Packaging

Abstract

An insert for a flow wrapped packaging assembly has a bottom wall (18) and a peripheral wall (20) extending from said bottom wall to define an interior volume (21) for containing product (14). The insert has a tongue (20) at a top end of the peripheral wall which is movable between a closed position in which it at least partially closes the interior volume at the top end of the insert and an open position in which it does not impede access to the interior volume. The insert (12) can be top-filled when upright with the tongue open and then moved to a horizontal orientation for flow wrapping using a HFFS process with the tongue closed to prevent the contents spilling out. The insert is particularly suitable for enabling a plurality of disc-shape products, such as beverage pads, to be flow wrapped using HFFS processes.

1 . An insert for a flow wrapped packaging assembly comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending from said bottom wall to define with the bottom wall an interior volume for containing product, characterised in that said insert comprises at least one tongue at a top end of the peripheral wall distal from the bottom wall, said at least one tongue being movable between at least one closed position in which it at least partially closes the interior volume at the top end of the insert and at least one open position in which it does not impede access to the interior volume through the open top end. 
     
     
         2 . An insert according to  claim 1 , wherein said peripheral wall comprises opposed front and rear wall portions and opposed side wall portions extending between said front and rear wall portions. 
     
     
         3 . An insert according to  claim 2 , wherein the front and rear wall portions are substantially planar and said side wall portions are curved. 
     
     
         4 . An insert according to  claim 2 , wherein said bottom wall is sloped with respect to the plane of the rear wall portion of said peripheral wall. 
     
     
         5 . An insert according to  claim 2 , wherein said at least one tongue is connected to the distal upper end of the rear wall portion by a hinge or fold line. 
     
     
         6 . An insert according to  claim 5 , wherein a dispensing aperture is defined in said front wall portion. 
     
     
         7 . An insert as according to  claim 6 , wherein the dispensing aperture is open at the distal upper end of the front wall portion and extends over at least 50%, or at least 60%, or at least 70% or at least 80% of the length of the front wall portion from the distal upper end towards the bottom end. 
     
     
         8 . An insert according to  claim 6 , wherein the dispensing aperture extends across substantially the whole width of the front wall portion. 
     
     
         9 . An insert according to  claim 1 , wherein said tongue has a shape selected from the group consisting of square, rectangular, semi-circular, oblong, triangular, trapezium, oval, semi-oval, boustrophedonic, butterfly-wing shaped, bone shaped, half-bone shaped, and/or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . An insert according to  claim 1 , wherein said insert is constructed from a single blank of foldable material, such as cardboard, cartonboard and the like. 
     
     
         11 . An insert according to  claim 10 , wherein the blank comprises interlocking tab portions configured to hold sections of the blank in their erected configuration such that the blank is erected into the insert without the use of adhesive. 
     
     
         12 . An insert according to  claim 1 , wherein the insert is made from a corrugated material 
     
     
         13 . A flow wrapped packaging assembly comprising an insert according to  claim 1  containing product, the tongue of the insert being in the closed position, the insert being encased in a wrapper made from flexible film, the wrapper being closed by means of a longitudinal seal and a transverse seals at either end of the insert. 
     
     
         14 . A flow wrapped packaging assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the wrapper is formed using a HFFS processes. 
     
     
         15 . A packaging assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the product comprises at least one stack of beverage pads inside the insert. 
     
     
         16 . A packaging assembly according to  claim 15 , wherein the product comprises two stacks of beverage pads arranged side by side inside the insert. 
     
     
         17 . A packaging assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the beverage pads are disc-shaped and the peripheral wall of the insert comprises opposed front and rear wall portions and opposed side wall portions extending between said front and rear wall portions, and wherein the front and rear wall portions of the insert are substantially planar and said side wall portions are curved, each curved side wall portion extending about an outer peripheral region of a respective one of the stacks. 
     
     
         18 . A packaging assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the wrapper comprises a degassing valve, which may be an external one-way sticker valve. 
     
     
         19 . A packaging assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one of seals is a peelable seal and includes a non-sealed tab region which can be grasped to initiate opening of the seal. 
     
     
         20 . A process for the production of a flow wrapped packaging assembly according to  claim 13 , the process comprising the steps of:
 a. filling said insert with product whilst the tongue is in an open position;   b. subsequently moving the tongue to the closed position;   c. forming the wrapper about the filled insert with the insert in a generally horizontal orientation using a HFFS process.   
     
     
         21 . A process according to  claim 20 , wherein step a. is carried out with the insert in an upright, generally vertical orientation, the process further comprising carrying out step b. prior to step c. 
     
     
         22 . A process according to  claim 20 , wherein step c. comprises conveying the filled insert in a horizontal orientation through a wrapping area of a HFFS apparatus in which a packaging film is formed into a tube about the insert, the process further comprising holding the tongue in its closed position whilst the insert is conveyed in a horizontal orientation towards said wrapping area. 
     
     
         23 . A process according to  claim 20 , wherein the insert is formed from a single blank of foldable material and the process further comprising erecting the blank to form the insert prior to step a. 
     
     
         24 . A process according to  claim 22 , wherein the blank comprises interlocking tab portions configured to hold sections of the blank in their assembled conditions; the process further comprising engaging the interlocking tap portions to hold the blank in its erected configuration. 
     
     
         25 . A HFFS flow wrapped package comprising the insert according to  claim 1 .