CN111278739A

CN111278739A - Storage and transport case

Info

Publication number: CN111278739A
Application number: CN201880069260.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·M·洛佩兹
Original assignee: Embalajes Capsa SL
Current assignee: Embalajes Capsa SL
Priority date: 2017-09-11
Filing date: 2018-09-07
Publication date: 2020-06-12
Also published as: EP3453634A1; CA3075437A1; WO2019048591A1; US20200207506A1; JP2020533247A; EP3681807A1; AU2018327670A1

Abstract

A box formed from a sheet of corrugated material defining a plurality of channels parallel to one another, the box comprising: a lid (10), the lid (10) comprising two inner flaps (2) and two outer flaps (3), two of said flaps of the lid (10) being engageable with each other; a bottom (11); and four side walls (12, 13), wherein the channels of corrugated material are vertical or inclined in the use position of the box; wherein the bottom (11) comprises two inner flaps (4) and two outer flaps (5), two of said flaps of the bottom (11) being engageable with each other. It gives the box high compressive strength on all sides.

Description

Storage and transport case

Technical Field

The invention relates to a storage and transport case with high compressive strength on all sides.

Background

There are known cases for storing and/or transporting objects. These boxes are typically made of cardboard and include a hinged lid. The lid is typically formed of four flaps (two upper flaps and two lower flaps).

These known storage bins are usually formed from a sheet provided with several folding lines, so that the boxes are obtained by the installation process and are ready for use.

For stackable storage and shipping boxes, corrugated cardboard is typically used to reinforce them. However, such corrugated cardboard does not effectively enhance the crush resistance of all sides of the box.

Examples of boxes formed from sheet material and provided with a hinged lid are disclosed in WO2008139420a1 and WO2012160543a1 (the holders of which are the same as the present application).

WO2008139420a1 discloses a storage and transport case whose lid comprises inner and outer flaps which can be engaged with each other.

The box disclosed in this document comprises a bottom formed by four parts joined together, which allow automatic folding and unfolding of the bottom when the box is folded or unfolded, but which does not provide resistance to lateral compression in all directions due to this configuration of the bottom of the box.

WO2012160543a1 discloses a storage and transport and shipping box comprising a first pair of flaps whose ends substantially touch or overlap each other and a second pair of flaps engageable with each other. The first flap and the second flap may be used as the inner flap depending on their use. Thus, if the box is used for storage, the first flap is an inner flap and the box is closed by the coupling of the second flap, and if the box is used for shipping, the second engageable flap is an inner flap and the box is closed using an additional closing element, such as adhesive tape on said first flap.

In this document, the bottom of the box is not disclosed, and therefore it may be a conventional bottom which does not provide lateral compression resistance precisely in the area around said bottom.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an enhanced storage and shipping box in which all sides of the box (i.e., the lid, bottom and four side walls) are enhanced and have greater resistance to compression than conventional boxes.

Disclosure of Invention

With the storage and shipping box of the present invention, the above-mentioned disadvantages are solved, providing other advantages as will be described below.

The storage and transport box according to the invention is formed from a sheet of corrugated material defining a plurality of channels parallel to each other, the box comprising:

-a lid on an upper surface comprising two inner flaps and two outer flaps, wherein two of the flaps are engageable with each other;

-a bottom on the lower surface; and

-four side walls, wherein the channels of corrugated material are vertical or inclined in the use position of the box;

wherein the bottom comprises two inner flaps and two outer flaps, two of the flaps of the bottom being engageable with each other.

It has to be noted that the inner flap is completely or almost completely covered by the outer flap in its position of use. This means that the cover and/or the base have twice the thickness of the corrugated material in substantially the entire surface of the cover and/or the base.

Preferably, the engageable flaps are inner flaps of the base and/or lid, but they may also be outer flaps.

To enable the engagement of the inner or outer flaps of the lid, the fold lines separating the lid from the side walls may be aligned with each other.

Also, the fold lines separating the bottom and side walls may be aligned with each other in order to enable the engagement of the inner or outer flaps of the bottom.

It should be noted that in the present description and claims, "channels" should be understood to mean channels of corrugated material (e.g. corrugated cardboard or plastic) and which extend from the lid to the bottom, and which are preferably orthogonal to the lid and the bottom, although in some cases they may extend between the lid and the bottom forming an oblique angle therewith. In addition, it should also be noted that since the box is formed from a single sheet, this arrangement of channels in the side walls also determines the arrangement of channels in the lid and base.

Preferably, the coupling of the lid and/or bottom flap is performed by one or more slots connected to the flap edge, which slots are open at one end in the edge region and closed at the other end to the inside of the flap. Thus, the flaps are partially interleaved with each other by the one or more slots in each flap.

In some preferred embodiments, the closed inner ends of the opposable flaps are configured to substantially contact one another in the closed position. In this way, the lateral and vertical compression of the box as a whole can be increased. The one or more flutes are preferably parallel with respect to the channels of the corrugated material or diagonal with respect to the channels of the corrugated material.

Advantageously, in some embodiments of the invention, the outer lid and/or the bottom flap overlap each other. In other embodiments, the edges of the flaps face each other in their closed position.

Thanks to this feature, all the faces of the box (i.e. the lid, the bottom and the side walls) are very strong, regardless of the position in which the box is transported.

In addition, since the internally engageable flaps provide greater resistance in the central portion, it allows the use of a minimum cardboard reinforcement structure, thereby avoiding access to the interior of the box.

On the other hand, closure of the outer flap does not damage the engageable inner flap but is reusable.

Another advantage obtained with the box of the invention is that the bottom is more resistant to the weight of the contents, since the engageable inner flaps define a central area with twice the thickness.

Since the box is formed from a single sheet, the channels of the corrugated material of the inner flaps are substantially perpendicular to the channels of the corrugated material of the outer flaps at the lid and bottom.

On the other hand, due to the vertical or diagonal arrangement of the channels of the corrugated material, the side walls may provide resistance to vertical compression when several boxes are stacked together. In addition, since the engageable inner flap is substantially prevented from lateral compression, and the edge of the inner flap also contacts the inside of the sidewall from which the outer flap extends, the sidewall also exhibits resistance to lateral pressure.

In addition, the presence of the double thickness of corrugated material in the lid and bottom allows the use of a cutting element to open the box without damaging the product inside the box when the outer flap is closed by the adhesive tape.

Another advantage of having engageable internal flaps in the lid and base is that, unlike conventional boxes (in which the internal tabs are spaced apart from each other), the interior of the box cannot be improperly accessed prior to opening the box.

Another advantage of the box according to the invention is that the flaps forming the lid and the bottom do not move inside the box when they are closed or mounted in their position of use, which means that the box can be closed at its lid and bottom when it is full.

According to a preferred embodiment, the inner lid flap and/or the inner bottom flap comprises at least one coupling slot defining at least two tabs. In addition, to facilitate coupling, one of the tabs is longer than the other tab. In some preferred embodiments, the engageable bottom and lid flaps contain 2, 3, and 4 engagement slots that define 3, 4, and 5 tabs, respectively, at least one of which has a length greater than the remaining tabs to make the coupling easier and more secure. The inclusion of two or more coupling slots is of particular interest in cases for storing or transporting elements of significant length (e.g., skis, golf clubs, rackets, lights, curtains, etc.), as multiple slots allow distribution along the entire length of the case and reinforce the locking mechanism.

In some embodiments, the longer tab will extend substantially beyond the intermediate closure line in the closed configuration to enhance the coupling and locking mechanism and to enhance the compressive strength on the bottom or lid by the double layer. In those embodiments where they include multiple slots and tabs, the tabs of greater or lesser length preferably alternate sequentially along the edge to facilitate and enhance the coupling mechanism simultaneously.

In some cases, the inner flap of the base and/or lid is connected with the outer flap of the base and/or lid by means of a joining section. For example, the bonded portion is triangular and defines a fold line in the inner flap.

According to a preferred embodiment, the triangles defined by each binding part are right-angled triangles, the sides of which are equal.

In addition, in some embodiments, the outer flap of the lid and/or bottom of the box preferably comprises a closure member, for example, double-sided tape and/or glue, or a tab in the outer flap that is introduced into a complementary housing in the inner flap. In some embodiments of the invention, said closure element by means of a projection and slot or a complementary housing also serves as an engagement element in the engageable flap.

In some embodiments of the storage and shipping box according to the present invention, the outer flap may include at least one tearable strip for facilitating opening of the box.

To facilitate handling, some embodiments of storage and shipping boxes according to the present invention include two handle-like apertures on two opposing sides.

Drawings

In order to better understand what has been disclosed, some embodiments of the invention are shown in some of the figures, purely schematically and by way of non-limiting example.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet forming a box according to the invention according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a case according to the present invention according to the first embodiment, with the lid and bottom open;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a case according to the invention according to the first embodiment, with the lid open and the bottom semi-closed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a case according to the invention with the lid open and the bottom closed according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a case according to the invention according to the first embodiment, with the lid semi-closed and the bottom closed;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a case according to the invention according to the first embodiment, with the lid and bottom closed;

figures 7 to 15 are perspective views of sheets forming a plurality of boxes according to the invention according to different embodiments;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a case according to the present invention, which in one embodiment includes a tearable strip and a closure member in the lid, the lid being semi-enclosed;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a case according to the present invention, which in this embodiment includes a tearable strip and a closure member in a lid, the lid being closed and the strip being partially torn;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a box according to the present invention, in this embodiment, the inner and outer flaps are engageable;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a box according to the present invention with the corrugated material channels shown as vertical in the side walls of the box;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a box according to the present invention in which the corrugated material channels are shown as being sloped in the side walls of the box;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the coupling between the inner and outer flaps of the bottom or lid;

fig. 22 is a plan view of an engageable flap including two slots and three tabs.

Detailed Description

It is indicated first that the box according to the invention is formed from a single sheet of corrugated material, preferably corrugated cardboard, which defines a plurality of channels substantially parallel to each other.

The box of the invention may be used for storage and/or transport of products, i.e. it requires strength properties to prevent the products from being damaged during use of the box, which is also stackable.

A first embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown in figures 1 to 6.

According to this first embodiment, the box is formed from a corrugated cardboard sheet 1, which corrugated cardboard sheet 1 defines, in its mounted position, a lid 10, a bottom 11 and four

side walls

12, 13.

The lid 10 is formed of two pairs of flaps (inner 2 and outer 3 flaps) with the inner 2 and outer 3 flaps hingedly extending from

opposite side walls

12, 13 respectively.

The bottom 11 is also formed by two pairs of flaps (inner flap 4 and outer flap 5), the inner flap 4 and outer flap 5 also extending hingedly from

opposite side walls

12, 13, respectively.

According to the embodiment shown, said

inner flaps

2, 4 of the lid 10 and the bottom 11 are engageable with each other, i.e. they comprise at least one slot 7 defining at least two

tabs

8, 9, the at least two

tabs

8, 9 overlapping each other in the assembled position. In order to facilitate the coupling, making it more stable in compression and at the same time in the closed position, one of the

tabs

8, 9 may be longer than the other, as can be seen in the figures.

It should be noted, however, that such engageable flaps may also be the

outer flaps

3, 5 of the bottom 11 and/or the lid 10.

To enable the engagement of the inner or outer flaps of lid 10, the fold lines separating lid 10 from

side walls

12, 13 may be aligned with each other.

Likewise, the fold lines separating the bottom 11 from the

side walls

12, 13 may be aligned with one another in order to enable the engagement of the inner or outer flaps of the bottom 11.

The inner flaps 4 of the bottom 11 define a substantially flat surface in their closed position.

In some embodiments, the

inner flaps

2, 4 are not attached to the

outer flaps

3, 5, i.e. in the lid 10 and the bottom 11 they are only attached to the corresponding side walls 12, although in other cases they are joined by joining portions 14.

In the embodiment shown, the inner flap 4 of the bottom 11 is attached to the outer flap 5 by said joining section 14, and the inner flap 2 of the lid 10 may also be attached to the outer flap 3 of the lid 10, although not shown in the figures.

Furthermore, the inner and outer flaps 5 of the bottom 11 may be free of said engaging portions 14, as shown in the figure for the lid 10.

The joining portions 14 are preferably triangular, in particular defining right-angled triangles, the sides of which are equal.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the two opposite side walls 13 comprise handle-like apertures 15 to facilitate handling of the case.

In its position of use, the channels of corrugated material are vertical in the

side walls

12, 13, or such channels may be diagonally inclined. Furthermore, since the box is formed from a single sheet, this means that the passage of corrugated material in the

flaps

2, 4 of the lid 10 and base 11 is substantially perpendicular to the passage of corrugated material in the

flaps

3, 5 of the lid 10 and base 11, which reinforces them.

Next, a procedure of installation of the box according to the present invention will be described.

First, the securing tab 16 is attached to the opposite side wall 13 in the box making apparatus itself. In this configuration, the box in its disassembled position is completely flat, so that the transport space it occupies is reduced before filling it with product.

When it is desired to use the case, it is placed in the position shown in fig. 2 with its lid 10 and its bottom 11 open. The closing of the lid 10 and the bottom 11 may be performed in any order, although the closing of the bottom 11 is first shown in the figures.

To this end, as shown in fig. 3, the foldable inner flap 4 is first folded towards the inside of the box.

According to this embodiment, since the outer flap 5 is attached to the inner flap 4 by the bonding portion 14, such folding of the inner flap 4 will also cause folding of the outer flap 5.

During folding of the inner flap 4, they engage each other through the slot 7, the

tabs

8, 9 overlapping each other. It should be noted that the

tabs

8, 9 are dimensioned so as to allow the flaps 4 to be closed without the use of additional closing elements.

To close the bottom 11, according to the embodiment shown, additional closing elements are used for the outer flaps 5, such as adhesive tape or staples. To this end, the outer flap 5 has, in its closed position, its opposite ends substantially in contact with each other (possibly with a slight separation, separation or complete or partial overlap) so that the additional closing element can be positioned.

The closing of the lid 10 is performed similarly, first folding the inner flaps 2, which engage each other in the same way, and then folding the outer flaps 3 to close them with additional closing elements (for example adhesive tape or staples).

As in the case of the outer flap 5 of the bottom 11, the outer flap 3 of the lid 10 also has, in its closed position, its opposite ends substantially in contact with each other (possibly with a slight clearance, or completely or partially overlapping) so that the additional closing element can be placed.

As described above, the box according to the present invention provides a reinforced box having high strength in the lid, the bottom and the side walls to resist an external force toward the inside of the box.

In fig. 7 to 15, different embodiments of a case according to the invention are shown.

For simplicity and clarity, the same reference numerals are used to identify the same components of the case in all embodiments. In addition, for the sake of simplicity, only the differences from the previously disclosed first embodiment are described.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the difference from the first embodiment is the presence of a closure element 17 in the outer flap 3 of the lid 10. The closure element 17 is double-sided adhesive tape or glue, or any other suitable element, such as a protrusion on the outer flap, which is introduced into the housing complementary to the inner flap.

In this embodiment, to facilitate opening, the outer flap 3 also comprises a tearable strip 6, which tearable strip 6 may be formed by a precut strip in the flap itself or by an additional strip of, for example, plastic.

As can be seen in fig. 7, in this embodiment the outer flaps 3 of the lid 10 are slightly longer than in the previous embodiment, so that they overlap each other, in which case they partially overlap, although they may overlap completely.

As can be seen in fig. 16, the assembly of the case in this embodiment is the same as previously described. The difference is that when the box is closed it is performed by said closure element 17 and when the box is opened, this is performed by said tearable strip 6, as can be seen in fig. 17.

It should be noted, however, that even if a tearable strip 6 is used, the outer flap 3 of the lid 10 can be resealed by an additional closing element (such as adhesive tape or staples) after the first opening.

In fig. 8, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of fig. 7, the only difference being that the closure element 17 and the tearable strip 6 are also present in the outer flap 5 of the bottom 11.

Assembly, closing and opening are the same as in the previous embodiment.

In fig. 9, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the first embodiment described before is that there is also a joint 14 between the inner and

outer flaps

2, 3 of the lid 10, which functions as the joint described before.

In fig. 10, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the above described embodiment is the presence of the closure element 17 and the tearable strip 6 in the outer flap 3 of the lid 10.

In fig. 11, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the previous embodiment is that the closure element 17 and the tearable strip 6 are also present in the outer flap 5 of the bottom 11.

In fig. 12, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the first embodiment described before is that there is no joint 14 in the bottom 11, the inner and

outer flaps

4, 5 of the bottom 11 being identical to the inner and

outer flaps

2, 3 of the lid 10.

In fig. 13, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the above described embodiment is the presence of the closure element 17 and the tearable strip 6 in the outer flap 3 of the lid 10.

In fig. 14, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. The difference with respect to the previous embodiment is that the closure element 17 and the tearable strip 6 are also present in the outer flap 5 of the bottom 11.

In fig. 15, a further embodiment of a case according to the invention is shown. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of fig. 12, except that the

outer flaps

3, 5 of the lid 10 and the bottom 11 are also engageable, i.e. they comprise at least one slot 7 defining a pair of

tabs

8, 9, just like the

inner flaps

2, 4.

In this case, it is not necessary to use closure elements in the outer flaps themselves or additional closure elements, since the

outer flaps

3, 5 can also close themselves due to the size of the

tabs

8, 9. The partial closure of the box of this embodiment is shown in more detail in fig. 18, where it can be seen that the inner flap 2 of the lid 10 is in its closed position, while the outer flap 3 is open.

In fig. 19 and 20, two boxes according to the invention are shown with different parts of the side walls and lid cut away to show the channels of the corrugated material.

In figure 19, in the position of use, the channel is vertical in the side wall, whereas in figure 20, in the position of use, the channel is inclined in the side wall.

Fig. 21 shows an embodiment of the engagement system between the inner flap 2 and the outer flap 3, comprising at least one tab 8 on the outer flap 3, which tab 8 is received in a slot 7 complementary to the inner flap 2.

It should be noted that the coupling system may be used in the lid 10 and/or bottom 11 of a case, and although two tabs 8 and two slots 7 are shown in this figure, the engagement may also be accomplished with a single tab 8 or more than two tabs 8.

Fig. 22 shows an embodiment of an engageable flap comprising two slots 7 and three

tabs

8, 9, which may replace any of the above-described engageable flaps of the lid 10 and/or the bottom 11.

Although reference has been made to several particular embodiments of the invention, it is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the storage and transport box described is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications, all the details mentioned may be substituted by other technically equivalent ones. The features described in the different embodiments may be combined with each other without departing from the scope of protection defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A storage and shipping box formed from a sheet of corrugated material defining a plurality of channels parallel to one another, the box comprising:

-a lid (10) comprising two inner flaps (2) and two outer flaps (3), two of said flaps of said lid (10) being engageable with each other;

-a bottom (11); and

-four side walls (12, 13), wherein the channels of the corrugated material are vertical or inclined in the use position of the tank;

characterized in that the bottom (11) comprises two inner flaps (4) and two outer flaps (5), two of the flaps of the bottom (11) being engageable with each other.

2. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said flaps engaged are said inner flaps (2, 4) of said lid (10) and/or said bottom (11).

3. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said outer flaps (3, 5) of said lid (10) and/or said bottom (11) are overlapping each other or their edges are facing in their closed position.

4. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said inner flap (2) of said lid (10) and/or said inner flap (4) of said bottom (11) comprises at least one engagement slot (7), said engagement slot (7) defining at least two tabs (8, 9).

5. Storage and shipping box according to claim 4, wherein one of said tabs (8) is longer than the other tab (9).

6. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said inner flaps (2, 4) of said bottom (11) and/or said lid (10) are connected with said outer flaps (3, 5) of said bottom (11) and/or said lid (10) by means of a joining portion (14).

7. A storage and shipping box according to claim 6, wherein said joining portion (14) is triangular and defines a fold line in said inner flaps (2, 4).

8. A storage and shipping box according to claim 7, wherein said triangle defined by each joining portion (14) is a right-angled triangle, with equal side lengths.

9. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said outer flaps (3, 5) of said lid (10) and/or said bottom (11) comprise closing elements (17).

10. Storage and shipping box according to claim 9, wherein said closing element (17) is a double-sided tape and/or glue, or a protrusion on said outer flap, which is introduced into a housing complementary to said inner flap.

11. Storage and shipping box according to claim 8, wherein said outer flaps (3, 5) of said lid (10) and/or said bottom (11) comprise at least one tearable strip (6).

12. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, comprising two handle-like holes (15) on two opposite sides (13).

13. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1, wherein said outer flaps (3, 5) of said bottom (10) and/or said lid (11) are engageable with each other.

14. Storage and shipping box according to claim 13, wherein said outer flap (3) of said lid (10) and/or said outer flap (5) of said bottom (11) comprises at least one engagement slot (7), said engagement slot (7) defining at least two tabs (8, 9).

15. Storage and shipping box according to claim 14, wherein one of said tabs (8) is longer than the other tab (9).

16. Storage and shipping box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaged flap is the inner flap (4) of the bottom (11).

17. Storage and shipping box according to claim 4 or 14, wherein said at least one engagement slot (7) is connected to an edge of said flap (2, 3, 4, 5), said slot (7) having one end open in said edge of said flap (2, 3, 4, 5) and the other end closed to the inside of said flap (2, 3, 4, 5).

18. Storage and shipping box according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner flap (4) of the bottom (11) is completely or almost completely covered by the outer flap (5) of the bottom (11) in its position of use.

19. A storage and shipping box according to claim 18, wherein said bottom (11) has a double thickness of corrugated material over substantially the entire surface of said bottom (11).