Packaged paper towel product

Abstract

The invention relates to a paper towel product packaged in a package, wherein the package comprises a plastic tray wrapped by a paperboard sleeve and closed with a lid, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tray is in the range of 0.08 - 0.80 mm and the weight of the plastic tray is at most 65 g, and the plastic tray is connected to the paperboard sleeve in such a way that the plastic tray has two or more protrusions which engage with corresponding recesses of the paperboard sleeve wrapping the plastic tray.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to tissue paper products packaged in novel packaging, particularly tissue paper products impregnated with an impregnating agent, and a method for producing the packaged tissue paper products.

[0002] Due to their properties, tissue products are widely used in various fields, especially in cosmetics and hygiene, as well as numerous cleaning and disinfection applications. Depending on the intended use, which typically involves a wet or damp state, tissue products may be pre-impregnated with an impregnating agent. In this case, the impregnated tissue products are individually packaged or packaged in units of a predetermined quantity, or they may be packaged unimpregnated and only moistened or impregnated after removal from the package when desired or necessary.

[0003] The so-called "flow packaging" is known in the prior art, in which tissue products, typically in units of 20-100 wipes, are sealed in a non-dimensionally stable plastic film. This type of packaging is indeed suitable for relatively thin tissue products and / or unimpregnated tissue products or tissue products impregnated with only a small amount of impregnating agent; however, flow packaging is not suitable for tissue products that are usually over-impregnated and subsequently packaged, such as pre-impregnated floor wipes, which must be over-impregnated because only by over-impregnating the wipes can it be ensured that after the package is opened, the top wipes are removed, and the evaporation process is initiated, the lower wipes in the package still contain sufficient impregnating agent. This is because, in conventional flow packaging, the wipes can only be impregnated with the amount of liquid they can absorb. Otherwise, excessive liquid will prevent the film from being welded.

[0004] Furthermore, it is known in the prior art to package tissue products, particularly impregnated tissue products, in rigid plastic trays sealed with plastic lids. Compared to flow packaging, the advantage of packaging wipes in rigid plastic trays lies in the degree of impregnation, as the wipes in rigid plastic trays can be over-impregnated with a pre-calculated amount of liquid, ensuring that even the last wipe in an opened package still contains sufficient liquid.

[0005] However, rigid plastic pallets have relatively high production costs, which is reflected in their higher retail prices. Furthermore, a disadvantage is that rigid plastic pallets and lids, for example, generate a significant amount of non-biodegradable plastic waste when packaged with 12-24 impregnated floor wipes; for instance, a package containing 24 impregnated floor wipes would generate 123 g of plastic waste.

[0006] Therefore, rigid plastic trays offer the advantage of allowing for over-impregnation of the wipes, thus ensuring that all wipes included in the package can be used effectively. However, this advantage is offset by the disadvantages of high price and high plastic waste. On the other hand, flow packaging offers the advantage of significantly reduced plastic usage, but has the disadvantage that, for packages containing impregnated paper towels, the lower wipes are too dry to be used for effective cleaning.

[0007] Furthermore, thin-walled plastic pallet packaging is known in the food industry, where a cardboard sleeve is glued to the plastic pallet for greater stability. This does offer the advantage of reducing plastic waste compared to thicker plastic pallets; however, few consumers bother to properly separate the packaging after removing the contents, as doing so requires laboriously peeling the cardboard sleeve from the plastic pallet. Many consumers are unaware that the packaging can be separated into its plastic and cardboard components because the bond between the cardboard and the plastic pallet is often so strong that the plastic pallet with the cardboard sleeve attached is treated as an inseparable unit and discarded. Therefore, the cardboard also ends up in plastic waste, hindering proper waste sorting.

[0008] GB 2 194 514 A discloses such packaging for use in the food industry. This document describes a composite packaging comprising an inner plastic container and an outer cardboard sleeve. The connection between the plastic container and the cardboard sleeve is established by engaging a protrusion on the inner container with a recess in the outer shell. The container is used to contain food heated by microwave radiation.

[0009] WO 2023 / 066977 A1 describes a container for holding portioned food, such as butter or margarine, having an inner part made of plastic and an outer part made of cardboard, the inner and outer parts being joined together by a lug of the inner part engaging a recess of the outer part.

[0010] CN 201 068 286 Y discloses impregnated wipes packaged in a box, wherein the box is further wrapped in plastic packaging.

[0011] US 3,927,821 A describes a cardboard box lined with plastic.

[0012] Purpose of the invention The object of the present invention is to provide a tissue product packaged in an alternative packaging, and a method for producing the tissue product in the alternative packaging, which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages known in the prior art and, in particular, has higher environmental compatibility, wherein the plastic content of the packaging is significantly reduced compared to a rigid plastic tray, and the plastic portion is easily separable from other packaging components. Summary of the Invention

[0013] This invention achieves this objective through the features in the claims, particularly through a tissue product packaged in a package comprising a plastic tray wrapped in a cardboard sleeve, the plastic tray preferably being sealed in an airtight manner with a cap, and wherein the plastic tray is connected to the cardboard sleeve in such a way that the plastic tray has two or more protrusions that engage with corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic tray.

[0014] For the purposes of this invention, a plastic tray should be understood as a container with a single-sided opening for accommodating tissue paper products.

[0015] Unlike rigid plastic trays known in the prior art, the plastic trays for storing and packaging tissue products according to the present invention weigh at most 65 g and have a wall thickness of 0.08–0.80 mm, preferably <0.6 mm, and particularly in the range of 0.08–0.55 mm. Therefore, the stability of such thin-walled plastic trays is lower than that of rigid plastic trays with greater wall thicknesses known in the prior art. However, this lower stability has been found to be sufficient because, according to the present invention, the plastic tray for storing tissue products is additionally wrapped with a cardboard sleeve that imparts stability. In contrast, rigid plastic trays known in the prior art not only contain tissue products but also constitute their sole packaging, thus requiring higher stability. Using thin-walled plastic trays wrapped with cardboard sleeves as packaging for tissue products according to the present invention can save approximately 50% of plastic compared to tissue product packaging known in the prior art.

[0016] According to the present invention, under conditions where the preferred volume is 2.5 L to 3.7 L, the weight of the plastic tray is at most 65 g, for example 35 g to 55 g, and preferably in the range of 37 g to 51 g, while the weight of plastic trays of the same size but with greater wall thickness known in the prior art is as high as 90 g. Therefore, by using the plastic tray stabilized by the cardboard sleeve according to the present invention as a container for tissue products, the mass of plastic waste can be reduced by up to 61% compared to plastic trays known in the prior art. Preferably, the plastic tray is fully recyclable and also composed of recyclable materials, thus forming a material closed loop when the plastic tray is sent for recycling. This demonstrates a significant advantage of the present invention over similar packaging known in the prior art, which also comprises plastic packaging wrapped in a cardboard sleeve. Specifically, these packaging packages known in the prior art can only be separated into their components with extreme difficulty, while the packaging of the present invention does not have this problem. In the packaging of the present invention, the cardboard sleeve can be separated very easily from the plastic tray located inside, even by children or people with impaired motor skills, as will be described in more detail below.

[0017] According to the invention, the plastic tray has two or more protrusions that engage with corresponding recesses in a cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic tray, thus the plastic tray is detachably connected to the cardboard sleeve. Therefore, after removing the tissue paper products contained therein, the package can be easily separated into its components by manually disengaging the protrusions on the plastic tray from the recesses in the cardboard sleeve, and the cardboard sleeve can be sent to waste paper recycling, while the plastic tray can be sent to plastic waste recycling.

[0018] The plastic pallet can be made of any desired plastic material. However, preferably, the material constituting the plastic pallet is selected from or composed of the following substances: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. Particularly preferably, the above-mentioned plastic is a recyclable plastic, or a plastic having a recyclable material content of 10%–100%, preferably 70%–80%, by weight. A particularly preferred material for the plastic pallet is polyethylene terephthalate, which has a recyclable polyethylene terephthalate content of 50% to 100% by weight.

[0019] Typically, using recyclable plastic materials to produce the plastic pallets included in the packaging according to the invention helps to further reduce the amount of plastic waste, because in the overall balance, the amount of plastic waste that has been significantly reduced by the thin-walled design of the plastic pallets is further offset by the amount of recyclable plastic used to produce the plastic pallets.

[0020] In one embodiment, the sealing of the plastic tray is a film and / or a lid, wherein the film and / or lid preferably seals the plastic tray in an airtight manner. According to a preferred embodiment, the sealing is a film, particularly an aluminized plastic film, which is welded to the plastic tray to achieve an airtight seal of the package. Optionally, a lid is also provided above the film, which can be used to close the opened package after it has been opened by opening or removing the film.

[0021] Preferably, the plastic tray included in the packaging for tissue products according to the invention has two or more protrusions on each of its two opposing longitudinal edges, the two opposing longitudinal edges and the narrow edge located therebetween defining the bottom of the plastic tray, and the protrusions engaging with corresponding recesses of the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic tray.

[0022] Generally, for the purposes of this invention, a “protrusion” on a plastic pallet should be understood as a protrusion or ridge extending outward from the surface of the plastic pallet. Advantageously, the protrusion is integrally formed with the plastic pallet.

[0023] In addition to or replacing two or more protrusions at opposite longitudinal edges of the plastic pallet defining the bottom, the plastic pallet may optionally also have a protrusion at each of the four corners defining the bottom of the plastic pallet, which engages with a corresponding recess in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet.

[0024] However, it should be understood that the number and arrangement of protrusions on the plastic pallet that engage with the corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve wrapping the plastic pallet can be almost arbitrary. At least two protrusions should be provided to ensure the cardboard sleeve remains stable before the plastic pallet is discarded; however, for practical reasons, there should not be too many protrusions, otherwise disassembling the cardboard sleeve for waste sorting would be too laborious and would also increase unnecessary production costs. Therefore, preferably, the plastic pallet has at least two and at most ten protrusions that engage with the corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve wrapping the plastic pallet.

[0025] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the plastic pallet has four to eight protrusions engaged in corresponding recesses in a cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet, wherein the protrusions are optionally arranged on opposite longitudinal edges and / or on a narrow edge therebetween in each case, the opposite longitudinal edges and the narrow edge therebetween together defining the bottom of the plastic pallet.

[0026] The material of the cardboard sleeve can be solid cardboard or corrugated cardboard. Preferably, the material of the cardboard sleeve is solid cardboard, especially solid cardboard GD2 with a basis weight of 380 g / m², which is made of virgin fiber or recycled paper, with a paper thickness in the range of 305 to 740 µm and a paper basis weight in the range of 180 to 740 g / m².

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary cardboard blank for manufacturing a cardboard sleeve is shown. In the illustrated cardboard blank, a central portion with a circular recess forms the bottom of the subsequent cardboard sleeve. This central portion is connected to four sides, namely two opposing longer sides and two opposing shorter sides, by indentation lines. The diagonal lines in the shorter sides represent fold lines along which the shorter sides can be folded to save space in the unassembled state. On the right and left sides of the two longer sides, each longer side is connected to an adhesive surface by an indentation line for connecting to its respective adjacent shorter side. The sides are bent at approximately a 90° angle towards the central portion forming the bottom of the cardboard sleeve along the indentation lines. In the illustrated embodiment, after the four sides are bent at a 90° angle towards the central portion, all sides are bonded together with their adjacent sides by applying adhesive to the adhesive surfaces arranged on the longer sides and contacting each adhesive surface with the nearest adjacent side. In this way, an exemplary cardboard sleeve of the packaging of the present invention is formed. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the cardboard sleeve has eight recesses, four of which are arranged in the corner region defining the bottom, and two of which are respectively arranged on opposite longitudinal edges defining the bottom. For attachment to a plastic pallet, protrusions arranged on the plastic pallet engage with each of these recesses.

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another exemplary cardboard blank for manufacturing a cardboard sleeve is shown. In the illustrated cardboard blank, four surfaces are marked "DLF". These surfaces are adhesive surfaces. The lines marked " / / " are crease lines, along which the sides are bent at approximately 90° angles towards the center portion forming the bottom of the cardboard sleeve. The opposing crease lines marked "X" extend in a slightly tapered shape. In the illustrated embodiment, after the four sides are bent at 90° angles towards the center portion, adhesive is applied to the surfaces marked "DLF", and each adhesive surface is brought into contact with the nearest adjacent side, thus bonding all sides together with their adjacent sides. In this way, an exemplary cardboard sleeve for the packaging of the present invention is formed. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the cardboard sleeve has eight recesses, four of which are located in the corner region defining the bottom, and two of which are respectively located on opposite longitudinal edges defining the bottom. For attachment to a plastic pallet, protrusions arranged on the plastic pallet engage with each of these recesses.

[0029] Preferably, the plastic pallet and the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet are connected to each other only by the engagement of a protrusion on the plastic pallet with a recess in the cardboard sleeve. In other words, the connection between the plastic pallet and the cardboard sleeve is achieved only by the engagement of a protrusion on the plastic pallet with a recess in the cardboard sleeve, and in particular, the cardboard sleeve is not glued to the plastic pallet.

[0030] In principle, this type of packaging is suitable for all tissue products, especially for both dry and impregnated tissue products, i.e., tissue products impregnated with an impregnating agent. The tissue products are preferably selected from the group comprising both dry and impregnated cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes, and body cleaning wipes. Particularly preferred are impregnated tissue products. Even more preferred are impregnated disinfectant wipes or impregnated floor wipes.

[0031] The present invention also relates to a method for producing paper towel products packaged in packaging, comprising the following steps: - Provide a plastic tray with two or more protrusions, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tray is in the range of 0.08–0.80 mm, and the weight of the plastic tray is at most 65 g; - The plastic pallet is connected to the cardboard sleeve by engaging two or more protrusions of the plastic pallet with corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet; - Arrange the tissue products in the plastic tray; - Seal the plastic tray with a lid.

[0032] Preferably, the method further includes the step of impregnating the paper towel product with an impregnating agent, wherein this step may be performed before or after the paper towel product is placed on a plastic tray.

[0033] The plastic trays and cardboard sleeves used in the method for producing tissue paper products packaged according to the present invention have the properties disclosed above regarding the packaging of tissue paper products according to the present invention; therefore, the foregoing description can also be used to characterize the method in more detail. This particularly means that: - The plastic pallets used in this method may have a wall thickness of about 0.08–0.55 mm and / or a weight of up to 55 g; - The material of the plastic pallet used in this method is preferably selected from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), its derivatives and combinations thereof; - The plastic pallet used in this method may have two or more protrusions on each of its two opposing longitudinal edges defining the bottom of the plastic pallet, which engage with corresponding recesses in a cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet; - The plastic trays used in this method can have a capacity of 2.5 L to 3.7 L; - The plastic pallet used in this method may have a protrusion at each of its four corners defining the bottom of the plastic pallet, which engages with a corresponding recess in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet; - The paper towel products arranged in the plastic tray are preferably selected from the group consisting of dry and impregnated paper towel products, particularly cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes and body cleaning wipes.

[0034] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to the use of a plastic tray encased in a cardboard sleeve to accommodate a variety of paper towel products, wherein the plastic tray is connected to the cardboard sleeve in such a way that two or more protrusions of the plastic tray engage with corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve encasing the plastic tray.

[0035] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, claims and drawings, whether individually or in any desired combination, may be essential for implementing the invention in various embodiments.

Claims

1. Paper towel products packaged in packaging containers, wherein, The package comprises a plastic pallet wrapped in a cardboard sleeve and sealed with a cap, characterized in that the wall thickness of the plastic pallet is in the range of 0.08–0.80 mm and the weight of the plastic pallet is at most 65 g, and the plastic pallet is connected to the cardboard sleeve in such a way that the plastic pallet has two or more protrusions that engage with corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet.

2. The tissue paper product packaged in a packaging unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plastic pallet has a wall thickness in the range of 0.08–0.55 mm and a weight of up to 55 g.

3. The tissue paper product packaged in a packaging unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The cover used to seal the plastic tray is a film and / or a lid.

4. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The plastic tray has a capacity of 2.5 L to 3.7 L.

5. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The material constituting the plastic tray is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

6. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The plastic pallet is made entirely from recycled materials.

7. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The plastic pallet has two or more protrusions on each of its two opposing longitudinal edges defining the bottom of the plastic pallet, the two or more protrusions engaging with corresponding recesses in a cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet.

8. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The plastic pallet has a protrusion at each of its four corners defining the bottom of the plastic pallet, the protrusion engaging with a corresponding recess in a cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet.

9. The tissue paper product packaged in a package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The plastic pallet and the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet are connected to each other only by the engagement of a protrusion of the plastic pallet with a recess of the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet.

10. A tissue product packaged in a packaging package according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The tissue products are selected from the group comprising dry tissue products and impregnated tissue products, particularly cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes and body cleaning wipes.

11. A method for producing tissue paper products packaged in packaging, comprising the following steps: – Provide a plastic tray with two or more protrusions, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tray is in the range of 0.08–0.80 mm, and the weight of the plastic tray is at most 65 g; – Connect the plastic pallet to the cardboard sleeve by engaging two or more protrusions of the plastic pallet with corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve that wraps the plastic pallet; – Arrange the tissue products in the plastic tray; – Seal the plastic tray with a cap.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method includes the step of impregnating the paper towel product with an impregnating agent, wherein the step may be performed before or after the paper towel product is placed on the plastic tray.

13. A plastic tray encased in a cardboard sleeve for the purpose of accommodating a variety of paper towel products, wherein the plastic tray is connected to the cardboard sleeve by means of two or more protrusions engaging corresponding recesses in the cardboard sleeve encasing the plastic tray.

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