or any combination thereof. The relatively thin sheet 220 located on the relatively thick base layer 210 can reduce the relative amount of sheet 220 material in the laminate 200. For example, the base layer 210 can be made of PP or PE or other suitable recyclable materials, and after the laminate 200 is formed from a sheet 220 having other materials, such as the EVOH third layer 250, the laminate 200, the container 55, and / or the lid 100 or the package 60 can have a low enough volume and / or weight of other materials that can still be recycled with the base layer 210. For example, less than about 5% and / or about 3% of the laminate 200, the container 55, and / or the package 60 can comprise materials other than those found in the base layer 210 (e.g., EVOH with a PP or PE base layer 210). It can be understood that the volume of the material can approximately correspond to the thickness of the layer in which the material is located. For example, if a given layer has a thickness of less than 5% of the total laminate thickness, the volume of that layer or the volume of the material used to form that layer can also account for less than about 5% of the total laminate volume or the volume of the material used to form the laminate.

[0059] Two common types of draw ratio calculations used in plastics manufacturing are linear draw ratio and area draw ratio. The linear draw ratio can compare the height of a formed part, as well as its length or width, to the material used to form the part. For example, for a generally cylindrical part formed from a generally circular portion of a sheet, the height-to-diameter ratio, measured as height divided by diameter or H:D, can be used to calculate the linear draw ratio. The area draw ratio can compare the area of the formed part to the area of the material used to form the part, which can be expressed as A P :A O , or the area of the formed part divided by the area of the initial material or portion of the material used to form the part (see, e.g., Throne, James L. Technology of Thermoforming. Hanser Publications, 1996, pp. 488 - 498).

[0060] The linear draw ratio based on diameter can be a way to measure a generally cylindrical part, such as container 55, formed from a generally circular sheet 220 or a circular portion of sheet 220. This linear draw ratio can be mathematically expressed as:

[0061] R C = H ÷ D

[0062] The area draw ratio can be used for any part shape with few limitations because the area draw ratio is a comparison of the surface area of the formed part to the surface area of the material or portion of the sheet used to form the part. The area draw ratio can be mathematically expressed as:

[0063] R A = A P ÷ A O

[0064] where A P is the area of the formed part and A O is the area of the portion of sheet 220 used to form the part. The area draw ratio can also be used to measure a generally cylindrical part, such as container 55, formed from a generally circular portion of sheet 220, such as disk 60. The area draw ratio can also be used for other shapes, such as a generally rectangular container 700 formed from a generally rectangular blank 900 as shown, for example, in Figures 14 to 16 .

[0065] The area of a generally cylindrical part, such as Figure 13 container 55 shown in Figure 13The area of the container 55 shown in [Figure] can be the sum of the various parts, such as the side wall 10, the bottom 20, and the rim 30. The area of the generally circular portion of the sheet 220 used to form the container 55 can be approximately the area A of a circle O = πr 2 . The area stretch ratio of the frustum-shaped member formed from the circular sheet can be expressed as:

[0066]

[0067] where R is the large radius or top radius (as discussed in more detail below, R can be calculated with or without the rim or flange 30), r is the small radius or bottom radius, and h is the height. For example, referring to Figure 11 the container 55 shown in [Figure], in the above area stretch ratio equation, the value used for R will be half of the top diameter D T or the value used for r will be half of the bottom diameter D B or and the value used for h will be H P1 . It will be understood that other equations can be used for other part shapes, such as for example a cube or a frustum of a pyramid or for almost any other shape. The above equation for calculating the area stretch ratio of a frustum-shaped member can be found, for example, in Technology of Thermoforming (Throne, James L. Technology of Thermoforming. Hanser Publications, 1996, pp. 488 - 491) together with other area stretch ratio equations for other parts or container shapes.

[0068] Alternatively or additionally, the area stretch ratio of a part can be measured or calculated by measuring the surface area of the formed part and comparing that surface area to the surface area of the disk, blank, or other portion of material used to form the formed part. For example, computer software, such as CAD, can be used to measure the surface area of the part or the surface area of each surface feature, and the surface areas of the various features can be added together to obtain the total surface area. For example, in the case of container 700, CAD or the like can be used to more effectively and / or accurately measure the surface area of each feature such as sidewall 710, bottom 720, groove 715, shoulder 716, and edge 730, add these surface areas together, and divide the sum by the area of blank 900 to obtain the area stretch ratio. Using CAD can be more accurate, for example, by calculating surface features that cannot be calculated by mathematical equations approximating general shapes (e.g., frustum of a cone or frustum of a pyramid). The method of using CAD or other programs to measure surface area can also be used with container 55 and disk 60 and any components or surface features of container 55 and disk 60, such as bottom 20 with ribs, etc.

[0069] For example, CAD is used to measure Figure 11 the disk area A of the disk 60 shown 0 and the surface area of container 55, the surface area of container 55 including edge area A R 、the area of shoulder 16, sidewall area A W1 and bottom area A B . In this example, D 0 is approximately 2", D T is also approximately 2", H P1 is approximately 1.75", and D B is approximately 1.43". The disk area A measured using CAD 0 is approximately 3.142 in 2 , and the formed part surface area measured using CAD for the outer surface of any given feature shows a total formed part surface area of approximately 11.012 in 2 . Dividing the total formed part surface area by the disk area A 0 yields an area stretch ratio of approximately 3.505 (11.012 divided by 3.142) in this first example. In this example, the linear stretch ratio H P1 divided by D 0 is approximately 0.875 (1.75 divided by 2).

[0070] In another example, CAD is used to measure Figure 14 the blank area A of the blank shown S and the surface area of container 750, the surface area of container 750 including edge area A SR, the area of the shoulder 716, the sidewall area A W2 and the bottom area A SB . In this second example, A SR is approximately 10.2 in 2 , where the top length L ST is approximately 3.75” and the top width W ST is approximately 2.72”, A SB is approximately 5.78 in 2 , where the bottom length L SB is approximately 2.92” and the bottom width W SB is approximately 1.98”. In this example, the height H of the container 750 P2 is approximately 2.25”. CAD is used to measure the blank area A S and is also used to measure the area of the formed part or container 700, which shows a blank area A of approximately 10.2 in 2 and a formed part surface area of approximately 30.4 in S . Dividing the total formed part surface area by the blank area A 2 in this second example yields an area draw ratio of approximately 2.98 (30.4 divided by 10.2). S

[0071] For example, as discussed above, in some embodiments of the container 55 formed from the laminate 200, the linear draw ratio can be greater than approximately 0.4, in the range of approximately 0.4 to approximately 2.0, in the range of approximately 0.5 to approximately 1.5, in the range of approximately 0.6 to approximately 1.2, in the range of approximately 0.8 to approximately 1.0, and / or be approximately 0.9.

[0072] For example, as discussed above, in some embodiments of the container 55 or the container 700 formed from the laminate 200, the area draw ratio can be equal to or greater than approximately 2.5, equal to or greater than approximately 2.98, equal to or greater than approximately 3.0, equal to or greater than approximately 3.1, equal to or greater than approximately 3.25, equal to or greater than approximately 3.4, equal to or greater than approximately 3.5, in the range of approximately 2.5 to approximately 20.0, in the range of approximately 2.5 to approximately 10.0, in the range of approximately 2.5 to approximately 9.0, in the range of approximately 2.9 to approximately 6.0, in the range of approximately 2.9 to approximately 5.0, in the range of approximately 3.25 to approximately 5.0, in the range of approximately 3.4 to approximately 5.0, in the range of approximately 3.5 to approximately 5.0, be approximately 2.98, and / or be approximately 3.5. It can be understood that the linear draw ratio and the area draw ratio can be estimated based on relatively simplified geometries, and more complex geometries and / or features of the container 55 such as, for example, the shoulder 16, the edge 30, the shoulder 16, or other features or any combination thereof may affect the draw ratio.

[0073] ​In another example, the container 55 may have a height H of about 1.7” P1 and a bottom diameter D of about 1.1” B and a top diameter D of about 2” including the rim or flange 30 T or a top diameter D of about 1.8” without including the rim or flange 30 T . In this example, the width of the flange or rim 30 from the inner edge adjacent to the opening leading to the container 55 to the outer edge opposite the inner edge is about 0.1”. Based on this example and using the above equation for the area stretch ratio R A for a frustum, the large radius R (half of the top diameter D T ) can be about 1”, while the small radius r can be measured at half of the bottom diameter D B or be about 0.55”, and the height h or H P1 can be measured as about 1.7”.

[0074] When calculating a stretch ratio, such as an area stretch ratio, it can be understood that the thickness can be relatively small compared to the surface area such that the thickness can be ignored when calculating the stretch ratio. In such cases, the area of the inner surface is approximately equal to the outer surface, and the stretch ratio calculation is approximately the same whether all surfaces are measured and compared or only the top or bottom surfaces are measured and compared. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the exemplary ratios provided herein are approximate values and any differences that may typically arise depending on the surfaces being compared can generally be ignored. For example, when considering the area stretch ratio of the container 55 compared to the disk 60, the stretch ratio calculation will be approximately equal whether (1) the sum of the areas of the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the disk 60 is compared to the area of all the surfaces of the container 55 or (2) the area of the top (or bottom) surface of the disk 60 is compared to the sum of the areas of the top (or bottom) surfaces of the container 55. The same can be true for the container 700 compared to the blank 900. The area stretch ratio discussed herein can be determined by comparing the total surface area of the disk or blank to the formed part (e.g., in the area A 0 or A Sincludes the top and bottom surfaces of the disc or blank, and is calculated by comparing this area with the surface area of all the surfaces of the formed part), or by comparing one side of the disc or blank with the same side after the part has been formed. It will be appreciated that if the area of the disc or blank is doubled as may be the case where the top and bottom surface areas are measured rather than just the top or bottom surface area alone, and the area of the formed part is doubled by measuring all top and bottom surfaces rather than just one side or the other, the resulting area stretch ratio may be approximately the same since the doubling of the numerator and denominator in the ratio will cancel out as two divided by two in the numerator is one.

[0075] Figure 17 is a diagram of a cross-section that is part of an embodiment of container 55. As discussed above, container 55 can be made of Figure 11 and Figure 12 The disc 60 shown in is formed into a generally cylindrical shape having a bottom 20, a sidewall 10, and an edge 30. Container 55 can be formed by elongating and / or stretching disc 60 into container 55, which typically causes the base layer 210 and the sheet 220 to stretch and / or thin over the entire sidewall 10 to form the product storage area 40. Similarly, container 700 can be formed by elongating and / or stretching blank 900, which typically causes the base layer 210 and the sheet 220 to stretch and / or thin over the entire sidewall 710 to form the product storage area 740. Although Figures 17 to 20 illustrates container 55, package 50, and the components of container 55 and package 50, it will be appreciated that the principles discussed with respect to Figures 17 to 20 can be applied to container 700, package 750, and the components of container 700 and package 750 or other embodiments of containers or packages. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the thickness and relative thickness of any layer of the laminate 200 shown in the respective figures, the overall thickness and relative thickness of the laminate 200, the thickness and relative thickness of the disc 60, the thickness and relative thickness of the blank 900, and / or the thickness and relative thickness of container 55 or container 700 may not be drawn to scale and may be enlarged to more clearly illustrate the concepts described herein.

[0076] As Figure 18As shown, the container 55 can be formed into a package 50, for example, by adding a lid 100. The lid 100 can include a sealing portion 120 that can seal, bond, couple, and / or attach to a sealing surface 35 of a flange or edge 30 of the container 55. The lid 100 can include a central portion or central region 110 that is generally surrounded by the sealing portion 120, wherein the central portion 110 covers the product storage region 40. The lid 100 and / or the lid sealing portion 120 can include a material adapted to bond or seal to the container 55, such as at the edge sealing surface 35. For example, the sealing portion 120 can include PP when the container 55 includes PP, and / or the sealing portion 120 can include PE when the container 55 includes PE. It will be understood that any one of various bonding, coupling, sealing, attaching mechanisms, or any combination thereof can be used when joining the lid 100 and the container 55 together. For example, a filter 70 having contents 80 can be coupled to the lid central portion 110. In this way, for example, a beverage brewing system inlet 90 can penetrate or extend through the lid 100, allowing water to permeate through the contents 80 (e.g., coffee powder or tea leaves) to form a beverage, and the beverage can exit the package 50 through an outlet 95.

[0077] Figure 19 and Figure 20 respectively illustrate a second embodiment of the container 65 and a third embodiment of the container 75. Figure 19 and Figure 20 The side cross-sectional views of the containers 65 and 75 shown in Figure 17 are similar to the view of the container 55 shown in Figure 19 is an illustration of a cross-section of a part of an embodiment of the container 65. The container 65 can be formed from Figure 11 and Figure 12 the disk 60 shown to have a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom 20, sidewalls 10, and an edge 30, or formed from a blank 900 shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15 to have a generally rectangular shape with a bottom 720, sidewalls 710, and an edge 730, or formed into almost any other shape as discussed above. The container 65 can be formed by elongating and / or stretching the disk 60 into the container 55, which generally causes the base layer 210 and the sheet 220 to stretch and / or thin over the entire sidewall 10 to form the product storage region 40. As Figure 19 shown, the sheet 220 can be located at or near the inner surface 12 of the container, and / or the base layer 210 can be located at or near the outer surface 11 of the container. In Figure 19In the illustrated embodiment and / or in other embodiments, the sheet 220 may at least partially form the top surface of the edge 30 and / or the sealing surface 35. For example, the sheet 220 may be constructed and / or shaped to cooperate with the lid 100 and / or the lid sealing region 120 to provide optimized sealing characteristics.

[0078] Figure 20 A third embodiment is illustrated that includes a container 75 having a sheet 220 located at or near the inner surface 12 of the container 75 and a second sheet 220' located at or near the outer surface 11 of the container 75, wherein a base layer 210 is located between the sheet 220 and the second sheet 220'. In this embodiment, the base layer 210 may be located midway between the two sheets 220, 220' and / or one or both of the sheets 220, 220' may at least partially form the outer surface 11, the inner surface 12, and / or the sealing surface 35. The sheets 220, 220' may be substantially similar to each other, or alternatively, may be formed in different ways to provide different characteristics and / or for any other reason. For example, the sheet 220 at or near the inner surface 12 and / or the sealing surface 35 may be optimized for contact with an edible product, such as coffee and / or coffee powder, and for sealing with the lid 110 or any portion of the lid 110, while the second sheet 220' may be optimized for, for example, printing and / or aesthetic display and / or tactile feel. Continuing with this example, instead of or in addition to the discussed sealing and / or aesthetic or tactile characteristics, one or both of the sheets 220, 220' may include barrier properties. As described above, it can be understood that although Figures 17 to 20 A container 55, a package 50, and the components of the container 55 and the package 50 are illustrated, but with respect to Figures 17 to 20 the principles discussed can be applied to a container 700, a package 750, and the components of the container 700 and the package 750. It can also be understood that the containers 55, 65, 75, 750 may be formed from one sheet, two sheets, or more than two sheets.

[0079] It will be appreciated that the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components can be made of any of a variety of materials, including but not limited to any of a variety of suitable plastic materials, any other material, or any combination thereof. Suitable plastic materials can include but are not limited to polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (CPET), polylactic acid (PLA), bioplastics, mixtures and compositions thereof, or any other plastic material or any mixture and composition thereof. It will be appreciated that multilayer materials can be used for any of a variety of reasons, including improving barrier properties or providing known functions associated with multilayer structures. In the case of including a multilayer, the multilayer can be a variety of materials, including but not limited to those described herein.

[0080] It will also be appreciated that the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components can be substantially rigid, substantially flexible, a mixture of rigid and flexible, or any combination of rigid, flexible, and / or mixed, such as having some regions that are flexible and some regions that are rigid. It will be appreciated that these examples are illustrative only and not limiting, and are provided to illustrate the diversity of options available in various embodiments of the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components.

[0081] It will also be appreciated that any of a variety of processes or combinations thereof can be used to form the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components, or any layer or substrate used in the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components. For example, any component, layer, or substrate or combination thereof can be thermoformed, injection molded, injection stretch blow molded, blow molded, extrusion blow molded, coextruded, blown, cast, subjected to any other suitable process, or subjected to any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components can be formed substantially of injection molded and / or thermoformed suitable plastic materials, but other materials and forming processes can also be used separately in place of or in addition to injection molding and thermoforming. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, a variety of materials and / or processes can be used to form the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components. In some embodiments, the encapsulant 50 or encapsulant 700 and / or any of its components can be a substantially one-piece design and / or substantially formed as an integral or monolithic structure.

[0082] It is understood that although some directional terms are used herein, such as top, bottom, upper, lower, inward, outward, upward, downward, etc., these terms are not intended to be restrictive but relate to one or more exemplary orientations, positions, and / or configurations of the package 50 or the package 700, and / or any of its components. It is understood that the package 50 and / or any of its components or parts may be inverted or reoriented to face or point in different directions without departing from the essence of the package 50 or the package 700 disclosed herein.

[0083] Without departing from the spirit and scope more particularly set forth in the appended claims, these and other modifications and variations can be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged, in whole or in part. Further, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope described in the claims. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the exemplary descriptions contained herein.

[0084] The following numbered clauses include intended and non - restrictive embodiments:

[0085] Clause 1. A container comprising a sidewall having a sidewall area and a bottom having a bottom area.

[0086] Clause 2. The container according to clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sidewall and the bottom are formed of a laminate having a base layer and a sheet.

[0087] Clause 3. The container according to clause 2, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the base layer has a base layer thickness and the sheet has a sheet thickness.

[0088] Clause 4. The container according to clause 3, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the laminate has a laminate thickness that is at least the sum of the base layer thickness and the sheet thickness.

[0089] Clause 5. The container according to clause 4, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sheet has at least one sheet layer, and the at least one sheet layer has a thickness that is equal to or less than 5% of the laminate thickness.

[0090] Clause 6. The container according to Clause 5, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sidewall and the bottom at least partially define a part area, wherein the container is formed from the laminate having a laminate area for forming the container, and wherein the formed container has an area stretch ratio greater than about 2.5.

[0091] Clause 7. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the laminate area is generally circular in the form of a disk.

[0092] Clause 8. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the laminate area is generally rectangular in the form of a blank.

[0093] Clause 9. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, further comprising a flange having an edge area, and wherein the calculation of the area stretch ratio includes the edge area.

[0094] Clause 10. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area stretch ratio is greater than about 2.8.

[0095] Clause 11. The container according to Clause 10, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area stretch ratio is greater than about 3.1.

[0096] Clause 12. The container according to Clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area stretch ratio is greater than about 3.4.

[0097] Clause 13. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the at least one sheet layer has an average thickness equal to or less than 0.6 mils.

[0098] Clause 14. The container according to Clause 6, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the at least one sheet layer includes a barrier material.

[0099] Clause 15. A container comprising a sidewall having a sidewall area and a bottom having a bottom area.

[0100] Clause 16. The container according to Clause 15, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sidewall and the bottom are formed from a laminate having a base layer and a sheet.

[0101] Clause 17. A container according to Clause 16, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sheet has a sheet thickness, the sheet includes at least one barrier layer having a barrier layer thickness, and wherein the base layer has a base layer thickness.

[0102] Clause 18. A container according to Clause 17, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the laminate has a laminate thickness.

[0103] Clause 19. A container according to Clause 18, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the barrier layer thickness is less than about 5% of the laminate thickness.

[0104] Clause 20. A container according to Clause 19, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the sidewall and the bottom at least partially define a part area, wherein the container is formed from a portion of a laminate having a laminate area, and wherein the container has an area draw ratio greater than about 2.5.

[0105] Clause 21. A container according to Clause 20, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the barrier layer thickness is less than about 3% of the laminate thickness.

[0106] Clause 22. A process for forming a container, comprising the step of providing a base layer formed from a base material.

[0107] Clause 23. The process according to Clause 22, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, further comprising the step of providing a sheet having at least one layer.

[0108] Clause 24. The process according to Clause 23, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, further comprising the step of laminating the base layer to the sheet to form a laminate.

[0109] Clause 25. The process according to Clause 24, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, further comprising the step of thermoforming the laminate into a part having an area draw ratio of at least about 2.5.

[0110] Clause 26. The process according to Clause 25, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the laminate is generally circular in the form of a disc.

[0111] Clause 27. The process according to Clause 26, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the part is generally frustoconical.

[0112] Clause 28. The process according to clause 27, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the part includes a flange having an edge area, and wherein the calculation of the area draw ratio includes the edge area.

[0113] Clause 29. The process according to clause 25, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area draw ratio is greater than about 2.8.

[0114] Clause 30. The process according to clause 29, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area draw ratio is greater than about 3.1.

[0115] Clause 31. The process according to clause 30, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the area draw ratio is greater than about 3.4.

[0116] Clause 32. The process according to clause 25, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, further comprising the step of blow molding a multilayer film to form the sheet.

[0117] Clause 33. The process according to clause 32, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein at least one layer of the multilayer film is a barrier layer.

Claims

1. A container, comprising: a side wall having a side wall area; a bottom having a bottom area; wherein the side wall and the bottom are formed of a laminate having a base layer and a sheet; wherein the base layer has a base layer thickness and the sheet has a sheet thickness; wherein the laminate has a laminate thickness that is at least the sum of the base layer thickness and the sheet thickness; wherein the sheet has five sheet layers, and a third layer that is a barrier layer among the five sheet layers has a thickness less than 5% of the laminate thickness, and the thickness of the barrier layer is about 12% of the sheet thickness; and wherein the side wall and the bottom at least partially define a part area, wherein the container is formed of the laminate having a laminate area for forming the container, and wherein the formed container has an area stretch ratio greater than 2.

5.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein, the laminate is generally circular in the form of a disc.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein, the laminate is generally rectangular in the form of a blank.

4. The container according to claim 1, further comprising a flange having a flange area, and wherein, the calculation of the area stretch ratio includes the flange area.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 2.

8.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 3.

1.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 3.

4.

8. The container according to claim 1, wherein, the at least one sheet layer has an average thickness equal to or less than 0.6 mils.

9. The container according to claim 1, wherein, the at least one sheet layer comprises a barrier material.

10. The container according to claim 9, wherein, the thickness of the barrier layer is less than 3% of the laminate thickness.

11. A process for forming a container, comprising the steps of: providing a base layer formed of a base layer material; providing a sheet having at least one layer; laminating the base layer to the sheet to form a laminate; and thermoforming the laminate into a part having an area stretch ratio of at least 2.5, wherein the part is the container according to claim 1.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein, the laminate is generally circular in the form of a disc.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein, the part is generally frustoconical.

14. The process according to claim 13, wherein, the part includes a flange having a flange area, and wherein the calculation of the area stretch ratio includes the flange area.

15. The process according to claim 11, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 2.

8.

16. The process according to claim 15, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 3.

1.

17. The process according to claim 11, wherein, the area stretch ratio is greater than 3.

4.

18. The process according to claim 11, wherein, further comprising the step of blow molding a multilayer film to form the sheet.

19. The process according to claim 18, wherein, at least one layer of the multilayer film is a barrier layer.

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