EP0323354B1 - Package for packaging at least one object under a retractable plastic film - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a packaging for packaging in shrinkable plastic film of at least one object, of the type comprising a packaging body of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard and a film of a shrinkable plastic material. , which is integral with said packaging body and holds the object or objects therein by enclosing them, after retraction of said film.

Such packaging arouses great interest among users, because it allows the grouping, within the same packaging body, of objects or batches of objects of different volumes, less than the internal volume of the packaging body, which are held firmly in position against the inner face of the bottom thereof.

Many variants of such packages have been proposed.

It has thus been suggested to glue two sheets of shrinkable plastic material against two opposite side walls of the packaging body, inside or outside of these walls, and to fold these sheets against the packaged objects, to bring them together them during the retraction operation. These packages are however of impractical use, due to the use of two plastic sheets, which complicate the operations of setting up the volume of the packaging body, generally delivered flat to the users, and the packaging operations. .

To remedy this drawback, the Applicant has proposed, in its French patent No. 2,506,722, to glue a single sheet of plastic material against the internal faces of the bottom and of two opposite side walls of the packaging body.

This sheet of plastic material, however, may come off the body of the packaging during handling operations and under the shocks suffered, when the full packaging is moved, especially if the packaged items are heavy. The Applicant has therefore proposed, in its French patent No. 2,567,101, to subject the plastic sheet to the packaging body, when the latter is constituted by a so-called American box, by pinching this plastic sheet between the internal flaps and the external flaps which constitute the bottom, these flaps also called "flaps" being adjacent, respectively, to two sets of parallel side walls.

In the same patent, the Applicant also proposes an original method for placing the plastic sheet between the bottom flaps, but this process is relatively costly for the user, since the plastic film cannot be rendered secured to the packaging body only during the setting up of the American box.

The present invention aims to remedy this drawback by proposing a packaging of the type defined above, other than an American box, in which a single film of shrinkable plastic material is pinched between parts of the bottom of the packaging body at the assembled state, thus ensuring, after retraction, excellent retention in position of the packaged objects, while making it possible to deliver the packaging flat to the user, with the plastic film glued against the packaging body, thus avoiding the use of expensive materials for its installation, when this packaging body is placed in volume.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a packaging from a single blank for the packaging of at least one object, of the type comprising a packaging body made of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard. , and an uninterrupted film of a shrinkable plastic, which is integral with said body and is intended, after retraction, to hold said object in position therein, said packaging body comprising a rectangular or square external bottom, constituted by a single panel attached by a fold line to two first parallel walls, the shrinkable plastic film extending on the bottom and on said first walls parallel to two second parallel walls or to flaps internally lining these second walls, this packaging being characterized by that said film is laminated against the internal face of the bottom and locked in the glued position by pinching between the bottom and flaps which internally double this bottom and are adjoined by fold lines to said second walls or to flaps internally lining these second walls .

In such packaging, the shrink film is therefore held in position, on the one hand, by gluing against the bottom, on the other hand, by the flaps which internally double this bottom and on which the conditioned objects rest. This obtains a locking in position of this film and of the objects which it encloses, which allows it not to move in the event of impacts or violent movements of the packaging during handling, even if the object or objects packaged are of a large mass and / or a volume much less than the internal volume of the packaging.

It will also be possible to deliver the unassembled packaging to users, in the form of a single flat blank of semi-rigid material pre-cut and pressed, with the shrink film glued against the bottom, users can then volume them -Even these packaging, by usual methods and equipment, without having to use special and expensive devices for the installation of the plastic film.

As will be seen below, in the detailed description of certain forms of implementation of the invention, the packaging body may be of a type known per se, which will further facilitate its setting in volume for users .

Advantageously, on the packaging body delivered flat to the users, the plastic film retractable may be made temporarily secured, by glue dots, said first walls adjoining the bottom or flaps extending these walls, to facilitate the volume setting of the packaging body and its filling. The film is then simply detached from these first walls or from these flaps to be folded, at its two ends, onto the conditioned objects, before proceeding to the retraction phase.

As will be seen in the detailed description which follows of various embodiments of the invention, the shrinkable plastic film may extend laterally or not on the second walls or on the flaps which line these walls.

• La figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un premier emballage conforme à l'invention;
• La figure 2 est une vue en plan du flan pré-découpé et refoulé dont est issu cet emballage, avec le film de matière plastique rétractable collé contre le fond;
• Les figures 3 et 4 sont des vues analogues, respectivement, aux figures 1 et 2, d'un second emballage conforme à l'invention;
• Les figures 5 et 6, sont des vues analogues aux figures 1 et 2, d'un troisième emballage conforme à l'invention.

The accompanying drawings show three embodiments of a package according to the invention. In these drawings:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first package according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of the pre-cut and repressed blank from which comes this packaging, with the shrinkable plastic film glued against the bottom;
• Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2, respectively, of a second package according to the invention;
• Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2, of a third package according to the invention.

Figure 7 is a view of a blank for producing a fourth package according to the invention.

The packaging shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a packaging body of a known type, of generally parallelepipedal shape, comprising a bottom 1, to which are adjoined by fold lines or upsets of the longitudinal walls or first walls 2 and 3.

The transverse walls 4 adjoin the ends of the longitudinal wall (second walls) 2. At their base, a flap 5, adjoining these walls by a fold line, comes double the bottom in mounted position. At their upper part, a flap 6, articulated by fold lines, is folded inside the packaging in the assembled position to internally double the associated wall 4. A tongue 7 of these flaps 6 is engaged in a cutout 8 of the flap 5 corresponding during assembly.

The longitudinal wall 3 is extended laterally by flaps 9 which, in the assembled position, are engaged between the walls 4 and the flaps 6.

A cover 10 is articulated by a fold line at the upper part of the longitudinal wall 2 and is extended by a panel 11, which, in the closed position, is applied against the external face of the wall 3. This panel 11 is extended laterally by flaps 12 having a curved edge 13, which allows them to be engaged between the flaps 9 and the wall 4 during the closing phase.

According to the invention, a film of shrinkable material 14, which in this case is less than the length of the walls 2 and 3, is laminated against the bottom 1 by lines of glue 15, and s 'extends parallel to the transverse walls 4, without overlapping the flaps 6 internally lining these walls.

It is thus possible to deliver to the user the blank shown in FIG. 2 with the film 15 pre-glued on the bottom, so that the user can proceed himself to the volume of the packaging, in the usual manner for the packaging body, which is of a well known type, without resorting to complex processes or machines.

To facilitate the volume of the packaging body and the packaging of the objects, the film 14 may advantageously be made temporarily attached, on the blank of cardboard, to the first walls 2 and 3 and possibly the cover 10, to using simple dots of glue 16. After mounting the packaging and putting it in place of the objects to be packaged, it will suffice to detach the film 14 from the walls 2 and 3 and from the cover 10 to fold its ends onto the objects and to retract it before closing the packaging.

Figures 3 and 4 show another form of implementation of the invention, different from the previous one, but having very exactly the same advantages.

This packaging also comprises a packaging body of a known type of generally parallelepiped shape, which comprises a bottom 21 adjoining two longitudinal walls or first walls 22 and 23. At the wall 22 are adjoined laterally two flaps 24, intended to form the transverse walls. These are lined internally by two flaps 25 laterally extending the longitudinal wall 23. At the base of these flaps 25 is connected by a fold line a panel 26, of dimension less than or less than half the length of the bottom 21, which internally doubles it in the mounted position.

At the upper part of each of the walls 22 is hinged by a fold line a panel 27, of dimension equal to or greater than half that of the bottom 1 and intended to form a closure element of the packaging body at the upper part of it.

The external walls or second walls 24, on the one hand, and the flaps 25 which double them internally, on the other hand, are joined by bellows 20 to the panels 27. In the closed position of the body, the bellows 28 are folded back flat against the internal face of the flaps 25, which they thus maintain applied against the walls 24. The walls 24 and the flaps 25 can, moreover, be made integral by gluing or stapling.

According to the invention, a plastic film 29 is laminated against the bottom 21 by lines of glue 30 and extends parallel to the flaps 25 internally lining the transverse walls 24 without overflowing on these flaps. It is thus possible to deliver to the users the cut and repressed blank, such as shown in Figure 4, with the film 29, and the packaging body can be mounted in the usual way, without expensive special devices, by pinching the part of the film glued on the bottom between it and the flaps 26, with great film fixing security.

It will be noted that the flaps 26 have a cutout 31 in a corner in order to be able to access the film 29, after assembly, and release it if necessary.

As in the packaging described above, glue dots 32 make it possible to temporarily secure, on the starting blank, the film 29 and the panels 27 and / or the first walls 22, 23, to facilitate mounting of the packaging and the placement of the objects to be packaged.

As before, the ends of the film 29 are then detached from the panels 27 and the walls 22 and 23, folded over the objects, and subjected to a shrinking phase. The panels 27 can then be folded down to close the packaging, and joined together by a gummed strip or by gluing in case of overlapping of the panels.

We will now describe the packaging of Figures 5 and 6, in which the shrinkable plastic film is always pinched between the bottom and the flaps lining the bottom inside, but which differs from the previous ones in that said film overflows laterally from the bottom to the walls which are parallel to it.

As in the previous embodiments, the body of this packaging comprises a rectangular external bottom 41, connected to two parallel longitudinal walls or first walls 42 and 43. At the upper part of the wall 42 is hinged a cover 44, capable of being folded down parallel to the bottom for closing the packaging, a tongue 45, provided at the upper part of the wall 43 which engages in this position in a cutout 46 of the cover.

At the two ends of the wall 43 are articulated flaps 47, able to be arranged perpendicular to this wall, to be pinched between panels 48, adjoining the ends of the wall 42 and forming the external transverse wall or second wall of the packaging, and flaps 49, adjoining the upper part of these transverse walls 48 and folded towards the bottom.

At the base of the flaps 48 are hinged flaps 50, which double the bottom 41 inside the packaging body, with a partial overlap of the flaps. Cut-outs 51, formed in these flaps and possibly in the bottom, allow the flaps 49 to be locked in position by engaging a tab 52 of these flaps.

Tabs 54, cut in a portion of the bottom and adjoining the flaps 50, are retracted by folding below these and pinched between them and the bottom in the assembled position of the packaging. The role of these retractable tabs will be explained below.

A film 55 of shrinkable plastic material is laminated against the bottom 41 by lines of glue 56. On the starting blank (FIG. 6), as in the packages described above, the film 55 is temporarily secured to the cover and the walls 42 and 43 by dots of glue 57. The film extends parallel to the transverse walls 40, but has a width greater than the length of the longitudinal walls 42 and 43, so that it extends laterally, on the starting blank, on the transverse walls 40. In the mounted packaging, this film is also pinched not only between the bottom 41 and the flaps 50, but also between the walls 40 and the flaps 47. As can be seen in FIG. 5, along the walls 42 and 43 and on the cover 44, the protruding parts of the film are however folded at 50 on these elements of the packaging body. Cut-outs are provided for this purpose in the flaps 50 lining the bottom, in order to be able to access the film in the corners, to release it, the retractable tabs 54 are intended to facilitate the mounting of the packaging and the positioning of the film 55, on which they slide at the bottom.

Such packaging is intended for packaging objects whose volume is close to the internal volume of packaging. It is, in fact, possible to fold the folded parts 58 of the plastic film, on the side faces of such an object, adjacent to the flaps 49, so that after the retraction phase, the object is thus kept perfectly as follows all of its side faces.

This packaging is however of a relatively complex design, so the Applicant has developed a fourth embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in FIG. 7.

• ― le film de matière plastique rétractable 14′ a une largeur supérieure à la longueur des parois longitudinales 2′ et 3′ et il déborde donc latéralement sur les parois latérales;
• ― sur le fond 1′, le film 14′ présente toutefois un évidement latérale 19′ évitant qu'il ne déborde en dehors du fond et permettant aussi une mise en place aisée des volets 5 doublant le fond;
• ― par ailleurs, les volets 6′, correspondant aux volets 49 et la forme de réalisation de la figure 6, ont la même forme que ceux-ci, c'est-à-dire que leurs arêtes, qui sont en position verticale en position montée, sont échancrées en 18′, afin de pouvoir accéder facilement au film 14′, pour le dégager dans les angles.

This embodiment is relatively close to that of FIG. 2 and, for greater clarity, the members already described with reference to this FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numbers assigned to the index. However, we note the following differences compared to Figure 2:

• - The shrinkable plastic film 14 ′ has a width greater than the length of the longitudinal walls 2 ′ and 3 ′ and therefore it extends laterally on the side walls;
• - On the bottom 1 ′, the film 14 ′ however has a lateral recess 19 ′ preventing it from overflowing outside the bottom and also allowing easy installation of the flaps 5 doubling the bottom;
• - Furthermore, the flaps 6 ', corresponding to the flaps 49 and the embodiment of Figure 6, have the same shape as these, that is to say that their edges, which are in vertical position mounted, are indented at 18 ′, in order to allow easy access to the film 14 ′, to release it in the corners.

This embodiment of the invention, with a film extending laterally, therefore lends itself to assembly as easy as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The invention therefore provides users with packaging that is easy to assemble with conventional means, which can be delivered to them with the shrinkable plastic film integral with the blank from which the packaging body will be derived, and which offers great security of holding the shrink film and, therefore, the packaged objects.

Claims (5)

1. A pack produced from a single blank for packaging at least one article, of the type comprising a pack body of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, and an uninterrupted film of a plastics shrink material (14; 29; 55) which is fixed with respect to said body and which after shrinkage is intended to bold said article in position there, said pack body comprising an external rectangular or square bottom formed by a single panel (1; 21; 41) which by means of a fold line adjoins two parallel first walls (2, 3; 22, 23; 42, 43), the film of plastics shrink material (14; 29; 55) extending over the bottom (1; 21; 41) and over said first walls (2, 3; 22, 23; 42, 43) parallel to two parallel second walls (4; 48) or to flaps (25) which internally line said second walls (24), said pack being characterised in that said film (14; 29; 55) is glued against the internal face of the bottom and locked in the glued position by being gripped between the bottom and flaps (5; 26; 50) which internally line said bottom and which by way of fold lines adjoin said second walls (4; 48) or the flaps (25) which internally line said second walls (24).

2. A pack according to claim 1 characterised in that it is produced from a blank which is previously cut out and opened out, and to which is fixed a film of plastics shrink material (14; 29) which is glued against the portion (1; 21; 41) corresponding to the internal face of the bottom.

3. A pack according to claim 2 characterised in that on said blank said film (14; 29) is temporarily fixed by means of glue points (15; 32) or the like to the first walls (2, 3; 22, 23) adjoining the bottom and/or closure portions of the pack (10, 11; 27) adjoining said first walls.

4. A pack according to one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that said film (55) is of a width which is greater than the distance separating the second walls (48), parallel to which it extends, so as to cover a portion of said second side walls and to be gripped between same and flaps or flap portions (49) which internally line said walls.

5. A pack according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that cut-outs (31; 59) are provided in the flaps (26; 50) which line the bottom in order to permit the film of plastics shrink material (29; 55) which is gripped between said portions of the pack body to be released.

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