EP0558461A1

EP0558461A1 - Cellular container

Info

Publication number: EP0558461A1
Application number: EP93830044A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Patrizio Roila
Original assignee: SAFFAPACK Srl
Current assignee: SAFFAPACK Srl
Priority date: 1992-02-25
Filing date: 1993-02-05
Publication date: 1993-09-01
Also published as: IT1258358B; ITRM920122A1; ITRM920122A0

Abstract

A container, obtained by the folding and gluing of components of a single flat blank of cardboard material or the like, comprises one or more parallel and modular rows of cells capable of housing and supporting in a sprung manner substantially fragile products, in particular eggs, which container can also be used in conjunction with an identical structure having the function of a lid for packing of said products for transport, sale or conservation, or can be used as it is to form a display unit for said products, for example chocolate eggs or the like.

Description

The present invention relates to a cellular container for packing and/or displaying products which break easily when bumped, such as eggs and the like.
The container made from a single flat blank, generally of cardboard, has a structure with characteristics of modularity such that it can be produced with a distribution of a plurality of cells in a single row or in a number of parallel rows. It can be used both as packing for fragile products, with particular reference to eggs, using an identical structure as a lid, and, as it is, as a display unit.
Another advantageous aspect of the container according to the invention is that in order to form said container, the whole sheet of material forming said blank is used, without leaving any waste.
Although various types of cellular containers are already known, all destined more or less for the same use, the present invention clearly distinguishes from the prior art firstly because of its characteristics of modularity mentioned above, and secondly because of its structural strength, the ease and rapidity with which it can be assembled in its three-dimensional form starting from the single flat blank, its notable flexibility of use and, finally, because it is capable of supporting the product in each cell in an extremely safe, protected and sprung manner.
Object of the present invention is a cellular container which can be erected in a three-dimensional form by means of folding and gluing operations from a single flat blank of cardboard or similar foldable sheet material, in which said blank comprises:

a quadrilateral bottom panel;
a first quadrilateral side panel joined at one side thereof to one side of said bottom panel along a first fold line on said blank;
at least one quadrilateral top panel provided for formation of an aligned succession of cells joined at one side thereof to the opposite side of said first side panel along a second fold line;
a second side panel opposite to said first side panel, joined at one side thereof to the opposite side of said quadrilateral top panel along a third fold line;
a substantially quadrilateral gluing flap joined at one side thereof to the opposite side of said second side panel along a fourth fold line;

portions of said top panel being defined by successive pairs of said cuts and provided to form the transversal borders of the cells of said cellular container;
a central fold line segment formed on each of said portions parallel to said cuts, the ends of said central fold line segment being in connection with a respective end of the associated pair of cuts by means of a pair of inclined fold line segments;

folding the first and second side panels and downward by 90° with respect to the top panel;
folding inward by 90 ° the bottom panel and the gluing flap to secure them to one another;
folding the portions onto themselves along the central fold line segments and the inclined fold line segments to fix one to the other the parts on both sides of the central fold line segment to form the transversal edge of said cell;
folding downward and arranging in an angled position said tongues and fixing the ends thereof onto the inner face of said bottom panel to form sprung side supports for the products placed in said cells.

The present invention will be more clearly illustrated below from the description of its preferred embodiments, given merely as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a plan view of the single flat blank from which a container with one row of cells is obtained;
figure 2 is a perspective view of the three-dimensional container obtained from the blank of figure 1;
figure 3 is a perspective view of two containers according to figure 2 one on top of the other, of which one acts as a lid, to form a package;
figure 4 is a plan view of a single flat blank from which a container with two parallel rows of cells is obtained;
figure 5 is a perspective view of the three-dimensional container obtained from the blank of figure 4;
figure 6 is a perspective view of two containers according to figure 5 one on top of the other, of which one acts as a lid, to form a package;
figure 7 is a plan view of a single flat blank from which a container with four parallel rows of cells is obtained;
figure 8 is a perspective view with some details removed of the three-dimensional container obtained from the blank of figure 7 and having the function of a display unit.

With reference to figure 1, a plan view is shown of a single flat blank made of cardboard from which a three-dimensional container according to the present invention with a single row of cells can be obtained, by means of bending and gluing, in particular-using appropriate forming machines.
On the blank in 1 a rectangular bottom panel forming the bottom wall is indicated; in 2 and 3 respectively rectangular panels forming the first and second longitudinal portions are indicated, the bottom panel 1 and the first panel 2 being connected along a first fold line. Panel 3 has one long side joined by a fourth fold line to the corresponding long side of a flap 4, for fixing, as will be seen below, of panel 1 when forming the bottom of the container. The opposite long side of the flap 4 has a crenelated edge for the reasons which will be seen below.
The other long sides of panels 2 and 3 are joined by a second and third fold line to respective long sides of a substantially rectangular top panel, generally indicated in 5, arranged to form the cells of the container.
The arrangement of top panel 5 to form the cells in the container according to the invention, numbering four in the present embodiment, includes the forming of a series of transversal cuts 6, parallel and spaced one from the other, extending perpendicularly from the second fold line joining panel 2 to the third fold line joining panel 3. Successive pairs of these cuts define respective equidistant portions of panel 5, generally indicated with 7 and destined to form the transversal borders of the cells. Each of the portions 7 comprises a central fold line segment 8, parallel to the cuts 6, each end of the central fold line segment 8 being joined by means of two inclined fold line segments 9 to the respective end of the relative pair of cuts 6.
On each portion of top panel 5 lying between two adjacent portions 7, a cut 10 is formed centrally in a longitudinal position. This cut joins the two corresponding cuts 6 defining the respective edges of the two adjacent portions 7. On both sides of the cut 10, two fold line segments 11 are formed, parallel and spaced with respect thereto, so as to create two tongues, generally indicated in 12, joined to the panels 2 and 3 respectively by means of the second and third fold lines joining panel 5 to these latter.
It should be noted that, in correspondence with the two ends of the panel 5, the portions destined to form the final transversal borders of the end cells, generally indicated with 13, have the part formed according to the above description lying on the inside with respect to the fold line segment 8, whereas the part indicated with 14, lying on the outside with respect to the fold line segment 8 and joined to the latter on one side, has a hexagonal shape with a reduced extension, so that said final transversal borders do not have parts which stick out beyond the respective ends of the container when assembled in a three-dimensional upright position.
Starting from the initial blank formed as indicated above, in order to obtain the container according to the invention in a three-dimensional form, as shown in figure 2, the following operation is followed. Panels 2 and 3 forming the first and second longitudinal walls are bent downward by 90° along the second and third fold lines joining them to panel 5. The crenelated flap 4 is bent inward by 90° along the fourth fold line joining it to panel 3. Panel 1 is bent inward by 90° in such a way as to join the inner face of its free longitudinal end with the outer face of flap 4 folded as indicated above, providing for the reciprocal gluing thereof. Having thus formed the body of the container in question, the cells provided therein are then formed, folding each portion 7 of the panel 5 onto itself along the central fold line segment 8 and the pairs of inclined fold line segments 9, until the corresponding parts on each side of the fold line segment 8 touch. These are then glued together, thus forming the transversal borders of the cells, the opposite sides of which each have an approximately semicircular shape so as to hold rounded products, such as eggs, within the cells.
Each cell is then completed by formation of side supports to support in a sprung manner the product contained therein. The side supports are made by means of the pair of tongues 12 which are formed, as indicated above, in the portions of panel 5 comprised between the adjacent portions 7, following cuts 6 and 10. The tongues 12 are folded downward along the fold line segments joining them to the respective panels 2 and 3, and are fixed at an angle with respect to the panels by gluing the respective end portions, after suitable folding along the fold line segments 11, to the inside face of the bottom panel 1.
It should be noted at this point that the crenelated configuration of the flap 4 has been conceived so as to allow the tongues 12 on the side of panel 3 to be fixed to the bottom panel 1 by means of the indented parts of the flap 4 itself.
Finally, the final edge of each end of the assembled container is formed by joining and gluing together in the manner described of the hexagonal part 14 and the corresponding part joined thereto and defined by the fold line segments 8, 9 and by the cut 6 in the respective end portion 13.
The container according to the invention assembled thus in a stable three-dimensional form starting from the blank according to figure 1 appears as shown in perspective in figure 2, in which four cells are provided for housing in a safe and sprung manner of a similar number of products, preferably eggs.
Should it be desired to pack the container according to the invention, complete with products, for transportation, handling, storage or the like, it is possible to use, as shown in figure 3, an entirely similar container placed in an upside down position and acting as a cover, to be fixed in whatever manner to the underlying container to give the products a total protection.
In alternative embodiments which will be described below, elements corresponding to those illustrated previously will be indicated with the same reference numbers, without any further explanation. In figure 4 is shown a plan view of a flat blank for formation of a container according to the invention having two rows of parallel cells lying close together.
The structure of the blank according to figure 4 is substantially similar to that of the blank according to figure 1, with the sole difference that a longitudinal strip 15 is formed. To each long side respectively of the strip 15 the corresponding long side of a panel 5 is joined by a fold line, for creation of the cells.
Following assembly as described above, a container with a double row of cells is obtained, shown in three-dimensional form in figure 5, which, as in the previous case, can be associated to a second container of an identical nature to form a packing giving total protection of the products housed therein, the second container being placed over the first in an upside down position to form a cover, as illustrated in figure 6.
Obviously, both the number of cells in each single row and the number of rows of cells making up the container according to the present invention are not limited to those illustrated in the embodiments described, but can vary according to necessity.
In figure 7 is shown a plan view of a single flat blank to form a structured container according to the present invention, having the function of a display unit for products, such as chocolate eggs or the like.
As can be seen from ffigure 7, the blank illustrated therein is substantially similar to the preceding embodiments, with the difference that here the parallel and closely spaced rows of cells provided are four. Each row contains six cells, the rows being joined one to the other by means of the longitudinal strips 15 mentioned above. Moreover, a star-shaped arrangement of cuts 16, forming a series of separate triangular fins 17 is made in the panel 1, in correspondence with each portion which, following assembly, will be at the center of the bottom of a respective cell, the bases of the fins being arranged around a closed polygon and joined to the body of the panel 1 by means of fold line segments. The fins 17 are provided to form, in the assembled container, a boss sticking up from the bottom of each cell so as to distribute the weight of the products in an overlying container over a greater area when the containers are arranged in a pile.
The operation for the assembly in a three-dimensional form of the container using the blank according to figure 7 is the same as that described with reference to the preceding embodiments, thus obtaining the container illustrated in perspective in figure 8, in which, for reasons of simplicity and clarity, the protruding fins 17 according to figure 7 have been omitted.
It should be noted at this point that in the blank according to figure 7, the formation of only one of the tongues 12 is provided, each of the two panels 5 joined by respective fold lines to the panels 2 and 3 forming the longitudinal walls, that is to say the tongue lies between the cut 10 and the fold line joining this to the respective strip 15. The portion corresponding to the formation of the second tongue in the other panels 5 is cut away. This is the portion lying between the cut 10 and the fold line joining panel 5 the respective panel 2 and 3. In fact, as shown in figure 8, no sprung support is provided on the inside of the longitudinal walls of the container when assembled in its three-dimensional form.

Claims

Cellular container which can be erected in a three-dimensional form by means of folding and gluing operations from a single flat blank of cardboard or similar foldable sheet material, characterised in that said blank comprises:
- a quadrilateral bottom panel (1);

- a first quadrilateral side panel (2) joined at one side thereof to one side of said bottom panel (1) along a first fold line on said blank;

- at least one quadrilateral top panel (5) provided for formation of an aligned succession of cells joined at one side thereof to to the opposite side of said first side panel (2) along a second fold line;

- a second side panel (3) opposite to said first side panel, joined at one side thereof to the opposite side of said quadrilateral top panel (5) along a third fold line;

- a substantially quadrilateral gluing flap (4) joined at one side thereof to the opposite side of said second side panel (3) along a fourth fold line;
said top panel (5) being provided with a series of parallel spaced cuts (6) extending perpendicularly from one to the other of said second and third fold lines joining said first and second side panels (2) and (3);
- portions (7) of said top panel (5) being defined by successive pairs of said cuts (6) and provided to form the transversal borders of the cells of said cel lular container;

- a central fold line segment (8) formed on each of said portions (7) parallel to said cuts (6), the ends of said central fold line segment (8) being in connection with a respective end of the associated pair of cuts by means of a pair of inclined fold line segments (9);
each part of said panel (5) extending between two successive portions (7) being provided with a central cut (10) extending perpendicularly to said cuts (6) from one to the other;
-two tongues (12) formed between said panels (2) and (3) and said central cut (10), each tongue having a transversal fold line segment (11) parallel to said central cut (10),
the erection of the container in its three-dimensional form being carried out by the following steps:
- folding the first and second side panels (2) and (3) downward by 90° with respect to the top panel (5); folding inward by 90° the bottom panel (1) and the gluing flap (4) to secure them to one another;

- folding the portions (7) onto themselves along the central fold line segments (8) and the inclined fold line segments (9) to fix one to the other the parts on both sides of the central fold line segment (8) to form the transversal edge of said cell;

- folding downward and arranging in an angled position said tongues (12) and fixing the ends thereof onto the inner face of said bottom panel (1) to form sprung side supports for the products placed in said cells.
Container according to claim 1, in which said top panel (5) comprises at each end thereof end portions (13) to form the respective outside transversal edges of an end cell, said portion ( 13 ) having a polygon-shaped part ( 14 ) extending outward from the central fold line segment (8) to prevent said outside transversal edges from sticking out from the respective ends of the erected container.
Container according to claims 1 or 2, in which said products to be housed in said cells are eggs, chocolate eggs or the like.
Container according to anyone of the preceding claims, comprising more than one of said top panels (5) arranged in a side by side and parallel relationship with adjacent sides joined along fold lines to opposite sides of an intermediate strip (15).
Container according to anyone of the preceding claims, in which an additional identical container is placed on top of the container in an upside down position, having the function of a lid for total protection of said products when forming a packing.
Container according to anyone of the preceding claims, particularly for use as a display unit, further comprising a boss configuration sticking up from the bottom panel (1) in correspondence with the center of each cell in the erected container.
Container according to claim 6, in which said boss comprises a star-shaped array of cuts (16) forming a series of triangular fins (17), the bases of which, arranged around the respective sides of a closed polygon, are joined to the body of said bottom panel (1) by means of respective fold line segments.