CN109843733B

CN109843733B - Reinforced carton

Info

Publication number: CN109843733B
Application number: CN201780046952.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 林洁钰; 段志永
Original assignee: Daikin Research and Development Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Current assignee: Daikin Research and Development Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Priority date: 2016-08-12
Filing date: 2017-06-23
Publication date: 2022-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-23
Also published as: CN109843733A; WO2018030891A1; PH12019500130A1; MY181047A

Abstract

A carton, comprising: a central sleeve (2); a top cover (1); and a bottom tray (3), the central sleeve (2) having two pairs of parallel sides connected by four chamfers (21) forming an irregular octagonal structure, each of the two opposite sides of the central sleeve (2) having a tab (22) at their edge to engage with a groove on the inner surface of the bottom tray (3).

Description

Reinforced carton

Technical Field

The present invention relates to packaging materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carton for packaging an air conditioning outdoor unit and having improved strength and durability.

Background

Conventionally, devices for packaging are used to store articles, particularly in bulk, so that they can be more easily handled and transported to retailers or users. The items may include, but are not limited to, electronic goods, documents, household products, or stationery. The cushioning material may optionally be packaged with the article to enhance protection. There are various packaging designs available on the market to meet the needs of different types of articles. Most packages are made primarily from a thin sheet of material, such as paperboard or corrugated board.

A generally rectangular carton or box made from a single sheet or sleeve is the most common example of a packaging design. The sleeves are folded to form the side walls and top and bottom flaps of the carton. However, such designs are difficult to package for large and heavy items. Thus, the carton may also be a two-part article, which refers to a bottom tray on which the article is placed and a sleeve that is folded to form side walls and a top cover assembly at the edges of the bottom tray. Some cartons may include three portions, with the top cover being a single piece.

During shipping, multiple cartons may be stacked and placed on pallets for efficient handling and storage. To protect the contents from damage during shipping, the carton may be wrapped with a stretch film. However, due to the high compressive stresses caused by stacking the cartons, expansion may occur at various points of the cartons. Also, during film stretching, high holding forces from the stretched film are exerted at the corners on the carton, which causes the corners to deform and the carton to subsequently collapse easily.

Based on the prior art, there are various different designs of cartons aimed at improving the strength and durability of the cartons. For example, U.S. patent No. 3368736 discloses a corner reinforcing structure for a carton that protects the corners by attaching pairs of rigid panels at the corners of the carton. The carton includes a generally polygonal bottom, a plurality of upstanding sides extending from the bottom, and a headspace above the bottom. However, even if the carton uses additional carton material to reinforce the corners with costly compensation, the carton is still susceptible to bulging.

Us patent 5562227 discloses a packaging container or box having an anti-swelling function. The box, as a housing, has a quadrangular structure. The inner cylinder of the octagonal structure is arranged in the shell and is integrated with the shell into a whole. The expansion of the cartridge is resisted by pulling the sidewalls of the cartridge inwardly by opening in the inner barrel for the opposite expansion of the inclined surface of the inner barrel. However, with such an arrangement, additional carton material is required and the production costs are higher. Likewise, the corners are still relatively weak.

In response to the deficiencies of the prior art, it is desirable to create an improved carton having enhanced strength and durability to prevent expansion and collapse of the carton.

The present invention provides a solution to these problems.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton for packaging an air conditioning outdoor unit having improved strength and durability.

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the cost of materials to produce the carton while improving the strength and durability of the carton.

Also, it is another object of the present invention to prevent bulging on the carton and maintain its appearance throughout storage and shipping.

At least one of the foregoing aspects is met, in whole or in part, by the present invention, where embodiments of the invention describe a carton, which includes a central sleeve; a top cover; and a bottom tray, the central sleeve having two pairs of parallel sides connected by four chamfers forming an irregular octagonal configuration, two opposing sides of the central sleeve each having a tab at their edge to engage a groove on an inner surface of the bottom tray.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base tray has a rectangular base.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the angle of the chamfer is 45 °.

Additionally, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner surface of the sub-tray is provided with a shock absorbing material. Preferably, the shock absorbing material is shaped in a manner to maintain the octagonal configuration and to receive the tabs of the central sleeve. More preferably, the horizontal clearance between the cushioning material and the tab is less than 11 mm.

Preferred embodiments of the invention include the novel features and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims; it will be understood that various changes in the details may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Drawings

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration when considered in connection with the following description. The invention, its construction and operation, together with many of its advantages, are readily understood and appreciated.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the carton.

Fig. 2 is an exploded side view of the carton.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the carton.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of portion a of the carton depicted in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a front view of the carton.

Fig. 6 is a detailed view of portion B of the carton depicted in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a top view of a central sleeve of the carton.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the bottom tray of the carton.

Fig. 9 is a detailed view of portion C of the shock absorbing material of the sub-tray depicted in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the top cover of the carton.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention is described according to preferred embodiments thereof and by referring to the accompanying description and drawings. It is understood, however, that the description is limited to the preferred embodiment of the invention and the drawings are merely for facilitating the discussion of the invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

The invention discloses a carton, comprising: a center sleeve 2; a top cover 1; and a bottom tray 3, said central sleeve 2 having two pairs of parallel sides connected by four chamfers 21 forming an irregular octagonal structure, each of the two opposite sides of said central sleeve 2 having a tab 22 at their edge to engage a groove (not shown) on the inner surface of said bottom tray 3.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carton is generally formed from three part articles, which are a central sleeve 2, a top cover 1 and a bottom tray 3. The central sleeve 2 is clamped between the top cover 1 and the bottom layer tray 3 to form a carton or box for packaging. Preferably, the central sleeve 2 is formed from a single piece (plate) of material that is folded and joined at its two ends to form a plurality of side walls. More preferably, as shown in fig. 7, the central sleeve 2 comprises two pairs of parallel sides connected by four chamfers 21 forming an irregular octagonal structure.

Although not shown in any of the figures, the two ends of the single piece of material may be joined by any fastening means such as, but not limited to, an adhesive, a stapler, or a suture. Without limiting the scope of the invention, the center sleeve 2 may alternatively be formed of two or more layers of wall to provide a stiffer and stronger structure. However, this increases the production cost, and is not particularly preferred. By providing four chamfers 21, the ability of the carton to withstand stacking loads can be increased and thus a stronger carton is obtained.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, one pair of parallel sides has a shorter length than the other pair of parallel sides. Typically, the central sleeve 2 has a rectangular configuration with four chamfers 21, also referred to as the irregular octagonal configuration described previously. Preferably, as shown in figures 1, 5 and 6, each of the two opposite sides of the central sleeve 2 has a tab 22 projecting from their bottom edge to engage a slot (not shown) on the inner surface of the underlying tray 3. More preferably, two opposing sides refer to a longer pair of parallel sides.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, tabs 22 project from the bottom edges of the opposite sides. Preferably, the tabs 22 are generally rectangular and each has a tab 23 extending from a bottom edge of the tab 22, wherein the tabs 23 are configured to engage with a slot on the inner surface of the underlying tray. The slot prevents the central sleeve 2 from moving and also serves as a positional guide for the carton sleeve 2 relative to the underlying tray 3. It should be noted that the location, shape and size of the tab 22 and flap 23 may vary depending on the different packaging requirements for the various articles.

As described in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom tray 3 has a generally rectangular base with an inner surface formed in a manner that maintains an octagonal configuration and receives the tabs 22 of the center sleeve 2. The base tray 3 also serves as a platform for the articles to be packaged. To protect the articles, a shock absorbing material 31 is preferably provided on the inner surface of the sub-tray 3. It should be noted that the size and configuration of cushioning material 31 may vary depending on the packaging requirements of various articles, such as air conditioning outdoor units.

Preferably, the shock absorbing material 31 is integrated with the base tray 3 as a one-piece article. This may be accomplished by casting the bottom tray 3 with the shock absorbing material 31, or attaching the shock absorbing material to the bottom tray 3 using any attachment means such as an adhesive. As illustrated in fig. 10, the top cover 1 is preferably rectangular with an inner surface shaped in such a way as to maintain an octagonal configuration. Optionally and preferably, a shock absorbing material 11, of similar or different construction to the shock absorbing material 31 of the bottom tray 3, is provided on the inner surface of the top cover 1 for enhanced protection of the article. Likewise, the shock absorbing material 11 may be integrated with the top cover 1.

As shown in fig. 8 and 10, it is more preferred that each of the inner surfaces of the top cover 1 and the bottom tray 3 include two pieces of cushioning

material

11, 31, each spanning one side of the cover 1 and the tray 3 and dividing the cover 1 and the tray 3 into three unequal portions with the unprotected portion sandwiched between the two protected portions. As shown in fig. 9, each of the two corners of each block (shock absorbing material) 11, 13 has three arcs, and the three arcs are connected to form a reentrant angle 32. Each of the reentrant corners 32 corresponds to a corner of the lid 1 and tray 3. The reentrant corners 32 maintain the octagonal configuration by acting as a positional guide for the chamfer 21.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the angle of the chamfer 21 of the central sleeve 2 is 45 °. Therefore, the two corners of the

damper materials

11, 31, other than the aforementioned reentrant corners 32, can be any shape as long as they can support (maintain) the shape of the chamfer 21. For example, both corners of the shock absorbing material 31 may be chamfered at a similar angle to the chamfer 21 of the center sleeve 2. However, the reentrant corners 32 are preferred for easier assembly. Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the shock-absorbing

material

11, 31 may be made of polystyrene or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS).

When assembled, the carton sleeve 2 fits around the inner periphery of the bottom tray 3 with its bottom edge resting on top of the cushioning material 31. The tab 22 extends between two pieces of cushioning material 31 with its tab 23 fitting into a slot (not shown) on the inner surface of the bottom tray 3. It should be noted that the bottom edge of the tab 22 does not contact the inner surface of the bottom tray 3 to prevent unwanted forces from acting on the tab 22 and causing deformation of the tab 22 when the cartons are stacked. A gap 4 may be provided between the side edge of the tongue 22 and the two pieces of cushioning material 31. However, the gap 4 should be less than 11mm to make it easier to fit the center sleeve 2 to the underlying tray 3. Thus, the top cap 1 can be placed on top of the central sleeve 2 to form a carton.

By forming the chamfer 21 and the tab 22, carton strength can be improved without the need for higher cost materials to compensate. The present carton is capable of withstanding approximately 16% higher stacking loads than conventional cartons, and therefore, expansion on the central sleeve can be eliminated.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A carton, comprising:

a central sleeve (2);

a top cover (1);

a bottom layer tray (3),

a shock absorbing material (31), the shock absorbing material (31) being disposed on an inner surface of the base tray (3) and having corners corresponding to corners of the base tray (3), each corner of the shock absorbing material (31) having a portion as a reentrant corner (32) and another portion as a non-reentrant corner having a surface for disposing the reentrant corner (32) thereon and the non-reentrant corner being disposed on the base tray (3);

characterized in that the central sleeve (2) has two pairs of parallel sides connected by four chamfers (21) forming an irregular octagonal structure, the two opposite sides of the central sleeve (2) each having a tab (22) at their edges, wherein the tabs (22) have a tab (23) extending from their bottom edge to engage with a slot on the inner surface of the bottom layer tray (3) without the bottom edge of the tabs (22) contacting the inner surface of the bottom layer tray (3) such that a gap is left between the bottom edge of the tabs (22) and the inner surface of the bottom layer tray (3); the shock absorbing material (31) is configured in a manner to matingly receive the tongue (22) when the tongue (22) is engaged to the groove of the bottom tray (3), wherein the reentrant corner (32) is comprised of an arc of a connection comprising two outwardly protruding portions and one inwardly protruding portion between the two outwardly protruding portions, such that the reentrant corner (32) maintains an octagonal configuration by acting as a positional guide for the chamfer (21).

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said bottom tray (3) has a rectangular base.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the angle of the chamfer (21) is 45 °.

4. A carton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the horizontal clearance (4) between the cushioning material (31) and the tongue (22) is less than 11 mm.