GB2161141A - A carton suitable for use as a picnic box - Google Patents

Abstract

A carton formed from a blank of sheet material has top, bottom and rear walls, a front opening having a closure wall (8) and two opposite ends (17), together with at least one separately formed interior dividing partition forming a shelf (13). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A carton blank and carton assembled therefrom suitable for use as a picnic box The present invention relates to a carton blank and to a carton or box when assembled therefrom and which is particularly intended for use as a picnic box.

Hitherto picnic boxes or baskets have been expensive to produce and cumbersome and space consuming and require cleansing after use.

It is an object of the invention to provide a picnic box which overcomes or minimizes previous disadvantages and which may be disposable, if desired.

According to the present invention a carton blank of sheet material for forming a box having a top, bottom and rear walls and a front opening and closure wall and two opposite ends together, comprises a main generally rectangular body portion having opposite parallel sides and opposite parallel ends and at least three spaced apart main fold lines parallel to each other and to the ends of the rectangular body portion and defining top, bottom, rear and front wall-retaining portions, at least two inter-engaging portions each extending from opposite sides at least of the top, rear or bottom wall-forming portions cooperating together to retain the folded blank in position as a box with a folding front closure wall.

Preferably the formed box has at least one dividing partition forming a shelf comprising a separate shelf-forming member of sheet material of generally rectangular shape having end means for abutting shelf abutting portions which support the shelf member. The shelf abutting portions may each extend from opposite sides of either the top, rear or bottom wall-forming portions respectively of the blank and each may have a fold line dividing such therefrom, the two shelf engaging portions not being connected to the shelf abutting portions but can co-operate therewith.

It is to be understood that the sheet material will be of any suitable kind to provide the desired rigidity of structure and as is used in the carton and box forming art e.g. of plastics material or of cardboard such as that comprising a corrugated layer sandwiched between two outer card or paper layers.

It should also be understood that the term "fold line" or "fold lines" is intended to cover any technique or arrangement for folding the sheet material or enabling such to be folded and may include one or more prefolded lines or regions, scored lines, reduced thickness lines, marked or otherwise indicated lines, perforated or semi-perforated lines or the like including combinations thereof as are used in the carton and box forming industry and as will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Preferably the front wall-forming portion will have an additional flap portion extending from its side portion remote from the bottom wallforming portion and be connected therewith via a fold line running parallel to said main fold lines. This additional flap portion may act to form, in the assembled carton or box a member at the top of the box and preferably will have on its free edge a cut-out handleforming portion extending therefrom via a further fold line and preferably have a cut-out portion forming the grip aperture retained thereon preferably via a fold-line. The handle forming portion will preferably co-operate with means, preferably corresponding or similar handle-forming means, in or on the top wallforming portion of the main body portion to facilitate or maintain closure of the box or carton and/or to facilitate lifting or carriage thereof.

The shelf-abutting portions will preferably extend from opposite side portions of the bottom wall-forming portion and be connected thereto via a fold line. Whilst the shelf-forming member may be self-supporting when located in the assembled box, for example, by means of supporting leg portions extending from the opposite ends thereof and resting on the bottom wall of the box, the shelf-abutting portions will preferably also act as shelf-supporting portions and, in which case, the shelfforming member will preferably have co-operating extension portions at the ends thereof.

The shelf-forming member will preferably be formed from a rectangular sheet having a dividing fold-line which enables the sheet to be folded in half and thus be of double thickness to provide the desired rigidity or strength for supporting purposes.

The shelf-abutting portions when also formed as shelf supporting portions will preferably comprise a support flap portion, preferably of triangular outline, extending from each side of the bottom wall-forming portion and connected therewith via a fold line, and preferably having two flap trapping portions separated by a shelf member receiving slit and extending via fold lines from a side of the support flap portion adjacent the fold line between the bottom and front wall-forming portions and, preferably with the flap-trapping fold line being a continuation thereof in the flat carton blank disposition.At least one and preferably two foldable end flaps are provided in this arrangement at each end of the shelf member and, in use, may be folded to extend in opposite directions generally at right angles to the plane of the shelf and being trappable or retainably locatable between the flap-trapping portions and other extensions of the main body portion.

Preferably an extension flap, which facilitates in closure of the ends and retention of the box together, will be provided on opposite sides of the rear wall-forming portion and/or the top wall-forming portion and connected via fold lines and may be of rectangular or triangular shape.

Preferably semi-perforated or the like separation means will be provided in at least the top wall-forming portion which may be pressed out to provide article receiving apertures such as glasses and/or bottles.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of an assembled picnic box with a front wall-forming portion in an open position; Figure la is a perspective view of a shelf member taken out of the assembled box of Fig. 1 and shown on its own; Figure 2 is a plan view of a carton blank for forming the main box portion of the box of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a plan view of a carton blank member for forming the shelf member of Fig.

la.

A picnic box 1 is shown in Fig. 1 made from the cardboard blanks of Figs. 2 and 3 and includes a top wall 2 having two circular semi-perforated or like wall weakening means to allow the discs formed thereby to be pressed-out to leave apertures. The front edge 3 is cut out to form a handle 4 separated from the top wall 2 by fold lines 4' and a flap portion 5 is formed by the cutting line forming the grip aperture of the handle 4 which also has a fold line 5' joining lines 4'.

The box 1 also includes rear wall portion 6, bottom wall portion 7, front wall portion 8, and an extension of front wall portion 8 forming an additional flap portion 9. Flap portion 9 has a cut-out handle 10 similar to handle 4 with fold lines 10' and a further flap portion 11 extending via fold line 11' from flap 9.

Bottom wall portion 7 has shelf abutting portions 1 2 extending from opposite sides of the rectangular wall portion 7 and joining therewith along fold lines 7'. The shelf abutting portions 12, which also act to support a separate shelf member 13, insertable into the main body of the box 1 during asembly, each comprise a triangular supporting portion 14 having rectangular retaining portions 1 5 extending parallely therefrom via fold line 14' and being separated by slots 1 6 which are of a width to receive the main body of shelf member 1 3 and which slots 1 6 have narrower slits 16' running to the free edges.

End forming and retaining means are provided for the box 1 and comprise rectangular end flaps 1 7 extending via fold lines 6' from the rear wall forming portion 6, and triangular end flaps 1 8 extending via fold lines 18' from top wall 2.

The shelf member 13, also made of cardboard, and as shown in Figs. 1 a and 3 comprises a rectangular sheet comprising devided in half into two shelf forming portions 19 and 20 joined via fold line 21 which, in use, permits the blank of Fig. 3 to be folded over so that portions 1 9 and 20 abut each other to provide improved rigidity. At the opposite ends of portions 1 9 and 20 there extend rectangular engaging flaps 21 and 22 respectively and being connected therewith along fold lines 19' and 20'. A rectangular end flap portion 24 is provided and slots 25 for connection.

It is to be appreciated that pairs of parallel fold lines may be provided, as necessary instead of single fold lines and laminated reinforced corrugated card or other suitable card may be used.

To assemble the box 1, the blank of Fig. 2 is folded about the fold lines 2", 6" and 7" then the blank of Fig. 3 or 4 folded-over and with the flaps 21 and 22 extending in opposite directions and at right angles to the plane of the main shelf body (19, 20), inserted so as to extend into and through slots 16, with flaps 21 and 22 at each end extending upwardly and downwardly. The flaps 21 and 22 are located so as to be positioned between folded over retaining portions 1 5 and rectangular flaps 1 7. At each end in the assembled state, triangular portion 18 is located between rectangular flap 1 7 and traingular supporting portion 1 4. The end assembly acts to engage and secure the flaps 21, 22 in position and the frictional engagement of the end flap portions of the main body and of the shelf member act and cooperate to hold the box together. The box is closed by raising front wall portion 8 and locating flap 9 under top wall portion 2 with handle portions 4 and 10 juxtaposed.

Claims (27)

1. A carton blank of sheet material for forming a box having top, bottom and rear walls and a front opening and closure wall and two opposite ends together with at least one interior dividing partition forming a shelf, comprising a main generally rectangular body portion having opposite, parallel sides and opposite parallel ends and at least three spaced apart, main fold lines parallel to each other and to the ends of the rectangular body portion and defining top, bottom, rear and front wall-forming portions; two shelf-abutting portions each extending from opposite sides of either the top, rear or bottom wall-forming portions respectively and each having a fold line dividing such therefrom; at least two inter-engaging portions each extending from opposite sides of at least the top, rear or bottom wall-forming portions not connected to said shelf abutting portions and co-operating together with said shelf-abutting portions to retain the folded blank in position as a box with folding front closure wall; and a separate shelf-forming member of sheet material of generally rectangular shape having end means for abutting said shelf-abutting portions and for supporting the shelf member.

2. A carton blank as claimed in claim 1, in which the front wall-forming portion has an additional flap portion extending from its side portion remote from the bottom wall-forming portion and is connected therewith via a fold line running parallel to said main fold lines, said additional flap portion forming, in the assembled carton or box, a member at the top of the box.

3. A carton blank as claimed in claim 2, in which said additional flap portion has, on its free edge, a cut-out handle-forming portion extending therefrom via a further fold line.

4. A carton blank as claimed in claim 3, in which said cut-out handle-forming portion has a cut-out portion forming a grip aperture.

5. A carton blank as claimed in claim 4, in which said cut-out portion forming a grip aperture is connected to the additional flap via a fold-line.

6. A carton blank as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the handle forming portion cooperates with means in or on the top wallforming portion of the main body portion to facilitate or maintain closure of the box or carton and/or facilitate lifting or carriage thereof.

7. A carton blank as claimed in claim 6, in which said means correspond to or are similar to said handle-forming portion.

8. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the shelf-abutting portions extend from opposite side portions of the bottom wall-forming portion and are connected thereto via a fold line.

9. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the shelf-forming member is self-supporting when located in the assembled box.

10. A carton blank as claimed in claim 9, in which said shelf-supporting member is selfsupporting by means of supporting leg portions extending from the opposite ends thereof and resting on the bottom wall of the box.

11. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, in which the shelf-abutting portions also act as shelf-supporting portions.

1 2. A carton blank as claimed in claim 11, in which the shelf-forming member has co-operating extension portions at the ends thereof.

1 3. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, in which the shelf-forming member is formed from a rectangular sheet having a dividing fold-line which enables the sheet to be folded in half and thus be of double thickness to provide the desired rigidity or strength for supporting purposes.

14. A carton blank as claimed in claims 11 or 12, in which the shelf-abutting portions are formed as shelf supporting portions and comprise a support flap portion extending from each side of the bottom wall-forming portion and connected therewith via a fold line.

1 5. A carton blank as claimed in claim 14, in which the support flap portion is of traingular outline.

16. A carton blank as claimed in claims 14 or 15, in which each support flap portion has two flap trapping portions separated by a shelf member receiving slit and extending via fold lines from a side of the support flap portion adjacent the fold line between the bottom and front wall-forming portions.

17. A carton blank as claimed in claim 16, in which said two flap trapping portions have said flap-trapping fold line which is a continuation thereof in the flat carton blank disposition.

1 8. A carton blank as claimed in claim 17, in which at least one and preferably two foldable end flaps are provided at each end of the shelf member and, in use, may be folded to extend in opposite direction generally at right angles to the plane of the shelf and being trappable or retainably locatable between the flap-trapping portions and other extensions of the main body portion.

19. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 18, in which an extension flap, which facilitates in closure of the ends and retention of the box together, is provided on opposite sides of the rear wall-forming portion and/or the top wall-forming portion and connected via fold lines.

20. A carton blank as claimed in claim 19, in which said extension flap is of rectanglular or triangular shape.

21. A carton blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, in which semi-perforated or the like separation means are provided in at least the top wall-forming portion which may be pressed out to provide article receiving apertures and/or ventilation.

22. A carton blank substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

23. A carton whenever assembled from a carton blank substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A carton substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

25. A box assembled from a carton blank and having top, bottom and rear walls and a front opening and closure wall and two opposite ends together with at least one interior dividing partition forming a shelf.

26. A box as claimed in claim 25 in which the front wall-forming portion has an additional flap portion extending from its inside portion remote from the bottom wall-forming portion and is connected therewith via a fold line running parallel to said main fold lines, said additional flap portion in the closed position of the front opening and closure wall a member at the top of the box.

27. A box as claimed in claim 26 in which said additional flap portion has on its free end, a cut-out handle forming portion extending therefrom via a further fold line and, preferably, co-operates with handle forming means in or on the top wall forming portion of the main body.