Blank cut for packaging a portion of food and packaging method

Abstract

The invention relates to a blank cut for packaging a portion of food (3), the blank cut comprising fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) which define a lower panel (5) and two side flaps (6), each having a side panel (7) and an upper segment (8), the segments being arranged to together form an upper wall with each segment being provided with an opening tab (9) having a base (9a), each of said bases being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off when the opening tabs (9) are pulled, each flap (8) having two tear lines (10) which each extend from an edge of the base (9a) of the tab (9) along the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7), the lower panel (5) being devoid of a tear line.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a flan for packaging a portion of food, as well as a method of packaging a portion of food using such a flan.

[0002] It applies in particular to the packaging of individual food portions of fresh dairy products, such as for example fresh and / or processed cheese, which are packaged in an open envelope formed by folding a flan before closing said envelope.

[0003] To ensure the preservation of the packaged portion, the flan must include at least one sealing layer with oxygen and / or water vapor barrier properties, and the packaging closure must preserve this sealing.

[0004] To benefit from environmentally friendly packaging design, in particular by facilitating its recycling after consumption of the food portion, the flan can be formed from a complex comprising an outer layer based on cellulosic fibers and an inner sealing layer.

[0005] In particular, in relation to such a design of flans, there arises the problem of the antagonism between the ease of opening the packaging to be able to consume the portion, especially by young children and / or for soft portions, and the aforementioned sealing constraints which require a robust flan and closure.

[0006] Document WO-2021 / 148526 proposes a flan having folding lines allowing the shaping of said flan into a package in which the food portion can be packaged, in which the edges of said flan are respectively equipped with a tab and a hem allowing longitudinal sealing of said free edges according to a transverse joint which extends between two longitudinal joints of the package.

[0007] To be able to open such packaging, the blank has two tear guide strips which extend longitudinally each from one edge of the tab to the hem.

[0008] Thus, document WO-2021 / 148526 describes a solution in which the opening is achieved by holding the package with one hand, the other hand exerting traction on the tab allows an opening initially by tearing the strips on the tab / hem association, then by a propagation of these tears longitudinally along the entire side.

[0009] This solution is not entirely satisfactory as it requires, particularly in relation to a flan containing a fibrous layer, a significant initial effort which may not be compatible with consumption by young children and / or a soft portion.

[0010] In particular, for a soft food portion such as a creamy cheese, it can be difficult to hold the packaging and exert the tearing force without inducing a deformation of said portion, which then becomes difficult to extract from said packaging.

[0011] Furthermore, the possibility of opening the packaging along the entire length of the flan does not provide the expected ergonomics, particularly as the unwrapped portion can fall out since it is no longer held by the flan.

[0012] Other solutions are known from documents FR 3 106 341 A1, US 3 263 807 A, US 4 754 914 A and US 2005 / 155877 A1.

[0013] The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a flan, in particular of ecological design, which is arranged to form a packaging for a portion of food, said packaging combining optimal sealing with good ergonomics of opening, in particular in relation to ease of opening for young children and / or in relation to a soft portion.

[0014] To this end, according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a blank for the packaging of a food portion comprising folding lines enabling the shaping of said blank into an envelope in which said portion can be packaged before closing said envelope, said folding lines defining a blank having a lower panel intended to form a lower wall of said envelope, said lower panel being extended on either side by respectively a first and a second lateral flap each having a lateral panel intended to form a lateral wall of said envelope and a segment of upper panel which has an edge connected to said lateral panel and an opposite edge, said segments being arranged to together form an upper wall of the envelope by bringing their opposite edges together, each of the opposite edges being equipped with an opening tab having a base extending said opposite edge,said bases being arranged to be joined one on top of the other in a peelable manner by pulling on the opening tabs, each of said side panels having two tear lines which each extend, from an edge of the base of the tab, along the upper panel segment and the side panel, the lower panel being without a tear line.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a method of packaging a portion of food using such a flan, in which said flan is folded along its folding lines to form an open envelope in which said portion is packaged before closing said envelope, said method providing for associating the bases of the tabs in a peelable manner.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description, made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: [ Fig.1a Figures ] and Fig. 1b] schematically represent, in front view, a blank according to an embodiment before folding, respectively viewed from the outside ( figure 1a ) and seen from the inside ( figure 1b ) ; [ Fig.2a ], [ Fig.2b ], [ Fig.2c ] has [ Fig.2d ] represent in perspective, following different orientations, the flank of figures 1a et 1b during different stages of its folding to form a package; [ Fig.3a ], [ Fig.3b ], [ Fig.3c ] has [ Fig.3d ] represent, in perspective and from different orientations, different stages of opening the packaging of the figure 2d .

[0017] In relation to these figures, a flan for packaging a food portion 3, specifically an individual portion of fresh dairy product, for example fresh and / or processed cheese, is described below. In particular, the flan allows for the packaging of a portion of whipped cheese.

[0018] The flan is formed from a complex 4 which has a sealing layer 4i with oxygen and / or water vapor barrier properties, in order to guarantee the preservation of the packaged food portion 3.

[0019] The sealing layer 4i can be made of a food-grade plastic material, particularly when it is intended to come into contact with the food portion 3 contained within the packaging. For this purpose, the sealing layer 4i can be made from polyethylene (PE) and / or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or from other known food-grade plastics, such as polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), or polylactic acid (PLA).

[0020] Advantageously, the complex 4 comprises an inner sealing layer 4i as described previously, and an outer layer 4e based on cellulose fibers. In particular, the cellulose fibers may be derived from wood and processed by papermaking to form a layer of paper or cardboard, or be in the form of a non-woven fabric.

[0021] Such an arrangement allows for environmentally friendly packaging design, in particular by facilitating its recycling after consumption of the food portion 3. In particular, the outer layer 4e can be made from recycled fibers.

[0022] According to an example of implementation, the outer layer 4e has a surface mass between 30 g / m² and 150 g / m², in particular between 50 g / m² and 110 g / m², and more particularly in the order of 80 g / m².

[0023] Advantageously, complex 4 comprises between 60% and 90% by weight of cellulosic fibers. For this purpose, the outer layer 4e can have a thickness of approximately 60 µm, and the inner layer 4i a thickness of between 4 µm and 20 µm.

[0024] To improve the overall sealing properties of the packaging, complex 4 may include at least one additional layer of film and / or varnish with suitable properties, including oxygen and / or water vapor barrier properties. In particular, the outer face of the outer layer 4e may be coated with an additional layer of varnish with anti-condensation properties.

[0025] Complex 4 may feature decorations and / or markings, for example patterns and / or inscriptions of an aesthetic and / or commercial nature related to food portion 3. These elements may be formed by printing and / or embossing directly onto the outer layer 4e made of cellulosic fibers.

[0026] The flan includes folding lines 1, 1b, 1c allowing its conformation into an envelope 2 in which the food portion 3 can be packaged before closing said envelope to form a package.

[0027] Advantageously, these folding lines 1a, 1b, 1c are formed by stamping the outer layer 4e in cellulosic fibers, which makes it easier to fold the blank while preserving the integrity of the sealing layer 4i.

[0028] In relation to the figures, the folding lines 1a, 1b, 1c together define a blank which has a lower panel 5 intended to form a lower wall of the envelope 2, said lower panel being extended on either side by respectively a first and a second lateral flap 6 each having: a side panel 7 intended to form a side wall 2 lat1 of said envelope; a top panel segment 8 which has an edge 8a connected to said side panel and an opposite edge 8b; the 8 segments being arranged to together form an upper wall 2 sup of envelope 2 by bringing their opposite edges together 8b, as shown on the figure 2a .

[0029] In particular, the upper panel segments 8 have a similar dimension, enabling them to form the two halves of the upper wall 2 sup of the envelope 2.

[0030] Each of the opposite edges 8b is equipped with an opening tab 9 having a base 9a extending said opposite edge, the bases 9a being arranged to be associated with each other in a peelable manner by pulling on the opening tabs 9.

[0031] Thus, the packaging is opened by grasping each of the 9 tabs with one hand in order to exert an opposite pull to separate them, without having to hold the packaging and therefore without risking deforming the food portion before its extraction from said packaging.

[0032] In particular, the top panel segments 8 of similar dimensions allow the tabs 9 to be placed in the upper central part of the packaging, and thus provide good balance to the said packaging when it is opened.

[0033] To facilitate this opening, particularly by young children and / or in relation to a soft food portion 3, each of the side flaps 6 has two tear lines 10 which each extend, from an edge of the base 9a of the tab 9, along the upper panel segment 8 and the side panel 7. In particular, the transverse distance separating the two tear lines 10 is greater than 80% of the width of the upper panel segments 8, in particular greater than 90%, or even equal to said width.

[0034] Thus, by pulling on the tabs 9, the consumer can open the packaging by tearing along three contiguous walls of the envelope 2, in particular its upper wall 2 sup and its two lateral walls 2 lat1, in order to form a large opening to allow the extraction of the food portion 3 of said packaging.

[0035] According to one embodiment, each of the tear lines 10 is obtained by partial pre-cutting of the thickness of the blank, in particular by ablation of material, to a sufficient depth to form a line of weakening allowing the guidance of the tear of said blank along said line.

[0036] To preserve the integrity of the inner layer 4i and therefore the sealing of the packaging, the tear lines 10 are formed by at least partial removal of only the outer layer 4e.

[0037] Advantageously, the tear lines 10 are formed, for example by laser cutting or by mechanical cutting, over about 4 / 5 of the total thickness of the outer layer 4e, which allows a good compromise between preserving the sealing of the packaging and the ease of opening it by tearing along said lines.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the tear lines 10 allow the guidance of the tear of the blank without prior pre-cutting of said blank, for example by means of a folding or grooving line of the blank, and / or a particular orientation of the fibers of the outer layer 4e along said line.

[0039] According to the invention, the respective inner layers 4i of the bases 8a of the tabs 8 are arranged to be associated in a peelable manner.

[0040] For this purpose, at least one of the inner layers 4i of the bases 9a of the tabs 9 may be peelable and / or provided with a peelable varnish 11, in particular based on polyethylene (PE) and / or polyester, to ensure a peelable seal of said tab bases by their respective inner layers 4i (flesh-to-flesh type seal).

[0041] In the figures, the bases 9a of the tabs 9 each have a layer of peelable varnish 11 applied to at least part of their inner layer 4i. In addition, each layer 11 also extends over a part of the tab 9 adjacent to its base 9a, in order to allow the tabs 9 to be partially peeled together.

[0042] The lower panel 5 is also free of a tear line, which allows it to retain its integrity after the packaging is opened, thus forming a tray on which the food portion 3 can be held until it is picked up by the consumer.

[0043] As depicted on the figures 3a à 3d The consumer, wishing to open the packaging, grasps the tabs 9 with each hand and pulls on them in opposite directions. These movements cause the peelable seal between the tabs 9 to separate, and then tear each of their bases 9a along the two portions of tear lines 10 extending on either side of them.

[0044] Next, the consumer continues pulling on said tabs to successively detach the upper panel segments 8 ( figure 3b ) and the side panels 7 ( figure 3c ), so that the food portion 3 rests on the upper panel 5 at the end of the packaging opening ( figure 3d ).

[0045] Advantageously, the upper panel segment 8 and the side panel 7 of each of the flaps 6 are formed between two fold lines 1a which both extend onto the base 9a of the tongue 9, each of the tear lines 10 extending relative to one of these fold lines 1a, in particular parallel to the latter, forming between them a band 12.

[0046] Thus, after opening the packaging, each strip 12 rests on an upper wall of the food portion 3, so as to hold a lateral wall 2 of the wrapper 2 to which it is attached in support. This arrangement allows the food portion 3 to be laterally positioned on the lower panel 5 while awaiting removal by the consumer, as shown in the figure 3c .

[0047] Each of the strips 12 has a width that is less than 10% of the width of the upper panel segments 8, and in particular less than 5% of said width. This arrangement makes it easier for the consumer to remove the food portion 3, who then simply has to pull apart the side panels 2 ( figure 3d ) to be able to remove said portion of the lower panel 5 while retaining its integrity of form, particularly in the case of a soft food portion 3.

[0048] In the embodiment shown, the lower panel 5 and the side panels 7 each have a quadrilateral geometry, allowing them to form a parallelepiped envelope 2, said side having an axis of symmetry along its median axis.

[0049] In relation to figures 1a et 1b The flan has the following characteristics: a first transverse edge 13 of the end, from which extends an opening tongue 9; and a second transverse edge 14 of the end, longitudinally opposed to said first transverse edge, and on which the other tongue 9 is formed.

[0050] In particular, the tabs 9 each have a gripping part 9b which extends longitudinally in projection from respectively an edge 13, 14, and the blank has two transverse folding lines 1b each extending adjacently and parallel to respectively an end edge 13, 14, in particular along the edge 8b of the adjacent segment 8, in order to define the base 9a of said tab and to permit folding of said base relative to the adjacent side panel 7 during the formation of the envelope 2.

[0051] The side panel further comprises two longitudinal borders 15 extending on either side of the side flaps 6 and the lower panel 5, and each equipped with a plurality of folding lines 1a, 1c allowing the formation of side walls 2 lat2 of the envelope 2.

[0052] On the figures 1a et 1b , the borders 17 each extend from an end edge 15 to the opposite end edge 16.

[0053] Furthermore, each border 15 comprises two end parts, each extending longitudinally into a lateral flap 6 respectively, being separated from the corresponding lateral panel 7 and upper segment 8 by a longitudinal fold line 1a opposite which a tear line 10 extends parallel.

[0054] Thus, the bands 12 are each adjacent to a border 15 respectively, the latter then forming the lateral walls 2 lat2 intended to hold the food portion 3 on the lower panel 5 at the end of the opening of the packaging.

[0055] In relation to figures 2a à 2d We now describe a method of packaging a portion of food 3 using a flan as described previously.

[0056] This process involves folding the flan along its folding lines 1a, 1b, 1c, so as to form an open envelope 2 in which the food portion 3 is packaged before closing said envelope, and also associating the bases 9a of the tabs 9 in a peelable manner.

[0057] Advantageously, the process involves folding the blank so as to leave a single opening in envelope 2 ( figure 2c ), in order to form by means of said envelope a mold into which the food portion 3 can be poured in liquid or viscous form before closing said envelope, which makes it possible to limit production costs by eliminating an additional step of shaping said food portion before packaging.

[0058] This arrangement also allows for the production of more hygienically packaged food portions (3) with improved preservation conditions. By pouring the food portion directly into its individual packaging, its exposure to ambient air is limited, thus reducing the risk of contamination, particularly by germs. Furthermore, pouring the food portion at a temperature higher than the pasteurization temperature further enhances its preservation properties.

[0059] In the embodiment shown, the association of the bases 9a of the tabs 9 is carried out prior to the packaging of the food portion 3, the subsequent closure of the envelope 2 being carried out by folding and association of a border 15 of the flan.

[0060] In particular, this embodiment initially involves bringing the edges 8b of the upper segments 8 together to perform the peelable "flesh-to-flesh" joining of the tabs 9 ( figure 2a ), then fold the bases 9a of the associated tabs 9 along their transverse lines 1b in order to fold them flat onto the upper wall 2 sup formed by said segments ( figure 2b ).

[0061] Next, the process involves folding a first longitudinal edge 15 to close one side of the packaging, so as to leave the opposite side open to allow the introduction of the food portion 3, particularly in liquid or viscous form ( figures 2b ,2c ).

[0062] Finally, the process involves folding the second longitudinal edge 15 to completely close the packaging ( figure 2d ).

[0063] According to a variant of this embodiment, the process may involve simultaneously forming several flans in the same sheet of complex 4, and then separating said flans from each other after they have been filled with a food portion 3.

[0064] To achieve this, the process may involve forming, in a rectangular sheet of complex 4, several blanks as shown in the figures 1a et 1b by pre-cutting and die-casting, so that a free longitudinal edge 16 of a border 15 of a first blank is coincident with the free longitudinal edge 16' of the opposite border 15 of a second adjacent blank.

[0065] According to another variant not shown, the process may involve closing the envelope 2 by joining the bases 9a of the tabs 9.

Claims

1. Blank cut for packaging a portion of food (3) comprising fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) enabling said blank cut to be formed into an envelope (2) in which said portion can be packaged before closing said envelope, said fold lines defining a blank cut having a lower panel (5) intended to form a lower wall of said envelope, said lower panel being extended on either side by respective first and second side flaps (6) each having a side panel (7) intended to form a side wall (2lat1) of said envelope and an upper panel segment (8) which has an edge (8a) connected to said side panel and an opposite edge (8b), said segments being arranged to form together an upper wall (2sup) of the envelope (2) by bringing their opposite edge (8b) together, said blank cut being characterized in that each of said opposite edges (8b) is equipped with an opening tab (9) having a base (9a) extending from said opposite edge of each upper panel segment (8), said bases being arranged so as to be associated with one another such that they peel off when the opening tabs (9) are pulled, each of said side flaps having two tear lines (10) which each extend, from one edge of the base (9a) of the tab (9), along the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7), the lower panel (5) being devoid of tear line.

2. Blank cut according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper panel segments (8) have a similar dimension to form the two halves of the upper wall (2sup) of the envelope (2).

3. Blank cut according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is formed by a complex (4) comprising an outer layer (4e) based on cellulose fibers and an inner sealing layer (4i).

4. Blank cut according to claim 3, characterized in that the inner layers (4i) of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9) are arranged to be peelably associated.

5. Blank cut according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one of the inner layers (4i) of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9) is peelable and / or is provided with a peelable varnish (11).

6. Blank cut according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the tear lines (10) are formed by at least partial ablation of only the outer layer (4e).

7. Blank cut according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the upper panel segment (8) and the side panel (7) of each of the flaps (6) are formed between two fold lines (1a), said lines extending over the base (9a) of the tab (9).

8. Blank cut according to claim 7, characterized in that each of the tear lines (10) extends relative to a fold line (1a), forming a band (12) between them.

9. Blank cut according to claim 8, characterized in that each of the bands (12) has a width which is less than 10% of the width of the upper panel segments (8), in particular less than 5%.

10. Blank cut according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a transverse edge (13) from which an opening tab (9) extends, and an opposite transverse edge (14) on which the other tab (9) is formed.

11. Blank cut according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises two longitudinal borders (15) extending on either side of the side flaps (6) and the lower panel (5), said borders being equipped with fold lines for forming side walls (2lat2) of the envelope (2).

12. Blank cut according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the lower panel (5) and the side flaps (6) each have a quadrilateral geometry to form a parallelepiped envelope (2).

13. A method for packaging a portion of food (3) by means of a blank cut according to any one of claims 1 to 12, in which said blank cut is folded along its fold lines (1a, 1b, 1c) to form an open envelope (2) in which said portion is packaged prior to closure of said envelope, said method providing for peelable association of the bases (9a) of the tabs (9).

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