AU613755B2 - A container - Google Patents

Description

613755 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: AMCOR LIMITED Southgate Street, South Melbourne, Victoria GEOFFREY RONALD HAMBLIN 26 Hector Road, Willoughby, N.S.W. 2068.

G.R. CULLEN COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, Dalgety House, 79 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

a I a ar a t a I ar a *4 t a at a a a 4 a0 a a OO a a~ a Address for Service: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: A CONTAINER Oraa *a a 00 0 00 0 O O O 0 00 The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us 2 The invention relates to a container. In particular, the invention concerns a footwear container or shoe box.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to a shoe box but it should be appreciated that the container of the invention may be used for footwear other than shoes or indeed for articles other than footwear and the description in relation to shoes is given by way of example only.

Currently, generally two types of shoe boxes exist.

The first of these types consists of a rectangular prismatic open topped tray relative to which a separate lid or cover may be fitted. The cover consists of a main panel from the periphery of which depends a peripheral skirt which, when the cover is fitted relative to the tray to close off its open II top extends partway down and along outer faces of upstanding side walls of the tray.

The second generally known type of container I employed for footwear consists of a rectangular prismatic 2G' open topped tray having an integrally formed cover flap hinged to an upper edge of a long side panel of the prismatic tray. A free edge of the cover flap opposed to the hinge connection to the tray is typically provided with a sealing a .4 flap which, when the container is closed, projects down into the tray and locates along an upper edge of a long side panel of the tray opposed to that side panel to which the cover flap is hinged.

For convenience, these two earlier containers will be referred to as the tray with separate cover and the tray with an integral cover.

From the point of view of the container manufacturer, it is more convenient to make the tray with integral cover because the blank employed to make such a container is in one piece and is therefore simpler to manufacture and results in a saving in materials. On the other hand, the tray with the separate cover requires the manufacturer to make two separate components, requires more material to manufacture, requires two component parts to be S stocked and leads to a duplication of carton making machinery.

It is the general practice of shoe retailers to carry stock of various styles of footwear and for each particular style a range of sizes is held on stock. It is typical for the retailer to have a store where a selection of footwear is arranged on shelves or the like or stacked one container on top of the other in size or style sequence.

It is generally felt, from the retailers point of view, that once a potential customer is fitted with a selected pair of shoes the retailer is well on the way to achieving a successful sale. For this reason it is important that the retailer can not only readily access the selected pair of shoes from the store but is able to quickly

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return undesired pairs of shoes to their proper location in the store and make an alternative selection for the customer.

It has become the practice of retailers, in selecting shoes from the store to partially withdraw a container intermediate a vertical stack of like containers until all containers above the selected one are allowed to drop vertically and tilt to enable the cover of the selected container to be partially open to facilitate removal of the shoes from that selected container. The selected container is left in the position where is projects partially outwardly from the stack of like containers. Should the customer not decide to purchase that pair of shoes the retailer simply returns to the store and can readily identify the container into which 4 he needs to return the pair of shoes as being that container '15 partially projecting from a stack of containers. The shoes

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may simply be returned to that container, the containers above the selected container may be lifted and the selected container is returned to its original position within the stack without ever having been removed from that stack. If the customer decides to purchase the selected shoes the retailer may simply return to the store and withdraw the selected container from the stack enabling all the containers 4 above the selected one to drop down one position.

The above described procedure is particularly advantageous in that it minimised space required in the store. For example, if the selected container needed to be removed completely from its stack and either left in the store in some convenient location or taken with the shoes to the customer the procedure is complicated. For example, more space is required in the store -to hold or locate containers totally removed from various stacks. In addition, it is difficult to return those removed containers to their rightful place in a vertical stack of containers.

The above preferred storeroom procedure is only possible where the container is of the type having a separate cover. The container of the type having a cover hinged to an upper long edge of the side of a long panel of the tray cannot be used in this fashion since it is not possible to tilt the lid back unless the container is completely removed from the stack. Containers of the type having integral covers were unsuitable for use in the preferred storeroom procedure and were not acceptable from the retailers point of view since they necessitated greater storage area.

From the point of view of the carton manufacturer it is far simpler and economical to make a container having an integral cover since such a container may be made from a unitary blank.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container which at least minimises the disadvantages referred to above.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a container including a body having a base panel and side walls, a cover having a first cover portion integral with one said side wall and hinged relative thereto about a first axis and a 6 second cover portion formed integral with said first cover portion and hinged thereto about an axis at right angles to said first axis.

The base panel of the container may be of any desired shape. For example, the base panel may be either square or rectangular. If the container is being used as a shoe box it is preferred that the container have a rectangular base panel.

Preferably, the container has four side walls.

O Where the base panel is square, the side walls all have the same length. Alternatively, where the base panel is S, rectangular the side walls may consist of a first pair of opposed side walls and a second pair of opposed side walls with the first pair of walls being of equal length and of a length grater than the length of the second pair of side walls. The side walls may extend upwardly from the periphery of the base panel and terminate in upper free edges defining an opening into the container.

The cover portions may be of equal or unequal size.

However, it is preferred that the cover portions be of equal size such that when the cover closes off the container, the cover portions meet midway across the container.

As mentioned above, the first cover portion is formed integrally with and hinged to one of the side walls.

Where the container has a rectangular base panel, the first 7 cover portion may be hinged to and formed integrally with an upper edge of either a short side wall or an upper edge of a long side wall. It is preferred that the first cover portibn is formed integral with and hinged to a long side wall.

Since the two cover portions are formed integral with each other and hinged relative to each other, hinging of the cover portions may take place along a line either parallel to or at right angles to the line about which the first cover portion hinges relative to the side wall to which it is hinged.

Where the first cover portion is hinged to a long side wall the hinge line between the cover portions will be at right S, angles to the hinged line connecting the first cover portion to the side wall.

It is preferred that the second cover portion and one of the side walls be provided with cooperating locking means to hold the second cover portion in a closed position relative to the side walls of the container. In one embodiment, cooperating locking means is provided adjacent a 2 free edge of the second cover portion and on the side wall adjacent that free edge when the second cover portion is closed. For example, the second cover portion may be Sprovided with a locking cutout and the adjacent side wall may be provided with a locking tongue although the inverse of this may also be employed.

It is preferred that the cover be provided with a depending skirt such that when the cover is closed the skirt extends partway along side walls of the container. It is preferred that the skirt extend partway around the periphery of the cover. The skirt may be provided by a plurality of skirt portions. Preferably, where the first cover portion is hinged to a long side wall it is preferred that a skirt portion extend along an edge of the first cover portion opposed to the hinge line and also along an edge at right angles to the hLnge line. The second cover portion preferably has two skirt portions arranged at right angles to one another.

The container of the invention may be made from a variety of materials. For example, the container may be made 4 1 from cardboard, fiberboard or corrugated board or any other suitable material.

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- FIG 1 is a view of a blank for making the container according to an embodiment of the invention; 2C FIG 2 is a top perspective view of a container made from the blank of FIG 1 shown in its closed position; FIG 3 is a bottom perspective view of the container of FIG 2; FIG 4 is a perspective view of the container according to an embodiment of the invention and showing the second cover portion in its open position; and, 9 FIG 5 is a perspective of the container shown in FIG 4 with the cover in its open position.

The blank 10 shown in FIG 1 has a rectangular base panel 11 to which are hinged long side wall panels 12 and 13 and short side wall panels 14 and 15. These panels, when a Scontainer is made from the blank 10 provide side walls of the container. Panel 12 has opposed joinder flaps 16 and 17 hinged thereto whilst panel 13 has joinder flaps 18 and 19 hinged thereto. Side panel 14 has a closure tongue 20 hinged to a free edge thereof. Die cut portion 21 at the hinge line between closure tongue 20 and side panel 14 functions as a locking tongue when the container is made up. Side panels 14 and 15 are provided with small rectangular cutout portions 22 and 23 respectively. The purpose of these portions will be subseqtuently described.

The cover 30 consists of a first cover portion 31 and a second cover portion 32. Cover portion 31 is hinged to side panel 12 whilst cover portion 32 is'hinged to cover o portion 31. Cover portion 32 is not hinged or connected directly to side panel 12.

Cover portion 32 has depending flaps 33 and 34 hinged thereto which, when the container is made up provide skirt portions. A locking cutout 34a is provided between flap 34 and cover portion 32. Flap 33 has a joinder tab hinged thereto.

The cover portion 31, like cover portion 32, also

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has flaps 36 and 37 hinged thereto. Flaps 36 and 37 form skirt portions. Flap 36 has a joinder tab 38 hinged thereto.

FIG 2 shows a container 10 made from the blank of FIG 1. For convenience, the same reference numeral has been used for the blank of FIG 1 and for the container of FIG In FIG 2, the container 10 is shown completely closed with both cover portions 31 and 32 in their respective closed positions. In this position, the locking tongue 21 is received within the locking cutout 34a to hold the cover 10 portion 32 in the position shown. The skirt portions 33, 34 and 36 as well as portion 37 (not visible in this FIG) together form a skirt extending around three sides of the container. FIG 3 shows the skirt portion 37 and this figure together with FIG 2 show the way in which the skirt extends around the three sides.

In FIG 4, the container 10 is shown with cover portion 32 hinged relative to cover portion 31. In this position, cover portion 32 is open and contents within the container may be removed without requiring the cover to be moved completely to the position shown in FIG 5. With reference to FIG 4, it can be seen that tab 35 is of a size Scorresponding to cutout 22. Similarly, although not shown in this FIG, tab 38 is of a size which corresponds to cutout 23 (see FIG Thus, with the container in the position shown in FIGS 2 and 3 the tabs 35 and 38 locate relative to cutouts 22 and 23 respectively, to ensure that the thickness of the 11 container in the vicinity of cutout 22 or 23 only corresponds to three thicknesses of material from which the container is i made. Thus, the joinder tabs 35 and 38 are neatly accommodated within cutouts 22 and 23 respectively.

i 5 In FIG 5, the container 10 is shown with the cover i portion 31 hinged to its open position relative to the side ,iwall formed by side panel 12 and thus the cover, which is made up of portions 31 and 32 is completely open.

It can be seen that with the container of the present invention it is possible to provide a unitary blank construction which is beneficial from the point of view of manufacture of the container and to also provide a container t useful to the shoe retailer. The container of the present invention may be used in the retailers store in much the same way as containers having separate lids, in that, when a plurality of containers according to the invention are vertically stacked, it is still possible to partially withdraw a selected container from the stack and open the container to remove the shoes. This is achieved by moving cover portion 32 from the position shown in FIG 2 to the position shown in FIG 4. With the container construction of the present invention it is not necessary for the retailer to 4 completely remove a selected container from a stack in order to enable him to remove shoes contained within that selected container.

Claims (9)

1. 2. The container of claim 1 having four side walls. i 3. The container of claim 2 wherein the base panel is rectangular.
2. 4. The container of claim 2 or 3 wherein said side walls are arranged in opposed pairs with one said pair of walls being longer than the other said pair of walls. The container of claim 4 wherein said first cover portion is hinged to an edge of one said longer side wall.
3. 6. The container of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said cover portions are of equal size.
4. 7. The container of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said cover portions are of unequal size.
5. 8. The container of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the hinge connecting said cover portions extends transversely of the container.
6. 9. The container of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said cover includes a depending skirt which extends part way along said side walls when the container is closed. Li L U I- C I 13 The container of claim 9 wherein the skirt comprises a plurality of skirt portions extending along edges of the cover.
7. 11. The container of any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein one said side wall and said second cover portion include co- operating locking means.
8. 12. The container of claim 11 wherein said locking means comprises a locking cutout in the second cover portion and an adjacent locking tongue extending from said one side wall.
9. 13. A container substantially as herein described with 0 reference to figures 2 to 5 of the drawings. dtl 14. A container blank substantially as herein described with reference to figure 1 of the drawings. DATED this Twentyninth day of May, 1989. AMCOR LIMITED by their Patent Attorneys G.R. CULLEN CO. i