Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/30—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
  • B65D85/32—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure for eggs
  • B65D85/324—Containers with compartments made of pressed material

Definitions

• the present invention relates to packages of the kind set forth in -the preamble of claim 1 and more particularly to retainment means for preventing unintentional opening of a cover part of such packages.
• Packages of the above kind i.e. packages formed by suction moulding of a fibrous material for receiving one or more frangible products to be packed, for instance eggs
• packages are well-known within the art.
• Such packages generally comprise a bottom part provided with a pattern of pocket-like compartments for accommodating the eggs and a cover part, which is often hingedly connected to the bottom part so that it can he swung between a closed and an open position.
• Most such packages are furthermore provided with retainment means for releasably retaining the cover part in its closed position on the bottom part and a large number of different retainment means for this purpose has been described.
• Such retainment means are for instance disclosed in US 4,782,995 and US 5,860,528 and common for these means - and corresponding retainment means known from many other packages of the present kind - is the provision of dedicated retainment members on either cover part, bottom part or on both parts.
• a comparatively simple type of retainment means is described in EP 1 098 826 B1, said means comprising openings in the vicinity of the edge region of the front face of the cover part provided for releasable retainment with corresponding outwardly extending projecting members located on the bottom part.
• a package formed by a suction moulding of a fibrous material for receiving one or more frangible products, such as eggs, comprising the following main parts:
• bottom part comprising non-planar side surfaces so as to match at least partially the outer contours of the product(s) to be packed and provided with an upper rim portion or upper rim portions running along the upper edge region of the bottom part and extending outwards from the bottom part;
• cover part comprising at least a top surface and a front surface which meet at an angle to form an edge
• the bottom part being connected to the cover part by a hinge so as to allow the cover part to move between an open position and a closed position; - the front surface of the cover part extending down from the edge and overlapping the non-planar side surface of the bottom part opposite the hinge when the cover part is in its closed position;
• cover part is provided with at least one inwardly extending protrusion for locking engagement with the upper rim portion of the bottom part when the package is being closed;
• said inwardly extending protrusions for engagement with the upper rim portion of the bottom part is advantageous in that these protrusions are consequently placed further away from the free edge portion of the cover part, i.e. at positions of the cover part where the overall rigidity of the cover part is greater than in the vicinity of the free edge portion hereof.
• the lateral cross sectional shape of the cover part becomes modified relative to the corresponding cross sectional shape of a cover part, in which the hinge portion was located at the rim portion, this modification in itself yielding an increased lateral rigidity of the cover part and hence a more secure retainment of the cover part to the bottom part.
• this positioning of the hinge portion is advantageous in that it allows the retainment protrusion(s) on the cover part to swing into its/their retaining position underneath the upper rim portion running along the upper edge region of the bottom part with only a slight deformation of the material of these corresponding retainment portions during closing and opening of the package.
• the package is preferably made of moulded pulp, although other materials of suitable resiliency could also be envisaged.
• the present invention takes advantage of the presence on the bottom part of said upper rim portion or upper rim portions running along the upper edge region of the bottom part and extending outwards from the bottom part.
• Such flange-like upper rim portions on the bottom part of packages of the kind dealt with in the present context are well known for instance from the above-mentioned documents and form a part of the bridging structure connecting the different pockets in the bottom part of egg trays, etc.
• this feature i.e. the flange-like upper rim portion of the bottom part, can in an advantageous manner be utilised as one of the complementary retainment means mentioned above, the cover part being provided with suitable complementary protrusions, which during closing of the package are brought into retaining engagement with said upper rim portion.
• a specific embodiment of this mechanism is described in the detailed description of the invention.
• the above-mentioned protrusion or protrusions of the cover part can in principle be positioned on the cover part at such positions that it/they is/are brought into engagement with said upper rim portion of the bottom part anywhere along this edge portion.
• the edge portion typically only extends outwardly from the corresponding portion of the bottom part over a very limited distance in those regions of the bottom part, where the edge portion runs along the pockets in the bottom part it might, however, be advantageous to place the protrusions on the cover part such that during closing of the package they are brought into engagement with the upper rim portion of the bottom part in the regions between adjacent pockets.
• the retainment means according to the present invention offers a simple and yet reliable solution to the problem of an occasionally unreliable retainment of the cover part to the bottom part of the package.
• one of the complementary retainment means i.e. the protrusions
• one of the complementary retainment means necessarily becomes located further away from the lowermost edge region of the front surface of the cover part than in the package disclosed in EP 1 098 826 B1 , i.e. in a region of the cover part with less transversal compliance (increased rigidity) than the corresponding retainment means in the cover part of the package according to EP 1 098 826 B1.
• a package formed by suction moulding of a fibrous material for receiving one or more frangible products to be packed, such as eggs, comprising:
• cover part comprising at least a top surface and a front surface which meet at an angle to form an edge
• the bottom part (2) being connected to the cover part by a hinge so as to allow the cover part to move between an open position and a closed position; - the front surface extending down from the edge and overlapping the non-planar side surface of the bottom part opposite the hinge when the cover part is in its closed position;
• the bottom part adjacent said upper rim portion is provided with at least one outwardly extending protrusion for locking engagement with co-operating means provided on the cover part and where said hinge (5) is positioned above the level of the upper rim portion (6) of the bottom part (2).
• co-operating means on the cover part of this embodiment is one or more openings in the front surface of the cover part, although other equivalent means may also be envisaged be a person skilled in the art.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a package shown in its open state and provided with mutually corresponding retainment means according to the present invention for retainment of the cover part to the bottom part of the package when the package is in the closed state;
• Figure 2A is a first perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a package provided with retainment means according to the present invention
• Figure 2B is a second perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a package shown in Figure 2A and provided with retainment means according to the present invention
• Figure 2C is a perspective view of an embodiment of a package provided with retainment means according to the invention.
• Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a package in the open state and provided with retainment means according to the present invention
• Figure 4 is another and more preferred package provided with retainment means according to the present invention.
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of a package provided with additional retainment flaps according to the present invention.
• a package 1 for eggs comprising bottom parts 2 and cover parts 3 hingedly connected to each other by a hinge portion 5.
• the cover part 3 comprises a substantially planar top surface 16 and a substantially planar frontal side 4 which in the closed state of the package extends downwardly substantially over the entire height of the bottom part 2, i.e. down to the bottom level as indicated by reference numeral 15 in Figures 1 and 3.
• the bottom part 2 of the package shown in Figure 1 comprises a total of 12 pockets for eggs, generally designated by 12. Along the upper edge of the bottom part 2 there extends an upper flange-like rim portion 6 defining the upper level of the bottom part itself. Elevated above this level, a hinge portion 5 connecting the bottom part 2 and the cover part 3 is situated.
• the upper flange-like rim portion 6 extends a few millimetres outwardly from the egg pockets 12 and bridges the gaps 13 formed between adjacent egg pockets.
• These bridging portions of the upper rim portion 6 are designated 6' in the Figures and the lower surface of one or more of these bridging portions 6' can advantageously be used as one of the mutually corresponding retainment means according to the present invention in a manner to be described below.
• the inner surface of the frontal side 4 of the cover part 3 is according to this embodiment of the invention provided with inwardly extending protrusions 7, the engagement surface 8 of which facing the top surface 16 of the cover part being substantially planar although other shapes of this surface - and of the protrusions 7 generally - would also be possible.
• FIG. 2A and 2B there is shown a preferred embodiment of a package comprising retainment means according to the invention.
• This package is specifically designed to accommodate two rows of five eggs and comprises a single bottom part 2 and corresponding cover part 3.
• the package shown in Figures 2A and 2B comprises both the retaining protrusions 7 on the cover part and additionally the retainer means 10, 11 known from the initially cited European Patent No. 1 098 826.
• the upper rim portion 6 of the bottom part 2 is provided with retainment flaps 25A and 25B for engagement with the corresponding protrusions 7 and the openings 10, respectively, provided on the cover part 3, These pairs of retainment flaps 25A, 25B are shown in Figure 2B.
• FIG. 2C an embodiment of a package is shown which only comprises the retainment protrusions 7 on the cover part 3 and the corresponding flaps 25A on the upper rim portion of the bottom part.
• This embodiment of a package is thus not provided with the retainment means known from the initially cited European Patent No. 1 098 826.
• FIG. 3 there is shown a side elevational view of the package shown in Figure 1.
• FIG. 4 A side elevational view of an alternative package is shown in Figure 4, in which the rounded edge portion 17 of the package shown in Figure 3 has been replaced by a substantially planar edge region 20 longitudinally bounded by edge portions 18 and 19.
• the protrusion is in this case located in the vicinity of the edge portion 19.
• the bottom part 2 and the cover part 3 are furthermore - as an option - provided with those retainment means already known from the initially cited European Patent No. 1 098 826.
• the prime advantage of the retainment means according to the present invention becomes apparent by a comparison between the retainment means disclosed in EP 1 098 826 and those of the present invention.
• the retainment means according to EP 1 098 826 comprises one or more rectangular holes 10 in the frontal side 4 and corresponding projections 11 placed on one or more of the pockets 12 of the bottom part 2. As apparent from Figures 3 and 4, these projections terminate downwardly in inclined portions 22 and when the cover part 3 is closed, a retaining engagement is established between these inclined portions 22 and the corresponding edge portion 23 of the hole in the frontal side 4.
• the projections only project a few millimetres - typically approximately 3 mm - outwards from the corresponding surface of the pocket 12 and a reliable retainment by these means requires that the frontal side 4 be substantially plane and not exhibiting an outwardly arched shape relative to the bottom part 2. In practice, this requirement is not always fulfilled, and this has turned out to cause problems both during the packing process and in shops, where packages tend to open.
• FIG. 5 there is shown an embodiment of retainment means as set forth in the invention according to which the flange-like upper edge 6 of the bottom part 2 is additionally provided with outwardly extending retainment flaps 25.
• Such flaps can - as described above - as one possibility be placed at the portions of the upper edge 6 corresponding to the positions of the retainment openings 10 in the cover part 3, in which case they can serve as a supplementary retainment means to the retainment means provided by the openings 10 and the corresponding projections 11 on the bottom part 2, to the effect that when the engagement between the openings 10 and the projections 11 is released, the cover part will still be prevented from completely opening due to a subsequent engagement between the openings 10 and the corresponding flaps 25.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)
• Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=34429206

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications After (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2004
  • 2004-09-07 WO PCT/IB2004/051701 patent/WO2005035392A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2004-09-07 AT AT08015379T patent/ATE503705T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-07 RU RU2006115585/12A patent/RU2006115585A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-09-07 JP JP2006530897A patent/JP2007508207A/ja active Pending
  • 2004-09-07 EP EP04769951A patent/EP1558504B1/fr not_active Not-in-force
  • 2004-09-07 DE DE602004019878T patent/DE602004019878D1/de active Active
  • 2004-09-07 AT AT04769951T patent/ATE425109T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-07 CA CA002541375A patent/CA2541375A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-09-07 US US10/574,956 patent/US20070017845A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-09-07 CN CNA2004800294404A patent/CN1863717A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-09-07 EP EP08015379A patent/EP1995185B1/fr not_active Not-in-force
  • 2004-09-07 DE DE602004032069T patent/DE602004032069D1/de active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events