EP0505301B1 - Shock-absorbing package for fragile articles such as bottles and process of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an improved shockproof packaging for fragile objects such as bottles comprising a parallelepipedal box (1) totally surrounding at least one bottle (3) and an internal wedging structure surrounding the bottle and is characterised in that the said structure consists, on the one hand, of a first profile (6) made of an appropriate plastic material, which is split (13) over its entire length and whose cross section, which is constant, has an annular form with four external protuberances in the form of lobes defining four beads (9) placed along the external generating lines of the profile (6) and corresponding to the four internal angles of the said box (1), the said first profile (6) being intended to surround the bottle (3) over its entire height and, on the other hand, of a second tubular profile (7), which is also split (18) over its entire length and whose internal and external diameters are determined in order to insert the second profile (7) between the neck (8) of the bottle and the said first profile (6). <??>Application to packaging intended for transporting and despatching fragile objects, in particular bottles. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an improved packaging intended to allow the safe transport and shipment of fragile objects and especially bottles or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide packaging that is both safe and versatile, allowing the shipment, in particular by post, and individually, of fragile containers such as, for example, bottles of wine or liqueur, jars or other bottles filled with any liquid or other substances, and capable of adapting to different diameters and / or dimensions of containers.

Anti-shock packaging is already known for shipping bottles consisting of a folding cardboard envelope so as to form a rectangular box and provided internally with a damping structure made of flexible material completely enveloping a bottle and formed of several elements of different nature and configurations.

The Applicant has described in patent application FR-A-2 567 486 a package of the above type, consisting of a layer of cellular foam placed against the internal face of the cardboard envelope and of several intermediate wedging elements. made of expanded polystyrene between the bottle, on the one hand, and the foam or cardboard envelope, on the other.

This system, although effective, nevertheless has the drawback of being relatively complex since it uses two different types of material and of being made up too many parts of different configuration and dimensions.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a simpler wedging structure, more economical to produce and more practical to use.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an improved anti-shock packaging for fragile objects such as bottles, of the type comprising an envelope of corrugated cardboard or the like, folding so as to form a parallelepipedic box completely enveloping at least one bottle or similar and a wedging structure enveloping the bottle and interposed between the latter and, on the one hand, the sides of the box and, on the other hand, axial wedging elements to the right of the end flaps of said box, characterized in that said structure consists, on the one hand, of a first profile of suitable plastic material, split over its entire length and whose section, constant, has an annular shape with four external lobe-shaped outgrowths defining four beads arranged along external generators of the profile and diametrically opposite two by two so as to correspond to the four internal angles d e said box, said first profile being intended to wrap the bottle over its entire height and, on the other hand, a second tubular profile also split over its entire length and whose internal and external diameters are determined so as to interpose the second profile between the neck of the bottle and said first profile.

According to a preferred embodiment, the first and second profiles are produced by cutting from the same block of plastic material, advantageously expanded polystyrene, and the second profile is obtained from the internal fall of the first profile, cut to length . The external contour of the second profile thus adapts exactly to the internal contour of the first profile and the manufacture of the structure according to the invention is much faster and economical.

The external and internal contours, in particular of the first profile, can advantageously have configurations and incisions allowing the profile to better lend itself to various shapes and sizes of bottles and to facilitate the establishment of the latter.

• Figure 1 est une coupe schématique axiale d'un emballage conforme à l'invention ;
• Figure 2 est une vue en coupe transversale suivant la ligne II-II de l'emballage de la figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 est une vue en coupe transversale suivant la ligne III-III de l'emballage de la figure 1, et
• Figure 4 est une coupe transversale d'un emballage double conforme à l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the following description of an embodiment of the device of the invention, description given by way of example only and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic axial section of a package according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line II-II of the package of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III of the package of Figure 1, and
• Figure 4 is a cross section of a double package according to the invention.

In the drawings, there is shown at 1 a foldable envelope, for example of corrugated cardboard with fine double-sided fluting. It may for example be a classic folding box parallelepiped type American box type with four end flaps symbolized in 2.

Inside the box is housed and wedged a bottle 3, using a structure according to the invention supplemented, in known manner, by square end wedges 4 and 5.

The wedging structure according to the invention comprises a first tubular profile 6 enveloping the bottle 3, interposed between the latter and the wall of the box 1 and extending from a wedge 4 to the other wedge 5 and a second profile tubular 7 interposed between the neck 8 of the bottle and the first profile 6.

The tubular profiles 6 and 7 have a constant section over their entire length.

The tubular profile 6 has an approximately annular section with projections 9 with rounded profile, four in number, diametrically opposite two by two, so as to form a profile 6 externally and over its entire length, four beads along generatrices.

The section of the profile 6 is thus determined to be in a square, each angle of which is occupied by a projection 9.

In addition, the annular part 10 of the profile 6 defines a convex external wall 10a which is spaced from said square in which the profile is inscribed.

The annular part 10 also defines an internal wall 10b, the contour of which is more complex.

Figure 3 best illustrates this internal contour (10b) because the section of the section 6 is made at a place where the wall 10b is not in contact with the bottle 3 and is therefore not deformed.

This contour comprises four slightly convex parts 11, at the height of the four convex external walls 10a, connected together by concave connecting parts 12.

According to the invention, the profile 6 has a wall split over its entire length by a radial slot 13, for example of one or two millimeters.

In addition, opposite the slot 13 and in the middle of the two other external convex walls 10a, radial slots 14 are formed which do not cross the thickness of the tubular wall of the profile 6 and whose width is for example similar. to that of slot 13.

Finally, in line with the four concave connecting parts 12 are also provided radial slots 15 similar to the slots 14, directed towards the projections or beads 9.

The section of the profile 7 is simpler since, in the embodiment illustrated by the drawings, the outer contour 16 of said profile corresponds exactly to the internal contour 10b of the profile 6, while the interior contour 17 is circular.

The profile 7 is also split over its entire length thanks to a slot 18 similar to the slot 13 and in the continuity of the latter.

The installation of the bottle 3 in the box 1 is particularly simple and rapid.

Box 1 is delivered ready to use, that is to say shaped and internally provided with elements 4,5,6 and 7.

It suffices to remove one of the end shims, for example 4, then to engage the bottle by its neck until the latter is housed in the profile 7. Depending on the shape of the bottle, the neck and the following parts of the bottle will slightly deform the profiles 6 and 7 so as to ensure optimal wedging. Finally, the shim 4 removed is replaced and the box closed.

To facilitate the insertion of the bottles, the four convex parts 11 of the internal wall of the profile 6 have a central zone 19 in curvature (FIG. 3), for example a concave cylindrical surface corresponding to the average diameter of the bottles capable of being received. in the packaging.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment allowing the packaging of two bottles side by side in the same package.

For this purpose, the box 1 ′ is dimensioned to receive side by side two profiles 6, possibly separated by a cardboard plate (not shown), identical for example to profile 6 of Figure 3, inside which are engaged two profiles 7.

The maximum expansion of the wall 10 of the profiles 6 is shown in dashed lines (10 ′) in the case of a bottle having the largest external diameter that it is possible to accept in the box.

Of course, on the same principle we could design a box receiving side by side three or more bottles.

The shims 4,5 and the sections 6,7 are preferably made of the same material, for example expanded polystyrene, and, in accordance with the invention, by cutting the sections 6 and 7 from the same parallelepipedal block of polystyrene, using a heating wire suitably displaced in said block while remaining constantly parallel to the axis of the block.

Such a technique makes it possible to quickly and automatically produce profiles 6 and 7 of any contour and which have the advantage of fitting perfectly together.

For example, such a heating wire in common use for cutting materials such as expanded polystyrene, penetrates in the direction of the center of the block by making the slots 13 and 18, then the internal contour 17 of the future profile 7.

Then, the wire trims the profile 7 by following an appropriate stroke profile giving the desired characteristics for the internal faces 12 of the profile 6 and external 16 of the profile 7, including any hollow 19 of the profile 6.

The external contour of the profile 6 is also very easily obtained by the heating wire.

The role of the slots 13, 14, 15, 18 and of the beads 9 ensuring a clearance 20 between the walls 10a of the profile 6 and the walls of the box 1, is to make it possible to accommodate bottles of various diameters by allowing the profile 6 , thanks to the deformability of the material, the presence of said slots and said clearance 20, to expand with flexibility if necessary to adapt to a bottle with a diameter greater than the internal diameter (at rest) of said profile.

The profile is cut to an average length allowing to take into account satisfactorily the different types of bottles likely to be accepted by the packaging.

Finally, the invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment shown and described above, but on the contrary covers all variants thereof as defined by the claims, in particular as regards the nature of the material used, the shape of the external and internal contours of the profiles 6 and 7, the shapes and dimensions of the outer beads 9 of the profile 6 suitable for securing the structure in the interior angles of the receiving box 1, as well as the methods of producing said profiles 6 and 7 .

Claims (7)

1. Impact-resistant packaging for fragile objects such as bottles (3), of the type comprising a casing made of corrugated cardboard or similar, foldable so as to form a parallelepipedal box (1) for encasing totally at least one bottle (3) or similar, an immobilizing structure placed in the cardboard casing so as to encase the body of a bottle, and axial immobilizing elements (4, 5) in line with the end flaps of the said box, characterised in that the said structure consists, on the one hand, of a first profiled member (6) made of an appropriate plastic material, split (13) over its whole length and whose cross section, which is constant, has an annular shape with four external protuberances in the form of lobes defining four shoulders (9) disposed along external generator lines of the profiled member (6) and diametrically opposite each other in pairs so as to correspond to the four internal angles of the said box (1), the said first profiled member (6) being designed to encase the bottle (3) over its whole height, and, on the other hand, of a second tubular profiled member (7), also split (18) over its whole length and whose internal and external diameters are determined so as to interpose the second profiled member (7) between the neck (8) of the bottle and the said first profiled member (6).
2. Packaging according to Claim 1, characterised in that the parts of the external faces (10a) of the first profiled member (6) defined between the said shoulders (9) are recessed with respect to the sides of the square within which the said profiled member (6) is contained.
3. Packaging according to Claim 2, characterised in that the said parts of the external faces (10a) are convex.
4. Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the internal face (10b) of the first profiled member (6) has concave parts (19), notably cylindrical ones.
5. Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the internal face and/or external face of the first profiled member (6) has radial slots (14, 15).
6. Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the cardboard casing is dimensioned so as to receive on the inside, side by side, several assemblies consisting of a first profiled member (6) and a second profiled member (7), a separating plate optionally being interposed between two outer profiled members (6).
7. Method for obtaining the packaging according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that it consists of cutting out the said first and second profiled members (6, 7) by trimming a single block of suitable plastic material, in particular expanded polystyrene, using a hot wire, the second profiled member (7) being obtained directly from the trimming of the internal face of the first profiled member (6).

Images