Hollow body to be attached to a package and a method for producing said hollow body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10703530-B2
Application number	US-201716083331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 10, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a hollow body configured to attach to a container for a liquid food product, the hollow body comprising a first piece and a second piece. At least a portion of a periphery of the first piece is attached to at least a portion of a periphery of the second piece in order to form the hollow body. Further, it is presented related methods for producing a package comprising a container and a hollow body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hollow body configured to attach to a container for a liquid food product, said hollow body comprising:
a first piece; and
a second piece;
wherein at least a portion of a periphery of said first piece is attached to at least a portion of a periphery of said second piece to define a flow channel therebetween and form said hollow body, wherein a cross-section of the flow channel is defined between at least a portion of an inner surface of the first piece and at least a portion of an inner surface of the second piece, and wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece comprises at least one spacing element configured to keep the flow channel open.

2. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece comprises a cutting member.

3. The hollow body according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece comprises a flexible portion aligned with said cutting member.

4. The hollow body according to claim 3 , wherein said first piece comprises said cutting member, and said second piece comprises said flexible portion.

5. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein a first part of the hollow body is configured to be fixedly attached to a first section of the container and a second part of the hollow body is configured to be releasably attached to a second section of said container such that when said second part is released from said second section, said second part is pivotable around an intersection point between said first part and said second part.

6. The hollow body according to claim 5 , wherein said second part is at least partially covered by a protective element such that an end section of said second part is prevented from being contaminated.

7. The hollow body according to claim 5 , wherein a third part of the hollow body is arranged between said first part and said second part.

8. The hollow body according to claim 7 , wherein said third part is crimped.

9. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein said first piece comprises a first material, said first material comprising a polymeric material.

10. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein said second piece comprises a second material, said second material comprising a polymeric material.

11. A method for producing a package comprising a container and a hollow body, said method comprising:
providing packaging material;
creating a weakened portion in said packaging material;
forming and filling said container with a liquid food product; and
attaching said hollow body, wherein said hollow body comprises a flexible portion aligned with a cutting member arranged at said weakened portion, such that when said flexible portion is pushed towards said container said cutting member is indirectly pushed through said weakened portion, thereby forming a hole in said container, allowing liquid held in said container to be transferred out from said container through said hole into said hollow body;
wherein said hollow body further comprises a first piece and a second piece, wherein at least a portion of a periphery of said first piece is attached to at least a portion of a periphery of said second piece in order to form said hollow body;
wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece comprises at least one spacing element configured to keep a flow channel inside said hollow body open, wherein a cross-section of the flow channel is defined between at least a portion of an inner surface of the first piece and at least a portion of an inner surface of the second piece.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of attaching said hollow body further comprises fixedly attaching a first part of said hollow body to a first section of said container and releasably attaching a second part of said hollow body to a second section of said container.

13. The hollow body according to claim 9 , wherein said first material of said first piece comprises a thermoplastic selected from the group consisting of PET, PE, PP, and PS.

14. The hollow body according to claim 10 , wherein said second material of said second piece comprises a thermoplastic selected from the group consisting of PET, PE, PP, and PS.

15. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one spacing element protrudes outward from at least one of said first piece and said second piece at least partially across the cross-section of the flow channel.

16. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one spacing element comprises a triangular cross-section.

17. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one spacing element comprises a first spacing element extending along the first piece and a second spacing element extending along the first piece, and wherein the first spacing element is spaced from the second spacing element.

18. The hollow body according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one spacing element protrudes from the at least the portion of the inner surface of one of the first piece and second piece towards the at least the portion of the inner surface of the other one of the first piece and second piece.

19. A hollow body configured to attach to a container for a liquid food product, said hollow body comprising:
a first piece; and
a second piece;
wherein at least a portion of a periphery of said first piece is attached to at least a portion of a periphery of said second piece to define a flow channel therebetween and form said hollow body, and wherein at least one of said first piece and said second piece comprises at least one spacing element configured to keep the flow channel open;
wherein said flow channel is defined by an inner surface of the first piece and an inner surface of the second piece; and
wherein said at least one spacing element protrudes from the inner surface of one of the first piece and second piece towards the inner surface of the other one of the first piece and second piece.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Bjurenheim Joachim
• DAHL Göran
• Levander Gustav
• Mock Elmar
• Tronza Mario
• Lanci Antonino

Classifications

• B65D5/74 Primary

  Spouts · CPC title

• B65D51/222

  the piercing or cutting means being integral with, or fixedly attached to, the outer closure · CPC title

• B65D75/5877

  connected to a planar surface of the package wall · CPC title

• B65D77/28

  Cards, coupons, or drinking straws {(B65D5/4212, B65D23/14, B65D25/205, B65D33/004, B65D51/245, B65D75/54 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D5/748 Primary

  a major part of the container wall or membrane being left inside the container after the opening · CPC title