Packaged tissue products

Abstract

The invention relates to tissue products packaged in a packaging. The packaging comprises a plastic tub which is encased by a cardboard casing and which is closed by a cover, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tub is in the range of 0.08-0.80 mm, and the weight of the plastic tub is at most 65 g. The plastic tub is connected to the cardboard casing in that the plastic tub has two or more projections which engage into matching recesses in the cardboard casing encasing the plastic tub.

Description

[0001] Packaged cloth products

[0002] The present invention relates to wipe products packaged in a novel packaging, in particular wipe products impregnated with an impregnating agent, and to a process for producing the packaged wipe products.

[0003] Depending on their composition, wipe products have a wide range of uses, particularly in the cosmetic and hygiene sectors, as well as for numerous cleaning and disinfection applications. Depending on the intended application, which is often wet or moist, the wipe products can be pre-impregnated with an impregnating agent. Wipe products impregnated with an impregnating agent are packaged individually or in units with a predetermined number of wipe products, or they can be packaged unsaturated and, if desired or necessary, moistened or impregnated only after removal from the packaging.

[0004] So-called “flow packs” are known from the state of the art; these wipe products are usually packaged in units of 20-100 wipes, sealed in a non-dimensionally stable plastic film. This type of packaging is certainly suitable for comparatively thin wipe products and / or for wipe products that are unsaturated or only slightly saturated, but flow pack packaging is not suitable for wipe products that are usually over-saturated and then packaged, such as pre-saturated floor wipes, which must be over-saturated. Only over-saturating the wipes ensures that the bottom wipes in a pack still contain sufficient impregnant after the pack has been opened to remove the top wipes, which has led to evaporation. In conventional flow packs, the wipes can only be saturated with as much liquid as they can absorb.Otherwise, the excess liquid would make it impossible to seal the film.

[0005] Furthermore, the prior art discloses packaging of wipe products, particularly impregnated wipe products, in sturdy plastic tubs sealed with a plastic lid. Packaging in sturdy plastic tubs is advantageous over flow packs in terms of the degree of impregnation of the wipes, as the wipes in the sturdy plastic tubs can be over-impregnated with a pre-calculated amount of liquid, ensuring that even the last wipe in an opened pack still contains sufficient liquid.

[0006] However, the sturdy plastic tubs are comparatively expensive to produce, which is also reflected in their higher selling price. Another disadvantage is that each pack containing, for example, 12-24 pre-soaked wipes generates a significant amount of non-biodegradable plastic waste due to the sturdy plastic tub and lid. For example, a pack of 24 pre-soaked floor wipes generates 123 g of plastic waste.

[0007] While sturdy plastic tubs offer the advantage of allowing the wipes to be over-saturated, allowing all the wipes contained in a pack to be used effectively, these come with the disadvantages of high price and high levels of plastic waste. Flowpacks, on the other hand, offer the advantage of significantly reducing the amount of plastic required for packaging, but have the disadvantage that the bottom wipes of a pack of soaked wipe products are too dry and unusable for effective cleaning.

[0008] Packaging in thin-walled plastic tubs is also common in the food sector, with the plastic tubs being covered with a cardboard covering for greater stability. While this offers the advantage of reducing plastic waste compared to thicker plastic tubs, hardly any consumers make the effort to properly separate the packaging after removing its contents, as this requires laboriously removing the cardboard covering glued to the plastic tub. Many consumers are not even aware of the possibility of separating the packaging into its plastic and cardboard components, as the adhesive bond between the cardboard and the plastic tub is often so strong that the plastic tub and the cardboard covering glued to it are perceived as an inseparable unit that must be disposed of. As a result, the cardboard also ends up in the plastic waste, meaning that proper waste separation does not take place.

[0009] Such packaging used in the food sector is disclosed in GB 2 194 514 A. This describes a composite packaging comprising an inner plastic container and an outer cardboard sleeve. The plastic container and the cardboard sleeve are connected by projections on the inner container engaging recesses in the outer sleeve. The container serves to hold food that is heated using microwave radiation.

[0010] WO2023 / 066977 A1 describes a container for holding portioned foodstuffs, for example butter or margarine, with an inner part made of plastic and an outer part made of cardboard, which are held together by lugs of the inner part engaging in recesses in the outer part.

[0011] CN 201 068 286 Y discloses impregnated wipes packed in a box, with the box surrounded by further plastic packaging.

[0012] US 3,927,821 A describes a cardboard box lined with plastic.

[0013] Object of the invention

[0014] It is the object of the present invention to provide wipe products packaged in an alternative packaging and a method for producing alternatively packaged wipe products which overcome the aforementioned disadvantages known from the prior art and are characterized in particular by greater environmental compatibility, in that the packaging has a significantly reduced plastic content compared to stable plastic tubs, which plastic content can be easily separated from the other packaging components.

[0015] General description of the invention

[0016] The invention solves this problem with the features of the claims and in particular with wipe products packaged in a package, wherein the package comprises a plastic tub covered with a cardboard casing, which is preferably hermetically sealed with a cover, and wherein the plastic tub is connected to the cardboard casing in that the plastic tub has two or more projections which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it.

[0017] For the purposes of the invention, a plastic tub is understood to be a container open on one side for holding the cloth products.

[0018] In contrast to the stable plastic tubs known from the prior art, the plastic tub in which the wipe products are stored and packaged according to the invention has a wall thickness of 0.08-0.8 mm, preferably a wall thickness of <0.6 mm, in particular in the range of 0.08-0.55 mm, with a maximum weight of 65 g. Such a thin-walled plastic tub is consequently less stable than a stable plastic tub known from the prior art, which has a significantly greater wall thickness. However, it has been found that this lower stability is sufficient, since the plastic tub with the wipe products stored therein is still surrounded by a cardboard casing that provides stability, according to the present invention. In contrast, the stable plastic tub known from the prior art not only serves to hold the wipe products, but also represents their sole packaging, which requires greater stability.The inventive use of a thin-walled plastic tub surrounded by a cardboard casing as packaging for cloth products enables a plastic saving of approximately 50% compared to packaging for cloth products known from the prior art.

[0019] According to the invention, the weight of the plastic tub, with a preferred volume of 2.5 L to 3.7 L, is a maximum of 65 g, for example 35 to 55 g, and is preferably in the range of 37 to 51 g, whereas the weight of plastic tubs known from the prior art of identical dimensions but with greater wall thicknesses is up to 90 g. The use of a plastic tub stabilized by a cardboard casing as a receptacle for wipe products, as provided for in the invention, therefore makes it possible to reduce the mass of plastic waste by up to 61% compared to plastic tubs known from the prior art. Preferably, the plastic tub is fully recyclable and is also made of recycled material, so that a closed material cycle is created when the plastic tub is sent for recycling.This represents a major advantage of the invention over similar prior art packages, which also contain a plastic packaging surrounded by a cardboard sleeve. These prior art packages are extremely difficult to disassemble into their components, which is not the case with the package according to the invention. In this case, the cardboard sleeve can be very easily separated from the inner plastic tray, even by children or people with limited mobility, as explained in more detail below.

[0020] According to the invention, the plastic tray has two or more projections that engage in matching recesses in the surrounding cardboard casing, thereby releasably connecting the plastic tray to the cardboard casing. This allows the packaging to be easily separated into its components after the tissue products contained within have been removed by manually disengaging the projections on the plastic tray from the recesses in the cardboard casing. The cardboard casing can be disposed of with the waste paper, while the plastic tray is disposed of with the plastic waste.

[0021] The material from which the plastic tray is made can be any desired plastic material. However, the material from which the plastic tray is made is preferably selected from the group comprising or consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. Particularly preferably, the aforementioned plastics are reused (recycled) plastics or plastics containing 10-100% by weight, preferably 70-80% by weight, of reused material. A particularly preferred material for the plastic tray is polyethylene terephthalate containing 50 to 100% by weight of reused polyethylene terephthalate.

[0022] In general, the use of recycled plastic material for the production of the plastic tray comprised in the packaging according to the invention contributes to an even lower amount of plastic waste, since in the overall balance, the plastic waste, which is already greatly reduced due to the thin-walled design of the plastic tray, is still offset by the amount of recycled plastic used for the production of the plastic tray.

[0023] In one embodiment, the cover used to seal the plastic tub is a film and / or a lid, wherein the film and / or the lid preferably seals the plastic tub in an airtight manner. According to a preferred embodiment, the cover is a film, in particular an aluminum-coated plastic film, which is welded to the plastic tub to seal the package airtight. Optionally, a lid is arranged over the film, which can be used to close the opened package after the package has been opened by opening or removing the film.

[0024] Preferably, the plastic tub comprising the packaging for tissue products according to the invention has, on its two opposite longitudinal edges, which together with the narrow edges therebetween delimit the bottom of the plastic tub, two or more projections each, which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tub.

[0025] For the purposes of the present invention, a "spike" on the plastic tray is generally understood to mean a projection or elevation that extends outward from a surface of the plastic tray. Advantageously, the spike is formed integrally with the plastic tray.

[0026] In addition to or alternatively to the two or more projections on the opposite longitudinal edges of the plastic tray which define the base, the plastic tray optionally also has a projection on each of its four corners which define the base of the plastic tray and which engages in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tray.

[0027] It goes without saying, however, that the number and arrangement of the projections on the plastic tray, which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tray, can be virtually arbitrary. There should be at least two projections so that the cardboard casing stabilizes the plastic tray until disposal. However, for practical reasons, there should not be too many projections, as removing the cardboard casing to separate the waste would otherwise be too laborious and would also unnecessarily increase production costs. Therefore, it is preferred that the plastic tray have at least two and a maximum of ten projections that engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tray.

[0028] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the plastic tray has four to eight projections which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tray, wherein the projections are optionally arranged on the opposite longitudinal edges which, together with the narrow edges in between, delimit the bottom of the plastic tray and / or on the narrow edges in between.

[0029] The cardboard casing material can be solid board or corrugated board. Solid board, in particular GD2 solid board with a basis weight of 380 g / m², is preferred. 2 , made from virgin fiber or recycled paper with a paper thickness in the range of 305 to 740 pm and a paper grammage of 180 to 740 g / m 2 .

[0030] A schematic drawing of an example cardboard band for producing a cardboard sleeve is shown in Figure 1. In the cardboard band shown, the middle section, which contains the two circular cutouts, forms the base of the subsequent cardboard sleeve. The middle section is connected to four side sections via scored lines: two opposite longer side sections and two opposite shorter side sections. The diagonal lines in the shorter side sections indicate fold lines along which the shorter side sections are folded to save space when not assembled. To the right and left of the two longer side sections, these are each connected to the adjacent shorter side section via a scored line with an adhesive surface. The side sections are folded along the scored lines at an angle of approximately 90° to the middle section, which forms the base of the cardboard sleeve.In the embodiment shown, after the four side parts have been folded at a 90° angle to the middle part, all side parts are glued to their adjacent side parts by applying adhesive to the adhesive surfaces arranged on the longer side parts and contacting each of these adhesive surfaces with the nearest adjacent side part. In this way, an exemplary cardboard sleeve for the packaging according to the invention is created. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, this has eight recesses, four of which are arranged in the area of ​​the corners bordering the base and two each on the opposite longitudinal edges bordering the base. A projection arranged on the plastic tray can engage in each of these recesses for connection to the plastic tray. A schematic drawing of another exemplary cardboard banderol for producing a cardboard sleeve is shown in Figure 2.In the illustrated cardboard banderol, four areas are labeled "DLF." These areas are adhesive areas. The lines marked "II" are score lines along which the side panels are folded at approximately a 90° angle to the center panel, which forms the base of the cardboard sleeve. The opposite score lines marked "X" are slightly conical. In the embodiment shown, after the four side panels have been folded at a 90° angle to the center panel, all side panels are glued to their adjacent side panels by applying adhesive to the areas marked "DLF" and bringing each of these adhesive areas into contact with the nearest adjacent side panel. This creates an exemplary cardboard sleeve for the packaging according to the invention.In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, this has eight recesses, four of which are located in the area of ​​the corners bordering the floor, and two each on the opposite longitudinal edges bordering the floor. A projection arranged on the plastic tray can engage into each of these recesses for connection to the plastic tray.

[0031] It is preferred that the plastic tray and the cardboard casing with which it is covered are connected to each other exclusively by the engagement of projections on the plastic tray into recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it. In other words, the connection of the plastic tray to the cardboard casing occurs exclusively by the engagement of the projections on the plastic tray into the recesses in the cardboard casing, and the cardboard casing is in particular not glued to the plastic tray.

[0032] In principle, this type of packaging is suitable for all wipe products, especially for dry and also for impregnated wipes (i.e., wipes impregnated with an impregnating agent). The wipe products are preferably selected from the group that includes both dry and impregnated cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes, and body cleansing wipes. Particularly preferred wipe products are impregnated wipe products. Even more preferred are impregnated disinfectant wipes or impregnated floor wipes.

[0033] The invention also relates to a method for producing wipe products packaged in a package, comprising the steps of providing a plastic tub with two or more attachments, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tub is in the range of 0.08-0.80 mm and the weight of the plastic tub is a maximum of 65 g;

[0034] Connecting the plastic tray to a cardboard casing by engaging the two or more lugs of the plastic tray into matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it;

[0035] Arranging cloth products in the plastic tray;

[0036] Close the plastic tray with a cover.

[0037] Preferably, the method also comprises a step of impregnating the wipe products with an impregnating agent, which step can be carried out before or after arranging the wipe products in the plastic tub.

[0038] The plastic tray and cardboard casing used in the inventive method for producing packaged tissue products have the properties disclosed above with reference to the inventive packaging of the tissue products, which is why the preceding description can also be used to characterize the method in more detail. This means, in particular, that the plastic tray used in the method can have a wall thickness of approximately 0.08-0.55 mm and / or a weight of max. 55 g; the material from which the plastic tray used in the method is made is preferably selected from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof;the plastic tub used in the method can have two or more projections on each of its two opposite longitudinal edges, which define the bottom of the plastic tub, which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tub; the capacity of the plastic tub used in the method can be 2.5 L to 3.7 L; the plastic tub used in the method can have one projection on each of its four corners, which define the bottom of the plastic tub, which engage in a matching recess in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tub; the wipe products that are arranged in the plastic tub are preferably selected from the group that includes dry and saturated wipe products, in particular cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes and body cleansing wipes.

[0039] The invention further relates to the use of a plastic tub covered with a cardboard casing for receiving a plurality of cloth products, wherein the plastic tub is connected to the cardboard casing by two or more projections of the plastic tub engaging in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it.

[0040] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the claims and in the figures may be essential both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.

Claims

Claims 1. Tissue products packaged in a package, the package comprising a plastic tub covered with a cardboard sleeve and closed with a cover, characterized in that the wall thickness of the plastic tub is in the range of 0.08-0.80 mm and the weight of the plastic tub is a maximum of 65 g and the plastic tub is connected to the cardboard sleeve in that the plastic tub has two or more lugs which engage in matching recesses in the cardboard sleeve surrounding it.

2. Tissue products packed in a package according to claim 1, characterized in that the wall thickness of the plastic tub is in the range of 0.08-0.55 mm and the weight of the plastic tub is a maximum of 55 g.

3. Tissue products packaged in a package according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover with which the plastic tub is closed is a film and / or a lid.

4. Tissue products packaged in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the capacity of the plastic tub is 2.5 L to 3.7 L 5. Tissue products packaged in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material from which the plastic tub is made is selected from the group comprising or consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.

6. Tissue products packaged in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tub is made entirely of recycled material.

7. Tissue products packed in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tub is provided with two opposite longitudinal edges which define the bottom of the plastic tub. each has two or more lugs that engage in matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tray.

8. Tissue products packaged in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tub has a projection on each of its four corners defining the bottom of the plastic tub, which projection engages in a matching recess in the cardboard casing surrounding the plastic tub.

9. Tissue products packaged in a package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tub and the cardboard casing with which it is wrapped are connected to one another exclusively by lugs of the plastic tub engaging in recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it.

10. Packaged wipe products according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wipe products are selected from the group comprising dry and saturated wipe products, in particular cosmetic wipes, disinfectant wipes, floor wipes, cleaning wipes and body cleansing wipes.

11. A method for producing tissue products packaged in a package, comprising the steps Providing a plastic tray with two or more attachments, wherein the wall thickness of the plastic tray is in the range of 0.08-0.80 mm and the weight of the plastic tray is a maximum of 65 g; Connecting the plastic tray to a cardboard casing by engaging the two or more lugs of the plastic tray into matching recesses in the cardboard casing surrounding it; Arranging cloth products in the plastic tray; Close the plastic tray with a cover.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized by a step of impregnating the cloth products with an impregnating agent, wherein this step can be carried out before or after arranging the cloth products in the plastic tub.

13. Use of a plastic tray covered with a cardboard sleeve for holding a plurality of wipe products, wherein the plastic tray is connected to the cardboard sleeve by two or more lugs of the plastic tray engaging in matching recesses in the cardboard sleeve surrounding them.

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