EP0941942A1 - Packaging for a flexible tubular element - Google Patents

Abstract

The container consists of an enclosed box (3) with its inner volume holding a rotary component (4) on which the tube is wound and from which it can be dispensed. In the storage or operating position the top and bottom (A, B) of the box are located in parallel horizontal planes, with the axis (X-Y) of the rotary component passing vertically through them. When two or more containers are stacked on top of one another the axes of the rotary components lie in line.

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging intended for allow both the storage of a long, flexible tubular element, by winding on itself in a helix, and its flow by unwinding of a chosen length, corresponding to the needs of a buyer on a site commercial.

Regarding the elongated flexible tubular element to be conditioned, it could be for example flexible hose made of aluminum or steel stainless intended for the internal casing of chimneys, the flexibility of the element tubular allowing in this case to easily adapt to the deviation of these conduits.

This type of pipe is generally made up of a metal strip of small width wound in a helix, or else by successive rings of likely to give the hose great flexibility around its axis of revolution, while having a very high longitudinal deformation power low.

This causes such a hose to stretch back to its slender shape initial, permanently by an elastic return effect.

We understand by that that the storage and the unwinding of such a pipe, for example on a free coil would lead to the unexpected unwinding of the pipe on the storage or sales site.

According to the above example, these are relatively diameter pipes large, usually about twenty centimeters in diameter, but it could also be plastic pipes of dimension less than 5 cm intended to carry out a recessed electrical installation.

This other type of flexible hose has the same constraints as those cited in the first example.

It is known to remedy these various drawbacks mentioned above. arranging the flexible tubular element in a packaging provided for this effect and constituted by a closed box, defining an internal volume suitable for receive a rotary member, interposed between two opposite parallel faces of the box and on which is pre-wound a predetermined length flexible tubular member, for storage or for storage unwinding around a horizontal axis resting on two lateral faces opposite of the box, perpendicular to the storage plane on which is posed said box.

Such packaging is known by the certificate request of French utility N ° 2.715.147 filed on January 19, 1994 and by the request French patent N ° 2,715,148 filed on October 3, 1994, as well that by the American patents N ° 5.261.625 deposited on May 29, 1992 published on November 16, 1993 and No. 4,168,778 filed April 24, 1978 and published on September 25, 1979.

These various documents describe packaging having each with their own characteristics but having in common the fact that the storage of the flexible hose, as well as its unwinding, takes place around of a horizontal axis.

The material used for the realization of such packaging is generally corrugated cardboard due to its good stiffness / price ratio, nevertheless there is a risk of difficulties. Indeed, this material is rigid enough to give the packaging a certain hold when considered individually, but offers poor resistance to crushing as soon as a second conditioning is superimposed on it stacking, which is obviously desirable, at least for their storage in warehouse. This stacking can sometimes cause problems when it is wanted, for space reasons, at a point of sale.

Such a deformation of the packaging would result in cause the deformation of the upper wall of the box on which another box rests, having the effect of bringing said upper wall into contact with the tubular element wound inside and provide resistance significant and unpleasant friction during unwinding, or even rendering this impossible and not without risk of tearing off the material constituting the box.

Of course, one solution could be to use materials more noble and offering greater resistance to crushing, as by example a plastic box of a certain thickness suitable for make it sufficiently resistant under the conditions set out above. A such a solution is expensive especially for disposable packaging.

The present invention therefore aims to remedy all these disadvantages, which for this purpose concerns the conditioning of an element elongated flexible tubular intended to allow both its storage by winding on itself in a helix and its flow by unwinding, and of the type consisting of a closed box defining an internal volume capable of receiving a rotary member about an axis and interposed between two parallel faces and opposite of the box and on which a length is previously wound predetermined flexible tubular elements, characterized in that storage or operational position of the packaging, both sides opposite of the box, between which is interposed the rotary member, are located in two horizontal parallel planes and are crossed perpendicularly by the axis of the rotary member in a vertical direction, so that when stacking at least two packages, one on the other, the vertical axes of two successive rotating members are in alignment to allow the rotary member of a lower packaging to constitute an element of resistance to compression caused by the weight of the other superior.

The present invention also relates to the features which will emerge during the description which follows and which should be considered in isolation or in all their technical combinations possible.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un conditionnement selon l'invention en position de stockage ou opérationnelle ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective éclatée avec un arrachement central du conditionnement selon la figure 1.;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'un organe rotatif destiné à l'enroulement de l'élément tubulaire flexible ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en plan d'un développé, à partir duquel est obtenu l'organe rotatif de la figure 3 ;
• les figures 5 et 6 sont respectivement des vues en coupe transversale d'un conditionnement selon les figures 1 ou 2, respectivement en position de stockage et en position opérationnelle en cours de déroulement de l'élément tubulaire ;
• la figure 7 est une vue en perspective montrant le stockage de deux conditionnements selon l'invention, l'une d'elles étant en position opérationnelle.

This description, given by way of nonlimiting example, will make it easier to understand how the invention can be implemented, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a packaging according to the invention in storage or operational position;
• Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view with a central cutaway of the packaging according to Figure 1 .;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a rotary member for winding the flexible tubular member;
• Figure 4 is a plan view of a press, from which is obtained the rotary member of Figure 3;
• Figures 5 and 6 are respectively cross-sectional views of a package according to Figures 1 or 2, respectively in the storage position and in the operational position during the unwinding of the tubular member;
• Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the storage of two packages according to the invention, one of them being in the operational position.

The packaging 1, generally designated in FIG. 1, is intended when storing a tubular element 2 by winding on itself in a helix and at its flow by unwinding.

This packaging 1 is of the type consisting of a closed box 3 defining an internal volume capable of receiving, concentrically, a member 4 rotating around an xy axis and interposed between two faces A, B parallel and opposite of the box 3 and on which body is previously coiled a predetermined length of flexible tubular member 2.

According to the invention, whether in storage position or in position operational packaging, the two opposite sides A, B of the box 3 between which the rotary member 4 is interposed, are located in two planes P, P 'parallel and horizontal, and they are crossed perpendicularly by the xy axis of the rotary member 4 in a direction vertical.

This is so that during a stack of at least two packaging 1A, 1B, one on the other, the vertical axes xy of two successive rotary members 4 are in alignment, to allow the rotary member 4 of a lower packaging 1A to constitute an element compressive strength caused by the weight of the other upper packaging 1B, carried out in direction F (FIG. 7).

As shown particularly in Figure 2, the box 3 is composed of a tubular sleeve 3C defining its lateral surface and delimiting, on its lower and upper peripheral edges, open ends intended to cooperate with two attached covers 3B, 3A of outline corresponding, of which the lower 3B, said bottom cover, constitutes one of the horizontal faces B of the box 3 and on which is supported along an axis vertical xy, the rotary member 4, and the other upper 3A of which says cover of closure constitutes the other horizontal face A, opposite the first B and is implementation after introduction of the rotary member 4 on which is pre-wound the flexible tubular element 3.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 7, the so-called bottom covers 3B and closing 3A have polygonal contours, the edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h are raised to allow assembly by interlocking on the lower and upper ends of the contoured tubular sleeve 3C correspondents.

According to an exemplary embodiment not shown, the raised edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h bottom covers 3B and closure 3A fit together the inside of the lower and upper ends of the tubular sleeve 3C and are immobilized by any means.

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the raised edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h of the bottom covers 3B and closure 3A fit outside the lower and upper ends of the tubular sleeve 3C which they cover, and are immobilized by any means.

These aforementioned means of immobilization of the covers 3B, 3A on the sleeve 3C consist of an adhesive coating the raised edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h of said covers in contact with the ends corresponding to the tubular sleeve 3C.

According to another embodiment of the immobilization means, covers 3B, 3A on the sleeve 3C, these consist of staples placed peripherally on the raised edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h des covers in contact with the ends of the tubular sleeve 3C.

Other means of immobilization can replace or be added to those mentioned above and are constituted, as shown in FIG. 1, by at least one link 5 arranged all around the box (3) in an axial vertical plane, in including covers 3B, 3A.

In this case, as shown in Figure 1, two links 5 surround the box 3 crossing in the center on top of the covers 3A, 3B.

According to the present embodiment shown in the figures, which is in no way limiting, the so-called bottom covers 3B and closure 3A of the box 3, as well as the cross section of its tubular sleeve 3C, are octagonal in shape.

The covers 3B, 3A are obtained by cutting a blank in sight obtain a press incorporating both the octagonal surface of said covers and their edges a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h then folded down.

The tubular sleeve 3C is obtained in the same way from a rectangular press whose fold lines are materialized by imprints facilitating the subsequent shaping operation.

The advantage in the realization of such a box lies in the fact that these various constituent elements, namely the covers 3B, 3A and the 3C tubular sleeve, can be made and stored flat before assembly.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the so-called covers bottom 38 or closure 3A have at the center of their internal faces, directed towards each other, two pins 6, 7 arranged opposite, suitable for be housed in corresponding end recesses 8, 9 of the member rotary 4 to constitute its vertical axis of rotation xy.

Such pins may be formed according to an example of realization, by plastic studs attached to the center of the covers 3B, 3A.

So as to remedy a drawback due to the fact that the element flexible tubular, although wound on the rotary member 4, does not rest for as much on this one but on the internal face of the lower cover 3B, by its own weight, it has been placed at least on this bottom cover 3B, a sliding disc 10 interposed between the internal face of said cover 3B and the rotary member 4, the weight of which is also added to the tubular element flexible 2.

Advantageously, the sliding disc 10 is made in dense, unexpanded polystyrene.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the rotary member 4 is constituted by a coil comprising a core 11 of vertical axis xy at the ends which are provided two flanges 12, 13 adapted to contain in the direction axial, at least one row of turns of flexible tubular elements 3 helically wound on said core 11.

The coil constituting the rotary member 4 is obtained by cutting a blank (Figure 4) of deformable material in order to obtain a suitable 14 to be shaped by folding around indentations z, arranged in function of the shape to be obtained, which developed 14 generally rectangular has, on the one hand, a longitudinal central part corresponding to the core 11 and made up of a plurality of successive faces i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p in order to obtain a polygonal cross-section at folding and, on the other share, upper r, s, t, q and lower v, w, x, y border areas at least one face of the core 11 and intended to be folded down perpendicularly after forming it to form the flanges 12.13.

More specifically, according to the present embodiment of the figure 4, the central part of the developed coil constituting the core 11 of the rotary member 4 consists of eight similar rectangular faces j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q in order to obtain an octagonal section nucleus, and in that at minus two of these opposite faces l, p, spaced by three faces consecutive m, n, o, are extended at their ends by zones of similar border upper s, q and lower w, y, foldable one towards the other, to constitute the flanges 13, 12 and whose length "L1" is equal to the thickness of the core 11 taken between two opposite faces l, p and of which the width "I" is equal to half of this length "L1", so that constitute flanges 12, 13 of square shape, in which square fits the section of the octagonal nucleus 11.

In this case, as shown in Figure 3, the edges of the flaps u and s upper and lower y, w are contiguous but it is possible, by increasing their width "I" to obtain their overlap of up to one full recovery. In this case, the width "I" becomes of value identical to the length "L1". This may be likely to strengthen ends of the rotary member 4 and more particularly of its flanges, having to resist in pushing the flexible element 2 which winds it.

Still according to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, two other opposite faces j, n of the octagonal core 11, perpendicular to the two previous l, p, after their shaping, are extended at their ends upper and lower by similar flaps r, t and v, x, their length "L2" is equal to half that "L1" of the flaps s, u and w, y forming the flanges 12, 13 from the two other faces l, p and between which they are inserted in the bench to constitute a plan during assembly support on which are glued said flaps forming the flanges 12, 13.

As before, the second dimension of the flaps r, t and v, x may be increased to strengthen the parts of the rotary member 4.

According to another characteristic of the rotary member 4, each of the flaps s, u and r, t - w, y and v, x from the four faces l, p and j, n of the nucleus 11 located in opposite, two by two, and perpendicular to each other others, after folding, has a semi-circular notch complementary to each other to form in the lower flanges 12 and upper 13 that they form, two recesses or bearings 8, 9 of section circular intended for the free housings of the pins 6, 7 formed in the covers 3B, 3A.

According to another characteristic of the invention, one of the faces 16 of the tubular sleeve 3C forming the box 3 is cut on two of its sides upper 16a, 16b and on a lateral side 16c in order to articulate on the second side side 16d uncut, like a door, to allow the passage and unwinding of the flexible tubular element 2.

According to a preferred embodiment, the box 3 composed of tubular sleeve 3C and two covers 3B, 3A, as well as the member rotary 3C composed of the core 11 and the flanges 12, 13, are produced by cutting, folding and assembling from a corrugated cardboard blank.

Storage or offer for sale of the packaging which has just been described, is carried out by stacking on a pallet 17 of at least two units identical 1A, 1B corresponding to an alignment of the vertical axes xy of two successive rotary members 4 contained respectively in the boxes 3, said packages 1A, 1B being made integral with each other and by compared to the pallet 17 thanks to at least one peripheral link 18 encompassing the all in a median vertical plane.

According to another characteristic of the invention, each row of turns of flexible tubular elements 2 is contained in a transverse direction, by through at least two diametrically opposite links 19, 20, independently surrounding the core 11 of the rotary member 4 and independently of each other, and which are cut as the consumption of flexible tubular elements.

Claims (10)

Packaging of a long, flexible tubular element intended for allow both its storage by winding on itself in a helix and its flow by unwinding, consisting of a box (3) defining a volume internal capable of receiving a rotary member (4) about an interposed axis (xy) between two parallel (opposite) faces (A, B) of the box (3) and on which is previously wound a predetermined length of tubular member flexible (2), characterized in that in the storage or operational position of the packaging, the two opposite faces (A, B) of the box (3), between which is interposed the rotary member (4), are located in two planes (P, P ') horizontal and are crossed by the axis (xy) of the rotary member (4) along a vertical direction, so that when stacking at least two packaging (1A, 1B), one on top of the other, the vertical axes (x, y) of two successive rotary members (4) are aligned, the rotary member (4) a lower packaging (1A) constituting an element of resistance to compression caused by the weight of the other superior (1B). Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that at minus the bottom cover (38) is fitted with a sliding disc (10) interposed between the internal face of said cover (38) and the rotary member (4). Packaging according to claim 2, characterized in that the sliding disc (10) is made of dense polystyrene. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the box (3) is composed of a tubular sleeve (3C) defining its lateral and delimiting surface, on its lower peripheral edges and upper, open ends intended to cooperate with two attached covers (3B, 3A) of corresponding contour, one of which is lower (3B) said bottom cover constitutes one of the horizontal faces (B) of the box (3) and on which is supported along a vertical axis (xy), the rotary member (4), and the other upper (3A) said closure cover constitutes the other horizontal face (A), opposite to the first (B) and is placed after introduction of the rotary member (4) on which the element is pre-wound flexible tubular (3). Packaging according to claim 4, characterized in that the so-called bottom (3B) and closure (3A) covers have contours polygonal, whose edges (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h) are raised to allow assembly by fitting on the lower and upper ends of the tubular sleeve (3C) with corresponding contours. Packaging according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the rotary member (4) consists of a coil comprising a core (11) with vertical axis (xy) at the ends of which are formed two flanges (12, 13) able to contain in the axial direction, at least one row of turns of flexible tubular elements (3) helically wound on said core (11). Packaging according to claim 6, characterized in that each row of turns of flexible tubular elements (2) is contained in a transverse direction, via at least two links (19, 20) diametrically opposed, surrounding them independently of the core (11) of the rotary member (4) and independently of one another, which are cut at as the flexible tubular elements are consumed. Packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that the coil constituting the rotary member (4) is obtained by cutting a blank in deformable material in order to obtain a developed (14) capable of being put in shape by folding around imprints (z), arranged according to the shape to obtain, which developed (14) generally rectangular presents, on the one hand, a longitudinal central part corresponding to the core (11) and constituted of a plurality of successive faces (i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p) in order to obtain at folding a polygonal cross section and, on the other hand, areas of upper (r, s, t, q) and lower (v, w, x, y) borders from at least one face of the core (11) and intended to be folded perpendicularly after forming it to form the flanges (12, 13). Packaging according to claim 8, characterized in that the central part of the developed coil constituting the core (11) of the rotary member (4) consists of eight similar rectangular faces (j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q) in order to obtain an octagonal section nucleus, and in this that at least two of these opposite faces (l, p), spaced apart by three faces consecutive (m, n, o), are extended at their ends by zones of similar top (s, q) and bottom (w, y) border, foldable one towards each other, to constitute the flanges (13, 12) and whose length ("L1") is equal to the thickness of the core (11) taken between two faces opposite (l, p) and whose width ("I") is equal to half of this length (“L1”), so as to form flanges (12, 13) of square shape, in which square inscribes the section of the octagonal core (11). Packaging according to claim 9, characterized in that two other opposite faces (j, n) of the octagonal core (11), perpendicular to the previous two (l, p), after their shaping, are extended to their upper and lower ends by flaps (r, t and v, x) similar, their length ("L2") equal to half that ("L1") flaps (s, u and w, y) forming the flanges (12, 13) from the other two faces (l, p) and between which they are inserted in the press for constitute a mounting support plane on which said flaps are glued forming the flanges (12, 13).

Images