EP0423754B1 - Dispatch and sales container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shipping and sales container which serves to hold goods, in particular bottles. In principle, various types of goods can be packed in the shipping and sales container, in particular those that are sold in bottles made of glass or plastic or in cans. In the context of supplying end users, it is regularly necessary for a product to be transported from the manufacturer to the appropriate sales outlets. Self-service supermarkets, in which the consumer removes the desired goods from the store shelves, are used to supply the population to an ever increasing extent. The shipping and sales containers according to the invention are used primarily for packaging the goods during transport from the manufacturer to the points of sale, and the containers according to the invention can also be used during sales.

Various packaging containers have been described in the prior art.

A display unit is known from US Pat. No. 4,427,108. It consists of a lower part with two side parts reinforced at the edges, the height of which corresponds to the height of the packaging unit, and two side parts with a lower height. The cover of this display unit is formed by an M-shaped part, which has three parallel parts corresponding to the higher side parts of the lower part and a ceiling corresponding to the floor.

GB-A-20 67 519 describes a packaging and sales container which is obtained by folding together a relatively complicated blank. It is a closed-bottom, closed-top container that has two side walls with small openings and two side walls with rectangular openings.

FR-A-81 09 141 describes closed packaging, which preferably consists of cardboard. The closed packaging described there is produced in that a cross-sectionally U-shaped lower part is connected to a U-shaped upper part such that the legs of the two U-shaped parts engage with one another. A completely closed packaging is thereby obtained.

French patent specification 1,444,032 relates to transport packaging which also serves to display plastic bottles. The packaging unit is formed by a lower part that has reinforcements on the four edges, which are arranged parallel to the bottles that will later be in the container, which are obtained by a triangular cross-section fold. On this lower part is a continuous cover made of cardboard applied, which is preferably connected to the lower part with the aid of a resilient film material.

EP-A 85.201590.8 describes a container which is open on all four side walls so that the goods, preferably bottles, located therein are visible. This container essentially consists of a base and a lid, which are connected to one another via four carrier parts. These carrier parts are made by folding and gluing.

Also in the German utility model G 89 05 416.4 a shipping packaging is described, which has a bottom part and four carriers, which consist of hollow corner pillars with a triangular cross section, which were formed by folding and gluing along parallel fold lines. The lid has tabs which are adapted to the width of the hollow columns and by means of which a connection between the lid and the lower part can be achieved.

French patent application 81 15 602 relates to containers which can be produced from a single blank. The boxes described there have side panels reinforced by folding. A side part and the cover have a common edge, whereby a firm connection of the cover with the lower part is achieved.

From GB-A-970278 a lid for packaging boxes is known which has a picture frame-like design for the presentation of goods contained in the box.

From DE-U-8522798 a packaging box with a lower part and a lid arranged thereon is known, which serves as a carrying handle. To fulfill the carrying handle function, the lid is firmly connected to the lower part.

It has proven to be advantageous if the transport and sales containers can be easily removed after use.

The object of the present invention is to provide a shipping and packaging container which is stable and stackable in the same way, is constructed in a material-saving manner and is particularly suitable for the sales presentation of the goods contained in it.

According to the invention, a shipping and packaging container with a lower part (tray) and a lid is now provided, which has the features listed in claim 1.

The invention also relates to a lid alone, which forms the upper part (slip) of a shipping and packaging container and has the features listed in claim 10. The opening in its ceiling is preferably rectangular or square and is formed by the four tabs which enclose the ceiling of the lid.

The lid according to the invention can be slipped onto any lower parts, although it is a prerequisite that the side parts of the lower part are designed so that the lid fits onto the lower part. However, the cover according to the invention is preferably used together with the lower part described in detail here.

A ratio of the height of the side walls of the cover to the height of the side walls of the lower part is preferably selected, which is between 0.1: 1 and 0.3: 1. If this ratio is maintained, the required strength of the container is usually guaranteed and a sufficiently large cutout of the U-shaped side parts remains uncovered by packaging material. This is particularly important to ensure the presentation of the goods. In a preferred embodiment of the cover, the ratio of the height of the side parts to the width of the tabs which form the non-closed cover is chosen between 1: 0.8 and 1: 1.2. The choice of this ratio ensures that the shipping and sales container is sufficiently strong and that the part of the lid that is not closed is sufficiently large.

The shipping and sales containers according to the invention can be used for various types of goods, but are preferably used for those goods which are sold in bottles made of glass or plastic materials. When transporting the containers as well as stacking several containers on top of one another, the problem can arise that the shipping and sales containers must have an increased compressive strength. If this increased compressive strength is not given, a stack of the containers could fall over due to the fact that the stack is tilted to the side by a small impulse, which ultimately leads to the entire stack falling over.

In a preferred embodiment, the shipping and sales container therefore has a web which is introduced between the closed side parts between them into the shipping and sales container.

This web can particularly preferably be designed in the shape of a cross. The larger part of the web, which consists of a substantially rectangular part, is approximately in the Make an incision in the middle of the longer part, the depth of which corresponds to approximately half the height of the shipping and sales container. A part is inserted into this slot, the shape of which corresponds to the other side parts and also has an incision approximately in the middle, which corresponds to approximately half the height of the shipping and sales container. This last described second part has approximately the outline of the U-shaped side parts, but has no recess. The use of the cross-shaped bar ensures increased stability of the shipping and sales container in every direction.

The shipping and sales containers according to the invention are made in a preferred form from corrugated cardboard. Depending on the type of goods used, a corresponding tear-resistant box must be selected. After use, the used lower parts (trays) can be unfolded into a flat blank by tearing away the short flaps at the front and back or folding them outwards. Neither special tools nor exceptional force are required for this. After unfolding, the parts can be stacked on top of one another without solid components of the container preventing space-saving storage. This is particularly important for larger sales outlets, since large quantities of packaging material have to be removed every day due to the high turnover of goods. Likewise, an elongated cut can be easily obtained from the lid by tearing open the flap, with the aid of which two side parts are connected to one another, and opening the flaps forming the ceiling, which causes only minor problems in the disposal of the packaging material. The cardboard or corrugated cardboard material can be easily reused when opened.

Another advantage of the shipping and sales containers according to the invention is that it can be produced from a comparatively very simple blank, in the production of which there is almost no waste. The cut of the lower part consists of a substantially rectangular part with two fold lines, which are arranged parallel to the longer sides of the cut part at a distance from the longer side parts, which corresponds to the width of the tabs from which, after assembly, the U-shaped side parts be formed. Furthermore, the cut part of the lower part has two fold lines which are attached at such a distance from the shorter sides of the cut part that corresponds to the height of the closed side parts. From the four intersection points of the fold lines, four incisions extend parallel to the short side edges to the longer side edges of the blank part. These cuts separate the part of the blank from which the tabs are later formed.

The blank of the cover is an essentially rectangular elongated strip which has a tab on the shorter side, the width of which corresponds to at most half of the shorter side part of the blank. Parallel to the longer side parts, the blank of the cover part has a fold line which divides the blank part into the side parts and the tabs. Furthermore, the cut part of the cover has three lines parallel to the shorter side parts, these partly consisting of a fold line which serves to subdivide the side parts and partly a cut which separates the flaps forming the cover from one another.

The cover can be produced from the blank by folding the three fold lines between the four side parts of the cover and connecting with the aid of the flap. The The flaps that do not form a closed blanket are also folded over by about 90 ° and connected to one another at the overlapping points. The connection can be made by gluing or stapling. The cuts of the lid can be arranged on the raw material so that practically no waste is generated.

In the shipping and sales container according to the invention, the two components, namely the lower part (tray) and the lid (slip) are not connected to one another. A connection by gluing or stapling after receiving the goods is possible if this is necessary for the respective areas of application.

An advantage of the shipping and sales container according to the invention is that the goods in the container can be offered to the customer for sale, if necessary after removing the lid. Unloading from the container and placing it on the store shelves is therefore no longer necessary. Due to the U-shaped side parts, the goods can be presented to the buyer in a visible manner.

Furthermore, the cutting of the container according to the invention has no perforations, which leads to savings in production.

Another advantage of the container according to the invention is that it can be opened without the aid of tools, and the goods can already be marked in the container by applying price tags.

Finally, the shipping and sales container according to the invention is also suitable for storage on pallets, the individual containers being able to be stacked on top of one another in a stable manner.

Another advantage that plays a role in view of the growing environmental awareness is that the use of plastic is not required. Rather, the container according to the invention can easily be recycled after use.

• Fig. 1 stellt ein Unterteil eines bevorzugten Versand- und Verkaufsbehälters dar. Das Unterteil (tray) besteht aus zwei gegenüber angeordneten geschlossenen Seitenteilen (2), die an zwei einander gegenüber liegenden Kanten (3) des Bodens (1) angelenkt sind. Die beiden einander gegenüber angeordneten U-förmigen Seitenteile (4) werden durch abgewinkelte und teilweise miteinander verbundene Laschen (5) gebildet. Je ein U-förmiges Seitenteil wird durch zwei Laschen, die an je einem der geschlossenen Seitenteile (2) und eine Lasche, die am Boden (1) entlang der Kanten (6) angelenkt ist, gebildet.
• Fig. 2 zeigt das Oberteil eines erfindungsgemäßen Behälters, das aus vier miteinander verbundenen Seitenteilen (7) und einer nicht geschlossenen Decke (8) besteht. Gebildet wird die nicht geschlossene Decke (8) durch abgewinkelte und an überlappenden Stellen miteinander verbundene Laschen (9), die an den Verbindungskanten (10) angelenkt sind. Das Oberteil kann auf das Unterteil gestülpt werden, wobei die Seitenflächen des Oberteils die Seitenwände des Unterteiles nur teilweise überlappen. In diesem Fall weisen die beiden U-förmigen Seitenteile rechteckige Flächen auf, die nicht durchgehend aus dem Material des Behälters bestehen. Ebenso weist der Deckel (Stülp) eine rechteckige Fläche auf, die nicht durch das Material des Behälters bedeckt ist.
• Fig. 3 zeigt eine weitere bevorzugte Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Versand- und Verkaufsbehälters, wobei es sich bei dem Teil zwischen Unterteil und Deckel um einen Steg handelt, der der Stabilisierung des Behälters dient. Bei dieser Darstellung sind die einzelnen Bestandteile in auseinandergezogener Form dargestellt.
• Fig. 4 zeigt den Zuschnitt einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform des Deckels. Die vier Seitenteile (7) werden durch drei Falzlinien voneinander getrennt. Ebenso werden die vier Laschen (9) durch die mittlere Falzlinie (10) von den Seitenteilen (7) getrennt. Diese Falzlinie stimmt mit den Kanten (10) überein, die im zusammengesetzten Zustand den Kanten des Bodens gegenüberliegen. Die vier Laschen (9) werden voneinander durch drei Einschnitte getrennt, die im rechten Winkel von dem längeren Seitenrand zu der mittleren Falzlinie (10) reichen. Weiterhin weist der Zuschnitt des Deckels eine Lasche (11) auf, die dazu dient zwei Seitenwände des Deckels miteinander zu verbinden. Diese Verbindung kann durch Verkleben oder Verklammern bewerkstelligt werden.
• Fig. 5 stellt eine bevorzugte Ausführungsform des Zuschnitts für ein Unterteil des erfindungsgemäßen Behälters dar. Durch die Falzlinien (6) und (3) werden die beiden geschlossenen Seitenteile (2) und der Boden (1) begrenzt. Rechts und links neben den geschlossenen Seitenwänden und dem Boden befinden sich die Laschen (5), die zur Bildung der U-förmigen Seitenteile dienen. Beidseitig werden die Laschen (5) durch je zwei Einschnitte voneinander getrennt, die die Verlängerungen der Falzlinien (3) zwischen geschlossenen Seitenwänden (2) und Boden (1) darstellen. Diese Einschnitte erstrecken sich von den Schnittpunkten der Falzlinien (6) und (3) bis zu den beiden äußeren Rändern des Zuschnittes, wobei sie parallel zu den kürzeren Seitenrändern des Zuschnitts angeordnet sind.
• Fig. 6 zeigt einen Zuschnitt für einen Steg, der parallel zu den geschlossenen Seitenwänden in einen erfindungsgemäßen Versand- und Verkaufsbehälter eingesetzt werden kann.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings:

• Fig. 1 shows a lower part of a preferred shipping and sales container. The lower part (tray) consists of two opposed closed side parts (2) which are articulated on two opposite edges (3) of the bottom (1). The two mutually opposite U-shaped side parts (4) are formed by angled and partially interconnected tabs (5). A U-shaped side part is formed by two tabs, each on one of the closed side parts (2) and a tab that is articulated on the floor (1) along the edges (6).
• Fig. 2 shows the upper part of a container according to the invention, which consists of four interconnected side parts (7) and a non-closed ceiling (8). The non-closed ceiling (8) is formed by angled brackets (9) which are connected to one another at overlapping points and which are articulated on the connecting edges (10). The upper part can be put on the lower part, the side surfaces of the upper part only partially overlapping the side walls of the lower part. In this case, the two U-shaped side parts have rectangular surfaces which do not consist of the material of the container throughout. Likewise, the lid (slip) has a rectangular surface that is not covered by the material of the container.
• 3 shows a further preferred embodiment of the shipping and sales container according to the invention, the part between the lower part and the lid being a web which serves to stabilize the container. In this representation, the individual components are shown in an exploded form.
• Fig. 4 shows the cut of a preferred embodiment of the lid. The four side parts (7) are separated from each other by three fold lines. Likewise, the four tabs (9) are separated from the side parts (7) by the middle fold line (10). This fold line coincides with the edges (10) which, when assembled, lie opposite the edges of the floor. The four tabs (9) are separated from each other by three incisions which extend at right angles from the longer side edge to the middle fold line (10). Furthermore, the blank of the cover has a tab (11) which serves to connect two side walls of the cover to one another. This connection can be achieved by gluing or stapling.
• Fig. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the cut for a lower part of the container according to the invention. The fold lines (6) and (3) delimit the two closed side parts (2) and the bottom (1). To the right and left of the closed side walls and the bottom are the tabs (5), which serve to form the U-shaped side parts. The flaps (5) are separated from each other on each side by two incisions, which represent the extensions of the fold lines (3) between closed side walls (2) and bottom (1). These incisions extend from the intersection of the fold lines (6) and (3) to the two outer edges of the blank, whereby they are arranged parallel to the shorter side edges of the blank.
• Fig. 6 shows a blank for a web that can be used parallel to the closed side walls in a shipping and sales container according to the invention.

Claims (12)

1. Dispatch and sales container, comprising a lower part and a lid, the lower part consisting of a rectangular bottom (1) and two closed rectangular side parts (2) hinged to opposite edges (3) of the bottom (1), and two further U-shaped side parts (4) arranged opposite one another formed by angled flanges (5) partly connected together and hinged on to the closed side parts (2) and the bottom (1), the flanges (5) being applied to the edges (6) of the bottom (1) and the closed side parts (2) extending at a right angle from the two connecting edges (3) between the bottom (1) and the closed side parts, characterised in that the lid can be slipped on to the lower part and consists of four side parts (7) connected together and an unclosed cover (8) formed by angled flanges (9) partly connected together, each hinged on to the edges (10) of the side parts (7) of the lid opposite the bottom, folded over through approximately 90° so that they overlap one another in the plane of the cover (8), connected together at the overlapping points by gluing or clamping and delimited by edges formed by a total of three parallel notches arranged alongside one another in a substantially rectangular blank, extending at a right angle from one side edge of the blank to a folding line, and parallel to the edges (10) after erection, and the side parts (7) of the lid only partly overlapping the side parts of the lower part in the slipped-on state.
2. Dispatch and sales container according to claim 1, in which it moreover has a partition wall arranged parallel to the closed side walls (2) and corresponding substantially to the shape of a closed side wall.
3. Dispatch and sales container according to claim 2, in which the partition wall consists of two parts arranged in a cross shape, one part corresponding to the surface of the closed side parts and the other part corresponding to the surface of the U-shaped side parts.
4. Dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the flanges (5) forming the U-shaped side parts (4) are connected together at the overlapping points by gluing and/or clamping.
5. Dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which it consists of corrugated board and/or cardboard.
6. Dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the outer edges of the flanges (5) are arranged parallel to the folding edges (6).
7. Dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in the lid, the ratio between the height of the side parts (7) and the width of the flanges (9) forming the unclosed cover (8) is between 1:0.8 and 1:1.2.
8. Dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the ratio between the height of the side parts (7) of the lid and the height of the side parts (2, 4) of the lower part is between 0.1:1 and 0.3:1.
9. Blank for a dispatch and sales container according to one of the preceding claims, in which the blank for the lower part consists of a rectangular piece having two folding lines (6) parallel to the longer edges each at a distance from the edge corresponding to the width of the flanges (5) and two further folding lines (3) arranged parallel to the shorter edges of the blank piece, the distance of these folding lines (3) from the shorter side edges corresponding to the height of the closed side parts (2), this blank piece having four notches extending in pairs at a right angle from the opposing longer side edges over the width of the flanges (5) as an extension of the folding lines (3), and the blank for the lid consists of an elongated substantially rectangular piece having a folding line (10) parallel to the longer side edges around which the flanges (9) forming the unclosed cover (8) can be bent and furthermore having three folding lines arranged in such a manner that the side parts (7) can be folded into a rectangle, pairs of side parts being arranged parallel to one another, and the flanges (9) arranged in a row alongside one another being separated by a total of three parallel notches extending at a right angle from a longer side edge over the width of the flanges to the folding line (10), thereby forming flange edges which are parallel to the edges of the lid after the erection thereof, and provided on a shorter side with a flange (11) serving to connect the side parts of the lid.
10. Lid for a dispatch and sales container, in which the cover (8) is not closed and side parts (7) are hinged on to each side edge (10) of the cover (8), adjacent side parts (7) being connected together via the common edges, the cover being formed of four flanges (9), pairs of which are arranged parallel to one another and each flange (9) being connected at each end to an adjacent flange, characterised in that the flanges (9) are bent through approximately 90° relative to the side parts so that they overlap one another in the plane of the cover, are connected at the overlapping points by gluing or clamping and are delimited by edges formed by a total of three parallel notches arranged alongside one another in a substantially rectangular blank, extending at a right angle from one side edge of the blank to a folding line and parallel to the side edges (10) after erection.
11. Lid according to claim 10, in which the opening in the cover (8) is rectangular.
12. Blank for a lid according to claim 10 or claim 11, in which it consists of an elongated substantially rectangular piece having a folding line (10) parallel to the longer side edges around which the flanges (9) forming the unclosed cover can be bent and furthermore having three folding lines arranged in such a manner that the side parts (7) can be folded into a rectangle, pairs of side parts being arranged parallel to one another and the flanges (9) arranged in a row alongside one another being separated by a total of three parallel notches extending at a right angle from a longer side edge over the width of the flanges to the folding line (10), thereby forming flange edges which are parallel to the edges of the lid after the erection thereof, and provided on a shorter side with a flange (11) serving to connect the side parts of the lid.

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