EP1041015B1

EP1041015B1 - Self carrying foldable container

Info

Publication number: EP1041015B1
Application number: EP98917125A
Authority: EP
Inventors: José Ignacio Fernandez Martinez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-05-05
Filing date: 1998-05-04
Publication date: 2001-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2018-05-04
Also published as: ATE205803T1; WO1998050292A1; ES1037147U; EP1041015A1; ES1037147Y; DE69801774D1

Abstract

From a piece or cut of cardboard or similar rectangular material with folding lines (2, 8) parallel to the extreme edges (3) of the same, a self-carrying, support element (4) can be configured inside which individual bags (5) are provided which are joined with the internal walls. Additionally, window-like openings (6) can be provided in each of the walls, as well as handles (7) in order to facilitate its transportation. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention refers to a container, manufactured with materials of slight weight and thickness and reduced costs such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or other adequate plastics, that is joined conveniently to a support element of the whole, manufactured based on a material of sufficient rigidity to support the container once it is filled and, at the same time, able to be folded by folds and, preferably with low weight, slight cost, such as cardboard or other equivalent and therefore ecological, that has a structure adequate to form a whole sufficiently stable; with the advantages that it can be transported and stored in a folded state to occupy a minimum volume, and that it can be thrown out after only one use, when that is required because of the low cost of manufacturing.
In the sector of hotel-keeping, it is known to use plastic bags to contain and move trash and residues of all types that are produced in great quantities in restaurants, bar, etc. The collection of the major part of such wastes is to be carried out through sweeping or equivalent procedures. When the residues proceed from living spaces only frequented by personnel of service, such as kitchens, back parts of bars or others without public access, the containing bags are placed in buckets or adequate containers which are held open for the reception of the first, until when full, are substituted by others and removed; but when the collection is to take place in the areas destined for the public, such procedure results anti-aesthetic, even when the public could directly throw the waste into the container, with which the area would be maintained more clean at all moments, being to the beneficial advantage of the hygiene of the establishments. Likewise, in the home when there are taking place celebrations of any kind with the assistance of an elevated number of people, one has to decide between the utility of situating buckets with containing bags in the rooms corresponding, with the resulting aesthetic offence this would imply.
In the inside of establishments of sale through auto-service with payment in the checkout, it is very common to utilize baskets and carts to transport articles, of which elements of transportation must be abandoned at the time of the payment, or few moments and meters afterwards, with which the client must introduce the articles acquired into bags that are facilitated for him in the check-out, that subsequently he has to transport, to throw out once concluded the transporting.
From US-A-5,018,637 is known a collapsible trash container that holds a plastic grocery bag in an open position inside the container so that the plastic bag may be loaded with trash. A pair of bag tab members protrude vertically from the free edges of opposing sidewalls. The handles of a plastic bag are arrayed about these tabs to hold the bag in an open position. In this container the bag is loosely placed since the bag is only held by passing its handles through the vertical projections that extend from the opposing sidewalls of the container. This container is difficult to set up and once set up it can not by folded easily to be stored without occupying a large space.
From EP-A-333147, container comprising an outer box-like body made of cardboard or the like with lateral wall adapted to support a bag rigidly associated therewith a bottom and an closure device which is arranged at the face to be directed upwards. This container is difficult to set up and once set up it can not by folded easily to be stored without occupying a large space.
From everything exposed it is concluded the necessity of development of a bag or adequate which while conserving the virtues of great capacity and slight weight, volume and cost, has also the condition of including its own element of support, with the same characteristics and at the time has aesthetics adequate for its use in places of public gathering, as well as the possibility of being equipped with a complement adequate for its transportation when the bag is found full, such as handles, and with possibility of being folded in a mode of portfolio for its transportation and storage, when it is found empty. With such characteristics, it would be possible also the double use, utilizing the container to carry out shopping in hypermarkets, etc., and subsequently utilize them at home or in the establishment of hotel-keeping as a container of trash of only one use; being even possible a third utilization as a receptacle container of products, if the structure support is made in a manner of box with base and lid; all this without counting what may be derived from its possible usage as advertising prop.
According to the invention, these tasks are obtained through a container, essentially constituted by a bag manufactured in a material adequately flexible and elastic, conveniently disposed in its inside with a support element or structure constituted by a blank or plate rectangular of adequate material, such as cardboard or other, in where performed were three folding lines equidistant and intermediate and because of the joining of its extreme edges forms a parallelepiped, hollow and devoid of bases, being joined the bag already mentioned to the internal walls of the support element; also the support element may be composed with appropriate handles,
The element of support 4 is constituted by a blank or cut 1, of cardboard or other material adequate for the case, where there were performed three folding lines 2, intermediate and equidistant from the extreme edges 3, that joined between themselves determine the mentioned support element 4, as well as two additional folding lines 8, to conclude its folding.
The receptacle is constituted by one or more bags 5, or other reception elements and located and joined to the internal walls of support element 4, through sticking or other adequate means.
In the faces of the mentioned support element 4, window-like openings 6 may be performed, in any form adequate to save material and /or to constitute figures of aesthetic or advertising interest.
Likewise, support element 4 may be provided with handles 7, or complementary elements suitable for the functions pursued.
With all that possible is a container utilizable for the entirety of functions previously noted and required by the market.
Sufficiently described that has been the object of the invention, only left is to indicate that the resulting realizations of changes in shape, dimensions, and materials, as well as those deviating from an application of routine of that previously revealed, must be considered included in their boundary, so that the invention will only be limited by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

Foldable container formed from a rectangular plate of cardboard blank or similar material having a group of three first folding lines (2) defining four walls of a support element (4) with a receptacle in a bag shape (5) located therein and handles attached to this support element (4), characterised in that the cardboard blank is additionally provided with two second folding lines (8), the second folding lines (8) being provided parallel to the first folding lines (2) and located on two nonconsecutive walls of the support element (4) and, after being mounted, the support element (4) may be folded by means of the first (2) and second (8) folding lines for its storage or transportation, the faces of the support element (4) being provided with openings (6) for saving material and/or allowing observation of the filling state of the receptacle (5) inside the container.