EP0853046A1 - Semi-rigid overwrapping for a set of packages - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging is formed from cardboard or corrugated cardboard and is parallelepiped in shape, with a base (1), two parallel side walls (2), and short flaps along the base and sides of its open ends. The side walls of the cover are cut out to make two flaps (3b) which are folded upwards and over to be joined over the top of the containers packed inside the cover. Each side flap has one section which overlaps the upper edge of a side wall from which it is cut and a main section folded over the top of the cover where it overlaps and is joined to the opposite flap.

Description

The present invention relates to an overpack in one semi-rigid material, such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, for a lot of packaging.

Many products, housed in packaging which generally have the shape of a parallelepiped rectangle, are usually delivered to users or to sellers grouped together in larger packaging dimensions, which is called an overpack. This overpack is often of the American box type, but these use a significant amount of cardboard and are therefore relatively expensive.

We know from DE-U-85 22 799.4 an overpack in one semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard for a batch of packaging, this overpack having a general parallelepiped shape and comprising two walls parallel sides of the same height adjoining a part bottom, in each of which is cut a flap articulated on the wall by a first fold line parallel to the bottom part and close to the upper edge of the wall, a second fold line parallel to the previous dividing this part into two parts, one of these parts being able to come to apply against the portion top of the wall to which it is attached and the other to be folded parallel to the bottom part above the conditioned objects, by resting on them. The folded parts of the two flaps overlap partially or have contiguous edges and are assembled by means known in the art. The bottom part includes a rectangular panel on which are hinged the two walls by parallel fold lines side.

It is overpackaging of this type that the present invention and it aims to strengthen their resistance mechanical and reduce their cost, by limiting the amount of corrugated cardboard necessary for their realization.

Indeed, according to DE-U- 85 22 799.4, during assembly, (see Figures 3, 4 and 5 of this document), the cut-out flaps of the two parallel walls (14, 15) of the overwrap pivot towards the outside of the overpack, so that a first part (40) of these flaps is applied towards the face exterior of the adjoining upper portion (39) of the wall from which they come and a second part (28) come and fold perpendicular to the first part (40) and the upper portion (39) of the wall. This part (40) therefore bears against the upper edge (38) of the portion (39) and a cutout (38) is even provided for facilitate the passage of the part (40).

It is clear that even if the parties (28) take support on conditioned objects, stacking, under weight superimposed packaging, they will request strongly the portion of the wall on the edge of which they are supported, at the risk of tearing it apart. For that this portion of wall supports such efforts, it is therefore necessary to carry out the entire overpack, since it comes from a single blank of corrugated cardboard, in one very resistant material, which leads to an increased cost of overpack.

In addition, in the overpack described in this certificate utility, the side walls adjoining those in which are cut the folding shutters are consisting of two half-walls with joined edges, which increases the amount of corrugated board needed to realization of the overwrap and consequently increases its cost.

The present invention aims to remedy in a simple way this disadvantage and to offer an overpack of the same type general whose cost is reduced, compared to that of G 85 22 799.6, while having a resistance to stacking increased compared to this one.

To this end, the invention relates to an overpack of the general type defined above, characterized in that the part of each component capable of coming to apply against upper portion of the wall to which it is attached bears against the face of this portion of turned wall towards the inside of the packaging.

During assembly, this part of each component will therefore folded towards the inside of the packaging and it does not will therefore not bear against the upper edge of the portion of the wall to which it is attached. At stacking, this part of the flap will therefore not portion of adjoining wall under the weight of overpacks full superimposed and will transmit directly to objects conditioned the weight it supports. It is therefore possible to make the overpack in quality corrugated cardboard ordinary, even in simple cardboard, without requiring a mechanical resistance which would significantly increase its cost.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the overpack will not have side walls contiguous to those in which the shutters are cut folded back but at each of these side walls will substituted a first strip of small adjoining width at the bottom by a fold and erect line perpendicular to it, and two second bands, also narrow, adjoining the walls in which the shutters are cut with a fold line perpendicular to the bottom and arranged perpendicular to these walls, the lateral ends of the first strip and the lower ends of the second strips being in mutual contact and made in solidarity with each other.

This significantly reduces the amount of cardboard or corrugated cardboard used and, therefore, the cost of packaging.

The bands adjoining the two side walls and the bottom panel should preferably be rectangular and advantageously have the same width, but this is not absolutely necessary.

In the overpack according to the invention, the batch of basic packaging, boxes in the form of rectangular parallelepiped for example, will rest on the panel forming the bottom and will be maintained, in the usual way, at the top of the packaging, by the flaps cut in side walls, straightened up and part of which is folded perpendicular to these walls. However, the overpack will not include other side walls, the packaging being simply retained by the bands adjoining the panel bottom and side walls.

La figure 1 est une vue du flan de carton ou de carton ondulé, prédécoupé et refoulé, dont est issu le suremballage des figures 2 et 3 ;

La figure 2 est une vue en perspective de ce suremballage vide, mis en forme et partiellement assemblé ;

La figure 3 est une vue en perspective du suremballage et du lot de conditionnements qu'il contient.

An embodiment of the invention will be described below in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the blank of cardboard or corrugated cardboard, precut and repressed, from which comes the overpack of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of this empty overpack, shaped and partially assembled;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the overpack and the batch of packaging it contains.

The overpack shown in these drawings includes a bottom part, constituted by a rectangular panel 1, on which are articulated by fold lines parallel 10 two side walls 2, of general shape rectangular, standing perpendicular to the panel 1.

In each wall 2 is cut a flap 3, connected to the rest of the wall, in the vicinity of the upper edge thereof, by a fold line 4, while a second fold line 5, parallel to the line 4, divides part 3 into two parts 3 a and 3 b .

Each part 3 a can thus be straightened, by pivoting towards the inside of the packaging, to come to bear against the internal face of the upper part of the corresponding wall 2 and to be optionally glued to it. The fold line 5 is arranged such that, in this position, it is arranged substantially at the level of the upper edge of the adjoining wall 2. It is thus possible, by pivoting around the line 5, to bring each part 3b in position parallel to the bottom 1, bearing on the upper part of the batch of packages contained in the overpack and previously put in place, here two parallel rows boxes 11 of parallelepiped shape, the upper face of which is substantially at the same level as the upper edge of the walls 2.

In this position, the parts 3b overlap each other and can be made integral with one another by any means known in the art, in particular by bonding. The parts 3b could also be arranged edge to edge and assembled by an adhesive tape.

It will be noted that the parts 3 b do not bear on the upper edge of the contiguous portion of the wall 2 and that when stacking, they thus exert no force on this portion.

Two rectangular strips 6 of small width are adjacent to the bottom panel 1 by lines folding 7, perpendicular to lines 10, while two rectangular strips 8, of the same width as strips 6, are articulated on the walls 2 by fold lines 9, perpendicular to lines 10 and arranged in the same plane than lines 7. Strips 6 are erected perpendicular to the bottom 1, while the bands 8 are standing perpendicular to the walls 2. In this position, the adjoining ends of bands 6 and 8 are cover each other and can be united each other by any means known in the art, especially by gluing.

The overpack according to the invention is therefore particularly simple and low cost, because of easy to manufacture and requiring only a quantity of much less than the packaging of the prior art discussed above and that a quality ordinary cardboard.

Despite its simplicity, the overwrap according to the invention containing the packages 11 has excellent resistance to vertical compression and therefore can be stacked because the portions 3b of the flaps then only bear on the packages 11, so that the compression forces are distributed between the different packages and the dihedrons with a vertical edge present at the four corners of the overpack without imposing any particular effort on the walls from which these flaps originate.

Claims (4)

Overpack in a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard for a batch of packages (11), this overpack having a generally parallelepiped shape and comprising two parallel side walls (2) of the same height adjoining a bottom part ( 1), in each of which is cut a flap (3) articulated on the wall (2) by a first fold line (4) parallel to the bottom part (1) and close to the upper edge of the wall (2), a second fold line (5) parallel to the previous one dividing this flap (3) into two parts (3 a , 3 b ), one (3 a ) of these parts being able to come to bear against the upper portion of the adjoining wall (2) and the other ( 3b ) to be folded down parallel to the bottom part above the conditioned objects (11), bearing on them, the folded parts of the two flaps (3 ) partially overlapping or having contiguous edges and being joined together by means naked in the art, the bottom part (1) comprising a rectangular panel (1) on which the two side walls (2) are articulated by parallel fold lines, this overpack being characterized in that the part (3 a ) of each flap (3) capable of coming to be applied against the upper portion of the wall (2) to which it is attached bears against the face of this portion of wall facing the interior of the packaging. Overpack according to claim 1, characterized in that a first strip (6) of small width, adjoining the bottom by a fold line perpendicular to the walls (2) in which the flaps (3) are cut, is erected perpendicular to the bottom (1) at each end thereof, while two second bands, also low width, adjoin the walls (2) in which are cut the flaps (3) by a fold line perpendicular to the bottom (1) and erected perpendicularly at these walls, the lateral ends of the first strip and the lower ends of the second strips being in mutual contact and made in solidarity with each other. Overpack according to claim 2, characterized in what the strips (6, 8) adjoining the bottom panel (1) and the side walls (2) have a rectangular shape. Overpack according to claim 3, characterized in what the strips (6, 8) adjoining the bottom panel (1) and the side walls (2) have an identical width.

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