阅读说明：本技术 糖食包装 (Confectionery packaging ) 是由 爱德华·威廉·赞恩 埃德蒙·大卫·奥夫纳斯特 于 2018-07-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种糖食包装,包括手柄6、平面片材7和塑料模制产品。塑料模制产品1包括与手柄6一端的空间3流体地分开的糖食的空间2,以及水平平面5。手柄6的偏置的中间部分11、22在其上端13被密封至平面覆盖片7,在其下端14处被密封至塑料模制产品1的壁部分16的上端15,壁部分16将糖食的空间2从手柄6的一端的空间3水平地分开。手柄6的上端13位于平面5的上方。(The present invention relates to a confectionery packaging comprising a handle 6, a planar sheet 7 and a plastic moulded product. The plastic moulded product 1 comprises a space 2 of confectionery fluidly separated from a space 3 at one end of a handle 6, and a horizontal plane 5. The offset intermediate portions 11, 22 of the handle 6 are sealed at their upper ends 13 to the planar cover sheet 7 and at their lower ends 14 to the upper ends 15 of the wall portions 16 of the plastic moulded product 1, the wall portions 16 horizontally separating the space 2 of the confectionery from the space 3 at one end of the handle 6. The upper end 13 of the handle 6 is located above the plane 5.)

1. Confectionery packaging comprising

A plastic molded product 1, said plastic molded product 1 comprising a space 2 of a confectionery, a space 3 of an end of a handle 6 and a plane 5, wherein the space 2 of a confectionery is fluidly separated from the space 3 of an end of a handle 6, and wherein the space 3 of an end of a handle 6 and the space 2 of a confectionery are located below the plane 5,

a planar cover sheet 7, said planar cover sheet 7 being sealed onto the planar surface 5 of the plastic molded product 1.

A quantity of a freezable or frozen confection 8, the freezable or frozen confection 8 being present in the space 2 of the confection, and

a handle 6, said handle 6 comprising an inner portion 9 of the handle 6 and an outer portion 10 of the handle 6, said inner portion 9 being located within a quantity of the freezable or frozen confection 8 in the confection space 2, said outer portion 10 allowing, in use, the quantity of the freezable confection 8 to be manually held by a user, and said outer part 10 being located in the space 3 at one end of the handle 6, wherein the inner part 9 is connected to the outer part 10 by offset intermediate parts 11, 22, and wherein

A part of the intermediate portion 11, 22 of the handle 6 is sealed at its upper end 13 to the planar cover sheet 7 and at its lower end 14 to the upper end 15 of the wall portion 16 of the plastic moulded product 1, the wall portion 16 horizontally separating the space 2 of the confection from the space 3 at one end of the handle 6, and wherein the upper end 13 of the handle 6 is located above the plane 5.

2. The confectionery packaging of claim 1, wherein the offset middle portion 11 of the handle consists of three bends, wherein a first bend guides the handle from the confectionery to the upper end 15 of the wall 16 between the inner portion 9 and the middle portion, a second bend guides the handle at the upper end 15 towards the space 3 of one end of the handle 6, a third bend connects the middle portion 11 of the handle 6 with the outer portion 10 of the handle 6, and a third bend guides the handle in the direction of the space 3 of one end of the handle 6, wherein the second bend is comprised in the upper end 13 of the handle 6.

3. The confectionery packaging of claim 1, wherein the offset middle portion 22 of the handle is comprised of at least 4 bends, wherein a first bend 23 is located between the inner portion 9 and the middle portion to guide the handle from the confectionery to the plane 5, a second bend 24 guides the horizontal portion 25 of the handle along the plane 5, a third bend 26 guides the handle towards the space 3 at one end of the handle 6, and a fourth bend 27 connects the middle portion 11 of the handle 6 with the outer portion 10 of the handle 6 and guides the handle in the direction of the space 3 at one end of the handle 6, and wherein the upper end 13 of the handle 6 is included in the horizontal portion 25 of the handle 6.

4. The confectionery packaging of any of claims 1-3, wherein the handle has a rounded upper surface and a flat lower surface.

5. The confectionery packaging of any of claims 1-4, wherein the inner portion 9 of the handle and the outer portion 10 of the handle extend in parallel longitudinal directions.

6. The confectionery packaging of claim 5, wherein the inner portion 9 of the handle and the outer portion 10 of the handle are aligned.

7. The confectionery packaging of claim 6, wherein the inner portion 9 and the outer portion 10 have the same shape such that the handle 6 is symmetrical in shape.

8. The confectionery packaging of claim 7, wherein the inner portion 9 of the handle and the outer portion 10 of the handle are provided with one or more snap-fit type connectors 28.

9. The confectionery packaging of any of claims 1-8, wherein there is an air gap 18 between the outer portion 10 of the handle 6 and a bottom 19 of the space 3 at one end of the handle 6.

10. The confectionery packaging of any of claims 1-9, wherein the freezable confectionery is unfrozen.

11. A method of making the confectionery packaging of any one of claims 1-10, comprising the steps of:

(i) combining a handle 6 with a plastic molded product having a space 2 of a confection, a space 3 of an end of the handle 6 and a horizontal plane 5, wherein the space 2 of the confection is fluidly separated from the space 3 of the end of the handle 6, and wherein the space 3 of the end of the handle 6 and the space 2 of the confection are located below the plane 5,

(ii) adding unfrozen freezable confectionery as a liquid to the space 2 of the confectionery, and

(iii) the planar cover sheet 7 is sealed to the horizontal plane 5 of the plastic molded product 1 and the upper end 13 of the handle 6.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein in step (ii) the unfrozen freezable confection is added to a level defined by the horizontal plane 5.

13. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein a thermoforming apparatus is used, the thermoforming apparatus comprising a plastic molded product forming station, a handle placing station, an unfrozen confection loading station, a sealing station and a cutting station which provide a plastic molded product by thermoforming.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plastic molded product forming station utilizes a mold obtained by 3D printing.

15. Method according to any one of claims 13-14, wherein the sealing station makes use of a sealing mould 30 obtained by 3D printing.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a confectionery packaging comprising a plastic molded product having a space for a confectionery filled with a freezable or frozen confectionery and a space at one end of a handle. The space of the confectionery and the space of one end of the handle are located below the plane, and the plane covering sheet is sealed to the plane molded product.

Background

GB20175327 describes one such confectionery packaging in which a space of the confectionery and a space at one end of the handle are fluidly connected. The confectionery present in the space of the confectionery is in a frozen form and therefore does not flow into the space of the handle. The problem is that some of the frozen confection may enter the space of the handle. For example, as part of the confectionery melts.

One such confectionery packaging is described in US 4001440. This publication describes a confectionery packaging comprising a chamber of frozen confectionery with a handle. Such products are also known as lollipops. The cavity of the frozen confection has a characteristic appearance. The exterior of the handle is placed in the groove. The trough and the cavity of the confectionery are located in a single portion of the package. A flat seal closes the upper ends of the package's cavity and trough. The handle is held in its position by a pin present in a slot, which pin is locked with a similarly shaped hole on the outside of the handle.

The confectionery packaging described in JPS54134184 describes a similar construction to that in US 4001440.

Disclosure of Invention

A disadvantage of the confectionery packaging of US4001440 is that liquid confectionery may flow into the trough before the confectionery is frozen in an industrial packaging process. This does not have a good appearance and is undesirable for commercial confectionery packaging. It is an object of the present invention to provide a confectionery packaging which limits the risk of liquid confectionery flowing to the outside of the handle.

This is achieved by a confectionery packaging comprising:

a plastic molded product comprising a space of a confectionery, a space of an end of a handle and a horizontal plane, wherein the space of a confectionery is fluidly separated from the space of an end of a handle and wherein the space of an end of a handle and the space of a confectionery are located below the plane,

a planar cover sheet sealed to the planar surface of the plastic molded product,

-a quantity of a freezable or frozen confection present in the space of the confection, and

-a handle comprising an inner portion of the handle located within a quantity of freezable or frozen confectionery within a space of the confectionery and an outer portion of the handle located in a space at one end of the handle which in use will allow a user to manually grip the quantity of freezable confectionery, wherein the inner portion is connected to the outer portion by an offset intermediate portion, and wherein

The intermediate portion of the handle is sealed at an upper end to the planar covering sheet, the intermediate portion of the handle is sealed at a lower end to an upper end of a wall portion of the plastic molded product, the wall portion horizontally separating the space of the confectionery from the space of the one end of the handle, wherein the upper end of the handle is located above the plane.

The applicant has found that by raising the offset intermediate portion to a position above the plane of the plastic moulded product, a liquid barrier is formed which prevents the liquid confectionery from flowing from the space of the confectionery to the space of one end of the handle.

The invention and further advantages will be further described below. In the specification, the terms "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "vertical", "above" and "below" refer to preferred positions when the confectionery packaging is filled with non-frozen confectionery. These terms are used to more clearly describe the confectionery packaging and are not intended to limit the invention to confectionery packaging only in the described positions.

The offset middle portion of the handle may suitably comprise three bends, wherein a first bend is located between the inner portion and the middle portion, which first bend guides the handle from the confectionery product to the upper end of the wall, a second bend guides the handle at the upper end to the space at one end of the handle, and a third bend connects the middle portion of the handle with the outer portion of the handle and guides the handle in the direction of the space at one end of the handle, wherein the second bend is comprised in the upper end of the handle.

Alternatively, the biased middle portion of the handle may suitably consist of at least four bends, wherein a first bend guides the handle from the confectionery product to the plane between the inner portion and the middle portion, a second bend guides the horizontal portion of the handle along the plane, a third bend guides the handle towards the space at one end of the handle, and a fourth bend connects the middle portion of the handle and the outer portion of the handle and guides the handle in the direction of the space at one end of the handle, wherein the upper end of the handle is comprised in the horizontal portion of the handle.

The handle may have any shape that makes the handle suitable for being incorporated into a frozen confection and manually held by a user. Preferably, the handle comprises a middle portion, in particular the aforementioned horizontal portion, wherein the middle or horizontal portion has a rounded upper surface and a flat lower surface. The rounded upper surface ensures an effective seal with the planar cover sheet, while the flat lower portion ensures a liquid barrier when said flat portion rests on a preferably horizontal portion of the wall portion of the plastic molded product. Preferably, the entire handle has a rounded upper surface and a flat lower surface.

When removing the lollipop from the confectionery packaging, the lollipop will for practical reasons have a handle with an outer part that is remote from the main mass of the confectionery. The inner portion of the handle will suitably be present at or near the centre within the main mass of the confectionery. The inner portion of the handle and the outer portion of the handle may extend in parallel longitudinal directions. However, it is not excluded that the inner part of the handle and the outer part of the handle are positioned at an angle. The preferred handle has an inner portion aligned with an outer portion of the handle. Even more preferably, the inner part and the outer part have the same shape, such that the handle is shape symmetric. A symmetrically shaped handle is preferred because it simplifies the process of automatically placing the handle in the plastic molded product. In other words, a so-called pick-and-place machine may be used for placing the handle, without having to guide the handle in one direction, but the handle may be placed randomly in the space at one end of the handle and in the space of the confectionery product.

The inner portion of the handle and the outer portion of the handle are provided with one or more snap-fit type connectors. Any opening or extension on the surface of the inner portion of the handle can ensure a tight bond of the confectionery product to the handle. An advantage of a snap-fit type connector is that a user can play with the handle by connecting more than one handle after eating the confectionery. This is advantageous for the environment, as the user will be more likely to retain the handle rather than throw it away and contaminate the environment. The connector preferably consists of a male element and a female element, which can be connected in a snap-fit manner. Such connectors are well known and described in, for example, GB866557, US3005282, US4552541, US4744780, US4919635, US5230195, US5471808, US2011045733, US2016263489 and US 2014227937. The male element is preferably an extension present on the upper side of the handle and/or on the lower side of the handle and has a cylindrical or frustoconical outer surface. The female element may be any design opening that can receive a male element and result in a snap-fit connection with such a male element. The connectors are preferably spaced apart so that different arrangements can be made between more than one handle. The snap-fit connection is preferably such that when the two handles are engaged by one snap-fit connection, it also allows pivoting along the connection.

Suitably, there is an air gap between the outer portion of the handle and the bottom of the space at one end of the handle. This avoids the handle being able to freeze to the bottom of the space at one end of the handle.

The freezable confection may be frozen or unfrozen. The confectionery packaging can be stored and dispensed at ambient temperatures where the confectionery is not frozen. The end user can freeze the unfrozen confection, for example, immediately before consuming her or his confection at home. Since the space of the confectionery in the plastic moulded product and the space of the end of the handle are not in fluid communication, the risk of liquid confectionery flowing to the space of the end of the handle is low.

The plastic molded product may be made of a polymer material, such as a material made of polyester, polyolefin, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyamide. Particularly preferred are coextruded sheets of amorphous polyester and polyolefin, such as those sold under the registered trademark MP300 (Wipak). The planar covering sheet may be a plastic film, for example a polyester film, especially a biaxially oriented polyester film, for example the polyester film sold under the registered trade mark BIAXER (Wipak). The membrane mat is metallized with, for example, aluminum to increase the insulating properties of the package.

The invention also relates to a method of making a confectionery packaging according to the invention. The process of the method comprises the following steps:

(i) combining a handle with a plastic molded product having a space for a confectionery, a space at one end of the handle and a horizontal plane, wherein the space for the confectionery is fluidly separated from the space at one end of the handle, and wherein the space at one end of the handle and the space for the confectionery are located below the plane,

(ii) adding an unfrozen freezable confection as a liquid to the space of the confection, and

(iii) the planar covering sheet is sealed to the horizontal plane of the plastic molded product and the upper end of the handle.

Suitably, in step (ii), the unfrozen confection is added to a level defined by a horizontal plane.

The plastic molded product can be manufactured by any known manufacturing method, such as injection molding, blow molding or rotational molding, and is preferably manufactured by thermoforming using a film and a mold. The mold used may have any shape and may be made of any material. Typically, such molds are made of metal and are formed by subtractive manufacturing, wherein the molds are manufactured by a controlled material removal process using one or more mechanical tools. This method is time consuming and will preferably be used when manufacturing moulds suitable for manufacturing large numbers of identical plastic moulded products. When one wishes to manufacture a plastic moulded product according to the invention with a small number of different designs, it is preferred to manufacture the mould by additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing). The applicant has found that by using 3D printing, it is possible to simply manufacture a mould having a customized shape that can be economically used to manufacture a relatively small number of plastic moulded products.

The above-described 3D printing is particularly employed in a method that allows a customer at his computer to transmit data to the computer over a data communications network under the control of the mold manufacturer. The client computer may be a conventional desktop, laptop or tablet computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone), and is preferably a computer remote from the mold manufacturer. The data transmitted across the network is representative of the shape of the frozen confection and hence of the plastic moulded product. This may take the form of a photograph or other two-dimensional graphic that is interpreted by the mold manufacturer to form a 3-D model, or a digital representation of the 3-D model itself. The data communication network is typically the internet.

The supplier receives data that is then prepared to make the mold used in the thermoforming process. A stage of 3-D model optimization may be included in the process, wherein the optimization may include any one of the following steps:

i) the 2-D representation of the object is converted into a 3-D model. This may be performed automatically by the image processing software, or may comprise or consist of input from the operator.

ii) removing undercuts in 3-D models produced or received by the supplier to ensure that the plastic molded product can be easily removed from the mold after curing.

iii) remove unwanted or unnecessary background information or image content that might otherwise result in unwanted material at the edges of the plastic molded product.

iv) scaling the 3-D model, maintaining the aspect ratio in all three dimensions, or selectively scaling one or two dimensions, to cause the 3-D printing to produce a mold that can be accommodated in the forming station and/or to produce a desired volume of the mold.

After optimizing the 3-D model, a mold is created by using 3D printing. A variety of 3-D printing techniques are available for use by skilled recipients, including plasters (e.g., plaster-make (R) and plaster-make (R) materialsUsing US 3D Systems Inc. under the registered trade Mark "660Pro "3-D printer sold), thermoplastics, photopolymerizable polymers, or heat-sintered materials. In a particularly preferred embodiment, use is made of a material such as that described under the registered trademark

Hot sintering (preferably by laser) of the material sold produces a powdered composition mold comprising polyamide and aluminum powder. The inventors have found that such methods and materials produce molds that are particularly effective in resisting the temperatures applied during thermoforming.

As described above, when the mold is manufactured by using a material having low thermal conductivity through 3D printing, it is preferable that the mold is provided with a plurality of openings fluidly connecting one side of the mold facing the molded product and the opposite side. The thickness of the mould is preferably between 0.5 and 5 mm. The diameter of the holes is typically less than 2 mm, and preferably less than 1 mm. The openings allow air to escape through the mold during the molding process. The mould is suitably also provided with channels for the passage of cooling air. The cooling of the mold causes the molded product to solidify in the mold into the desired shape.

To form a plastic molded product, a sheet of thermoplastic material is placed on a mold and a pressure differential is created across the sheet while the material is heated above its softening point. The pressure differential is typically created by the application of vacuum under the sheet and heating by an infrared source. The mold forming process is well known in the art as vacuum forming. Particularly preferred materials for forming molded products are sheet-like polymeric materials, such as those made from polyesters, polyolefins, polypropylenes, polystyrenes, and polyamides. Particularly preferred are coextruded sheets of amorphous polyester and polyolefin, such as those sold under the registered trademark MP300 (Wipak). The thickness of the sheet is preferably less than 1 mm, even more preferably between 100 and 500 microns.

The thermoforming process described above and the confectionery packaging process described above may suitably be carried out in an automated thermoforming apparatus comprising a plastic molded product forming station (providing a plastic molded product by thermoforming), a handle placing station, an unfrozen confectionery loading station, a sealing station and a cutting station.

Detailed Description

The invention is further illustrated by using fig. 1-9.

Fig. 1 schematically shows three elements of a confectionery packaging according to the invention as separate items, namely a planar cover sheet 7, a handle 6 and a plastic moulded product 1. Fig. 2 shows the three items as a combined confectionery package.

The plastic molded product 1 has a space 2 for confectionery, a space 3 at one end of a handle 6, and a horizontal plane 5. The space 2 of the confectionery product is fluidly separated from the space 3 at one end of the handle 6 by a wall portion 16 having an upper end 15. The space 3 at one end of the handle 6 and the space 2 of the confectionery are located below the plane 5.

The handle 6 has an inner portion 9 of the handle 6 and an outer portion 10 of the handle 6, which outer portion 10 will allow a quantity of the freezable confection 8 to be manually gripped by a user in use. The handle is provided with an offset middle portion 11. The offset middle section 11 of the handle 6 comprises three bends, wherein a first bend 16 guides the handle 6 upwards between the horizontal inner section 9 and the middle section 11, a second bend 12 guides the handle 6 downwards, and a third bend 18 connects the middle section 11 of the handle 6 with the outer section 10 of the handle 6 and guides the handle in the horizontal direction.

The inner portion 9 of the handle 6 of fig. 1 and the outer portion 10 of the handle 6 of fig. 1 extend in parallel longitudinal directions, are aligned and have the same shape. The handle 6 is symmetrical in shape.

In fig. 2, it is shown how these three items are combined. The offset intermediate portion 11 is sealed at its upper end 13 to the planar cover sheet 7 and at its lower end 14 to the upper end 15 of the wall portion 16. The planar cover sheet 7 is also sealed to the planar surface 5 of the plastic molded product 1. Within the space 2 of the confection there is a quantity of a freezable or frozen confection 8. An air gap 18 is present between the outer portion 10 of the handle 6 and a bottom 19 of the space 3 at one end of the handle 6. Figure 2 also shows that the upper end 13 of the handle 6 is above the plane 5.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the confectionery packaging of fig. 2. The reference numerals have the same meaning as those in fig. 1-2.

Fig. 4 is an example demonstrating how a confectionery packaging according to the present invention can appear. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the confectionery packaging similar to the view of fig. 2. Similar parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in fig. 1-3. The difference from the previous figures is that the handle 21 has a middle portion 22 consisting of four bends, as shown in figure 5. A first bend 23 guides the handle from the confectionery product to the plane 5 between the inner portion 9 and the intermediate portion 22, a second bend 24 guides the horizontal portion 25 of the handle 21 along the plane 5, a third bend 26 guides the handle 21 towards the space 3 at one end of the handle 6, and a fourth bend 27 connects the intermediate portion 11 of the handle 6 and the outer portion 10 of the handle 6 and guides the handle towards the space 3. The handle 21 is also provided with a male connector 28 of the snap-fit type. Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional view of the confectionery packaging of fig. 4 with the cover sheet 7 not shown.

Fig. 7 shows a top view of the handle 21 of fig. 5, and fig. 8 shows a lower view of the handle 21 of fig. 5. In fig. 8, four female connectors 29 are shown, which four female connectors 29 can make a snap-fit type connection with any one of the four male connectors 28 present on the other handle 21. Thus, structures such as towers, bridges and buildings can be fashioned using a plurality of handles interconnected by these male and female connectors 28, 29.

Fig. 9 shows a sealing die 30, said sealing die 30 being used to seal the flat sheet 7 to the flat surface 5 and to the upper side of the horizontal portion 25 of the handle 21. The sealing mold 30 is provided with a gasket groove 31 and a pressing block 32. The press 32 is pressed and seals the underside of the horizontal portion 25 to the upper end 15 of the wall portion 16. The sealing mold 30 may be manufactured by the same manufacturing technique as the mold for manufacturing the molded product 1 shown in fig. 1, 2, 4 and 6. If the mold is manufactured by 3D printing, it is preferable that the sealing mold 30 is also manufactured by 3D printing.