Container and a seal for a container

Abstract

A single serving container for consumable substances comprising a tubular element wherein opposing internal wall portions at an end of the tubular element are adhered together in order to maintain the tube in a closed configuration, and are adapted to be separated in order to operate the tube into an open configuration.

1 . A seal for a container, the seal comprising:
 a first member portion having a first attachment part, a second attachment part and a first intermediate region between the first and second attachment parts;   a second member portion having a first attachment part, a second attachment part and a second intermediate region between the first and second attachment parts;   wherein the first attachment part of the first member portion is connected to the first attachment part of the second member portion and the second attachment part of the first member portion is connected to the second attachment part of the second member portion and wherein the seal is operable between a closed configuration in which the intermediate portions are a predetermined smaller distance apart and an open configuration in which the intermediate portions are a predetermined larger distance apart;   wherein each member portion is adapted to bend preferentially in one direction so that when the first and second attachment parts are forced towards each other, the member portions bend in opposite directions and thereby force apart the intermediate portions in order to change the configuration of the seal from the closed configuration to the open configuration.   
   
   
       2 . A seal as claimed in  claim 1  wherein in the closed configuration the intermediate regions are retained in contact by mutual adhesion in order to provide a seal therebetween. 
   
   
       3 - 4 . (canceled) 
   
   
       5 . A seal as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the first and second intermediate regions are retained in contact, in the closed configuration, by treatment of at least one of the member portions to cause the first and second intermediate regions to mutually adhere without use of an adhesive. 
   
   
       6 . A seal as claimed in claim  3  wherein the first and second intermediate regions are retained in contact, in the closed configuration, by a pressure seal, such as a crimp seal. 
   
   
       7 . A seal as claimed in claim  3  wherein the first and second intermediate regions are retained in contact, in the closed configuration, by a light heat seal. 
   
   
       8 - 9 . (canceled) 
   
   
       10 . A seal as claimed in  claim 45  wherein the first and second member portions are opposed wall portions of a tubular element, wherein the first attachment part of the first member portion is attached to the first attachment part of the second member portion at a fold line between the first member portion and the second member portion; and wherein the second attachment part of the first member portion is attached to the second attachment part of the second member portion by a fold line between the first member portion and the second member portion. 
   
   
       11 . A seal as claimed in  claim 10  wherein at least one of the first member portion and the second member portion is adapted to bend preferentially in one direction by virtue of having been formed as a curved portion, which is maintained in a substantially planar form when the seal is in its closed configuration. 
   
   
       12 . A seal as claimed in  claim 11  wherein at least one of the first member portion and the second member portion is formed in curved form by extrusion from a plastic. 
   
   
       13 . A single serving container for consumable products, the container comprising a region adapted to be opened in order to allow access to a consumable product contained therein, wherein the region adapted to be opened comprises a seal in accordance with  claim 45 . 
   
   
       14 . A container as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the container is elongate, tubular in form and formed from a plastic. 
   
   
       15 . A container as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the container is at least 7 cm in length and is adapted to be used as a stirrer for stirring a liquid to which the contents of the container have been added. 
   
   
       16 . A container as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the container is a generally cylindrical plastic tube at least one end of which has been operated upon to form the seal, wherein opposing walls of an end region of the tube have been forced together with sufficient pressure to cause them to mutually adhere so that the opposing end walls form the first and second member portions of the seal. 
   
   
       17 . A container as claimed in  claim 16  wherein the container is formed from a single length of extruded tube and is formed from a single element without additional parts, adhesives or the like. 
   
   
       18 - 20 . (canceled) 
   
   
       21 . A single serving container for consumable substances comprising a tubular element wherein opposing internal wall portions at an end of the tubular element are adhered together in order to maintain the tube in a closed configuration, and are adapted to be separated in order to operate the tube into an open configuration. 
   
   
       22 . A container as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the internal wall portions adhere to each other by cohesion produced by forcing together the internal wall portions. 
   
   
       23 . A container as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the container is in accordance with  claim 13 . 
   
   
       24 . A method of packaging a consumable product in a single serving container, the method comprising:
 providing a tubular element portion with a receiving space therein;   inserting consumable product into the receiving space;   sealing a first region of the tubular element at a first end of the receiving space;   sealing a second region of the tubular element at a second end of the receiving space in order to contain the consumable product between the first and second regions.   
   
   
       25 . A method according to  claim 24  wherein at least one of the first and second seals is formed by mutually adhering opposed internal walls of the corresponding end region. 
   
   
       26 . (canceled) 
   
   
       27 . A method according to  claim 25  wherein the step of sealing one or both of the end regions by seals formed by mutually adhering opposed internal wall portions comprises forcing together the internal wall portions so that they mutually but releasably adhere. 
   
   
       28 . A method according to  claim 27  wherein the step of sealing one or both of the end regions by seals formed by mutually adhering opposed internal wall portions comprises forcing together the internal wall portions without heating the wall portions to a temperature at which they mutually fuse. 
   
   
       29 . A method according to  claim 25  wherein the step of sealing at least one of the end regions by a seal formed by mutually adhering opposed internal wall portions comprises mutually adhering opposed axially extending regions of the internal wall portions to provide an axially extending sealed region adapted to be opened such that mutually adhering parts of the internal wall portions which are further from the corresponding end of the container mutually separate before mutually adhering parts of the internal wall portions which are closer to the corresponding end of the container. 
   
   
       30 . (canceled) 
   
   
       31 . A method according to  claim 29  wherein the or each axially extending sealed region extends at least 4 mm from the end of the container and extends the entire transverse width of the container. 
   
   
       32 . A method according to  claim 29  wherein the or each axially extending sealed region comprises a plurality of distinct seals adapted to be opened sequentially. 
   
   
       33 . (canceled) 
   
   
       34 . A method according to  claim 32  wherein the seals of the plurality of distinct seals are adapted to be opened sequentially, such that seals of the plurality of distinct seals which are closer to the axial centre of the container are opened before seals of said plurality of distinct seals which are further from the axial centre of the container. 
   
   
       35 . A method according  claim 32  wherein at least some of the seals of the or each plurality of seals are formed by forcing together axially short regions of opposed internal wall portions. 
   
   
       36 . A method according to  claim 32  wherein at least some of the seals of the or each plurality of seals are formed by forcing together regions of opposed internal wall portions without cutting. 
   
   
       37 . A method according to  claim 36  wherein at least some of the seals of the or each plurality of seals are formed by forcing together regions of opposed internal wall portions by applying a pressure of the order of 250 MPa. 
   
   
       38 . A method according to  claim 32  wherein at least one of the seals of the or each plurality of seals is formed by forcing together regions of opposed internal wall portions with sufficient force to cut at least one of the wall portions. 
   
   
       39 . A method according to  claim 32  wherein the tubular element portion is an extruded plastic tube and the method comprises forming a container with a length of not more than 17 cm and not less than 7 cm. 
   
   
       40 . (canceled) 
   
   
       41 . (canceled) 
   
   
       42 . A method according to  claim 24  wherein at least one of the seals is in accordance with  claim 1 . 
   
   
       43 . (canceled) 
   
   
       44 . A method according to  claim 24  wherein the container provided by the method is in accordance  claim 45 . 
   
   
       45 . A seal as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the seal has a lateral direction extending between, and intersecting the first and second attachment parts, and has an axial direction substantially perpendicular to the lateral direction and the seal comprises a plurality of seal parts, each axially short compared to the seal, the seal parts being spaced apart in the axial direction, said plurality of seal parts configured so that in use forcing apart the intermediate portions in order to change the configuration of the seal from the closed configuration to the open configuration results in sequential opening of the plurality of seal parts of the seal.