EP0081427B1 - Package for fragile, heavy and/or deformable products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging device intended to receive fragile and / or easily deformable products, which have at least one recess. Prior to packaging, these products may or may not be placed on a support which is itself hollowed out. More specifically, the present invention relates to a two-part package, of the type set out in the preamble of claim 1. A package of this kind is described in document US-A-2615564.

The present invention applies in particular to the packaging of wet windings made up of glass strands distributed over a tubular support.

Two-part packaging already exists for the transport of products that can be rolled up on a hollow support. In these packages, said parts are formed from blanks cut from a pliable material; after folding said blanks ,. each part is in the form of a flange provided with a mandrel composed of elements integral with said flange. When the product is packaged, the two mandrels enter the recess of the support for said product.

Such packaging is disclosed by US-A-3,319,866 and US-A-2,615,564.

According to the first of these patents, each part of the packaging is formed by two blanks cut from a foldable material.

Each blank is divided transversely by two fold lines delimiting a central zone and two flaps capable of being folded 180 ° over said zone; each flap is provided, on the edge opposite the fold line, with a tongue which, during folding, enters a cross-shaped opening situated in the middle of the central zone. Thanks to the complementary slots made in the flaps and the tongues, the association of the two blanks makes it possible to form a flange provided with a mandrel composed by the four tongues.

This packaging has two drawbacks: one is that it requires a fairly large area of foldable material, the other that it is ill-suited to transporting products wound on supports having a large-diameter recess; indeed in the latter case, the choice is as follows; increase the width of the tabs and lengthen the branches of the cross while preserving the surface of the flaps and the central area, or else increase the surface of the blanks while retaining its proportions. This results either in reducing the resistance of the flange, or in further increasing the quantity of material necessary for the production of the blank.

The second patent describes a packaging of the same type as the previous one, with the difference that each flange is formed from a single blank, also cut from a foldable material.

This blank is divided transversely by two fold lines which delimit a square central zone and two flaps capable of being folded 180 ° over said zone. The mandrel is formed by two tabs cut in the central area and foldable at 90 °, said tabs being held in place by two flaps, surrounded by two notches located on the edge of the flaps, opposite the fold lines.

If this packaging consumes less pliable material than that described in the first patent, it is nevertheless not very suitable for transporting products wound on supports having a recess of large diameter. In fact, to package such products, it is necessary to increase the width of the tabs, which has the effect of hollowing out the central zone and therefore of reducing the resistance of the flange.

On the other hand, the transport of the product cannot be done in any condition because the resistance to deflection of the tongues is a function of the direction of the force exerted by the product relative to the orientation of the grooves or any other reinforcement unidirectionally reinforcing the material constituting said tabs.

The object of the invention is to remedy these various drawbacks and, to this end, provides a package for transporting fragile, heavy and / or deformable products, keeping them in a horizontal position and avoiding any contact liable to cause their deformation. or their degradation.

The object of the invention is in particular to propose a packaging according to which each flange is formed of a single blank cut out so that the central zone is full or devoid of large cuts and that the elements constituting the mandrel have the same resistance as no matter how the product is laid out.

Essentially, the packaging according to the invention is characterized in that the blank cutting is such that all the elements constituting the mandrel are integral with four flaps surrounding a solid central zone and that the reinforcements of the foldable material are parallel to one of the diagonals of said central area.

• la figure 1 est une vue à l'état plat d'un flan à partir duquel est réalisé l'un des deux flasques identiques servant d'emballage à l'enroulement
• la figure 2 est une vue en plan du flasque monté
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective du même flasque.

The packaging according to the invention is described in detail through an embodiment, with reference to the figures appended to this specification and according to which:

• Figure 1 is a view in the flat state of a blank from which is made one of two identical flanges serving as packaging for the winding
• Figure 2 is a plan view of the mounted flange
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same flange.

One of the two elements constituting the packaging according to the invention is produced from a blank shown in FIG. 1.

This blank, made of corrugated cardboard, has a central zone 10, of square shape, which is extended on each of its sides by rectangular flaps 11, 12, 13 and 14; these components, connected to part 10 by the double fold lines 21, 22, 23 and 24 have a total area substantially equal to twice that of the central zone. The blank is cut in such a way that the cardboard grooves are parallel to the diagonal II of said zone.

In contrast to the fold lines 21 to 24, each flap is provided with a flap which is partially separated from said flap by a first slit over half of its length, and which comprises a second slit, extending the first substantially perpendicularly over half its height. This cut shape defines a flap formed of two parts designated by A and B, according to the reference of the corresponding flap. Part A connects the flap to the flap by a fold line located in the extension of the first slot, while part B is simply connected to part A by a fold line located in the extension of the second slot.

These common characteristics are supplemented by the following particularities: the opposite flaps 11 and 12 are provided with flaps which respectively have slots 15a and 16a perpendicularly cutting the outer edge of said flaps and slots 15b and 16b separating the parts 11B and 12B of said flaps from the corresponding section. The other two flaps 13 and 14 are provided with flaps comprising slots 17a and 18a respectively, which extend, after a return at a right angle, the slots 17b and 18b separating the parts 13B and 14B from the flaps of the corresponding flap. In addition, the flaps 13 and 14 each have three slots (respectively 17c, 17d, 17th and 18c, 18d and 18e) arranged in a star and converging towards the junction point of the slots 17a, 17b and 18a, 18b.

Finally, the zone 10 and the flap 11 can optionally be provided with small parallel cutouts 19 and 20 symmetrical with respect to the fold line 21.

During use, the blank is placed in volume by folding the flaps 11 and 12 at 180 ° on the rear face of the zone 10, and at 90 ° the flaps along the fold lines 21 a and 22a, so that these the latter are perpendicular to zone 10.

The same is done with the flaps 13 and 14 and their flaps, while folding the different parts B at 135 ° on the fold lines 21b, 22b, 23b and 24b to make them penetrate into the different slots; during this folding the slots 15a, 16a, 17a and 18a cooperate together to maintain a star configuration, as shown schematically in Figure 2. The flange thus mounted is shown in Figure 3: it is formed of a triple wall provided with eight fins 11 (A, B); 12 (A, B); 13 (A, B); 14 (A, B); arranged in a star and projecting on the central part of one of its faces. The small cutouts 19 and 20 possibly made in the zone 10 and the flap 11 form an orifice which serves as a grip handle appearing on the face opposite to that carrying the fins.

The packaging of the product to be transported is carried out in a manner known per se, by fitting the fins of a flange into each end of the support of said product.

Thanks to the orientation of the grooves in the blank, the eight fins all have the same resistance to bending and also cooperate to support the product, whatever the position taken by the packaging during its handling and transport.

The invention is particularly applicable to the packaging of windings of continuous glass strands distributed over a cuff serving as a support. When this winding is wet and must retain its humidity, it is preferable to enclose said winding in a flexible envelope made of plastic material, the ends of which are folded back inside the cuff and held by the fins.

The winding thus prepared is placed in a box with large contiguous flaps known as the American box. The gripping of the box, once closed, is facilitated by cut-out handles placed opposite those practiced in the flanges. It is possible to put two windings per case.

The dimensions of the flanges are chosen so that the winding is never in contact with a wall.

The boxes can be placed on a traditional pallet with four entries, for example at the rate of three boxes per level. At each level, the arrangement of the boxes is crossed to improve the stability of the assembly, which is held in place by stretch film or shrunk cover.

The face of the flanges opposite the fins is capable of withstanding impressions and the packaging then becomes an advertising vehicle during the manipulations carried out by the user.

The packaging described above is particularly indicated for the transport of relatively heavy products such as in winding of continuous glass wires, 320 millimeters in diameter and 260 millimeters in length, disposed on a support having a recess of 160 millimeters, l 'together weighing about 30 kilograms.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the packaging example described above and from which other forms and other embodiments can be provided, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. 'invention.

Thus the invention can be applied to the transport of fragile objects provided either with a central recess passing through said objects, or with two cavities located on two opposite faces of said objects.

The section of the recess can be circular, square or rectangular. The dimensions of the flaps and flaps will then be modified in order to form, after folding, a mandrel adapted to the section of the recess or of the cavities.

Claims (7)

1. Packaging in two parts, intended to accommodate products having at least one recess or disposed on a recessed support, each part taking the form of a flat member provided with an arbor which penetrates into the said recess, each of the said parts being obtained from a single blank cut from a foldable material, in particular corrugated cardboard, and provided with unidirectional reinforcements such as channelling and comprising fold lines (21 to 24) defining a central zone (10) and flaps (11 to 14) characterised in that the pattern to which the said blank is cut is such that all the elements [11 (A, B). 12(A, B), 13(A, B), 14(A, B)] constituting the arbor are rigid with four flaps (11 to 14) surrounding the central solid zone (10) and in that the reinforcements for the foldable material are parallel with one of the diagonals (I-I) of the said central zone (10).

2. Packaging according to Claim 1, characterised in that the central zone of the blank, square in shape, is extended on each of its sides by rectangular flaps (11 to 14), the surface of each flap being substantially equal to half that of the central part (10), each flap being in turn extended by a rebate comprising two foldable parts (A, B).

3. Packaging according to Claim 2, characterised in that flaps and rebates comprise slots and in that folding of the blank defines a flat member constituted by a triple wall provided with eight slots [15a, 16a, 17(c, d, e), 18(c, d, e)] disposed in a star shape and carrying eight fins [11 (A, B), 12(A, B), 13(A, B), 14(A, B)] perpendicularly to one of the faces of the said wall.

4. Packaging according to Claim 3, characterised in that the central part (10) and one of the flaps (11) each comprise a cut-out (19, 20) which after folding defines an orifice serving as a gripping means.

5. Application of the packaging according to one of the previous Claims to the transporting of rolls of glass threads disposed on tubular supports.

6. Packaging according to Claim 5, characterised in that the roll is enclosed in a flexible wrapper made from a plastics material, of which the ends are folded back on the inside of the support of the said roll and are maintained against the inner wall of the said support by elements or fins [11 (A, B), 12(A, B), 13(A, B), 14(A, B)] which penetrate the said support.

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