Sheet Packaging Material with Prelaminated Opening for Pourable Food Products
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging materials for pourable food products face challenges in achieving clean, consistent cutting of removable portions without fraying, and the size of the pouring hole is limited, affecting the flow of products, especially semi-liquid or fiber-containing items.
Innovation Solution
A sheet packaging material with a multilayer structure and a specific crease pattern that includes a prelaminated opening with controlled dimensions and angles, allowing for improved lamination quality and a wider pouring area, while ensuring the removable portion is not completely severed during opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a prelaminated hole is formed through the base layer only, then the removable portion can be detached, but the lamination quality deteriorates causing fraying and inconsistent cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a prelaminated opening that extends through the entire multilayer packaging material rather than just the base layer. This ensures that the lamination layers are properly sealed around the opening perimeter, preventing fraying while maintaining the ability to detach the removable portion cleanly. The localized enhancement of lamination at the opening edges resolves the contradiction between ease of detachment and manufacturing precision.
2Ease of operation
If the removable portion is completely severed during opening, then detachment is complete, but the pouring hole size is limited affecting product flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the removable portion into multiple sections connected by hinge regions. The prelaminated opening allows the removable portion to be partially detached while maintaining connection through hinges, creating a segmented structure that can provide both complete detachment capability and a larger effective pouring area. This resolves the contradiction between complete detachment and pouring flow by allowing the portion to be severed in segments rather than as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the prelaminated opening in specific dimensional patterns that allow the removable portion to be detached in a controlled manner while maintaining a larger effective pouring area. By designing the opening pattern in two dimensions rather than a simple circular hole, the invention enables both complete detachment and adequate pouring flow simultaneously.
3Area of stationary object
If the prelaminated opening is too large, then the pouring area is increased, but the lamination quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains large pouring area while preserving lamination quality by concentrating the lamination enhancement specifically at the opening perimeter rather than throughout the entire opening area. The prelaminated opening creates localized strong bonding at the edges where it is most needed, allowing the center area to remain large for optimal pouring flow. This resolves the contradiction between pouring area size and lamination quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables neat, consistent cutting and a larger pouring area, improving the flow of food products and reducing the risk of clogging, with enhanced lamination quality and stability, allowing for faster production and reduced material costs.
Implementation Method 1
The sheet packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer and a number of lamination layers, each covering a respective face of the base layer. The lamination layers are sealed together through a slot in the base layer at a removable portion of the sheet.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
There is described a sheet packaging material (M) for producing a sealed package (1) of a pourable food product; the packaging material (M) comprises one base layer (11) for imparting stiffness, a number of lamination layers (12) covering both sides of the base layer (11), and a removable portion (10, 10', 10", 10"', 10"", 10""') which, in use, can be detached partly from the rest of the packaging material (M) along at least one arc-shaped cutting line (20, 20""') and folded at a folding zone (21, 81) extending between the opposite ends of the cutting line (20, 20""') so as to free a pour opening (9) by which to pour the food product from the package (1); the removable portion (10, 10', 10", 10"', 10"", 10""') comprises a central area (25) made of whole packaging material and which, in use, in any case, remains attached to the rest of the packaging material (M) through a permanent bridge (26) defined by the folding zone (21, 81), and a peripheral area (27, 27', 27", 27"', 27"", 27""') for cutting interaction, extending around part of the central area (25).