CN102056811A - Group of pots for food products - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a group of at least two pots (2) for food products (14) forming a pack, said pots being divisible from each other, characterized in that: each of the pots has an upper rim (3) surrounding an opening (4); and when the pots are grouped in the pack, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in the same plane parallel to said reference plane; and when one of the pots (2) is detached from the pack for consumption, the pot being placed on a reference plane (10), the upper rim of the pot is located in a plane (11) inclined relative to said reference plane (10).

Description

Tanks for food

technical field

The subject of the invention is a packaging for food products.

More specifically, the invention relates to a set of cans for food products forming a package, the cans being separable from each other.

Background technique

Various sets of cans packed in separable packages are known from the prior art. In practice, the upper rim of the can around the upper opening of the can is oriented in a substantially horizontal manner when the can is separated from the group and placed on a flat horizontal surface for consumption. The upper edge is thus not optimally oriented towards the user when the can is placed on a horizontal consumption surface. The presentation of food products before and during consumption as well as the ergonomics during consumption are disadvantageous. In practice, the user often has to tilt the can during consumption, especially when the end of the can is reached, in order to view and consume the food.

In view of this phenomenon, the present invention aims to improve the appearance of food products in cans before and during consumption while allowing the use of existing machinery for filling, sealing and packaging of sets of cans forming separable packages.

Contents of the invention

To this end, the invention proposes a set of at least two cans (cans) for food products forming a package, said cans being separable from each other, wherein:

- each can has an upper rim surrounding the opening; and

- when the cans are grouped together in the package (forming a group in the package), the packages are placed on a reference plane, the upper edges of the cans of the package lie in the same plane parallel to said reference plane; and

- When one of the cans is separated from the package for consumption and the can is placed on a reference plane, the upper edge of the can lies in a plane inclined with respect to said reference plane.

Advantageously, the group according to the invention makes it possible to improve the appearance of the food product in the jar before and during consumption when the jar is tilted. In this way, the upper edge of the can is oriented towards the consumer. Ergonomics during consumption is also improved to such an extent that the consumer no longer has to tilt the can, especially when the end of the can is reached, the can according to the invention being oriented towards the consumer during the consumption act.

Furthermore, the group according to the invention is suitable for use with existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for forming groups of cans for separable packages. In particular, the set of cans forming the package is designed to have an upper surface parallel to the surface on which it is placed, which allows the use of existing Filling and sealing device. For the same reason, existing devices for packing can packages can advantageously be used with the can package according to the invention.

According to an advantageous feature of the present invention, optionally combined with:

- the base of each tank has on all or part of its outer surface a plane by which the tank rests on a reference plane and which extends obliquely with respect to the plane of the upper edge of the tank;

- each can of the set has a base substantially opposite the upper rim, said base having a flattening on its outer surface in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of the upper rim of the can;

- the flat part is the outer surface of the base of the tank;

- the set has at least one detachable tab between the upper edges of the two cans, said tab defining an axis joining the at least two cans, and the flat portion of each can is D-shaped, wherein the straight sides are oriented to form an angle relative to the axis of the separable tab of the can;

- each can of the set is filled such that the surface of the packaged food product is substantially parallel to the plane of the upper edge of the corresponding can;

- the food product packaged in the can has a viscosity such that the product surface remains positioned parallel to the upper edge of the can for at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds after the can has been detached from the package and placed in an inclined position on a horizontal plane for consumption and in a particularly preferred manner at least one hour;

- the viscosity is chosen to be between 500 cP and 10000 cP when dosing and between 10000 cP and 50000 cP when consumed, preferably between 15000 cP and 20000 cP;

-Food products packed in cans that are fermented or unfermented, stirred or set yoghurt, fruit mousse or vegetable puree, fromage frais, cheese, products based on milk of animal origin or soy milk , a cereal-based product, an ice cream or a composite food combining two or more of the foregoing products, optionally including a gel-type product or an oven-baked product, such as biscuits, fruit slices or based on one or more fruits or chocolate crumble;

- the base has an inclined plane with a polygonal, circular or elliptical profile on its entire outer surface;

- the tanks each have a ledge designed to apply/dispose on the inner wall of the tank, between the upper edge and the base of the tank, a protective film for sealing the tank, so The plane of the crosspiece is parallel to the inclined plane of the tank base;

- the tank is made of transparent material;

- Seal the jar with a lid made of transparent material.

These measures advantageously make it possible to improve the appearance of the food product in the can before opening and during consumption.

According to another aspect, the invention proposes a method for filling a group of cans such as the one described above, wherein, during filling, the cans forming the group of packages are arranged in such a way that their upper edges are positioned in parallel to the horizontal plane. In the same plane, such that the upper surface of the packaged product after filling is substantially parallel to the plane of the upper edge of the cans forming the group of packages. According to an advantageous feature, the tanks of the set are closed with transparent lids.

Description of drawings

The invention will be continued by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached picture:

- Figure 1 is a side view of a tank according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a side view of four cans forming a package according to the invention;

- Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the group of four tanks from Figure 2;

- Figure 4 is a top view of the group of four tanks from Figure 3;

- Figure 5 is a top view of a group of two tanks according to the invention;

- Figure 6 is a side view of another embodiment of a tank according to the invention; and

- Figure 7 is a side view of yet another embodiment of a tank according to the invention.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a tank 2 according to the invention. The can has an upper rim 3 surrounding an opening 4 for filling and then consuming the food product contained in the can. The upper edge of the can supports a lid 5 for closing the can, provided with a primer tab 6 known per se to facilitate removal of the lid for consumption.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , when the can is placed on a reference plane 10 , the upper edge 3 of the can 2 lies in a plane 11 inclined relative to the reference plane 10 . In this way, the upper edge of the can around its opening 4 is oriented towards the consumer. The tank 2 has a base 7 substantially opposite the upper rim 3 . On its outer surface, the base 7 has a flattened portion 8 in a plane inclined with respect to the plane 11 of the upper edge of the tank. In this embodiment, the tank has the overall shape of a portion of a sphere. According to an embodiment not shown, the can has a cylindrical shape, wherein the outer surface of the base of the can forms a flattened portion in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of the upper rim of the can.

Figures 2 and 3 represent a group 1 of cans 2 for food products according to the invention. Each tank has an upper rim 3 and substantially the same structure as that of the tank of FIG. 1 , except that each tank is provided with a crosspiece 9 designed for mounting a cover 5 . A crosspiece 9 is provided on the inner wall of the tank between its upper edge 3 and its base 7 , the plane of said crosspiece being parallel to the plane of the tank upper edge 3 .

The tank set 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3 has detachable webs 13 between the upper edges of the tanks.

In this embodiment, two of the four tabs of a set of four tanks such as that shown in FIG. The shown tear-off device 6 for opening the cover 5 is located here.

However, in an alternative embodiment, the tabs 13 are all identical.

Advantageously, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, when the cans are grouped/grouped in the package, since the package is placed in the reference plane 10, the upper edge of the package lies parallel to said In the same plane 12 of the datum plane 10. Groups of this type are therefore suitable for use with existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for forming groups of cans for separable packages, said machines being designed so that the upper edges of the cans are positioned in the same horizontal plane 12 down operation.

During filling of the can, the upper surface 14 of the food product 15 is parallel to the plane of the upper rim 3 or the corresponding plane of the opening of the can 2 . The food product packaged in the can has a viscosity such that the surface 14 of the product 15 maintains its position parallel to the can after the can has been separated by the consumer from the opened package and placed in an inclined position on the plane 10 for consumption. The upper edge 3 is at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds and in a particularly preferred manner at least one hour, as can be seen in more detail in FIG. 1 . For this, the viscosity is chosen between 500 cP (1 cP = 1 x 10 ^-3 Pa.s) for liquids (e.g. milk or liquid yoghurt) and 1000 cP for stirred yoghurt when dosing, while at consumption (inclined position) between 10000cP and 50000cP, preferably between 15000cP and 20000cP, i.e. in cans on the manufacturing/filling line and "forming" in the cans, i.e. taking into account Their texture and their viscosity in the tank.

As can be seen in more detail in Figure 4, the flat portion 8 of the tank set shown in Figures 2 and 3 has a circular shape.

According to another embodiment, which can be seen in Figure 5, a set of two tanks according to the invention has a detachable tab 13 between the upper edges 3 of the two tanks, thus defining a Axis A-A. The straight edge 81 of the D-shaped flat portion 8 is oriented perpendicular to the axis A-A so that when the cans are grouped in a package of two cans which are placed on a reference plane, the upper edge 3 of the can remains Parallel to the reference plane on which the package is placed. When the cans are separated and placed on the D-shaped straight part 8 on the reference plane, the upper edge of each can lies in a plane inclined with respect to the reference plane.

This embodiment of the D-shaped flat portion 8 is suitable in a particularly advantageous manner for groups of two or more tanks. This is because these flattened portions enable the stability of the package to be obtained even when only two cans remain in the package. In other words, when the cans of the package are not consumed all at the same time but one after the other, the package remains stable with respect to the reference plane, the upper edges of the cans of the package lie in the same plane parallel to the reference plane, and even when The same is true when there are only two cans left in the package. Thus, the food product advantageously maintains its position parallel to the upper edge of the can until the separation of the last two cans of the set. Then, depending on the viscosity of the food product, the position of the product parallel to the upper edge is maintained for a predetermined duration.

For reasons of stability with respect to the reference plane, according to the invention a set of at least three tanks would be preferred when the entire base is inclined and shaped eg circularly or ovally, and at least when the entire base is inclined and polygonally shaped A set of two tanks would be preferred, as shown in the embodiment of Figure 6 by the tank 2 of hexagonal cross-section and its sloped base 7 of hexagonal profile.

According to an embodiment not shown, the tank has a polygonal cross-section and its inclined base has a corresponding polygonal profile.

Cans can be filled with any food product for consumption in a can or group of cans. In particular, these foods are fermented or non-fermented, stirred or set yoghurts, fruit mousses or vegetable purees, fresh cheeses, cheeses, products based on milk of animal origin or soy milk, cereal-based products, ice cream or a combination of two or More compound foods of the products mentioned above. Optionally, these composite products may comprise, for example, gel-type or oven-baked products such as biscuits, fruit slices or alternatively a crisp layer based on one or more fruits or chocolate.

In cross-section of the tank, this part may have any shape.

It can also be an invertible product, such as a dairy base in the upper part of the tank and a thick sauce (coulis) in the lower part of the tank, so as to be on top of the dairy after inversion.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , the tank according to the invention has a crosspiece 9 for mounting a cover 5 for sealing the opening of the tank. A crosspiece 9 is provided on the inner wall of the tank between its upper edge 3 and its base 7 , the plane 91 of the crosspiece 9 being parallel to the plane of the flat portion 8 of the tank base 7 . The cover 5 has a tear-off device tab 6 known per se.

The material of the tank is injection moulded/injection molded or preferably thermoformed polystyrene (PS) or polypropylene (PP). The tank can be transparent, translucent or opaque, colored or colorless.

More generally, the sealing of the cans can be performed by means of any type of lid, made of multilayer plastic or aluminium, transparent or opaque, and welded to the upper rim of the can, preferably by ultrasonic or heat sealing/fusion welding .

Advantageously, the jar is made of a transparent material which makes it possible to improve the appearance of the food product before and during consumption.

Advantageously, the can is sealed with a transparent cover, which makes it possible to improve the appearance of the food product in the can before opening the can.

For reasons of stability of the contents of the tank, the roughness of the inner surface of the tank is chosen to help maintain the tilt of the contents relative to the horizontal after tilting the tank. The roughness value is chosen according to the properties of the food contained in the can, in particular its viscosity. Selection of the roughness value is within the ability of a person skilled in the art.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for filling a group of at least two cans is used for a food product such as described above, wherein during filling the cans of the group forming the package are arranged such that their The upper edge is in the same plane parallel to the horizontal plane. In this way, after filling, the upper surface of the packaged product is substantially parallel to the plane of the upper edges of the cans forming the group of packages.

This makes it possible to use existing filling, sealing and packaging machinery.

After filling, the set of cans is advantageously closed with a transparent cover, which makes it possible to improve the appearance of the food product before opening the cans.

Many other variations are possible, depending on the circumstances, and it should be understood in this respect that the invention is not limited to the examples shown and described.

Claims (15)

1. A group (1) of at least two cans (2) for food products (14) forming a package, said cans being separable from each other, characterized in that: - each said tank has an upper rim (3) surrounding the opening (4); and - when said cans form a group in said package and said packages are placed on a reference plane (10), said upper edge of the cans of said package lies parallel to said reference plane (10 ) in the same plane (12); and - when one of said cans (2) is separated from said package for consumption, said can is placed on a reference plane (10), said upper edge of said can is located at an inclination with respect to said reference plane in the plane. 2. Group according to claim 1, characterized in that the base (7) of each tank (2) has a flat surface on all or part of the outer surface of the base, by which the tank is supported on the On a reference plane (10) and said plane extends obliquely with respect to the plane of said upper edge (3) of said tank. 3. The set of at least two cans (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each can of said set has a base (7) substantially opposite said upper edge (3), said The base has a flattened portion (8) on its outer surface, said flattened portion being in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of said upper edge of said tank. 4. The set according to claim 3, characterized in that said flat portion (8) is the outer surface of said base (7) of said tank. 5. A set according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said set has at least one detachable web (13) between said upper edges (3) of two cans, said The tab defines an axis joining said at least two cans, and said flat portion (8) of each said canister is D-shaped, wherein a straight edge (81) is oriented relative to said separable The axes of the tabs form an angle. 6. The set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each can in the set of cans is filled such that the surface of the packaged food product is substantially parallel to the upper edge (30 ) plane. 7. The set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the food product (14) packed in the can has a viscosity such that the surface (15) of the food product has been contacted with the can (12) Said package is detached and placed on a horizontal surface so as to remain positioned parallel to said upper edge (3) of said can for at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds, and in a particularly preferred manner at least one hour after consumption. 8. The set according to claim 7, characterized in that the viscosity is chosen between 500 cP and 10000 cP when dosing and between 10000 cP and 50000 cP when consumed, preferably between 15000 cP and 20000 cP between. 9. The set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the food product (14) packed in the tank is fermented or unfermented, stirred or set type yoghurt, fruit mousse or vegetable puree, Fresh cheese, cottage cheese, products based on milk or soy milk of animal origin, cereal-based products, ice cream or composite food products combining two or more of the above products, the composite food product optionally including a gel-type product or Oven-baked products such as biscuits, fruit slices or crisp layers based on one or more fruits or chocolate. 10. Set according to claim 2, characterized in that said base has, on its entire outer surface, inclined planes of polygonal, circular or elliptical profile. 11. The set according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that said tanks each have a crosspiece (9) designed for ) and the inner wall of the tank between the base (7) to apply a protective film (5) for sealing the tank, the plane of the crosspiece is parallel to the base of the tank (2) ( 7) The inclined plane. 12. The set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tank (2) is made of transparent material. 13. The set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the jar (2) is sealed with a lid (5) made of transparent material. 14. A method for filling a group of at least two cans (2) for food products (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, during filling, the group of packages is formed The cans are arranged in such a way that their upper edges (3) are positioned in the same plane (12) parallel to the horizontal plane, so that after filling the upper surface of the packaged product (14) is approximately parallel to the Set the plane of the upper edge (3) of the tank. 15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that, after filling, said tanks (2) of said group are closed with a transparent cover (5).

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