AU784715B2 - A container - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT r r

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r Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: AMCOR LIMITED ANDREW JACKSON CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

A CONTAINER

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The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: This invention relates to a container for holding goods. One aspect of the invention is concerned with a container having a base and a heightadjustable lid wherein the lid adjusts to the height of the goods within the container base. A further aspect of the invention is concerned with a container base having a moveable side wall that enables goods within the base to be removed.

The container of the present invention is particularly suitable for holding stacked sheets/reams of paper and the invention will be described by way of example for this intended purpose.

Containers for holding stacked sheets of paper, such as reams of A4 size paper for printers and photocopiers, are well known. Stacked paper has a tendency to settle over time and this change in height can complicate the packaging of paper within containers somewhat as it is usually the stacked paper itself that provides structural integrity to the container, with the container being little more than a protective wrapper. For instance, if a container lid is glued to a base containing newly stacked paper, then when the stack height decreases over time, the container base is liable to partly collapse under the weight of another container placed on top of it. A partially collapsed/damaged container is unsightly and consumers may conclude that such a container is likely to contain damaged goods. By not securing the lid to the base in an appropriate manner another problem arises in that there is a real risk that the lid will disengage from the base by accident during handling.

A method of overcoming the above-mentioned problems is to pack the paper so that the stack height exceeds the height of the container base and to strap the lid to the base with plastic straps. A problem with this method is the requirement for an additional plastic strapping step which adds to the cost of packaging.

Paper is usually packed within containers having a lid and a base, and paper can only be removed from these types of containers from an open top end of the base after removing the lid. Removing paper that is situated at the bottom of the base can be difficult. To address this difficulty, containers with "tear away" side walls have been developed. However, a problem with such containers is that once the side wall has been torn away it cannot be readily reattached.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a container that overcomes or at least minimizes at least one of the problems referred to above, or at least provides the public with a useful alternative.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a container having: a lid having a top panel and side walls extending therefrom, wherein an opposed pair of side walls have slots; and a base releasably engagable by said lid, said base having a base panel and side walls extending therefrom, wherein an opposed pair of base side walls have projections extending therefrom for engaging said slots to retain the lid relative to the base so that the lid can be slideably raised or "lowered relative to the base.

Preferably, the lid and base each have four side walls.

The slots may be located at corners where adjacent lid side walls meet.

The projections may extend outwardly from a top corner of the side walls of the base. Preferably, each projection is trapezoidal in shape.

Preferably, the lid is formed of a foldable unitary blank having a top panel and four side wall panels extending therefrom, wherein a first pair of opposed side wall panels each have end flaps hinged thereto with fold lines, and the end flaps overly and are secured to an inner face of an adjacent pair of side walls. A slot may be located on each fold line. A part of an adjacent side wall may overly an outer portion of the slot.

It is preferred that the blank for the lid is made of fibreboard material.

Solid or corrugated material may be used. Preferably, one pair of opposed side wall panels is longer than the other pair.

It is preferred that the base is also made of foldable fibreboard material.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a container having a base panel and side walls extending therefrom, one of the side walls is hinged to the base panel and is moveable from a closed position, in which the container is sealed, to an open position where the container is open, wherein the moveable side wall has opposed end flaps that extend substantially parallel to an adjacent pair of side walls and said adjacent side walls have moveable tabs with an adhesive coating that when moved out of engagement with the moveable side wall allow the side wall to be moved from the closed to the open position.

The moveable tabs may be hinged to the remainder of the side walls.

Preferably, each adjacent side wall has one tab.

The adhesive coating may comprise hot melt adhesive or any other suitable adhesive. If desired, the side wall may be opened and closed a number of times.

The base may have lifting handles integrally formed therein. The base may be engageable by a lid.

A lower region of each end flap may have a curved profile to assist with movement of the side wall.

The container is preferably formed of a blank of foldable material having a main base panel and four side walls extending therefrom. The moveable tabs and handles may be partially die cut from the blank from which the container is made.

It is preferred that the blank for the base is made of fibreboard material. Solid or corrugated material may be used. Preferably, one pair of side wall panels is longer than the other pair.

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure la shows a view of a blank for forming a lid and Figure lb shows a blank for forming a container base according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective exploded view of the lid and container base made from the blanks illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective exploded view of the lid and of the container base shown in Figure 2 but with the container base in its partially opened configuration; and Figure 4 is a partial detailed sectional view of a corner of the lid and container base of Figure 2 showing the lid secured to the container base.

Figure la shows a blank 10 for forming a lid 35 of a container according to an embodiment of the invention. The blank 10 has a main top panel 11 with two lobes 12 and 13 hinged to the remainder of the top panel 11. A first pair of side walls 14 and 15 are hinged to opposed edges of the top panel 11 by respective fold lines 16 and 17. A second pair of opposed side walls 18 and 19 are hinged to the top panel 11 by respective fold lines 20 and 21. Side walls 18 and 19 are each provided with opposed end flaps 22 and 23 hinged to the side walls by fold lines 24 and 25. Slots 26 are provided in the end flaps 22 and 23 and extend along fold lines 24 and 25. An edge of end flap 22 and end flap 23 is provided with a recess 30 and an adjacent edge of side wall 14 and side wall 15 is provided with a corresponding tab 31 which extends into the recess The blank 10 can be configured into a lid 35 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. This is achieved by folding side walls 14 and 15 relative to the top panel 11 so that the side walls 14, 15 extend normal to the top panel 11. Following this, sides walls 18 and 19 are folded normal to the top panel 11 and end flaps 22 and 23 are folded to extend at right angles to side walls 18 and 19 and are adhered with a suitable adhesive or fixed in some manner to an inner face of side walls 14 and 15. The tabs 31 extend over and close off slots 26 as shown in Figures 2 and 3 and particularly in Figure 4.

Figure 1 b shows a blank 40 from which a container base 70 can be formed. The blank 40 has a main base panel 41 which corresponds to a base wall of the container base. A first pair of opposed side walls 42 and 43 are hinged to opposed edges of the base panel 41 by fold lines 44 and 45. A second pair of opposed side walls 46 and 47 are hinged to the base panel 41 by respective fold lines 48 and 49.

Side walls 42 and 43 are each provided with a handle 50, 51 which are normally co-planar with side walls 42 and 43. The handles 50, 51 are each separable from the remainder of the respective side wall along edges other Il I 6 than the edge provided by fold line 52 or fold line 53.

Side walls 42 and 43 are provided with tabs 54 and 55 which are severed from the side walls apart from fold lines 56 and 57 which act as hinges. An additional fold line 58 or 59 is provided intermediate a free end of the tab and fold line 56 or 57.

Side wall 46 is provided with opposed end flaps 71 and 72 hinged to side wall 46 by fold lines 73 and 74. End flaps 71 and 72 each have a recessed portion and an adjacent part of the side wall is provided with locking tabs. The tabs 77 and 78 project beyond fold line 73 and 74 by a distance equal to or less than the thickness of the material from which the blanks and 40 are made.

Side wall 47 has opposed end flaps 80 and 81 hinged to it by S:respective fold lines 82 and 83. An edge of each end flap 80, 81 nearest to the base panel 41 has a partially curved periphery 84, 85. End flaps 80 and 81 are provided with a recess 86 and 87 and an adjacent part of the side wall 47 is provided with tabs 88 and 89 which project towards the recesses 86 and 87. The tabs 88 and 89 project beyond the fold lines 83 and 82 by a distance equal to or less than the thickness of the material from which the blanks and 40 are made. The tabs 77, 78 and 88, 89 have a length less than the length of the slots 26 provided by the lid 35 as shown in Figure 4.

The blank 40 can be configured into a container base 70 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. This is achieved by folding side walls 46 and 47 normal to .i :the base panel 41, following which end flaps 71, 72, 80 and 81 are folded to extend at right angles to side walls 46 and 47. Side walls 42 and 43 are folded normal to the base panel 41 and end flaps 71 and 72 are adhered to an inner face of side walls 42 and 43 with adhesive 60. Adhesive 61 is applied to an inner face of the tabs 54 and 55. In practice, permanent adhesive 60 is applied to the inner face of side walls 42 and 43 and a weak adhesive 61 is applied to the inner face of tabs 54 and 55 (see Figure 3).

Side wall 47 can be moved to an open position (along fold line 49) when tabs 54 and 55 are not in engagement with end flaps 80 and 81, as shown in Figure 3.

Opening 62 enables finger access to move tab 54 or 55. Openings and 91 enable finger access to fold out handles 50 and 51 along fold lines 52 and 53 relative to the side walls 42, 43.

The container is particularly suitable for holding reams of paper that over time decrease in stack height as the paper settles within the container base 70. In practice, the container base 70 is erected around a paper stack wherein the stack height exceeds the height of the base 70. The lid 35, which is removable, is then placed over the base 70, with tabs 77, 78, 88, 89 engaging slots 26 of the lid 35. As the paper stack decreases in height, the lid 35 slides closer to the base 70. To access the paper within the base the lid 35 is removed, tabs 54 and 55 are moved out of engagement with end flaps 80 and 81, and the side wall 47 is moved into the open position as .shown in Figure 3.

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Claims (8)

1. A container having a base panel and side walls extending therefrom, one of the side walls is hinged to the base panel and is moveable from a closed position, in which the container is sealed, to an open position where the container is open, wherein the moveable side wall has opposed end flaps that extend substantially parallel to an adjacent pair of side walls and said adjacent side walls have moveable tabs with an adhesive coating that when moved out of engagement with the moveable side wall allow the side wall to be moved from the closed to the open position.

2. The container of claim 1 having four side walls.

3. The container of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the moveable tabs are hinged to the remainder of the side walls.

4. The container of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the adjacent side walls has one tab.

5. The container of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a lower region of S 20 each said end flap has a curved profile. o.

6. The container of any one of claims 1 to 5 formed of a blank of foldable material. 25

7. The container of claim 6, wherein the blank is made of fibreboard *0u• material. 0 0 2

8. A container as defined in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 1 to 3. DATED this 1 day of July 2005 AMCOR LIMITED By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.