Sealed packaging for liquid food and sheet packaging materials for making sealed packaging for liquid food

Abstract

To provide a sealed package having good appearance for storing fluid food easily at a low cost.SOLUTION: A sealed package for storing fluid food includes a bottom surface part, an upper surface part and a main part which is disposed between the bottom surface part and the upper surface part and includes a plurality of side wall parts. An area of a bottom surface panel is different from an area of a quadrangle Q of an upper surface, and the area of the quadrangle of the upper surface is, on a reference surface P, acquired by projecting an upper surface panel along a longitudinal direction. The reference surface is parallel to the bottom surface panel, crosses the package, and includes at least one of contour edges of a peripheral contour of the upper surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealed package for containing a liquid food product.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a sheet packaging material for making a sealed package for containing a liquid food product.

Background Art

[0003] As is well known, many liquid food products, such as fruit juices, UHT (Ultra High Temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc. are sold in packages made of a sterilized packaging material.

[0004] A typical example is a parallelepiped-shaped package for a liquid or fluid food product known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding, sealing and cutting a web of laminated packaging material. In particular, the packaging material has a multi-layer structure and includes, for example, a paper base layer, which is covered on both sides with a plurality of layers of a heat-sealing plastic material, such as polyethylene. In the case of a sterile package for a long-term storage product such as UHT milk, the packaging material also includes a layer of an oxygen barrier material, such as aluminum foil, which is superimposed on a layer of a heat-sealing plastic material and then covered with another layer of a heat-sealing plastic material to finally form the inner surface of the package that contacts the food.

[0005] This type of package is usually produced by a fully automatic packaging machine, in which a continuous tube is formed from a web-fed packaging material. The web of the packaging material is sterilized in the packaging machine, for example, by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which is evaporated, for example, by heating and removed from the surface of the packaging material after sterilization is complete. Thereafter, the web thus sterilized is maintained in a sealed sterile environment and folded and sealed longitudinally to form a tube, which is fed vertically.

[0006] To complete the molding process, the tubes are filled with sterilized or pasteurized food and sealed, then cut along equally spaced cross-sections. Pillow packs are thus obtained, which are then mechanically folded to form the packaging for each finished product in a final folder.

[0007] To enable the web packaging material to be folded both during molding and during the final folding process, crease lines, or weakening lines, are formed on the packaging material using a creasing tool in the production plant. In practice, the crease lines define the folds along which the pillow pack is folded to take the desired final form.

[0008] Instead, the packaging material is cut into blanks, these blanks are formed into packages on a molding spindle, and the resulting packages are then filled with food and sealed. An example of this type of packaging is the so-called "gable-top" package, known by the trade name Tetra Rex®.

[0009] To open the aforementioned packages, they typically feature a removable section, which is partially separated from the rest of the packaging material by an opening device, releasing the dispensing opening through which the product is poured out.

[0010] The detachable portion is formed in the packaging material before it is folded and sealed to form the finished product package.

[0011] The removable portion typically includes a so-called "pre-laminated" hole, i.e., a circular hole formed only through the base layer of the packaging material and covered by layers of heat-sealable plastic material and insulating material that bond to each other at the hole when the materials are laminated.

[0012] Each of the above types of packages, which is either cut from a tube of packaging material or formed on a molding spindle, is obtained from a basic structural unit of packaging material having a given fold line.

[0013] In other words, the basic constituent units described above are the packs used to produce a single package. This indicates the precise length of the covering material.

[0014] In the case of packages made from packaging material tubes, the original web contains multiple basic structural units joined together. In the case of packages made with a molding spindle, the basic structural units are defined by blanks cut from the web before the molding and sealing operations begin.

[0015] The basic structural unit generally has the form of a rectangle or a square, with two boundary edges parallel to the longitudinal direction and two other boundary edges parallel to the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0016] After the basic structural units are folded and sealed to form the packages for each finished product, the longitudinal direction is the direction in which the total height of the package itself is defined. The longitudinal direction also represents the main elongation direction of the web from which the basic structural units are obtained.

[0017] The basic structural unit typically includes at least two transverse fold lines, the transverse fold lines extending transversely relative to the longitudinal direction, and the basic structural unit itself, - A bottom region that includes a bottom fold pattern and is configured to form the bottom portion of the finished product's packaging; - An upper surface area including a top surface fold pattern and configured to form the top portion of the finished product package; and - An intermediate region containing multiple longitudinal fold lines, located between the transverse fold lines, between the bottom and top regions, and typically designed to form the sides of multiple side walls of the finished product package. To divide into sections.

[0018] The transverse fold lines are also configured to define the peripheral contours of the bottom surface and the upper surface of the package of the finished product having an endless form, and to partition the bottom portion and the upper portion from the main portion respectively.

[0019] The bottom portion of the package of the finished product usually includes a flat bottom panel that defines the placement surface of the package itself.

[0020] The upper portion of the package of the finished product can include a flat upper panel that is parallel to the bottom panel. Instead, an inclined upper panel is very conveniently used in combination with the open device. This is because the inclined upper panel is wider than the upper panel of the corresponding plane of the parallelepiped or prism package, so that a larger open device with, for example, a screw cap can be applied.

[0021] As is well known, after the production of the package, the package is transported to the place of sale by placing it on a transport pallet having a predetermined size. Therefore, in the packaging field, there is a particular need to maintain the good appearance of such a package while optimizing the filling of the transport pallet with the package of the finished product.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0022] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sealed package for containing a flowable food that can easily and at low cost meet the above-mentioned needs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0023] This object is achieved by the sealed package according to claim 1.

[0024] This object is also achieved by the sheet packaging material for making the sealed package for containing a flowable food according to claim 13.

[0025] Four preferred non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described as examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a sealed package according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a reduced front view of the package of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a reduced side view of the package of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a reduced bottom view of the package of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a projection view of the upper panel of the package of FIG. 3 along the vertical direction on a horizontal plane, including the front edge of the upper surface of the upper panel itself. [Figure 6] It is a front view of the basic constituent unit of the sheet packaging material according to the present invention from which the packages of FIGS. 1 to 5 are obtained. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view of a sealed package according to different embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a front view of the basic constituent unit of the sheet packaging material according to the present invention from which the package of FIG. 7 is obtained. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view of a sealed package according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a front view of the basic constituent unit of the sheet packaging material according to the present invention from which the package of FIG. 9 is obtained. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view of a sealed package according to a further embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] It is a front view of the basic constituent unit of the sheet packaging material according to the present invention from which the package of FIG. 11 is obtained.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] Reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 1 to 5 generally indicates a sealed package according to the present invention that contains a flowable food and is obtained from a sheet packaging material

[0028] Package 1 includes a bottom portion 3, a top portion 4, and a main portion 5 placed between the bottom portion 3 and the top portion 4, which includes a plurality of side wall portions 6, each side wall portion being defined by two opposing side zones 7.

[0029] The main portion 5 is separated from the bottom portion 3 by the peripheral contour 8 of the bottom surface of an endless form defined by a rib line. In a completely similar manner, the main portion 5 is separated from the top portion 4 by the peripheral contour 9 of the top surface of an endless form defined by a rib line.

[0030] The bottom portion 3 has a quadrilateral, i.e., rectangular or square (rectangular in the illustrated example) profile and includes a planar horizontal bottom panel 10 that defines the mounting surface of the package itself.

[0031] The bottom panel 10 is defined by the surrounding contour 8 of the bottom surface, which is similarly formed by four line segments or contour edges, namely the front edge 8a of the bottom surface, the rear edge 8b of the bottom surface parallel to the front edge 8a of the bottom surface, and two side edges 8c of the bottom surface perpendicular to the front edge 8a and the rear edge 8b of the bottom surface.

[0032] Due to the rectangular profile of the bottom panel 10, the front edge 8a and the rear edge 8b of the bottom panel have the same length. The same applies to the side edge 8c of the bottom panel, and the side edge of the bottom panel They similarly have the same length.

[0033] Package 1 extends perpendicularly along the longitudinal direction A, which is perpendicular to the bottom panel 10 and defines the overall height of Package 1 itself. The longitudinal direction A is also perpendicular to the front edge 8a, rear edge 8b, and side edge 8c of the bottom surface surrounding contour 8.

[0034] In this description and in the claims, the term "total height" means either the height of the package when the package has a fixed height, or the maximum height of the package when the package has a variable height.

[0035] The base portion 3 further includes two base lateral flaps 11, which have a substantially triangular shape and are folded onto the base panel 10 in a known manner (Figure 4).

[0036] The upper portion 4 includes a planar and inclined upper panel 14 having a quadrilateral, i.e., square or rectangular profile and a shape that is inclined forward with respect to the longitudinal direction A.

[0037] In the examples shown in Figures 1-3, the top panel 14 is a rectangle that is close to a square.

[0038] The upper panel 14 is defined by the periphery contour 9 of the upper surface, which is similarly formed by four line segments or contour edges: a front edge 9a of the upper surface parallel to the front edge 8a and rear edge 8b of the bottom surface; a rear edge 9b of the upper surface parallel to the front edge 9a of the upper surface and positioned higher than the front edge 9a itself; and two side edges 9c of the upper surface that are perpendicular to the front edge 9a and rear edge 9b of the upper surface and inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction A.

[0039] As a result, the peripheral contour 9 of the upper surface extends in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction A.

[0040] Due to the rectangular profile of the top panel 14, the front edge 9a and the rear edge 9b of the top panel have the same length. The same applies to the side edges 9c of the top panel, which also have the same length.

[0041] The upper portion 4 further includes two upper lateral flaps 15, which have a substantially triangular shape and are folded over two opposing side wall portions 6 of the main portion 5 in a known manner.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1-3 and 5, the top portion 4 also includes a plastic release device 16 positioned to cover the top of the removable portion 17 (Figure 6) of the packaging material 2. The release device 16 is applied to the top panel 14 by a conventional fastening system such as adhesive, or by a microframe, electric current induction, ultrasonic, laser, injection molding, or other heat sealing technology.

[0043] In the examples shown in Figures 1-5, the main part 5 of package 1 includes four sidewall sections 6 of different profiles and sizes. Advantageously, the lateral zones 7 that define the extent of the sidewall sections 6 have a rounded shape.

[0044] In particular, the first side wall portion 6, designed to define the front of package 1, is substantially rectangular in shape, defined on the bottom and top surfaces by the straight front edge 8a of the bottom surface and the front edge 9a of the top surface, and by the rounded convex side zones 7 on the opposing sides. It has a state.

[0045] The second side wall portion 6, designed to define the rear surface of package 1, also has a substantially rectangular shape and is defined at the bottom and top by the straight rear edge 8b of the bottom surface and the rear edge 9b of the top surface, and by the rounded convex side zones 7 on the opposing sides; this second side wall portion 6 faces the side wall portion 6 designed to define the front surface of package 1 and is higher in height than the height of the latter side wall portion 6, parallel to the longitudinal direction A.

[0046] Each of the other two side wall sections 6 is - At the base, each of the horizontal base edges 8c; - On the upper surface, by each of the inclined upper surface side edges 9c; and - The rounded, convex side zones 7 on opposite sides It has a defined range and a profile that is substantially similar to a rectangular trapezoid.

[0047] The two side wall sections 6, each having a trapezoidal profile, receive the upper lateral flaps 15 on their outer surfaces.

[0048] According to an important aspect of the present invention, the area of ​​the bottom panel 10 is different from the area of ​​the top quadrilateral Q (Figure 5), the area of ​​which is obtained by projecting the top panel 14 along the longitudinal direction A onto a reference plane P (Figure 3), which is parallel to the bottom panel 10, crosses the package 1, and includes the leading edge 9a of the top surface of the top peripheral contour 9.

[0049] In particular, the area of ​​the bottom panel 10 is smaller than the area of ​​the quadrilateral Q on the top surface.

[0050] According to another possible variation not shown, the area of ​​the bottom panel 10 can be larger than the area of ​​the top quadrilateral Q.

[0051] Similar to the top panel 14, the quadrilateral Q on the top surface is a square or a rectangle, and in the illustrated example, it is a rectangle that is close to a square.

[0052] Referring specifically to Figure 5, the quadrilateral Q on the top surface includes a front line segment Q1 on the top surface corresponding to the front edge 8a of the base surface, a rear line segment Q2 on the top surface corresponding to the rear edge 8b of the base surface, and two side line segments Q3 on the top surface, each corresponding to the side edge 8c of the base surface.

[0053] Preferably, the side line segment Q3 of the top surface has the same length, which is different from the length of the side edge 9c of the bottom surface. More specifically, in the illustrated example, the length of the side edge 9c of the bottom surface is less than the length of the side line segment Q3 of the top surface.

[0054] Similarly, the front segment Q1 and the rear segment Q2 of the top surface have the same length, which is different from the lengths of the front edge 8a and the rear edge 8b of the bottom surface.

[0055] More specifically, in the illustrated example, the lengths of the front edge 8a and the rear edge 8b of the base are greater than the lengths of the front segment Q1 and the rear segment Q2 of the top surface.

[0056] The packaging material 2 on which package 1 is made is shown in Figure 6 and has a known multilayer structure (not shown) which includes, for example, a paper base layer for rigidity and several layers covering both sides of the base layer.

[0057] Preferably, the lamination consists of, for example, one layer of oxygen barrier material made of aluminum foil and both of the base layers. It includes several layers of heat-seal plastic material covering both sides of the package and the oxygen barrier layer. In other words, starting from the side that ultimately forms the inside of package 1, packaging material 2 includes one layer of heat-seal plastic material, one layer of oxygen barrier, another layer of heat-seal plastic material, a base layer, and one or more additional layers of heat-seal plastic material.

[0058] The letter M in Figure 6 represents a basic constituent unit of packaging material 2 for producing package 1, which may be a pre-cut blank or part of a web of packaging material containing a series of basic constituent units M.

[0059] In the first example, the basic structural unit M is folded onto a known molding spindle (not shown), filled with food, and the top is sealed to form the final package.

[0060] In the second example, which will be explained with reference to Figures 1-12, the web of the packaging material 2, which includes a series of basic constituent units M, - It is folded into a cylinder and sealed longitudinally, forming a vertical tube; - Food is continuously filled; and - It is sealed transversely and cut into basic structural units M, and then these basic structural units are folded to form their respective packages 1.

[0061] After these tasks are completed, Package 1 will be: - A transverse sealing strip 18 of the bottom surface (Figure 5) that crosses the bottom panel 10 along its centerline and extends parallel to the front edge 8a and the rear edge 8b of the bottom surface; - A transverse sealing strip 19 on the upper surface that runs parallel to and between the leading edge 9a and the trailing edge 9b of the upper surface, crossing the upper surface panel 14 (Figures 1-4); and - A longitudinal sealing band 20 extends perpendicularly between the transverse sealing band 18 on the bottom and the transverse sealing band 19 on the top, along each portion of the bottom panel 10 and the top panel 14, and along the side wall portion 6 that defines the rear surface of the package 1. It holds.

[0062] More specifically, after package 1 is completely sealed and formed, the bottom panel 10 is intersected by a transverse sealing band 18 on the bottom and the end portion 20a of a longitudinal sealing band 20 that extends perpendicularly from the transverse sealing band 18 on the bottom.

[0063] In a completely similar manner, after package 1 is completely sealed and formed, the top panel 14 is intersected by a transverse top sealing band 19 and an end portion 20b of a longitudinal sealing band 20 that extends perpendicularly from the transverse top sealing band 19 and faces the end portion 20a. More specifically, the transverse top sealing band 19 divides the top panel 14 into two zones 14a and 14b, and the end portion 20b of the longitudinal sealing band 20 extends from the middle portion of the transverse top sealing band 19 into one of such zones 14a and 14b (14b).

[0064] During the molding process to obtain package 1, the transverse sealing band 19 on the top surface is folded over zone 14b and the end portion 20b of the longitudinal sealing band 20. In this way, zone 14a has a larger area than zone 14b and is therefore more suitable for receiving the removable portion 17 and the opening device 16.

[0065] In the example shown in Figure 6, the removable portion 17 has a circular profile and is designed to be at least partially separated from the rest of the packaging material by the opening device 16 during use, thereby opening the dispensing opening for pouring out the product.

[0066] The removable portion 17 is formed on the packaging material 2 before the packaging material 2 itself is folded and sealed to form the finished product package.

[0067] In this case, the removable portion 17 includes a so-called "pre-laminated" hole, that is, a circular hole formed only through the base layer of the packaging material 2, and covered with layers of heat-sealable plastic material and oxygen barrier material that adhere to each other at the hole when the packaging material 2 itself is laminated.

[0068] Referring specifically to Figure 6, the basic constituent unit M of the packaging material 2 has a rectangular shape, and - Under the condition that the basic structural unit M is upright, there are two side boundary edges 22 that are parallel to the longitudinal direction and coincide with the longitudinal direction A; - Boundary edge 23 of the base parallel to the transverse direction B which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction A; and - The upper boundary edge 24 is parallel to the boundary edge 23 of the transverse direction B and the bottom surface. The range is determined by [the specified method / condition].

[0069] The basic structural unit M of the packaging material 2 includes several fold lines that define each fold, and the packaging material 2 itself is folded along these lines to form the finished product package 1.

[0070] More specifically, the basic structural unit M includes two transverse fold lines 25 and 26, and these transverse fold lines extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction A, and the basic structural unit M itself, - A bottom region 27 that includes a bottom fold pattern 28 and is configured to form the bottom portion 3 of package 1; - An upper surface region 29 that includes an upper surface fold pattern 30 and is configured to form the upper surface portion 4 of the package 1; and - An intermediate region 31 located between the transverse fold lines 25 and 26, positioned between the bottom region 27 and the top region 29, and designed to form the side wall portion 6 of package 1. To divide into sections.

[0071] The transverse fold line 25 extends parallel to the boundary edge 23 of the bottom surface and the boundary edge 24 of the top surface, and is located closer to the boundary edge 23 of the bottom surface than the transverse fold line 26. The transverse fold line 25 is configured to define the surrounding contour 8 of the bottom surface of the package 1.

[0072] In particular, the transverse fold line 25 is - The central portion 25a of the bottom surface is configured to define the leading edge 8a of the bottom surface of package 1; - Two bottom edge portions 25b positioned on both sides of the central portion 25a of the bottom surface, adjacent to their respective side boundary edges 22, and configured to define the rear edge 8b of the bottom surface of package 1; and - Two side portions 25c of the bottom surface, which extend adjacent to each side of the central portion 25a of the bottom surface, connect the central portion 25a itself to the respective end portions 25b, and are designed to define the side edges 8c of each bottom surface of package 1. Includes.

[0073] The transverse fold line 26 is positioned closer to the upper surface boundary edge 24 than the transverse fold line 25, and is configured to define the surrounding contour 9 of the upper surface of the package 1. In particular, the transverse fold line 26, - The central portion 26a of the upper surface is parallel to the transverse direction B and is configured to define the leading edge 9a of the upper surface of package 1; - Two upper surface end portions 26b that are parallel to the transverse direction B, positioned closer to the upper surface boundary edge 24 than the central portion 26a of the upper surface, and configured to define the rear edge 9b of the upper surface of package 1; and - Two inclined upper surface side portions 26c, each having a shape inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction A and the transverse direction B, and connecting the central portion 26a of the upper surface to the respective end portions 26b of the upper surface. It has a broken line shape.

[0074] As shown in Figure 6, the side portion 26c of the upper surface converges toward the central portion 26a of the upper surface.

[0075] The basic structural unit M includes two further transverse fold lines 32, 33 that extend parallel to direction B and are located near the bottom boundary edge 23 and the top boundary edge 24, respectively. Together with the bottom boundary edge 23 and the top boundary edge 24, the transverse fold lines 32, 33 define the extent of the bottom transverse sealing region 34 and the top transverse sealing region 35, which are configured to define the bottom transverse sealing zone 18 and the top transverse sealing zone 19 of package 1, respectively.

[0076] The bottom fold pattern 28 is designed to produce the bottom panel 10 and the bottom lateral flaps 11 of the package 1. In particular, the bottom fold pattern 28 includes, in a known manner, four longitudinal fold lines 36a, 36b that are parallel to the longitudinal direction A and extend between transverse fold lines 25 and 32.

[0077] The longitudinal fold line 36b is the innermost, while the longitudinal fold line 36a is located near the opposing side boundary edge 22. The area between the longitudinal fold lines 36b and the area defined by the longitudinal fold line 36a and their respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to define the bottom panel 10 of the package 1.

[0078] In each of the regions defined between the longitudinal fold lines 36a and 36b, the bottom fold pattern 28 further includes two additional fold lines 37, 38 that are inclined with respect to both the longitudinal direction A and the transverse direction B.

[0079] In particular, each pair of additional fold lines 37 and 38 has one end in common with the transverse fold line 32, and the opposite ends are located at the intersections between the transverse fold line 25 and the longitudinal fold lines 36a and 36b, respectively. In this way, each pair of additional fold lines 37 and 38, together with the line segments of the transverse fold line 25 contained between the additional fold lines 37 and 38 themselves, defines the extent of the triangle 39.

[0080] Each region between longitudinal fold lines 36a and 36b is configured to define a lateral flap 11 on one of the bottom surfaces of package 1.

[0081] The top surface fold pattern 30 is designed to produce the top panel 14 and the top side flaps 15 of the package 1. In particular, the top surface fold pattern 30 is parallel to the longitudinal direction A and includes four longitudinal fold lines 40a, 40b that extend between transverse fold lines 26 and 33.

[0082] The longitudinal fold line 40b is the innermost, while the longitudinal fold line 40a is located near the opposing side boundary edge 22. The area between the longitudinal fold lines 40b and the area defined by the longitudinal fold lines 40a and their respective side boundary edges 22 are configured to define the top panel 14 of the package 1. The removable portion 17 is formed in the area of ​​the top region 29 that is included between the longitudinal fold lines 40b.

[0083] In each of the regions defined between the longitudinal fold lines 40a and 40b, the fold pattern 30 on the top surface further includes two additional fold lines 41, 42 that are inclined with respect to both the longitudinal direction A and the transverse direction B.

[0084] In particular, each pair of additional fold lines 41, 42 has one end in common with the transverse fold line 33, and the opposite end is located at or adjacent to the opposite end of the side portion 26c of the respective inclined upper surface of the transverse fold line 26.

[0085] In this way, each pair of additional fold lines 41 and 42, together with the side portions 26c of the upper surfaces of the transverse fold line 26, define the extent of the triangle 43.

[0086] Each region between the longitudinal fold lines 40a and 40b is configured to define a lateral flap 15 on one of the top surfaces of package 1.

[0087] According to an important aspect of the present invention, the length of the central portion 26a of the upper surface of the transverse fold line 26 is different from the length of the central portion 25a of the lower surface of the transverse fold line 25; furthermore, the length of each of the side portions 25c of the lower surface of the transverse fold line 25 is also different from the length of the projection image R of each of the side portions 26c of the upper surface of the transverse fold line 26, which is parallel to the transverse fold line 25 and parallel to the longitudinal direction A on a reference line S that includes the central portion 26a of the upper surface.

[0088] In particular, the length of the central portion 26a of the top surface is smaller than the length of the central portion 25a of the bottom surface. In a different case, the length of each projected image R is larger than the length of the corresponding side portion 25c of the bottom surface.

[0089] As shown in Figure 6, the length of the central portion 25a of the bottom surface corresponds to the length of the line segment of the transverse fold line 32 contained between the longitudinal fold lines 36b. In a completely similar manner, the length of the central portion 26a of the top surface corresponds to the length of the line segment of the transverse fold line 33 contained between the longitudinal fold lines 40b.

[0090] The same applies to the side portion 25c of the base, whose length corresponds to the length of each segment of the transverse fold line 32 contained between each pair of longitudinal fold lines 36a and 36b. Similarly, the length of the projected image R corresponds to the length of each segment of the transverse fold line 33 contained between each pair of longitudinal fold lines 40a and 40b.

[0091] The lengths of the front line segment Q1 and the back line segment Q2 of the upper quadrilateral Q correspond to the length of the central portion 26a of the upper surface. In a similar manner, it is important to note that the length of the side line segment Q3 of the upper quadrilateral Q corresponds to the length of the projected image R.

[0092] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the intermediate region 31 has a uniform structure, i.e., there are no folds or weakenings whatsoever, and includes a central transverse strip 44 that crosses the region of the intermediate region 31 itself, which is designed to form each of the side zones 7 of the side wall portion 6 of the package 1.

[0093] Preferably, the intermediate region 31 of the basic structural unit M further includes a plurality of V-shaped fold lines 45, each having a vertex 46 located on or adjacent to the transverse fold lines 25, 26, and is designed to define, at a given point, the opposing ends of each side zone 7 that define the extent of the side wall portion 6 of the package 1. Each V-shaped fold line 45 extends from and near the respective transverse fold lines 25, 26 to the central transverse strip 44 and includes two leg lines 47 extending from each vertex 46.

[0094] In particular, each V-shaped fold line 45 is connected to the other fold line 25, 26 in the transverse direction. The intermediate region 31 extends toward the transverse fold lines 26 and 25 and has a size that is greater than zero and smaller than one-quarter, preferably less than one-tenth, of the total height of the intermediate region 31, measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A and parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.

[0095] In this description and claims, the term "total height of the intermediate region 31" corresponds to the total height of the package.

[0096] In fact, each V-shaped fold line 45 extending from the transverse fold line 25 and the corresponding V-shaped fold line 45 extending from the transverse fold line 26 are spaced apart parallel to the longitudinal direction A.

[0097] Preferably, each V-shaped fold line 45 has a size smaller than the maximum height of the bottom region 27 or top region 29 measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A and parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.

[0098] More preferably, the length of each leg of the V-shaped fold line 45 is less than the maximum length of the height of the triangles 39, 43 located at the respective transverse fold lines 25, 26, relative to the base of the triangles.

[0099] In the illustrated example, the size of each V-shaped fold line 45 parallel to the longitudinal direction A is substantially equal to one-fourteenth of the total height of the intermediate region 31, measured parallel to the longitudinal direction A itself.

[0100] As shown in Figures 1-4, the V-shaped fold line 45 is the only fold line present in the intermediate region 31 in the area designed to define the side zone 7 between the side wall portions 6 of the package 1.

[0101] The absence of a continuous longitudinal fold line between the transverse fold lines 25 and 26 results in the resulting package 1 having a rounded shape along the side zone 7. The V-shaped fold line 45 serves to simplify the folding of the packaging material 2 at each corner between the side zone 7 of the side wall portion 6 and the surrounding contour 8 of the bottom surface and the surrounding contour 9 of the top surface, without affecting the rounded shape of the side zone 7.

[0102] In the illustrated example, the leg lines 47 of each V-shaped fold line 45 are straight, i.e., linear. In a possible alternative not shown, the leg lines 47 of each V-shaped fold line 45 may also be curved, preferably so that their recesses face each other.

[0103] Preferably, the leg lines 47 of each V-shaped fold line 45 define an angle range that falls within 45° to 90°.

[0104] Reference numeral 1' in Figure 7 generally indicates a different embodiment of the sealed package obtained by the present invention and the basic structural unit M' (Figure 8) of the sheet packaging material 2. Since package 1' is similar to package 1, the following description is limited to their differences and, where possible, the same reference numerals are used for identical or corresponding parts. The same applies to the basic structural units M' and M.

[0105] In particular, package 1' differs from package 1 only in that the side zone 7 between the side wall portions 6 is defined by longitudinal fold lines 50 extending between transverse fold lines 25 and 26. Due to the difference in length between the central portion 25a of the bottom surface and the central portion 26a of the top surface of the transverse fold lines 25 and 26, and between the side portion 25c of the bottom surface of the transverse fold line 25 and their respective projected images R on the reference line S, the longitudinal fold lines 50 are defined as follows: It is positioned slightly diagonally with respect to the longitudinal direction A.

[0106] In this case, the V-shaped fold line is not needed and therefore does not exist.

[0107] Reference numeral 1'' in Figure 9 generally indicates a different embodiment of the sealed package obtained by the present invention and the basic structural unit M'' (Figure 10) of the sheet packaging material 2. Since package 1'' is similar to package 1, the following description is limited to their differences and, where possible, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts. The same applies to the basic structural units M'' and M.

[0108] In particular, package 1'' differs from package 1 only in that it has a top panel 14'' that extends horizontally and parallel to the bottom panel 10.

[0109] More specifically, the top panel 14'' is defined by the top surface contour 9'' (formed by sides 9a'', 9b'', and 9c'', which is obtained by a transverse fold line 25 and a transverse fold line 26'' parallel to the transverse direction B, and which is parallel to the bottom surface contour 8.

[0110] In this case, since the top panel 14'' extends entirely over the reference plane P, the projected image of the top panel 14'' on this latter plane, i.e., the quadrilateral Q of the top surface, coincides with the top panel 14'' itself.

[0111] The same applies to the projected image R of the side portion 26c'' of the upper surface of the transverse fold line 26'' on the reference line S, which coincides with the side portion 26c'' of the upper surface itself. In fact, in this case, the reference line S coincides with the transverse fold line 26'' of the upper surface.

[0112] Reference numeral 1''' in Figure 11 generally indicates different embodiments of the sealed package obtained by the present invention and the basic structural unit M''' (Figure 12) of the sheet packaging material 2. Since package 1''' is similar to package 1'', the following description is limited to their differences and, where possible, the same reference numerals are used for identical or corresponding parts. The same applies to the basic structural units M''' and M''.

[0113] In particular, package 1''' differs from package 1'' only in that the side zone 7 between the side wall portions 6 is defined by longitudinal fold lines 50 extending between transverse fold lines 25 and 26. In this case as well, the longitudinal fold lines 50 are slightly oblique to the longitudinal direction A due to the difference in length between the central portion 25a of the bottom surface and the central portion 26a'' of the top surface of the transverse fold lines 25, 26'' and between the side portion 25c of the bottom surface and the side portion 26c'' of the top surface of the same transverse fold lines 25, 26''.

[0114] Since a longitudinal fold line 50 exists, a V-shaped fold line is unnecessary and therefore does not exist.

[0115] The advantages of the basic constituent units M, M', M'', M''' of packages 1, 1', 1'', 1'''' and packaging material 2 according to the present invention are evident from the above description.

[0116] In particular, the solutions for packages 1, 1', 1'', and 1'''' described all show a top section 4 and a bottom section 3 that is slightly different. In this way, it is possible to optimize the filling of the transport pallet with finished packages 1, 1', 1'', and 1'''', which gives them high flexibility in their dimensions without causing any significant changes to the appearance of those packages. For example, the bottom section 3, which is slimmer than the top section 4, allows the package to stand upright. When placed in a fixed position, the effect of expansion caused by gravity acting on the fluid product contained in the package (which tends to accumulate at the bottom of packages 1, 1', 1'', 1'''', and 1'''' itself can be compensated for.

[0117] However, it is clear that modifications to the basic constituent units M, m', M'', M'''' of packages 1, 1', 1'', 1''' and packaging material 2 as described and illustrated herein may be made without departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A sealed package (1, 1') for containing liquid food, comprising a bottom portion (3), a top portion (4), and a main portion (5) placed between the bottom portion (3) and the top portion (4), and including a plurality of side wall portions (6), The main portion (5) is divided by the bottom portion (3) and the top portion (4) by the surrounding contour (8) and the surrounding contour (9) of the bottom portion (8) and the surrounding contour (9) of the top portion, respectively, and each of the surrounding contour (8) and the surrounding contour (9) of the bottom portion has an endless shape and extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction (A) which defines the total height of the package (1, 1'). The surrounding contour (8) of the bottom surface and the surrounding contour (9) of the top surface each have a broken line shape and are formed by a plurality of contour edges (8a, 8b, 8c; 9a, 9b, 9c) that are joined together. The bottom portion (3) is defined by the surrounding contour (8) of the bottom and includes a quadrilateral bottom panel (10) that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (A). The upper portion (4) is defined by the surrounding contour (9) of the upper surface and includes a quadrilateral upper panel (14) that extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction (A). The area of ​​the bottom panel (10) is different from the area of ​​the top quadrilateral (Q), the area of ​​the top quadrilateral (Q) is obtained by projecting the top panel (14) along the longitudinal direction (A) on a reference plane (P), the reference plane (P) is parallel to the bottom panel (10), crosses the package (1, 1'), and includes at least one (9a) of the contour edges (9a, 9b, 9c) of the surrounding contour (9) of the top surface. The top panel (14) is inclined with respect to the bottom panel (10), the reference surface (P), and the longitudinal direction (A). Package (1, 1').

2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the reference surface (P) includes at least the leading edge (9a) of the upper surface of the contour edges (9a, 9b, 9c) of the peripheral contour (9) of the upper surface.

3. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the area of ​​the bottom panel (10) is smaller than the area of ​​the quadrilateral (Q) on the top surface.

4. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contour edge of the surrounding contour (8) of the bottom surface includes a front edge (8a) of the bottom surface, a rear edge (8b) of the bottom surface, and two side edges (8c) of the bottom surface, and the quadrilateral (Q) of the top surface includes a front line segment (Q1) of the top surface corresponding to the front edge (8a) of the bottom surface, a rear line segment (Q2) of the top surface corresponding to the rear edge (8b) of the bottom surface, and two side line segments (Q3) of the top surface, each corresponding to the side edges (8c) of the bottom surface.

5. The package according to claim 4, wherein the side edges (8c) of the bottom surface are of the same length, and the side line segments (Q3) of the top surface are of the same length; the length of the side edges (8c) of the bottom surface is different from the length of the side line segments (Q3) of the top surface.

6. The package according to claim 5, wherein the length of the side edge (8c) of the bottom surface is smaller than the length of the side line segment (Q3) of the top surface.

7. The package according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the front edge (8a) and the rear edge (8b) of the bottom surface have the same length, and the front line segment (Q1) and the rear line segment (Q2) of the top surface have the same length; the lengths of the front edge (8a) and the rear edge (8b) of the bottom surface are different from the lengths of the front line segment (Q1) and the rear line segment (Q2) of the top surface.

8. The package according to claim 7, wherein the lengths of the front edge (8a) and the rear edge (8b) of the bottom surface are greater than the lengths of the front line segment (Q1) and the rear line segment (Q2) of the top surface.

9. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of the aforementioned side wall portions (6) is defined by two outwardly convex, rounded side zones (7).

10. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of the aforementioned side wall portions (6) is defined by two straight side zones (7).

11. A sheet packaging material (M, M') for making a sealed package (1, 1') for containing liquid food, having a rectangular or square shape, comprising two boundary edges (22) parallel to the longitudinal direction (A) and two other boundary edges (23, 24) parallel to the transverse direction (B) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (A); including at least a transverse fold line (25) on the bottom surface and a transverse fold line (26) on the top surface extending transversely to the longitudinal direction (A), wherein the transverse fold line (25) on the bottom surface and the transverse fold line (26, 26'') on the top surface constitute the sheet packaging material (M, M'), - A bottom surface region (27) that includes a bottom surface fold pattern (28) and is configured to form the bottom surface portion (3) of the package (1, 1'); - An upper surface region (29) that includes an upper surface fold pattern (30) and is configured to form the upper surface portion (4) of the package (1, 1'); and - Divided into an intermediate region (31) located between the transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface and the transverse fold line (26) of the top surface, positioned between the bottom region (27) and the top region (29), and having a plurality of side wall portions (6), to form the main portion (5) of the package (1, 1'); The transverse fold line (25) on the bottom surface and the transverse fold line (26) on the top surface are configured to define the peripheral contour (8) of the bottom surface and the peripheral contour (9) of the top surface of the package (1, 1') that separate the bottom surface portion (3) and the top surface portion (4) from the main portion (5), respectively; The transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface includes a central portion (25a) of the bottom surface that extends parallel to the transverse direction (B) and is designed to define the front edge (8a) of the bottom surface of the package (1, 1'), and two side portions (25c) of the bottom surface that extend on both sides of the central portion (25a) and are designed to define the side edges (8c) of each bottom surface of the package (1, 1'); The transverse fold line (26) of the upper surface includes a central portion (26a) of the upper surface designed to define the leading edge (9a) of the upper surface of the package (1, 1'), and two side portions (26c) of the upper surface that extend on both sides of the central portion (26a) and are designed to define the side edges (9c) of each upper surface of the package (1, 1'); The bottom fold pattern (28) is configured to define the quadrilateral bottom panel (10) of the package (1, 1'), The aforementioned top surface fold pattern (30) is configured to define the quadrilateral top panel (14) of the package (1, 1'), The side portion (26c) of the upper surface of the transverse fold line (26) of the upper surface is inclined with respect to both the longitudinal direction (A) and the transverse direction (B), and converges toward the central portion (26a) of the upper surface. A sheet packaging material characterized in that the length of the central portion (26a) of the transverse fold line (26) on the upper surface is different from the length of the central portion (25a) of the transverse fold line (25) on the bottom surface.

12. The packaging material according to claim 11, wherein the length of each side portion (25c) of the bottom surface of the transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface is parallel to the transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface and is different from the length of the projection image (R) of each side portion (26c) of the top surface of the transverse fold line (26) of the top surface, parallel to the longitudinal direction (A), on a reference line (S) that includes at least the central portion (26a) of the top surface.

13. The packaging material according to claim 12, wherein the length of each of the side portions (25c) of the bottom surface is smaller than the length of the projected image (R).

14. The packaging material according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the length of the central portion (25a) of the bottom surface of the transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface is greater than the length of the central portion (26a) of the top surface of the transverse fold line (26) of the top surface.

15. The packaging material according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising a plurality of longitudinal fold lines (50) that extend between the transverse fold line (25) of the bottom surface and the transverse fold line (26) of the top surface and are configured to define each of the side zones (7) of the side wall portion (6) of the package (1', 1''').

16. The packaging material according to claim 15, wherein the longitudinal fold line (50) is oriented slightly obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction (A).

Images