Film-encapsulated-structure container for food, beverages and other consumable products and method for making of same

A material-recyclable container for safe packaging of food-grade contents, namely food, beverage and other food-grade consumable products, by use of recyclable non-food-grade material in protected barrier relationship with such contents while permitting recycling of such container for subsequent reincorporation by recycling, said container comprising a structure and a vessel within the structure for receiving contents of such character, characterized by:

• the structure providing a contents-receptive configuration and for protecting the vessel and the contents against the stresses of processing, filling, warehousing, distribution, merchandising and customer use, the structure being formed of single or multiple thickness material to be encapsulated in safely protected relationship with said contents, the recyclable material being of the type to which the contents are not safely to be directly exposed,
• a sheath of virgin food-grade polymeric film material having preselected barrier properties for encapsulating the structure to provide said protected relationship for the contents with portions of the sheath extending externally over the entirety of the structure and at least partially internally thereof,
• the sheath portion internally of the structure defining said vessel within the structure for receiving the contents, the sheath portion internally of the structure interposing by said barrier properties a barrier between the structure and the contents and the sheath portion externally of the structure interposing by said barrier properties a barrier between the structure and the outside environment, the vessel having an opening,
• the vessel being formed of polymeric material which is at least semirigid to define side and bottom walls of thin-walled character and each of total thickness inadequate if the vessel were used alone as a container for the contents in the absence of the structure, whereby the polymeric material primarily is not employed for protection against said stresses,
• means bonding the internally extending sheath portion within the structure, and
• a closure for closing the vessel opening, the closure also having barrier properties such that the closure closes off the barrier between the structure and the contents, whereby said container permits subsequent recycling and reincorporation of the materials of the container following said recycling for structural purposes in a further such container.

A material-recyclable reshipper-type container safe packaging of food-grade contents, namely for food, beverage and other food-grade consumable products, by use of recyclable non-food-grade material in protected barrier relationship with such contents while permitting recycling of such container for subsequent reincorporation by recycling, said container comprising:

• A rectangular structure having bottom and side walls for providing a contents-receptive configuration and for protecting the container and its contents against the stresses of processing, filling, warehousing, distribution, merchandising and customer use, the structure being formed of material to be encapsulated in safely protected relationship with said contents, the recyclable material being of the type to which the contents are not safely to be directly exposed,
• a sheath of virgin food-grade polymeric film material having preselected barrier properties for encapsulating the structure to provide said protected relationship for the contents by means of the sheath including a vessel-defining contents-receiving first sheath portion extending internally of the structure for covering the internal surfaces thereof and including a closed end to provide a sheath floor internally of the structure,
• the vessel having walls of thin-walled character each of total thickness inadequate if the vessel were used alone as a container for the contents in the absence of the structure, whereby the polymeric film material primarily is not employed for protection against said stresses,
• means bonding the internally extending first sheath portion within the structure,
• the sheath including a second, outer portion extending externally of the structure for covering the structure opening and external surfaces thereof, said second portion having a lower margin drawn beneath the structure in sealing relationship,
• the sheath first portion interposing by said barrier properties a barrier between the structure and the contents and the sheath second portion interposing by said barrier properties a barrier between the structure and the outside environment, and
• a closure for said container, the closure also having barrier properties such that the closure closes off the barrier between the structure and contents.

A material-recyclable container for primary or secondary safe packaging of barrier protection-requiring contents by containment within barrier material while permitting recycling thereof as non-barrier material for subsequent incorporation by recycling into a similar such container, the container comprising a structure and a sheath forming a vessel within the structure for receiving such protection-requiring contents, the structure providing a vessel-and-contents receptive configuration for protecting the vessel and the contents against the stresses of processing, filling, warehousing, distribution, merchandising and customer use, the structure being formed of single or multiple thicknesses of at least one recyclable material to be encapsulated, said recyclable material being of non-barrier material as to preclude safe direct exposure of the contents thereto, the sheath comprising at least one layer of polymeric barrier material having preselected barrier properties encapsulating the structure to provide portions extending not only at least partially internally of the structure but also externally over the entirety of the structure for interposing by said barrier properties a barrier between the structure and the contents for preventing exposure of the contents to the structure, the sheath material defining with the structure vessel walls of such total thinness that the vessel if used apart from the structure would be unable to protect the vessel and the contents against such stresses of processing, filling, warehousing, distribution, merchandising and customer use, whereby the barrier material primarily is not employed for protection against said stresses, means bonding at least the vessel-forming portions of the film material internally within the structure, the vessel having an opening, and a closure for closing the vessel opening, the closure also having barrier properties such that the closure closes off the barrier between the structure and the contents, whereby said container permits subsequent recycling and reincorporation of the materials of the container following said recycling for structural purposes in a further such container.