A package

Abstract

A container 10, for liquids and other pourable products, particularly beverages, is comprised of an outer part 14, and an inner bag or pouch 11 formed from at least one barrier-coated fibre-based mate

Description

Technical field The present invention relates to a package, particularly a recyclable fibre-based or paper package with an effective barrier coating for containing the product contents. Background to the invention Products, e.g. beverages distributed as single units, have typically been supplied in glass, plastic or aluminium containers. Due to the relatively higher cost of glass and aluminium production, plastic is often a preferred material, however in recent times due to environmental concerns, industries have sought to reduce plastics use (as well as the use of, for example, glass) and have turned to alternative materials for the containment of pourable products, such as paper / pulp. There is significant activity in the field of fibre and paper-based bottle making, where various processes are available for manufacturing same. Such processes include folding 2D card, wet slurry bottle forming or dry fibre moulding; e.g. as disclosed by prior patent publications GB2609029, GB2600700 and WO2022218873 respectively. These processes can use a range of fibre-based input materials including but not limited to paper, wood pulp, bamboo, sugarcane or agave bagasse plant fibres such as sugarcane bagasse or other sources of polysaccharide fibres such as alginates. Different approaches are also taken regarding the creation of inner barrier materials for protecting the walls of a paper container from its contents, since without a barrier layer liquids will naturally soak into an unprotected wall and significantly reduce the service life. In addition to separating the contents from the wall of the container the barrier is needed to maintain the quality of the product by preventing ingress or egress of components or contaminants such as water vapour, oxygen, carbon dioxide, flavour or active compounds, or other external taints and contaminants. Examples of a barrier layer include inserting a plastic 'bag in box' type structure, spraying a surface coating onto the internal bottle walls or blowing a thin plastic liner into a container's inner volume. However, each method has limitations. Inserting or blowing an inner bag / liner into a formed bottle means that this material will likely be polymer or plastics based, resulting in a secondary component of a different material to the main fibre bottle that has to be recovered, or will cause contamination, during a recycling process. Consumers also find the inclusion of plastics in recyclable containers to be undesirable from a sustainability perspective. The approach of spraying or using other deposition processes to coat the inside surface of a bottle presents significant technical challenges. For example, the complex internal geometry of a bottle means that many of the coating / printing processes used in the industry are not applicable (such as offset printing, knife-coating or sputtering). A spraying process also significantly limits the type of barrier materials that can be used, e.g. to materials that can either be sprayed as a solution, or as a molten liquid. Furthermore, since the inner surface of a fibre-based or paper formed bottle tends to be uneven and rough (e.g., as a result of the processes involved in their manufacture, and the difficulties inherent in processing the inner surface), coating thereof often results in defects (e.g. weak / thin points in the barrier layer). Summary of the invention The present invention seeks to provide a package that incorporates a barrier solution compatible with known and future (e.g. fibre or paper) bottle forming methods, which may improve or at least not inhibit overall recyclability. Such a package may have economic and environmental benefits, while avoiding the need to substantially modify the forming method of the bottle itself. At the least, the invention will provide the public with an alternative package or component for a package for, e.g., beverages, other liquids or any pourable product. In a broad aspect of the invention, a package is provided according to claim 1. A corresponding assembly method is outlined by claim 11. Further features are described by the dependent claims. According to one aspect, a package for a liquid or, more generally a "container" which could be useful for housing any consumable product, fluid or otherwise (such as powder, pills or other pourable products) is provided. Such a package may comprise: an outer part, e.g. made from a fibre-based material, for providing a rigid structure to the package, such that it is self-supporting; an inner part, comprised of at least one sheet of barrier-coated fibrebased material or paper formed into a pouch or bag; wherein the inner part is housed within the outer part. In this way, since the inner part / bag is constructed from one or more flat sheets of material, it is possible to use 2D coating methods to form an effective barrier layer. The use of flat sheets as a substrate is well established and enables a much wider range of coating technologies and materials, and better control of the surface finish. The resulting package is capable of higher performance and reduced defects, whilst maintaining much lower coating thicknesses and overall contamination, when compared to a package to which a barrier coating has been applied to a 3D container through spraying or deposition onto an internal surface or uses a blown or assembled inner liner. The limitations inherent in using flat paper sheets to produce a 3D package do result in a significant restriction on potential design, but aesthetic appeal is of minimal concern when the structure produced from flat paper is to be wholly contained within an outer part. In embodiments, the outer part is formed substantially from fibre-based material. In this way, the outer part and inner part are both formed substantially from similar materials which makes the unit as a whole more easily recyclable, without the need to separate the parts. In one form, the outer part is moulded in one piece from pulp / fibrous material, e.g. as a bottle or bottle-like shape. Moulded fibre offers a greater breadth of potential 3D package design when compared to the use of flat paper sheets. In this case, the inner part may be inserted after the bottle has been formed. In another form, the outer part is moulded as a clam-shell design, or in two or more pieces, from pulp, for joining along a seam that forms a complete bottle shape about the inner part. The inner part may be arranged within the outer part(s) prior to joining, or inserted after forming. Paper discussed herein may be defined as made from fibres, e.g. of plant pulp, or something structurally similar. The inner part may be formed into a bag or pouch from one or more flat sheets, such as produced by a known paper making process. However, it is at least possible that the outer part may be made from other materials, provided in combination with an inner part formed from sheet material that is treated by a 2D coating process. Other (e.g. recyclable, repurposed) fibrous (e.g. natural or otherwise) materials are envisaged for either part that may not be explicitly "paper" yet will benefit from the inventive concept described herein. In embodiments, the outer part comprises a neck portion. The inner part may also comprise a corresponding neck portion, to be attached (for example, by bonding or mechanically) to the outer part. The inner part may comprise a neck ring portion (e.g. a thicker ring of material formed at an opening of the inner bag), which is in turn attached to the neck portion of the outer part, or may serve as part or all of the neck portion of the outer part. This neck ring portion may be a portion of the inner part, or a separate component that is attached to the neck portion of the inner part. The present disclosure recognises a combination of technologies from two distinct technical fields, namely: (i) high performance barrier coatings for 2D fibre-based or paper substrates; and (ii) 3D fibre-based or paper bottle making. The resultant combination is a package that provides good protection and barrier shelf-life with minimal plastic and appealing aesthetics. A method of producing a package according to the present disclosure may comprise the following steps: 1) An external bottle (i.e. the outer part) is formed, e.g. almost entirely from fibre , via any suitable manufacturing method, such as slurry bottle forming or dry fibre moulding. The outer bottle provides rigidity for filling, logistics and end consumer use. 2) An inner pouch or bag is formed from 2D coated barrier fibre-based material or paper (i.e. already barrier-coated as a 2D paper substrate in a pre-forming process), that is preferably approximately the same volume and / or shape as the outer bottle (although the inner pouch can be any shape). The inner part is preferably sealed, e.g. by sonic welding, heat, adhesives, mechanical folding, etc, on all sides except for a neck opening. The barrier may comprise a hard metal / inorganic coating (such as aluminium or SiOx) in combination with a sealing layer. Alternatively, the barrier coating may be polyethylene (or other known polymers), a bio-material, or any other suitable alternative / combination of materials. Control of barrier thickness is facilitated by the coating process being onto a flat substrate. 3) The inner part is combined with the outer part. Particularly, for assembly, the inner pouch either: a) has its opening sealed (e.g. via heat or adhesives, sonic welding, etc) to a neck-ring transition piece (e.g. made from any material including polymers, metal or moulded fibre) that can be used to connect to the outer bottle and / or a closure system. The pouch with ring piece may then be inserted into the bottle (folding lengthways, collapsed by vacuum, or similar to insert via the neck of the bottle) and this neck ring is then attached to a neck portion of the bottle; or b) the pouch is inserted directly into the bottle, with its opening aligned with the bottle neck opening, and its outer surface is sealed directly onto the inner surface of the neck. The neck opening of the inner pouch will be accessible for filling, while the neck opening of the outer part will be concentric therewith, leaving no gap for filled beverage to enter between the outer part and inner part walls. Alternative construction approaches compatible with the disclosure include: 1. The external bottle, being formed of a clam-shell or multi-part design, is closed around the inner pouch; and / or 2. The external bottle, being formed with a large opening at its base into which the pouch is inserted (filled or unfilled), is closed with a separate base piece. Once assembled, the pouch can be reinflated / unfolded to fill the bottle shape via air pressure at the bottle neck or a mechanical device, filled and capped. Alternatively, the pouch can be reinflated via the introduction of the product to the pack, expanding as it is filled. The cap can either connect directly with the outer bottle, or transition piece. In some forms, the filling operation will expand the inner part to fill a comparable volume of the outer part. It is noteworthy that, as the outer part is not required to hold liquid or other consumable directly in contact therewith, the surface does not need to be continuous. In some forms it may comprise a frame, windows, or 'skeleton' structure simply to achieve external shape and mechanical, self-supporting, strength. The outer part may not, therefore, have a traditional "bottle" shape per se, but is generally configured to enclose the inner part that serves as the primary container of the package's contents. According to the present disclosure, a form of package is provided that combines fibrebased bottle forming technology (to provide a low-cost, low carbon, recyclable pack) with high performance barriers to liquids and gases that can only be produced on 2D systems. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 illustrates a step by step (Sil to S17) process for assembly of a first embodiment of a package with features according to the present disclosure; and Figure 2 illustrates a step by step (S21 to S28) process for assembly of a second embodiment of a package with features according to the present disclosure. Detailed description of the invention The following description presents exemplary embodiments and, together with the drawings, serves to explain principles of the inventive concept. However, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the precise details of the embodiments or exact adherence with all components, since variations will be apparent to a skilled person and are deemed also to be covered by the description. Terms for components used herein should be given a broad interpretation that also encompasses equivalent functions and features. In some cases, several alternative terms (synonyms) for structural features have been provided, but such terms are not intended to be exhaustive. Descriptive terms should also be given the broadest possible interpretation; e.g. the term "comprising" as used in this specification means "consisting at least in part of" such that interpreting each statement in this specification that includes the term "comprising", features other than that or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprises" are to be interpreted in the same manner. Directional terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "upper" and "lower" may be used for convenience of explanation, usually with reference to the illustrations, and are not intended to be ultimately limiting if an equivalent function can be achieved with an alternative dimension, orientation and / or direction. The description herein refers to embodiments with particular combinations of features, however, it is envisaged that further combinations and cross-combinations of compatible features between embodiments will be possible. Indeed, isolated features may function independently as an invention from other features and not necessarily require implementation as a complete combination to have advantages over prior art. Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an assembly method for a package. A sequence of steps, Sil to S17, is shown in Figure 1, ultimately resulting in an assembled package 10 at step S17. Features and properties of the package will become apparent through describing the assembly procedure. According to step Sil, an inner part 11 is formed from at least one flat sheet of material. In the illustrated form, the inner part 11 has a bottle-shaped configuration and could be formed by two superimposed sheets that are folded and / or bonded together on all sides 12, leaving an unbonded opening 13, e.g. at a neck portion thereof. Excess material can be trimmed away as needed. In accordance with available coating techniques, a barrier coating / layer may have already been applied to the material when in sheet form, or a coating could be applied after folding and / or bonding, to the flat object. Applying a coating to a flat sheet mitigates defects that may otherwise occur when applying a barrier coating to an interior surface occupying three-dimensions, i.e. with depth and curvature, and potentially limited access to the internal volume. Bonding of the side walls and base perimeter 12 by a known and reliable method is able to maintain a protective barrier at the seams. It will be apparent that a single sheet may be used to form inner part 11 where one of the sides or the base comprises a fold to double over the sheet thickness and form a container therebetween. According to step S12, the inner part 11 is folded or otherwise collapsed / deflated to a narrow form, suitable for insertion into an outer part. Since the bottle shape of Sil is already flat, folding or rolling to a size approximately equal to or less than a width of the neck opening 13 is preferred. Step S13 introduces a pre-formed outer part 14, e.g. a moulded fibre bottle having side walls 15, shoulder portion 16, base 17 and a neck opening 18. The construction of outer part 14 may take many forms compatible with the present disclosure, generally intended to provide a rigid outer structure for the package. Outer part 14 may be formed by dry or wet moulding of paper pulp or other fibrous material and, likewise, may take other shapes including as a frame / skeleton with ribs, rather than solid / continuous walls. In this way, the primary function of the outer part is to provide a self-supporting structure, i.e. that can stand upright on a flat surface, strength, and / or provide a familiar aesthetic. The outer part does not need to be liquid impermeable perse. According to illustrated step S13, collapsed inner part 11 is narrower than and therefore insertable into the neck opening 18 of outer part 14, until it is wholly or substantially enclosed therewithin as shown by step S14. According to step S14, the opening 13 of the inner part 11 and neck portion 18 of outer part 14 are substantially aligned concentrically, such that an attaching operation can be subsequently performed (e.g., by bonding) at the contacting surfaces thereof. In some forms of assembly the inner part 11 may be inflated / unfolded by air pressure, e.g. as shown by step S15, prior to attachment at the neck opening, to allow for the escape of air within bottle 14 to accommodate the inner bag 11. Alternatively, a gap at the neck bond or a hole elsewhere on the outer part (such as the base) could be provided to allow venting during a filling operation of inner bag 11. In preferred forms, a bond 19 may extend entirely about the circumference of opening 13, at the contact with neck 18, such that there is no gap for ingress of liquid between the inner and outer layers. The substantive outer walls of inner bag 11 may or may not be adhered to the inner walls of outer bottle 14, depending on requirements. It is not expected that this will be necessary in view of the fact that the structure will already be self-supporting as a whole and mutually secured by the bond 19. At step S15, when inner part 11 is expanded to fill a substantive volume of outer part 14, and bond 19 is formed, the package is ready for filling with a pourable product such as beverage B according to step S16. A convenient filling station / production line can be used for filling which is outside the scope of the present disclosure. Empty bottles can be supplied in bulk in accordance with the package up to step S15. Filling at step S16 is may be performed at a different location to manufacture of the bottle 14 and inner bag 11 respectively. Indeed, coating and manufacture of each part, along with subsequent assembly, may take place at different locations. A final step S17 illustrates a filled package 10 where a closure 20 is applied over the neck opening / mouth to both inner and outer parts. Closure 20 may be a cap with an internal thread to engage with a thread formed externally on bottle neck 18, a stopper, tamper / peel seal applied to a rim of opening 13 / 18 or any other suitable solution. Figure 2 illustrates a second embodiment of an assembly method for a package. A sequence of steps, S21 to S28, are shown in Figure 2, ultimately resulting in an assembled package 21 at step S28. Features and properties of the package will become apparent through describing the assembly procedure. In the same way as the embodiment of Figure 1, according to step S21, an inner part 22 is formed from at least one flat sheet of material. Inner part 22 is a bottle-shaped container formed by folding and / or bonding a sheet-like material together on all sides 23, leaving an unbonded opening 24, e.g. at a neck portion thereof. Excess material can be trimmed away as needed. A barrier coating / layer is applied to the inner part when in flat form, either before or after the pouch / bag is formed. An additional step S22, compared to the embodiment of Figure 1, is performed according to Figure 2, where a rigid neck / attachment structure 25 is sealed to the opening 24 of inner part 22. This ring-like structure may be formed of a suitable material, such as polymer, metal or a moulded paper part, bonded at contacting surfaces 26 so as to provide a rigid mouth to the inner part 22. According to step S23, the inner part 22 is folded or otherwise collapsed / deflated to a narrow form, suitable for insertion into an outer part. Since the bottle shape of S22 may already be flat, folding or rolling to a size approximately equal to or less than the neck opening 24, and within the shadow area of the neck attachment 25, is preferred. Step S24 introduces a pre-formed outer part Tl, analogous with step S13 of Figure 1, in the form of a moulded fibre-based or paper bottle having side walls 28, shoulder portion 29, base 30 and a neck opening 31. The construction of outer part 27 may take many forms compatible with the present disclosure. It may be formed by dry or wet moulding of paper pulp or other fibrous material and, likewise, may take other shapes including as a frame / skeleton with ribs, rather than solid walls. In this way, as previously mentioned, the primary function of the outer part is to provide a strong, self-supporting structure, i.e. that can stand upright on a flat surface. According to step S24, collapsed inner part 22 is inserted into the neck opening 31 of outer part 27, until it is wholly or substantially enclosed therewithin. According to step S25, the neck attachment 25 of the inner part 22 and neck opening 31 of outer part 27 are engaged together. Neck opening 31 may be received into an annular groove / channel of attachment 25. In this way, any imperfect rim finish of opening 31 is hidden within attachment 25. An attaching operation can be subsequently performed (e.g., by bonding) at the contacting surfaces of attachment 25 and outer part 27. In some forms of assembly, the inner part 22 may be inflated / unfolded by air pressure, e.g. as shown by step S26, prior to attachment at the neck opening, to allow for the escape of air within bottle 27 to accommodate the inner bag 22. Alternatively, or in addition, a vent could be provided through a wall of attachment 25 to facilitate a filling operation of inner bag 22. An opening in a wall or base of outer part 27 would also allow for air to escape as inner part 22 is inflated. In some forms, a bond 32 may extend entirely about the circumference of opening 31, at the contact with neck attachment 25, such that there is no gap for ingress of liquid between the inner and outer layers. The substantive outer walls of inner bag 22 may or may not be adhered to the inner walls of outer bottle 27, depending on requirements. At step S26, when inner part 22 is expanded to fill a substantive volume of outer part 27, and bond 32 is formed, the package is ready for filling with beverage B according to step S27. A convenient filling station / production line can be used which is outside the scope of the present disclosure. Empty bottles can be supplied in bulk in accordance with the package up to step S26. Filling at step S27 is may to be performed at a different location to manufacture of the bottle 27 and inner bag 22 respectively. Indeed, coating and manufacture of each part, along with subsequent assembly, may take place at different locations. A final step S28 illustrates a filled package 21 with a closure 33 applied over the neck opening / mouth structure provided by attachment 25. Closure 33 is engaged tightly to seal a filled bottle 21 for transport and distribution, until it is ready to be opened by a consumer. As with closure 20 of figure 1, closure 33 may be provided in the form of a cap with an internal thread to engage with a thread formed externally on attachment 25 (with or without sipper / flip lid), a stopper, tamper / peel seal (separate or in addition) applied to a rim of attachment 25 or any other suitable solution. By way of summary, the present disclosure outlines a form of container or package for liquids and other pourable products, particularly beverages, comprised of an outer structure, e.g. moulded from paper pulp, and an inner bag or pouch formed from at least one coated flat sheet of paper or fibre-based material. Since the inner bag is formed from a flat sheet, the coating process thereof may use a 2D printing / coating method that is more controllable than the coating of the interior of a three-dimensional object. The finished article can be made substantively from paper or fibre-based material, with minimal plastic use, for ease of recycling.

Claims

25Claims1. A container, comprising:an outer part moulded from pulp, paper or other fibrous material;5 wherein the outer part is configured for providing a rigid structure to thecontainer, such that it is self-supporting; andan inner part comprised of a bag or pouch formed from at least one sheet of fibre-based material, the at least one sheet having a barrier layer applied by a 2D printing or coating process;10 wherein the inner part is housed within the outer part.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the outer part is formed:in one piece; orin two or more pieces for joining along a seam that forms a complete outer 15 part / container shape about the inner part.

3. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the outer part and / or inner part are a formed in a bottle shape, the bottle shape comprising a neck, and a tubular body.20 4. The container of claim 3, wherein the outer part and inner part are attachedtogether at least proximate the neck of the bottle shape.

5. The container of claim 3 or 4, wherein the neck of the inner part comprises a neck ring portion, being a thicker ring of material located at an opening of the bottle25 shape.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the neck ring portion is attached to the inner part and in turn attached to the neck of the outer part.30 7. The container of any preceding claim, further comprising a closure for closing thebag or pouch of the inner part.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the closure comprises at least one of: a cap with an internal thread for engaging with a mating thread of the inner and / or outer part, a stopper for forming an interference fit with the inner and / or outer part, or a peel-5 away seal.

9. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the outer part includes a vent opening.10 10.A method of making a container, comprising:moulding an outer part from pulp, paper or other fibrous material to serve as a rigid, self-supporting, structure;forming an inner part from at least one sheet of paper or fibre-based material, sealed on all sides except for a neck opening;forming a barrier layer on the inner part, said barrier formed by a 2D printing or coating process either before or after sealing of the inner part; andlocating the inner part to be housed by the outer part.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising attaching the inner part to the outer part20 proximate the neck opening.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, comprising attaching the neck opening of the outer part to a neck ring of the inner part.25 13. The method of any preceding claim 10 to 12, wherein locating the inner part into theouter part is achieved by folding and / or collapsing the inner part for insertion into the outer part.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising unfolding and / or inflating, by air pressure or30 liquid fill, the inner part to expand and occupy a volume of the outer part.

15. The method of any preceding claim 10 to 14, wherein the outer part is formed with avent opening.

16. The method of any preceding claim 10 to 15, wherein the outer part is formed:in one piece; orin two or more pieces, for joining along a seam that forms a complete outer part / container shape about the inner part.14 03 25Application No: GB2409636.4Examiner: Margaret BonhamClaims searched: 1-11Date of search: 16 December 2024Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X 1,4-10 WO 91 / 14630 Al (PROCTER &GAMBLE) see especially fig 2 and 3, page 8, last paragraph; page 6, last paragraph X 1-3, 8-10 US 2454919 A (HAGAN) see especially fig 4; column 2, lines 13-26 X 1-3, 8-10 US 3119543 A (WALKER) see especially fig 3 and 4, column 1, lines 63- column 2, line 17 X 1-3,8, 10 EP 0302600 Al (ANCHOR CONTINENTAL INC) see especially fig 1,3 and 4, column 3, lines 50-53; column 4, lines 11-17 X 1-2, 8-10 CN 201411165 Y (DONGBIAO TANG) see especially fig 1, WPI abstract v A 1, 10 EP 3342724 Al (JUJO PAPER CO LTD) see especially fig 2, 7 and 8; paragraph [0012]Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if combined with one or more other documents of same category. P Document published on or after the declared priority date but before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:www.gov.uk / ipoInternational Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From B65D 0077 / 06 01 / 01 / 2006 B65D 0023 / 02 01 / 01 / 2006 B65D 0025 / 14 01 / 01 / 2006www.gov.uk / ipo

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