EP0538098A1 - Stackable cardboard package with reinforced corners - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging comprises a bottom (4), four sides (5, 6), two platforms (11) and two lugs (13). In accordance with the invention, the original blank for cutting-out is prepared by forming, at the end of the small sides (6) flat folds (21) intended to be integrated, by cold bonding and stapling, with the lugs (13) and intended to constitute reinforced corners (10). The blank thus prepared is folded into three dimensions and the long sides (5) are integrated by cold bonding and/or stapling with the reinforced corners (13, 21). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to packaging, such as a tray, crate, tray ... in compact or corrugated cardboard, in extruded composite materials ... for the aerated packaging of various products, such as fruits and vegetables.

It relates more particularly to improvements made to known packaging, one of which is described in the following.

This known packaging is a tray set in volume from a single blank cut and grooved in corrugated cardboard. It has a rectangular bottom integral with two long sides and two short sides extending perpendicular to the bottom, the long sides being less tall than the short sides to allow, when several trays are superimposed, the aeration of the products to be stored therein. are contained. The short sides are themselves integral with legs folded inside to apply against the long sides and be fixed there by hot gluing according to the process known as "HOT-MELT". The short sides are also integral, in order to constitute heads, of upper sidewalks extending parallel to the bottom and extended by ears which are folded out to apply against the legs and be glued there hot.

• soit en rapportant des cornières en carton, des tasseaux en bois, en matière plastique...,
• - soit en formant des renforts d'angle par repliage du flan lui-même.

Such known trays have poor resistance to stacking. During the storage of stacked trays in a cold room or during their transport, the heads tend to collapse. To remedy these drawbacks, manufacturers have had to reinforce the angles:

• either by bringing cardboard angles, battens made of wood, plastic ...,
• - or by forming corner reinforcements by folding the blank itself.

British Patent No. 2,019,360 describes a packaging of the above type thus reinforced. It has a bottom, long sides, short sides, sidewalks with long ears and corner reinforcements.

• la première faisant corps avec le petit côté correspondant est plaquée et collée contre l'oreille longue correspondante,
• la deuxième relie en biais la première à la troisième,
• et la troisième dont le bord est libre est plaquée et collée contre le petit côté corespondant,

puis, le grand côté contigu est plaqué et collé contre la première bande précitée.Each corner reinforcement consists of three vertical bands:

• the first being integral with the corresponding small side is pressed and glued against the corresponding long ear,
• the second links the first to the third,
• and the third whose free edge is pressed and glued against the corresponding small side,

then, the large contiguous side is pressed and glued against the first aforementioned strip.

US Patent No. 4,056,223 describes a package comparable to that of the invention but free from sidewalks and long ears.

However, it has a bottom, long sides, short sides and corner reinforcements.

• le premier solidaire du petit côté est plaqué et collé sur le grand côté contigu,
• le deuxième est rabattu et collé sur le premier,
• le troisième est rabattu et collé sur le petit côté considéré.

Each corner reinforcement has three flaps as an extension of each end on a small side:

• the first secured to the short side is pressed and glued to the adjoining long side,
• the second is folded down and glued to the first,
• the third is folded down and glued to the short side considered.

In all these cases, assembly of the reinforcements with the plate is carried out by hot gluing, as for the plate itself.

Furthermore, the sidewalk fixing ears tend, when they are short and glued to the outside, to come off due to the stress created during the folding of these ears against the aforementioned legs in the absence of folded reinforcements or against the first wings of such reinforcements when they exist, also due to the insufficient strength of the glue during the setting period or later during the thermal shock in a cold room or during transport, since the ears are relatively short.

This type of packaging has two major drawbacks. The first resides in the risks of delamination during use and under load. The second lies in the production rates which are too low due to the slow bonding.

The aim of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by strengthening the assembly to better distribute the tensions in the components of the packaging, to remove the glue from the peeling stresses and to improve the security of this assembly, concomitantly by significantly increasing production rates.

To this end, the present invention proposes to perfect a packaging of the aforementioned known type, comprising, on the one hand, a body constituted by a bottom and four sides joined together by gluing, as well as two heads consisting of support bars or sidewalks forming a body with two short sides, extending parallel to the bottom and extended by extreme long ears fixed to the two long sides, by direct or indirect bonding, on the other hand, reinforcements of 'angle fixed to said sides by direct or indirect bonding.

• en ce que le flan brut de découpe est préparé à plat et comporte, le long de chaque bord latéral de chaque petit côté, un pli plat et, en prolongement du trottoir du petit côté considéré, des oreilles longues.
• en ce que les plis plats et le trottoir sont relevés perpendiculairement au petit côté correspondant et concomitamment, les oreilles longues sont rabattues le long des bords latéraux,
• en ce que les plis plats et les oreilles sont fixés entre eux indifféremment par agrafage et/ou collage pour former les renforts d'angle précités.
• et en ce que les petits côtés ainsi préparés et les grands côtés sont redressés perpendiculairement au fond, les petits côtés, leurs plis plats et leurs oreilles étant fixés aux grands côtés indifféremment par agrafage et/ou collage.

In accordance with the invention, the improvement consists of:

• in that the raw blank blank is prepared flat and comprises, along each lateral edge of each short side, a flat fold and, as an extension of the sidewalk on the short side considered, long ears.
• in that the flat folds and the sidewalk are raised perpendicular to the corresponding small side and concomitantly, the long ears are folded down along the lateral edges,
• in that the flat folds and the ears are fixed to each other indifferently by stapling and / or gluing to form the abovementioned corner reinforcements.
• and in that the short sides thus prepared and the long sides are straightened perpendicular to the bottom, the short sides, their flat folds and their ears being fixed to the long sides either by stapling and / or gluing.

According to a first embodiment, each corner reinforcement comprises an outer wing and an inner strip of lining having a narrower width, this inner strip being extended by a bias strip and by an inner wing extending perpendicular to the wing. outside and towards it by being glued on the small side.

According to a second embodiment, each corner reinforcement comprises an outer wing and an inner strip of lining having a narrower width, this inner strip being extended by a bias strip and by an inner wing extending perpendicular to the wing. exterior, opposite it by being glued and subsidized stapled on the short side.

According to a third embodiment, each corner reinforcement comprises an outer wing and an inner strip of lining having a narrower width, this inner strip being extended by a bias strip and by a second flat fold extending perpendicular to the outer wing and constituted by a second strip of lining directed opposite to the outer wing and covering an inner wing directed towards this one, the second flat fold being glued and subsidiarily stapled on the short side.

According to a fourth embodiment aiming, in addition to the aforementioned aim, to reduce the consumption of raw material and to facilitate the automatic execution of folding, gluing and stapling to lower the unit cost of packaging, each corner reinforcement does not include that a flat fold having an outer wing and an inner band or lining having substantially the same width.

Whatever the embodiment chosen, each long ear extends either outside the corner reinforcement, or between the outer wing and the inner strip or lining of the flat fold of the corner reinforcement.

The assemblies are carried out by stapling and possibly by cold gluing.

The corner reinforcement and the long ears coming from folding in the same blank as the packaging allow this packaging to be considerably stiffened. Moreover, stiffening is ensured instantaneously and durably by the fact that the bonding is combined with a stapling which can take the corner reinforcements by their or their flat folds. In addition, the stapling making it possible not to wait for the setting of the glue to continue manufacturing, the production rate is greatly increased.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will also emerge from the detailed description which follows.

Embodiments of the subject of the invention and embodiments are shown, by way of nonlimiting examples, in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 est une perspective d'un flan à partir duquel trois formes de réalisation particulières de l'emballage, conforme à l'invention, peuvent être mises en volume,
• les figures 2 et 3 sont des perspectives illustrant deux phases successives de la préparation du flan de la première forme de réalisation de l'emballage,
• la figure 4 est une section prise à plus grande échelle suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 3,
• les figures 5 et 6 sont des sections analogues à la figure 4, montrant une deuxième et respectivement, une troisième formes de réalisation de l'emballage se distinguant de la première par leurs renforts d'angle, ces sections étant prises à plus grande échelle suivant la ligne V-V de la figure 7.
• la figure 7 est une perspective montrant le montage final de l'emballage selon les figures 2 et 3,
• les figures 8 à 10 sont des perspectives illustrant les phases successives du montage et de l'assemblage d'une variante d'exécution des trois formes de réalisation précitées de l'emballage,
• la figure 11 est une perspective montrant un flan à partir duquel une quatrième forme de réalisation particulière de l'emballage, conforme à l'invention, peut être mise en volume,
• la figure11a est une vue analogue à la figure 1 illustrant un flan plus économique à partir duquel la quatrième forme de réalisation précitée de l'emballage peut également être montée,
• les figures 12 et 13 sont des perspectives illustrant deux phases successives de la préparation du flan de la quatrième forme de réalisation de l'emballage,
• la figure 14 est une perspective montrant la mise en volume et le montage final de l'emballage selon les figures 12 et 13.
• les figures 15 et 16 sont des perspectives illustrant les phases successives de la préparation du flan d'une variante d'exécution de la quatrième forme de réalisation de l'emballage,
• la figure 17 est une perspective montrant la mise en volume et le montage final de l'emballage selon les figures 15 et 16,
• la figure 18 est une perspective montrant l'empilage sous volume réduit d'emballages vides conformes à l'invention,
• la figure 19 est une vue analogue à la figure 18 montrant l'empilage de ces emballages chargés.

On this drawing

• FIG. 1 is a perspective of a blank from which three particular embodiments of the packaging, in accordance with the invention, can be placed in volume,
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views illustrating two successive phases of the preparation of the blank of the first embodiment of the packaging,
• FIG. 4 is a section taken on a larger scale along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3,
• Figures 5 and 6 are sections similar to Figure 4, showing a second and respectively a third forms of production of the packaging, distinguished from the first by their corner reinforcements, these sections being taken on a larger scale along the line VV of FIG. 7.
• FIG. 7 is a perspective showing the final assembly of the packaging according to FIGS. 2 and 3,
• FIGS. 8 to 10 are perspectives illustrating the successive phases of assembly and assembly of an alternative embodiment of the three abovementioned embodiments of the packaging,
• FIG. 11 is a perspective showing a blank from which a fourth particular embodiment of the packaging, in accordance with the invention, can be placed in volume,
• FIG. 11a is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a more economical blank from which the aforementioned fourth embodiment of the packaging can also be mounted,
• FIGS. 12 and 13 are perspectives illustrating two successive phases of the preparation of the blank of the fourth embodiment of the packaging,
• FIG. 14 is a perspective showing the volume setting and the final assembly of the packaging according to FIGS. 12 and 13.
• FIGS. 15 and 16 are perspectives illustrating the successive phases of the preparation of the blank of an alternative embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the packaging,
• FIG. 17 is a perspective showing the volume setting and the final assembly of the packaging according to FIGS. 15 and 16,
• FIG. 18 is a perspective showing the stacking under reduced volume of empty packaging according to the invention,
• Figure 19 is a view similar to Figure 18 showing the stacking of these loaded packages.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 7 to 10, the packaging is set in volume from a blank 1. It comprises a body 2 and possibly heads 3 depending on its destination: tray, tray , checkout,...

In the example shown, it is a tray having two heads 3 higher than the body 2, in order to provide between the body of an underlying tray and the underside of an overlying tray resting on the heads of said underlying tray, ventilation passages 29 (Figures 19).

The body 2 has a bottom 4 integral with two long sides 5 and two short sides 6. Each short side 6 is extended, beyond vertical fold lines 7, by end tabs 8 separated from the long sides 5 by slots 9 and intended to constitute after folding the corner reinforcements 10.

Each head 3 comprises a support bar or sidewalk 11 extending parallel to the bottom 4 (FIG. 7) and forming a body with the short sides 6 beyond a fold line 12. Each sidewalk 11 is itself a body with end ears 13 having substantially the same height as the corresponding short side 6, separated from the legs 8 contiguous by slots 14 and each foldable along an extension 15 of the corresponding fold line 7.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, each long side 5 is double and constituted by two flaps 5a and 5b folded and optionally glued one on the other.

Each corner reinforcement 10 has two wings 16 and 17 connected by a broken element 18 having at least one bias band 19. The bias band 19 connects the second wing 17 to an intermediate band 20 intended to be applied and optionally glued against the first wing 16 in order to form a flat fold 21.

The formation of each corner reinforcement 10 in a tab 8 can be carried out automatically by means of a known suitable mechanical device, thanks to the presence in the tab considered of single and double grooves 22 extending, parallel to the fold line 7, at the border of wing 16, strips 20 and 19 and wing 17.

This formation of the corner reinforcements is carried out during the preparation of the blank 1.

• les renforts d'angle 10 sont formés en saillie sur les côtés courts 6 (figure 2) de façon que la bande intermédiaire 20 de chacun d'eux soit appliquée et collée contre la première aile 16 et que la deuxième aile 17 soit appliquée et collée contre le côté court 6 correspondant, alors que ladite première aile est maintenue perpendiculairement audit côté court,
• les trottoirs 11 sont relevés et les oreilles 13 sont rabattues et collées contre l'extérieur des premières ailes 16 des renforts d'angle.
• dans le même temps, les volets 5a et 5b sont repliés et collés les uns contre les autres.

In this first embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 7:

• the corner reinforcements 10 are projecting from the short sides 6 (FIG. 2) so that the intermediate strip 20 of each of them is applied and glued against the first wing 16 and that the second wing 17 is applied and glued against the corresponding short side 6, while said first wing is held perpendicular to said short side,
• the sidewalks 11 are raised and the ears 13 are folded down and glued against the outside of the first wings 16 of the corner reinforcements.
• at the same time, the flaps 5a and 5b are folded and glued against each other.

To consolidate this assembly and increase the production rate by eliminating the dead times of consolidation of the bonding, staples 22 are placed and fix the flat folds 21 on the ears 13.

Other clips 24 can also connect the second wings 17 of the corner reinforcements 10 with the short sides 6, wings which are already glued.

The blank 1 thus prepared is set in volume by raising the short sides 6 with their corner reinforcements 10, then the long sides 5 so that their pre-glued flaps 5b are applied against the ears 13. Staples 23 are placed and fix between them the flat folds 21, the ears 13 and the flaps 5a, 5b of the long sides 5.

The combination of stapling with gluing allows the above-mentioned particularly advantageous results to be obtained. But it is still necessary that the stapling of the corner reinforcements 10 is possible and this is thanks to the flat folds 21.

According to the second embodiment of the packaging illustrated in FIG. 5 and differing from the first by the corner reinforcements, each second wing 17a instead of being directed opposite the first is returned to said first wing 16 and glued against the corresponding short side.

The third embodiment of the packaging illustrated in FIG. 6 differs from the second by the fact that the re-entrant wing 17a comprises a flat fold 25 making it possible to combine with the bonding of said wing a stapling. This wing is in fact extended opposite the first wing and covered by a second intermediate strip 26 interposed between the biased strip 19 and said second wing 17a. The flat fold 25 being formed and glued on the short side 6, staples 27 are placed to connect them in combination with the gluing.

• les trottoirs 11 sont relevés et les oreilles 13 préencollées sont rabattues le long des lignes de pliage 7 (figure 8),
• puis, les renforts d'angle 10 sont formés par dessus les oreilles 13 de façon que leurs premières ailes 13 soient collées contre lesdites oreilles et que leurs plis plats 21 soient fixés, en complément du collage, avec lesdites oreilles intercalaires 13 par des agrafes 28 (figure 9).
• concomitamment, les volets 5b sont repliés et collés sur les volets 5a (figure 9),
• enfin, les côtés courts 6 ainsi équipés des trottoirs et des renforts d'angle sont relevés de même que les côtés longs 5 (figure 10) ; des agrafes 23 sont posées pour relier les côtés longs 5 aux plis plats 21 des renforts d'angle afin de consolider leur collage.

According to the variant of the first embodiment, illustrated by FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10:

• the sidewalks 11 are raised and the pre-glued ears 13 are folded down along the fold lines 7 (FIG. 8),
• then, the corner reinforcements 10 are formed over the ears 13 so that their first wings 13 are glued against said ears and that their flat folds 21 are fixed, in addition to bonding, with said intermediate ears 13 by staples 28 (Figure 9).
• concomitantly, the flaps 5b are folded back and glued to the flaps 5a (FIG. 9),
• finally, the short sides 6 thus equipped with sidewalks and corner reinforcements are raised as well as the long sides 5 (Figure 10); clips 23 are placed to connect the long sides 5 to the flat folds 21 of the corner reinforcements in order to consolidate their bonding.

Of course, this variant can be applied to the second and third embodiments according to FIGS. 5 and 6 to ensure the fixing of the corner reinforcements on the short sides 6.

In addition, there is nothing to prevent the corner reinforcements 10 from integrating with the long sides 5 so as to be glued and stapled to the short sides 6.

The adhesive used may be hot-applied adhesive. However, it seems advantageous, in particular to reduce the cost price, to glue the surfaces to be connected with cold glue.

Furthermore, the corner reinforcements 10 having the profile illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6 can be separate from the plate itself and added in the corners to be fixed there by gluing and stapling through the flat folds.

It is obvious that these corner reinforcements can ensure the junction of the short sides with the long sides. However, in order to increase the reinforcement, the short sides can be provided with lugs 8 for their fixing on the long sides and in this case, the corner reinforcements are fixed on said lugs.

According to the fourth embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 11 to 17, the packaging is set in volume from a blank 1 (FIG. 11) or the (FIG. 11a). As in the first embodiment, it comprises a body 2 and possibly, depending on its destination (tray, tray, case) of the heads 3.

The body 2 has a bottom 4 secured to two long sides 5 (FIG. 11a) or 5a, 5b (FIG. 11) and to two short sides 6. Each short side 6 is extended, beyond vertical fold lines 7, by extreme tabs 8 separated from the long sides 5 by slots 9 and intended to constitute, after folding as indicated below, corner reinforcements 10 (Figures 14 and 17).

Each head 3 has a support bar or sidewalk 11 extending parallel to the bottom 4 (Figures 14 and 17) and forming a body with the short sides 6 beyond a fold line 12. Each sidewalk 11 is itself same body with end ears 13 having substantially the same height as the corresponding short side 6, separated from the legs 8 contiguous by slots 14 and each foldable along an extension 15 of the corresponding fold line 7.

In the example shown in Figure 11a, each long side 5 is simple, while in the example shown in Figures 11 to 17, each long side is double and consisting of two flaps 5a and 5b folded and optionally glued one over the other.

In these examples, each corner reinforcement 10 is constituted by a tab 8 and a long lug 13. The tab 8 is folded in two along a double line 32 in order to form a flat fold 21 (FIG. 12) comprising an outer wing 16 and an inner strip of lining 20 applied against each other.

The height h.1 of each long ear 13 is substantially equal to that h.2 of the corresponding flat ply 21. The width l.1 of each long ear 13 is substantially equal to that l.2 of the corresponding flat fold 21.

The blank 1 thus cut and creased is prepared flat.

In this fourth embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 12 and 13, the flat folds 21 and the sidewalks 11 are raised perpendicular to the short sides 6, while the ears 13 are folded out against said flat folds.

Hot glue can be deposited between the ears 13 and the outer wings 16.

However, it may be advantageous to bond cold to reduce the cost, but the setting time is longer.

In the latter case, in order to consolidate the assembly and increase the production rate by eliminating the dead times for consolidating the bonding, staples 22 are placed to connect the ears 13 to the outer wings 16.

Stapling can also be carried out without gluing, but the number of stitches is greater.

The packaging can be mounted from the blank 1 thus prepared (Figure 13). It consists then, as it appears from the comparison Figures 13 and 14, to raise the short sides 6, then to raise the long sides 5, possibly cold glued beforehand opposite the corner reinforcements 13, 21, finally to install other staples 23 (Figure 14) ensuring the connection of these long sides with these corner reinforcements.

According to the variant illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the sidewalks 11 are raised perpendicular to the short sides 6 and the long ears 13 are folded down along the fold lines 7 (FIG. 15), then the flat folds 21 are formed. on said ears by pressing their outer wings 16 against them and folding their inner bands 20 so that the ears 13 are disposed between the outer wings 16 and the inner bands 20 (Figure 16).

As before, the assembly is completed by the installation of staples 22 between the flat folds and the ears, which can be cold glued (Figure 16).

The assembly is carried out (FIG. 17) as for the fourth embodiment by raising the sides and placing staples 23.

Whatever the embodiment chosen, it is important to note that the trays can be stacked empty under half volume. Indeed, as shown in Figure 18, we can superimpose the trays 1.1 to 1.not the bottom at the top, sometimes the bottom at the bottom and by placing the projecting part of the second head of one on the side of the body the other.

On the other hand, when it is a question of stacking the loaded trays (FIG. 19) the bottom of an overlying tray rests on the heads of the underlying tray, providing between them the aforementioned free ventilation passage 29.

In order to achieve the relative positioning of these plates 1.1 to 1.n, each head 3 has at the top a projecting tab 30 and at the bottom a notch 31 of complementary shape. To stack, it then suffices to fit the notches 31 of the overlying tray onto the tabs 30 of the underlying tray.

Claims (10)

1.- Packaging, such as tray, crate, tray ... in compact or corrugated cardboard, in extruded composite materials ..., for the airy packaging of various products such as fruit, salads or others, comprising, of a part, a body (1) consisting of a bottom (4) and four sides (5, 6) secured to each other by gluing, as well as two heads (3) constituted by support bars or sidewalks (11) integral with two short sides, extending parallel to the bottom (4) and extended by extreme long ears (13) fixed to the two long sides by direct or indirect bonding on the other hand, corner reinforcements (10) fixed to said sides by direct or indirect bonding,
characterized: - in that the blank blank (1) for cutting is prepared flat and comprises, along each lateral edge of each short side (6), a flat fold (21) and, as an extension of the sidewalk (11) of the short side considered, long ears (13), - in that the flat folds (21) and the sidewalk (11) are raised perpendicular to the corresponding short side (6) and concomitantly, the long ears (13) are folded down along the lateral edges, - In that the flat folds (21) and the ears (13) are fixed to each other by stapling (22) and / or gluing to form corner reinforcements (10). - And in that the short sides (6) thus prepared and the long sides (5) are straightened perpendicular to the bottom (4), the short sides (6), their flat folds (21) and their ears (13) being fixed on the long sides either by stapling (23) and / or gluing. 2.- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each flat fold (21) comprises an outer wing (16) and an inner band or lining (20) having a smaller width, this inner band being extended by a bias band (19) and by an inner wing (17a) extending perpendicular to and towards the outer wing (16) while being glued to the short side (6). 3.- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each flat fold, (21) comprises an outer wing (16) and an inner band or lining (20) having a smaller width, this inner band (20) being extended by a bias band (19) and by an inner wing (17), extending perpendicular to the outer wing (16), opposite the latter by being glued and subsidiarily stapled (24) on the short side (6). 4. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each flat ply (21) comprises an outer wing (16) and an inner strip or lining (20) having a smaller width, this inner strip (20) being extended by a oblique strip (19) and by a second flat fold (25) extending perpendicular to the outer wing and constituted by a second lining strip (26) directed opposite the outer wing (17a) and covering an inner wing (17a) directed towards the latter, the second flat fold (25) being glued and subsidiarily stapled (27) on the short side (6). 5.- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each flat fold (21) comprises an outer wing (16) and an inner strip (20) or lining having substantially the same width. 6.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each long ear (13) has a height (h.1) substantially equal to that (h.2) of the flat fold of the reinforcement (21) corresponding angle. 7.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each long ear (13) extends outside the flat fold (21) of the corresponding angle reinforcement. 8.- Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each long ear (13) extends between the outer wing (16) and the inner strip or lining (20) of the flat fold (21 ) of the corresponding corner reinforcement. 9. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that cold glue is used to connect the stapled parts. 10.- Package according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the long sides (5) are doubled and each constituted by two flaps (5a, 5b) folded and optionally glued one on the other.

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