container

Abstract

Container comprising: an outer sleeve made of a paperboard material, the outer sleeve comprising a side wall and a base member, the side wall having an elongated, cylindrical main body portion with a first, larger diameter, an elongated, cylindrical neck portion with a second, smaller diameter, and a tapered or curved shoulder portion extending between the neck portion and the main body portion; and an inner bag, the bag being attached to a fitting to form a bag assembly, and the bag being held within the sleeve by the fitting engaging the neck portion of the sleeve so that the bag extends into the main body portion of the sleeve, wherein the side wall is formed from a single blank, the blank being formed from a flat sheet of paperboard material and comprising a single main body member forming the cylindrical main body portion of the sleeve and a plurality of neck members extending from the main body member and forming the cylindrical neck portion of the sleeve.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] This invention relates to a container. In particular, this invention relates to a bottle comprising a paperboard outer shell and an inner liner or bag. Background of the invention

[0002] There's a general desire to reduce the amount of waste produced, and there's a drive to recycle as much as possible. One particular area currently receiving a lot of attention concerns food and beverage containers.

[0003] Traditionally, wine was stored and sold in glass bottles. The glass used is relatively heavy, typically accounting for 40% of the weight of a full wine bottle. This means transportation costs are high. Furthermore, glass breaks relatively easily if a bottle is dropped, for example. The bottle will typically shatter into sharp fragments, which can cause injury to the consumer.

[0004] It is known to produce a bottle that has a cardboard outer shell molded from pulp and a blow-molded plastic inner lining. Although these containers are lighter than glass bottles, they have several disadvantages. The shelf life of wine in these bottles can be reduced compared to glass bottles, and it is difficult to apply a print to the outer surface of the bottle.

[0005] It is also known to produce a bottle having an outer shell made of cardboard and an inner liner or bag, in which the shell is formed from a flat sheet of material that is pressed to form the three-dimensional shape of the shell. Such a bottle is disclosed in WO 2015 / 150794. By forming the bottle's shell from a flat sheet of cardboard, it is possible to pre-print the cardboard before the bottle is manufactured, thereby significantly improving the external appearance of the bottle compared to fiber-molded bottles.

[0006] For economic reasons, it is desirable that any alternative bottle having a cardboard sleeve can be produced in a cost-effective manner at a similar speed and in similar volumes as existing glass bottles, and with the same degree of reliability and consistency.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a bottle that can be manufactured reliably and at high speed. Summary of the invention

[0008] The invention provides a container comprising: an outer sleeve made of a paperboard material, the outer sleeve comprising a side wall and a base member, the side wall having an elongated, cylindrical main body portion with a first, larger diameter, an elongated, cylindrical neck portion with a second, smaller diameter, and a tapered or curved shoulder portion extending between the neck portion and the main body portion; and an inner bag, the bag being attached to a fitting to form a bag assembly, and the bag being held within the sleeve by the fitting engaging the neck portion of the sleeve so that the bag extends into the main body portion of the sleeve, wherein the side wall is formed from a single blank, the blank being formed from a flat sheet of paperboard material and comprising a single main body member forming the cylindrical main body portion of the sleeve and a plurality of neck members extending from the main body member and forming the cylindrical neck portion of the sleeve.

[0009] Preferably, the container is a bottle. Preferably, the bag is made of a plastic material.

[0010] Preferably, the pouch assembly is held in engagement with the outer shell by projections projecting radially from the fitting. The fitting may include a pair of projections located on opposite sides of the fitting, each of which projects through an opening in a corresponding neck member.

[0011] The manufacture of a container as set out above using a machine comprises the following: Inserting a bag assembly between two halves of a split former, the bag assembly including the bag attached to the fitting; Wrapping the single sidewall blank around the former and forming a single overlap to create the main body portion of the shell of the container; forming the neck elements of the blank around the forming device to produce the neck portion of the shell of the container; Removing the side wall of the shell from the forming device; and Insert the base element into one end of the side wall.

[0012] Preferred and / or optional features for each aspect and embodiment described above may also be used alone or in suitable combination for other aspects and embodiments. Brief description of the drawings

[0013] The invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. Figure 1 is a side view of a bottle comprising a cardboard outer sleeve and an inner bag; Fig. 2 another side view of the bottle Fig. 1 perpendicular to the view in Fig. 1 is; Fig. 3 a vertical sectional view along the line III-III of Fig. 2 is; Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show embodiments of blanks which are used to form a first and a second side wall element of the outer shell of the bottle from Fig. 1 to train; Fig. 6 shows a partially formed second side wall element of the shell, which is made from the cutting of Fig. 5 has been trained; Fig. Figure 7 shows a complete side wall of the envelope having a main body portion and a neck portion; and Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a machine for manufacturing a bottle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Description of the preferred embodiments

[0014] The Fig. 1 to 3 show a container in the form of a bottle 2, which comprises an outer shell 4 made of cardboard or paperboard and an inner bag 6.

[0015] The container or bottle 2 comprises an outer shell 4 made of a paperboard or cardboard material. The outer shell is generally cylindrical and includes an elongated, cylindrical main body portion 8 having a first, larger diameter, and an elongated, cylindrical neck portion 10 having a second, smaller diameter. The neck portion 10 extends from a first end of the main body portion 8, and a tapered or curved shoulder portion 12 of the shell 4 of the bottle 2 extends between the neck portion 10 and the main body portion 8.

[0016] An inner pouch 6 is held within the sleeve 4 by means of a fitting 14. The fitting 14 is attached to the pouch 6 and engages the neck portion 10 of the sleeve 4 such that the pouch 6 partially depends from or is held by the fitting 14 and extends downwardly into the main body portion 8 of the sleeve 4. A lower end 7 of the pouch 6 is supported or journaled on a base portion of the sleeve 4. The pouch 6 and the fitting 14 together form a pouch assembly 16. The pouch 6 and the fitting 14 are preferably each made of a plastic material. The pouch 6 may be a metallized pouch.

[0017] The shell 4 is formed from three separate elements that are connected to one another. The shell 4 comprises a first side wall element 18, a second side wall element 20, and a third base element 22. Each of the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 comprises a part of the neck portion 10 of the shell 4 and a part of the main body portion 8 of the shell 4, as shown in Fig. 6. When the first and second side wall elements 18, 20 are joined together, a part of the first side wall element 18 overlaps a part of the second side wall element 20 so that they form a complete and continuous side wall 24 of the shell 4, as shown in Fig. 7 is shown.

[0018] The base element 22 is formed from a circular disc made of cardboard or paperboard and has a flat central region 26 and a peripheral edge region 28 extending completely around the circumference of the central region 26. The edge region 28 comprises an edge region of the disc that has been pressed to extend at an angle to the flat central region 26. Thus, a first surface 27 of the base element 22 has a substantially concave shape.

[0019] The first, second and third elements 18, 20, 22 of the sleeve 4 are all made from flat sheets of 100% cardboard which have been pressed to form the required three-dimensional shapes.

[0020] The blanks 30, 32 used to form the first and second side wall elements 18, 20, respectively, are shown in the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. A first sidewall blank 30 is used to form the first sidewall member 18, and a second sidewall blank 32 is used to form the second sidewall member 20. Each of the first and second sidewall blanks 30, 32 includes a main body member or main body portion 34, a central neck member or neck portion 36, and outer neck members or neck portions 38. In each of the sidewall blanks 30, 32, the central neck member 36 and the outer neck members 38 extend from a first end of the main body member 34, and a plurality of base tabs 35 extend from an opposite second end of the main body member 34.

[0021] The second sidewall member 32 additionally includes sidewall tabs 33 and neck tabs 37. A sidewall tab 33 extends from each side edge of the main body member 34. A neck tab 37 extends from an outer side edge of each of the outer neck members 38.

[0022] Fig. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a machine 40 for manufacturing a container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The machine 40 is preferably configured to manufacture bottles, particularly wine bottles. The following description therefore refers to the machine 40 for use in manufacturing bottles, but it will be appreciated that aspects of the machine may be configured to manufacture any suitable container.

[0023] At a first station 42 (station A) of the machine 40, a bag assembly 16 is inserted between two halves of a split forming device. The machine 40 preferably includes a feed assembly 44 configured to store a plurality of bag assemblies 16 and feed them to the first station 42. At a second station 46 (station B) of the machine 40, two sidewall blanks 30, 32 are formed around the forming device to produce the main body portion 8 of the sleeve 4. As described above, each of the sidewall blanks 30, 32 used to form the complete sidewall 24 of the sleeve 4 is different.Accordingly, the machine 40 preferably includes a first blank feeding assembly 48 for feeding a first sidewall blank 30 to the second station 46 and a second blank feeding assembly 50 for feeding the second sidewall blank 32 to the second station 46. At station B, the first sidewall blank 30 is wrapped around a first portion of the forming device and the second sidewall blank 32 is then wrapped around a second portion of the forming device such that edge regions of the second sidewall blank 32 overlap edge regions of the first sidewall blank 30. The second sidewall blank 32 is attached to the first sidewall blank 30 by means of an adhesive.

[0024] At a third station 52 (station C) of the machine 40, the central neck element 36 of each of the two sidewall blanks 30, 32 is formed around the forming device 94. At a fourth station 54 (station D) of the machine 40, the outer neck elements 38 of each of the two sidewall blanks 30, 32 are formed around the forming device to form the neck portion 10 of the sleeve 4. In order to adhere the outer neck elements 38 to the central neck elements 36 and to one another, it is desirable to activate an adhesive applied to the neck elements 38 of the blanks 30, 32 at this point. Accordingly, in preferred embodiments, the machine 40 includes a means 56 for activating or reactivating adhesive disposed on the neck elements 38 of the blanks 30, 32.It can be seen that when the neck elements 36, 38 are formed around the forming device, both the neck region 10 and the shoulder region 12 of the casing 4 are formed.

[0025] At a fifth station 58 (station E) of the machine 40, the neck portion 10 and the shoulder portion 12 of the sleeve 4 are hot-pressed. At a sixth station 60 (station F) of the machine 40, the neck portion 10 and the shoulder portion 12 of the sleeve 4 are cold-pressed, and a stopper is removed from the fitting 14 of the bag assembly 16.

[0026] At a seventh station 62 (station G) of the machine 40, the side wall 24 of the sleeve 4 is removed from the forming device and the bag 6 is inflated ready for insertion into the base element 22.

[0027] At an eighth station 64 (station H) of the machine 40, a limiting element 350 is applied to the inner surface 25 of the side wall 24 adjacent to the base tabs 35.

[0028] At a ninth station (station 1) of the machine 40, a base element 22 is inserted into the end of the side wall 24 and brought into contact with the limiting element 350. The machine 40 preferably has a loading arrangement 68 configured to store a plurality of base elements 22 and feed them to the ninth station 66.

[0029] At a tenth station 70 (station J) of the machine 40, an adhesive is applied to the base flaps 35. At an eleventh station 72 (station K) of the machine 40, the base flaps 35 are folded and pressed into contact with the base element 22. At a twelfth station 74 (station L), the adhesive on the base flaps 35 is activated, and then a base region of the sleeve 4 is cold-pressed to adhere the base flaps 35 to the base element 22.

[0030] In an optional further step in the method for manufacturing a bottle, a label is wrapped around the neck portion 10 of the bottle 2. The label preferably surrounds and covers at least a portion of the neck elements 36, 38. The label may be in the form of a paper label with an adhesive layer or may be in the form of a tape portion.

[0031] The finished bottle 2 can then be ejected from the machine 40.

[0032] The bottle 2 can be subjected to a further drying process to remove excess moisture from the cardboard sleeve 4. The bottle 2 can therefore be passed through a heating station with a heating element. The heating station can be designed as a heating tunnel through which the bottle 2 is conveyed.

[0033] Additionally, a lid or other closure device can be fixed to the fitting 14. In a preferred embodiment, the upper portion 15 of the fitting 14 includes screw threads for engagement with a screw cap of the bottle 2.

[0034] In the foregoing description, each of stations A through L of machine 40 is described as a separate station. However, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the process or method steps of more than one station may be combined into a single station. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the method steps or processes of a single station, as described above, may be provided by more than one station.

[0035] The machine 40 may include one or more controllers configured to operate one or more stations within the machine. The machine 40 may include a single controller configured to centrally coordinate and control the operations of all stations. In other embodiments, each station of the machine may include a separate controller.

[0036] In preferred embodiments, the outer shell 4 of the bottle 2 is held in engagement or cooperation with the bag assembly 16 at least partially by means of projections 17 which project radially outwardly from the fitting 14. The fitting 14 preferably has a pair of projections 17 located on opposite sides of the fitting 14, i.e., the projections 17 are diametrically opposed to one another. The central neck member 36 of each of the blanks 30, 32 preferably has an opening 39. Each opening 39 is sized and shaped to receive a corresponding one of the projections 17. As described further below, when the central neck members 36 are formed around the forming device and the fitting, each of the projections 17 projects through the corresponding opening 39.The fitting piece 14 therefore engages with the sleeve 4 as the projections 17 extend through the openings 39. This prevents rotation of the fitting piece 14, and thus of the bag assembly 16, relative to the sleeve 4. The engagement of the projections 17 through the openings 39 also holds the bag assembly 16 within the sleeve 4.

[0037] Although in the foregoing description and embodiments, the bottle sleeve comprised a sidewall formed from two blanks, in other embodiments, the sidewall may be formed from a single blank which is wrapped around the former with a single overlap. This single blank will then comprise a plurality of neck elements extending from a single main body element. The single blank may have six neck elements extending from the main body element such that when the blank is wrapped around the former, the neck elements assume a configuration as described above. In still further embodiments, the sleeve sidewall may be formed from more than two blanks, each blank preferably having at least two neck elements.

[0038] Other modifications and variations not expressly disclosed above may also be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2015 / 150794

[0005]

Claims

[1] Container comprising: an outer sleeve made of a paperboard material, the outer sleeve comprising a side wall and a base member, the side wall having an elongated, cylindrical main body portion with a first, larger diameter, an elongated, cylindrical neck portion with a second, smaller diameter, and a tapered or curved shoulder portion extending between the neck portion and the main body portion; and an inner bag, the bag being attached to a fitting to form a bag assembly, and the bag being held within the sleeve by the fitting engaging the neck portion of the sleeve so that the bag extends into the main body portion of the sleeve, wherein the side wall is formed from a single blank, the blank being formed from a flat sheet of paperboard material and comprising a single main body member forming the cylindrical main body portion of the sleeve and a plurality of neck members extending from the main body member and forming the cylindrical neck portion of the sleeve. [2] A container according to claim 1, wherein the container is a bottle. [3] A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the bag is made of a plastics material. [4] A container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bag assembly is held in engagement with the outer shell by projections projecting radially from the fitting. [5] A container according to claim 4, wherein the fitting includes a pair of projections disposed on opposite sides of the fitting, each of the projections extending through an opening in a respective neck member.

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