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EP-4458708-B1 - PACKAGING BLANK FOR FORMING A PACKAGE AND PACKAGE FORMED FROM A PACKAGING BLANK

EP4458708B1EP 4458708 B1EP4458708 B1EP 4458708B1EP-4458708-B1

Inventors

  • ROCCHI, Manuel
  • BARBIERI, MARCELLO
  • SCUTARU, Corina
  • REIS, Monica
  • NASI, Paolo
  • GIAMPIERI, Andrea

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240418

Claims (13)

  1. Packaging blank (2; 2') for forming a package (1) filled with a pourable product comprising: - two longitudinal boundary edges (10; 11) spaced apart from one another along a first direction (D1) transversal to a longitudinal axis (B) of the packaging blank (2; 2'); and - two transversal boundary edges (12; 13) spaced apart from one another along a second direction (D2) parallel to the longitudinal axis (B); and - a top crease pattern (14) configured to form a top portion of the package (1); wherein the top crease pattern (14) comprises at least a first transversal crease line (16) and a second transversal crease line (17) extending transversally to the longitudinal axis (B) of the packaging blank (2; 2'), the first transversal crease line (16) being interposed between one respective transversal boundary edge (10) and the second transversal crease line (17); wherein the second transversal crease line (17) comprises at least two lateral portions (21) opposed to one another and transversal to the longitudinal axis (B), at least a central portion (22) and at least two inclined portions (23) inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis (B) and each one extending between one respective lateral portion (21) and the central portion (22); wherein the top crease pattern (14) comprises one or more main inclined crease lines (27) being inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis (B) and one or more auxiliary crease lines (28) extending transversally to the main inclined crease line (27) and/or parallel to the longitudinal axis (B) and/or parallel to the longitudinal boundary edges (10; 11) and being interposed between one respective main inclined crease line (27) and one respective longitudinal boundary edge (10; 11); wherein each lateral portion (21) defines a respective imaginary endless line (24) comprising the respective lateral portion (21) and the respective inclined portion (23) defines an imaginary inclined endless line (25) comprising the respective inclined portion (23) and intersecting the respective imaginary endless line (23) at an intersection point (26); wherein each auxiliary crease line (28) extends between the first transversal crease line (16) and the second transversal crease line (17) without intersecting the second transversal crease line (17), the imaginary endless line (24), the respective intersection point (26) and the respective main inclined crease line (27), wherein the top crease pattern (14) also comprises one or more auxiliary inclined crease lines (30), each one extending between the first transversal crease line (16) and the second transversal crease line (17), being interposed between the longitudinal axis (B) and one respective main inclined crease line (27) and intersecting the respective main inclined crease line (27), characterized in that each main inclined crease line (27) extends between the first transversal crease line (16) and the second transversal crease line (17) intersecting the respective intersection point (26); and in that each auxiliary inclined crease line (30) extends between the first transversal crease line (16) and the second transversal crease line (17) without intersecting the second transversal crease line (17) and an imaginary line defined by the central portion (22).
  2. Packaging blank according to claim 1, wherein each main inclined crease line (27) intersects also the first transversal crease line (16) at an auxiliary intersection point (29).
  3. Packaging blank according to claim 2, wherein each main inclined crease line (27) extends from the intersection point (26) to the auxiliary intersection point (29).
  4. Packaging blank according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a respective first distance (d1) of each intersection point (26) from the longitudinal axis (B) is larger than a respective second distance (d2) of the respective auxiliary intersection point (29) from the longitudinal axis (B).
  5. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each lateral portion (21) and/or each inclined portion (23) intersects the respective intersection point (26). .
  6. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each auxiliary inclined crease line (30) intersects the respective main inclined crease line (27) on the first transversal crease line (16). .
  7. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising a bottom crease pattern (15) displaced from the top crease pattern (14) along the second direction (D2) and configured to form a bottom portion of the package (1).
  8. Packaging blank according to claim 7, wherein the bottom crease pattern (15) comprises at least a third transversal crease line (40) and a fourth transversal crease line (41) extending transversally to the longitudinal axis (B) of the packaging blank (2; 2'), the third transversal crease line (40) being interposed between one transversal boundary edge (13) and the fourth transversal crease line (41).
  9. Packaging blank according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the top crease pattern (14) and the bottom crease pattern (15) delimit an intermediate region (44) designed to form a side wall of the package (1); wherein the intermediate region (44) comprises an intermediate crease pattern (45) at least partially defining a shape of the side wall; wherein the intermediate crease pattern (45) comprises a plurality of crease lines (46), at least one intersecting one respective intersection point (26).
  10. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each intersection point (26) defines a corner (33) of a top portion of the package (1) to be formed from the packaging blank (2, 2').
  11. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each auxiliary crease line (28) is laterally shifted from the respective intersection point (26) along the first direction (D1).
  12. Packaging blank according to any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising a first face and a second face opposite to the first face; wherein the second face is configured to define an inner face of the package (1) to be formed, the inner face being configured to be in contact with the pourable product; wherein each main inclined crease line (27) bulges from the first face or from the second face.
  13. Package (1) filled with a pourable product formed from a packaging blank (2; 2') according to any one of the preceding claims.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a packaging blank, in particular having a multilayer structure, for forming a package filled with a pourable product, in particular a pourable food product. Advantageously, the present invention also relates to a package filled with a pourable product, in particular a pourable food product, and being formed from a packaging blank. BACKGROUND ART As is known, many liquid or pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material. A typical example is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by sealing and folding a laminated packaging blank. The packaging blank has a multilayer structure comprising a fibrous base layer, e.g. of paper or cardboard, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene. In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging blank also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material (an oxygen-barrier layer), e.g. an aluminum foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product. Packages of this sort are normally produced on fully automatic packaging apparatuses, which form the packages from respective packaging blanks. These packaging blanks can be provided in the form of single packaging blanks or in form of a web, which is formed from a plurality of successively arranged packaging blanks. In the case of the packaging apparatus being designed to form the packages from a web, the packaging apparatus advances and sterilizes the web, which is then formed into a tube and filled with the pourable product before the tube is formed into individual sealed packages. In order to facilitate the formation and for defining the shape of the packages, the packaging blanks are provided with a plurality of crease lines. Typically, a packaging blank has a rectangular shape and is delimited by a first longitudinal boundary edge, a second longitudinal boundary edge, a first transversal boundary edge and a second transversal boundary edge. A typical packaging blank also comprises a top crease pattern configured to form a top portion of the package and a bottom crease pattern configured to form a bottom portion of the package. The top crease pattern comprises at least a first transversal crease line and a second transversal crease line and the bottom crease pattern comprises at least a third transversal crease line and a fourth transversal crease line. It is known to produce packages having a bottom wall and a top wall being spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal axis of the packages. One variant comes along with the top wall being inclined with respect to the bottom wall; such packages are known as packages provided with a slanted top wall. It is known that such packages are produced form packaging blanks having an appropriate top crease pattern. The top crease pattern comprises a first transversal crease line and a second transversal seal line and a plurality of auxiliary crease lines and inclined crease lines intersecting the first transversal crease line and the second transversal crease line. An example of a known package blank is disclosed in patent document WO2019/201862A1. Even though the packages formed from such packaging blanks provide for excellent results, a desire is felt in the sector, to further improve the packaging blanks. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved packaging blank. It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved package formed from a packaging blank. According to the present invention, there is provided a packaging blank as claimed in claim 1. Preferred non-limiting embodiments of the packaging blank are claimed in the respective dependent claims. According to the present invention, there is also provided a package according to claim 13. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Two non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a package filled with a pourable product, with parts removed for clarity;Figure 2 is a plan view of a packaging blank according to a first embodiment of the present invention;Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a detail of the packaging blank of Figure 2; andFigure 4 is a plan view of a packaging blank according to a second embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates a package formed from a packaging blank 2 (see Figure 2). Preferentially, each package 1 is formed from one respective packaging b