EP2535283A1

EP2535283A1 - A two lid box

Info

Publication number: EP2535283A1
Application number: EP11170452A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Guy Vanhoutte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-17
Filing date: 2011-06-17
Publication date: 2012-12-19

Abstract

A two lid box comprising a base recipient (10) and a coverlid (1), said base recipient comprising a bottom and upstanding side walls having a first height, between two successive of said side walls there being each time applied a corner piece (16) which makes with each of said successive side walls an obtuse angle, said coverlid (1) being dimensioned such as to fit with said base recipient, said coverlid having a top side from which lateral sides ending in a peripheral border extend, said corner pieces have a second height which is smaller than said first height in such a manner as to leave an opening (21) between said bottom and an underside of said corner piece, said corner piece being further provided with a slit (20) extending upwards as from said bottom, said peripheral border being provided with a resilient cornice (8) extending outwardly with respect to said lateral sides of said coverlid, said cornice having rounded corners (9) applied at corners between successive lateral sides of said coverlid, said rounded corners (9) being dimensioned such as to fit each time in one of said openings (21).

Description

The present invention relates to a two lid box comprising a base recipient and a coverlid, said base recipient having a geometrical shape and comprising a bottom and at least three upstanding side walls having a first height and delimiting an inner volume of said base recipient, said side walls being applied in such a manner that the angle between said bottom and said side walls is situated between 92 and 115°, between two successive of said side walls there being each time applied a corner piece which makes with each of said successive side walls an obtus angle, said coverlid being dimensioned such as to fit with said geometrical shape of said base recipient, said coverlid having a top side from which lateral sides extend, which lateral sides end in a peripheral border.
Such a two lid box is generally known and is for example used for storing food. Due to the fact that the upstanding side walls make with the bottom an angle situated between 92 and 110°, an easy stacking of the base recipients is made possible when they are empty. Moreover, the use of corner pieces between each of the successive side walls avoids that, when stacked, the different base recipients get blocked into one another, which would then render their taking up more difficult. Once an object has been put into the base recipient, the content of the base recipient can be protected by application of the coverlid. If necessary, the coverlid can be sealed to the base recipient for example by the application of an adhesive label.
A drawback of the known two lid box is that the attachment of the coverlid to the base recipient is either cumbersome or not reliable. Indeed, in order to provide a reliable attachment it is either necessary to apply a sealing tag or to provide the coverlid and the base recipient with an attachment lip. Both solutions require an additional step, once the object has been put in the box, which implies a cumbersome operation. Alternatively if the coverlid is not adequately fixed to the base recipient, the attachment of the coverlid to the base recipient is not reliable, as the coverlid can be easily opened, which could cause that the stored object could fall out of the base recipient or be easily stolen.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a two lid box which can be easily and reliably closed.
For this purpose a two lid box according to the present invention is characterised in that said corner pieces have a second height which is smaller than said first height in such a manner as to leave an opening between said bottom and an underside of said corner piece, said corner piece being further provided with a slit extending upwards as from said bottom over a distance shorter than said second height, said peripheral border of said lateral sides being provided with a resilient cornice extending outwardly with respect to said lateral sides of said coverlid, said cornice and said lateral sides being made of resilient material, said cornice having rounded corners applied at corners between successive lateral sides of said coverlid, said rounded corners being dimensioned such as to fit each time in one of said openings. The presence of a resilient cornice with rounded corners on the coverlid and the presence of the openings in the corner pieces, in which openings said rounded corners fit, enables a reliable and easy attachment of the coverlid to the base recipient. Moreover, the presence of the slit in the corner piece in combination with the resiliency of the coverlid enables an easy engagement of the coverlid on the base recipient once the object has been placed in the base recipient. Indeed, when the rounded corners shift along the corner piece, a pressure will be applied on the corner piece. This pressure will on his turn cause the slit to open, thereby facilitating the downward movement of the coverlid into the base recipient. In such a manner, the rounded corners will easily reach the openings in the corner piece where they can engage, thereby fixing in a reliable manner the coverlid to the base recipient.
A first preferred embodiment of a two lid box according to the present invention is characterised in that said cornice is substantially V shaped. The substantially V shaped cornice contributes to the resiliency of the cornice, thereby rendering the inward movement of the coverlid into the base recipient more easily.
A second preferred embodiment of a two lid box according to the present invention is characterised in that said cornice extends over the whole peripheral border of said lateral sides. In such a manner the cornice can be easily manufactured by simply folding the material of which the coverlid is made.
A third preferred embodiment of a two lid box according to the present invention is characterised in that said corners between successive lateral sides of said coverlid are rounded. In such a manner the bending of the corners is rendered easier.
A fourth preferred embodiment of a two lid box according to the invention is characterised in that when said coverlid is mounted on said base recipient, said rounded corners of said cornice extend through said openings. In such a manner the coverlid is as if to say anchored on the base recipient, thereby providing a reliable fixing of both lids of the box to each other.
The invention will now be described in more details with respect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings :

figure 1 shows an overall view of a coverlid as part of a two lid box;
figure 2 shows an overall view of a base recipient as part of a two lid box;
figure 3 shows a side view of the coverlid;
figure 4 shows a side view of the base recipient;
figures 5 to 7 illustrate the engagement of the coverlid with the base recipient; and
figure 8 shows an alternative embodiment of a two lid box according to the invention.

In the drawings a same reference sign has been allocated to a same or analogous element.
Figure 1 shows an overall view of a coverlid 1 as part of a two lid box according to the invention. The coverlid is made of resilient material, preferably of a transparent material such as to enable to see from the outside the object stored in the box. The material of which the coverlid is made is for example plastic, in particular polyethylene.
The coverlid comprises a top side 2 from which lateral sides 3, 4, 5 and 6 extend. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1 the coverlid is rectangularly shaped, whereas in the embodiment illustrated in figure 9 the box and its coverlid are triangularly shaped. It will however be clear that the present invention is not limited to a box of a particular geometrical shape. It is however important that the box comprises at least three side walls in such a manner as to delimit an inner volume in which objects can be stored.
The lateral sides 3, 4, 5 and 6 end in a peripheral border 9, which is provided with a resilient cornice 8 extending outwardly with respect to the lateral sides of the coverlid 1, as can be seen in figure 3 too. The cornice is made of resilient material, preferably of the same material of which the coverlid is made. The cornice is preferably substantially V shaped and extends over the whole peripheral border of the lateral sides of the coverlid. Alternatively the cornice could only extend at the corners 7 of the coverlid. However for manufacturing purposes it is easier to have the cornice extending over the whole peripheral border, as this enables to manufacture the cornice by folding the peripheral border. The V shaped cornice is preferred as this provides a good and reliable resilient property. Moreover a V shaped cornice extending over the whole peripheral border provides a better and tighter closure.
As can be further seen from the figures 1 and 3, the corners 7 between successive lateral sides 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the coverlid are preferably rounded in order to avoid sharp edges, which could injure a user. Also the cornice has rounded corners 9 situated at the corners of the lateral sides. The cornice has a width w extending between 0,5 and 1 cm, when measured at an upper border thereof. The V shape preferably makes an angle situated between 20 and 45°, preferably 30°.
Figure 2 shows an overall view of the base recipient 10 and figure 4 shows a side view of the base recipient. The base recipient has a geometrical shape which fits with the one of the coverlid so that they can engage into and cooperate with each other. The base recipient comprises a bottom 11 and at least three upstanding side walls 12, 13, 14 and 15. The side walls have a first height h1 situated between 3 and 10 cm, depending on the object to be stored. The bottom and the upstanding side walls delimit an inner volume of the base recipient. The side walls being applied in such a manner that the angle α between the bottom and the side wall is situated between 98 and 115°, so that the inner volume of the base recipient widens as from the bottom.
Between two subsequent side walls of the base recipient, there being each time applied a corner piece 16, 17, 18 and 19. So for example corner piece 16 extends between side wall 12 and 13. The corner pieces are applied in such a manner that they make with each of the successive side walls an obtus angle β. The corner pieces are thus inclined with respect to their neighbouring side walls. The corner pieces have a second height h2, which is smaller than said first height in such a manner as to leave an opening 21 between said bottom 11 and an underside of the corner piece. The opening preferably has a height extending between 0,5 and 1 cm. The corner piece is further provided with a slit 20 extending upwards as from said bottom over a distance shorter than the second height h2 of the corner piece.
The base recipient is preferably made of cardboard, polystyrene or polypropylene as those materials are cheap and provide an easy manufacturing of the base recipient.
The assembling of the coverlid and the base recipient in order to form a closed two lid box will now be described with respect to the figures 5 to 8. As illustrated in figure 5 the coverlid 1 is put above the base recipient so that the peripheral border with its cornice 8 faces the inner volume of the base recipient. The coverlid is lowered towards the base recipient until the rounded corners 9 of the cornice 8 touch the corner pieces 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the base recipient and the cornice touches an upper border of the base recipient. As the coverlid and the base recipient have a corresponding geometrical shape the coverlid will enter into the inner volume of the base recipient. This movement is facilitated by the fact that the inner volume of the base recipient widens up as from the bottom 11.
When the coverlid enters the base recipient, the corner pieces 16, 17, 18 and 19 will apply a pressure against the rounded corners of the coverlid and their cornice. This is mainly due to the fact that the corner pieces make obtus angles which their respective side walls. As the coverlid is made of resilient material, the pressure applied thereon will cause the corners and the cornice of the coverlid to bend inwardly. Also when the cornice extends over the whole peripheral border of the coverlid, the part of the cornice extending along a same border will bend towards the internal of the base recipient. This inward bending will cause the coverlid to slide further inside the inner volume of the base recipient. As the volume delimited by the upstanding side walls of the base recipient narrows in the direction towards the bottom, the pressure applied by this side walls on the peripheral of the lateral sides will increase, thereby bending more inward by the lateral walls.
The resilient material of which the base recipient is made will also cause the corner pieces to get rounded by the downward movement of the coverlid. As illustrated in figure 7 the downward movement of the coverlid into the base recipient and the pressure thereby applied on the corner pieces, will cause the slit 20 to open, thereby enabling the corners of the cornice to penetrate into the openings 21. The more the slits 20 open, the easier the corners 9 can engage into the openings. Once the corners are completely engaged into the openings, as illustrated in figure 8, the corners are firmly engaged into these openings and due to the resilient material of the base recipient, the slits return to their original closed configuration, thereby also contributing to a reliable attachment of the coverlid to the base recipient.
For removal of an object stored inside the box it will either be necessary to tear away a side wall or two corner pieces, or to push successively each of the corners out of the openings. The first operation is the most efficient one, but renders immediately clear that the box has been opened. The second operation is cumbersome and will therefore not be used, in particular by a person who would like to open the box for stealing the content, as it would take too much time. The two lid box according to the present invention thus provides a reliable attachment of the coverlid to the base recipient.

Claims

A two lid box comprising a base recipient and a coverlid, said base recipient having a geometrical shape and comprising a bottom and at least three upstanding side walls having a first height and delimiting an inner volume of said base recipient, said side walls being applied in such a manner that the angle between said bottom and said side walls is situated between 92 and 115°, between two successive of said side walls there being each time applied a corner piece which makes with each of said successive side walls an obtus angle, said coverlid being dimensioned such as to fit with said geometrical shape of said base recipient, said coverlid having a top side from which lateral sides extend, which lateral sides end in a peripheral border, characterised in that said corner pieces have a second height which is smaller than said first height in such a manner as to leave an opening between said bottom and an underside of said corner piece, said corner piece being further provided with a slit extending upwards as from said bottom over a distance shorter than said second height, said peripheral border of said lateral sides being provided with a resilient cornice extending outwardly with respect to said lateral sides of said coverlid, said cornice and said lateral sides being made of resilient material, said cornice having rounded corners applied at corners between successive lateral sides of said coverlid, said rounded corners being dimensioned such as to fit each time in one of said openings.
The two lid box as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said cornice is substantially V shaped.
The two lid box as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said cornice extends over the whole peripheral border of said lateral sides.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said corners between successive lateral sides of said coverlid are rounded.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a surface delimited by said peripheral border of said coverlid corresponds to a further surface covered by said bottom of said base recipient.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that when said coverlid is mounted on said base recipient, said rounded corners of said cornice extend through said openings.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said base recipient is made of cardboard, polystyrene or polypropylene, said coverlid being made of polyethylene, in particular transparent polyethylene.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said first height is situated between 3 and 10 cm.
The two lid box as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said cornice has a width extending between 0,5 and 1 cm when measured at an upper border thereof.