EP4631875A1

EP4631875A1 - Paper-based packaging for a brush product

Info

Publication number: EP4631875A1
Application number: EP24168971.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manfred Bruno Kobbe; Adrian Sedlaczek; Anusha Balasubramanian; Benedikt Heil
Original assignee: Braun GmbH
Current assignee: Braun GmbH
Priority date: 2024-04-08
Filing date: 2024-04-08
Publication date: 2025-10-15
Also published as: EP4631876A1; US20250313378A1

Abstract

The present application is concerned with a paper-based packaging (1A) for at least one brush product and optionally at least one brush product accessory, the packaging having a tray-like body (10) for receiving the at least one brush product and optionally the at least one brush product accessory in at least one receptacle (19) formed by the tray-like body, the tray-like body having a bottom wall (15) and four side walls (11, 12, 13, 14) essentially perpendicularly extending from the bottom wall, a lid element (20A) essentially gap-free fitting over the tray-like body, the lid element having a top wall (21) and four side walls (22A, 23A, 24A, 25A) essentially perpendicularly extending from the top wall, where at least two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise portions that are secured at respective opposite side walls of the tray-like body, where each of the two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise at least one tear-open element (24A, 25A), where either the tear-open elements are the portions glued to the side walls of the tray-like body or the tear-open elements are arranged between the portions secured to the opposite side walls of the tray-like body and the top wall, so that in case the tear-open elements are torn open, the remaining portion of the lid element can be removed from the tray-like body.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application is concerned with a paper-based packaging for a brush product and with a paper-based brush product packaging.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a general interest in providing packaging concepts for products that so far had been often packaged by using a certain high percentage of plastic material and to replace at least a considerable portion of this plastic material with a more sustainable material such as a paper-based material.
With respect to paper-based packaging there is a general interest to make such a packaging tamper proof so that a consumer buying a product can be sure that the packaging has not been tampered with. In addition, the paper-based packaging should ideally provide a pleasant unpacking experience for the consumer.
While the mentioned interest is generally valid for all type of packaged products, it may be of particular interest for packaging brush products and the associated accessories.
Thus, it is an object to provide a paper-based packaging for a brush product that is improved over existing packaging or that at least provides an alternative for packaging a brush product. It may be an additional or independent object to provide a paper-based packaging for a brush product that allows a consumer to identify that the packaging has not been tampered with.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with at least one aspect, a paper-based packaging for at least one brush product and optionally at least one brush product accessory is proposed, the packaging comprising a tray-like body for receiving the at least one brush product and optionally the at least one brush product accessory in at least one receptacle formed by the tray-like body, the tray-like body having a bottom wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the bottom wall, a lid element essentially gap-free fitting over the tray-like body, the lid element having a top wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the top wall, where at least two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise portions that are secured at respective opposite side walls of the tray-like body, where each of the two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise at least one tear-open element, where either the tear-open elements are the portions glued to the side walls of the tray-like body or the tear-open elements are arranged between the portions secured to the opposite side walls of the tray-like body and the top wall, so that in case the tear-open elements are torn open, the remaining portion of the lid element can be removed from the tray-like body.
In paper-based brush product packaging is proposed that comprises the paper-based packaging of the previous paragraph and at least one brush product disposed in the receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be further elucidated by a detailed description of example embodiments and with reference to figures. In the figures

Fig. 1: is a depiction of an example tray-like body of a paper-based packaging having a receptacle in which a sleeved brush product and further accessories are disposed;
Fig. 2: is a depiction of an example paper-based packaging comprising a tray-like body and a lid, where tear-open elements of the lid are already torn off and the remaining lid is removed from the tray-like body;
Fig. 3: is a depiction of an example tray-like body comprising a cover wall element;
Fig. 4: is a depiction of an example cover wall element comprising a cut-out;
Fig. 5A: is a depiction of an example flat blank comprising folding lines for forming a tray-like body;
Fig. 5B: is a depiction of the blank shown in Fig. 5A in a partly folded and partly glued state in which the blank is still in a flat state;
Fig. 5C: is a depiction of an example tray-like body formed from the partly folded and partly glued blank shown in Fig. 5B after some final folding and gluing steps;
Fig. 6A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements that extend along the complete length of opposite side walls of the final lid;
Fig. 6B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 6A by folding and gluing operations;
Fig. 7A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements that extend along the complete length of opposite side walls of the final lid;
Fig. 7B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 7A by folding and gluing operations;
Fig. 8A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements that extend along a fraction of the complete length of opposite side walls of the final lid and further comprising a hanger element included in a side wall;
Fig. 8B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 7A by folding and gluing operations;
Fig. 9A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements that extend along only a fraction of the complete length of opposite side walls of the final lid;
Fig. 9B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 9A by folding and gluing operations;
Fig. 10A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements that extend only along a fraction of the complete length of opposite side walls of the final lid;
Fig. 10B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 10A by folding and gluing operations;
Fig. 11A: is a depiction of an example blank for forming a lid element comprising tear-open elements provided on opposite side walls of the final lid;
Fig. 11B: is a depiction of an example lid element formed from the blank shown in Fig. 11A by folding and gluing operations;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

"Paper-based" packaging refers to packaging made from materials that are generally known as, e.g., paper, paperboard, cardboard, or corrugated cardboard which are made from one or several layers of fiber pulp. While such paper materials may comprise a coating comprising pigments and other components such as a dispersing agent and/or a binding agent that may comprise an artificial material such as an acrylate polymer, such coatings shall be understood to be covered by the term paper-based (material). In addition, a paper-based packaging may comprise a plastic coating or a plastic sheet such as a transparent plastic foil. The term paper-based shall encompass such plastic coatings or plastic sheets as long as the weight percentage of these plastic materials is below 50%, typically below 40%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15% or 10%. In a "pure paper-based" packaging, the weight percentage of such dedicated plastic coatings or other plastic materials such as transparent plastic windows or plastic foil seals not more than 5% and may be 0% (the 0% value shall not exclude artificial material in a pigment coating, but shall relate to plastic coatings or plastic elements such as window foils etc.). The term paper-based shall encompass packaging made from fiber pulp made from wood, agricultural residues like straw, annual plants and grasses, rags, and/or recycled or secondary fibers, whether deinked or not, the term thus referring to the natural origin of the fibers used in paper making, which thus means that the term paper-based refers to a sustainable and often recyclable material.
The present disclosure is concerned with paper-based packaging comprising a receptacle for receiving at least one brush product. Additionally, accessories may be disposed in the receptacle of the packaging. The present disclosure is also concerned with a brush packaging that comprises a brush product. A brush product may be a toothbrush, specifically an electric toothbrush, but this shall not exclude that the brush product may also be a manual toothbrush. The brush product to be received in the receptacle may be sleeved in a wrapper made from paper-based material, in particular wherein the wrapper has a generally box-like outer shape. In other examples, a brush product may be directly placed in the receptacle.
There is a current strive to use packaging that is more sustainable than the previous packaging that often was completely made from plastics or comprised plastic material in a weight fraction of at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90%. Such paper-based packaging is ideally made from pure paper-based material. Specifically for brush products such as electric toothbrushes, the basic packaging element, e.g., a tray-like body for receiving the brush product, should provide a certain stability. Such a tray-like body may be made from corrugated cardboard, i.e., may be made from a cut blank that is folded, i.e., erected, and glued such that the tray-like body comprising a receptacle results. As will be explained further below, the blank may first be pre-folded and pre-glued so that an intermediate double-layer or multilayer blank results that is still essentially flat and the tray-like body may be erected and glued from the double-layer blank in a second step. The packaging should further provide the possibility to allow for an appealing print on the outside for displaying the housed product. This may be achieved by a lid-element for closing the box-like element made from a cardboard blank that may have at least an outside optimized for quality printing as is achieved by one or more layers of a pigment coating that renders the surface to be plain white and smooth, where smoothness may be increased with number of pigment layers.
A paper-based packaging as proposed herein comprises at least a tray-like body for receiving at least one brush product in a receptacle and a lid element that covers the receptacle. The tray-like body may have a generally rectangular form and thus may typically have a bottom wall and four side walls that essentially perpendicularly extend from the bottom wall, even though this shall not be considered as limiting. The tray-like body may alternatively have a non-rectangular shape, e.g., a trapezoidal shape or a parallelogram-like shape and/or at least one side-wall of the tray-like body may be angled with respect to the bottom wall. The lid element may be shaped to fit in an essentially gap-free or neat manner over the tray-like body. The lid element may thus comprise a top wall and four side walls in geometric alignment with the side walls of the tray-like body. The lid element comprises at one tear-open element on each of at least two oppositely arranged side walls and may in some embodiments comprise two tear-open elements on at least one of the two oppositely arranged side walls. After at least one brush product and potentially at least one further accessory are disposed in the receptacle, the lid element is pushed over the tray-like body and at least portions of the oppositely arranged side walls comprising the tear-open elements are glued to the respective side walls of the tray-like body. In at least one embodiment, the tear-open elements are the portions of the oppositely arranged side walls that are glued to the respective side walls of the tray-like body to secure the lid element at the tray-like body and to inhibit unnoticeable tampering with the brush product or optional accessories. In at least one embodiment, the oppositely arranged side walls each comprise a first wall portion and a second wall portion, where the second wall portions are being secured, e.g., glued to the respective side walls of the tray-like body. In this at least one embodiment, the tear-open elements are located between the first and the second wall portions so that tearing open the tear-open elements allows removing the remaining lid element comprising the first wall potions, while the second wall portions remain secured at the respective side walls of the tray-like body. This shall not exclude that in at least one embodiment, the previously explained embodiments are combined.
One aspect of a paper-based packaging proposed herein is to make it tamper-proof so that a consumer in a shop can be sure that the brush product inside of the packaging has not been removed or otherwise manipulated. To make a paper-based packaging tamper proof on the one hand and also easy to open on the other hand, the paper-based packaging in accordance with the present disclosure comprises two oppositely arranged tear-open elements provided in the lid element. Either these tear-open elements are then glued to respective side walls of a tray-like body or second wall portions of the oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element are glued to the side walls of the tray-like body. In any case, getting access to the receptacle of the tray-like body requires tearing open of the tear-open elements so that it can be immediately seen by a consumer whether the packaging was tampered with.
The tray-like body and as well the lid element may each be made from a single blank of paper-based material, which blank is cut and stamped so that wall elements and folding lines and potentially half-cut lines and/or perforation lines and/or cut lines are provided so that the tray-like body or the lid element can be erected by folding and gluing operations. The sheet of paper-based material may be cardboard or corrugated cardboard.
The tray-like body may comprise a cover wall element that covers the receptacle so that after removal of the lid element the consumer does not immediately see into the receptacle but onto the cover wall element. The cover element may be made from a separate sheet of paper-based material. E.g., the tray-like body may be made from corrugated cardboard and the cover wall element may be made from cardboard, specifically where the outer surface of the cover wall element has a high-quality finish allowing printing onto the outer surface in high quality, which shall not exclude the inner side is also printed and/or also has a high-quality finish. The cover wall element may comprise a cut-out positioned in positional alignment with a brush product disposed in the receptacle of the tray to guide a consumer's eye to this important product while the remainder of the receptacle is still covered and the tray-like body comprising the cover-wall element still looks neat. The cover wall element may comprise a gluing section for securing the cover wall section to a side wall of the tray-like body. Specifically, the gluing section may be separated from a cover sheet of the cover wall element by a folding line, which folding line than assumes the function of a hinge around which the cover sheet can be hinged to get access to the receptacle. Additionally, the cover wall element may comprise a tap element for securing, e.g., gluing, the cover wall element to another side wall of the tray-like body.
The free edges of the tray-like body may be made by folding a sheet of paper-based material around the free edge so that the cut edge of the sheet is not exposed at the free edge but faces inwards into the receptacle. This may be specifically of interest if the sheet of paper-based material is corrugated cardboard.
The lid element may comprise at least one hanger included into at least one side wall of the lid element. The respective side wall of the lid element may be at least a two- or a three-layer side wall. Then, e.g., the hanger may be made from at least two hanger elements secured to each other so that the stability of the hanger is improved versus a hanger just made from one single layer of the sheet of paper-based material.
In case the lid element is made from a sheet of cardboard, the tear-open elements may be at least partially defined by half-cut lines that extend about half into the cardboard material. Then two half cut lines could extend into the cardboard sheet from one side and another two half-cut lines could extend into the cardboard sheet from the other side, where pairs of opposite half-cut lines are arranged with some distance, e.g., a distance in the range of between 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm, in particular in a range of between 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm and specifically of about 3.0 mm. Cut-line segments may be added to the half-cut lines, specifically at least at one end of the tear-open element(s) to facilitate easy tearing open of the tear-open element(s). In some instances, a cut-out may be provided in the side wall in which a tear-open element is provided around at least one end of the tear-open element to allow easy access of a user's fingers to the end of the tear-open element. In some instances, a cut-out may be provided in a neighboring side wall if the tear-open element extends until the edge of the side wall in which it is provided so that again access to the respective end of the tear-open element is improved. In some instances, the neighboring side wall may be shorter than the side wall in which the tear-open element is provided. The tear open elements may extend along the full length of the respective side walls in which they are provided and/or at least one tear-open element may extend only along a portion of the length of the side wall. At least two tear-open elements may be provided in a respective side wall so that two tear-open elements need to be torn open to release the respective side wall from the side wall of the tray-like body. In case of two tear-open elements in one single side wall of the lid element, the two ends by which the tear-open elements shall be gripped by the consumer may face each other and a cut-out may be provided in the side wall around the two facing ends.
While in the following examples are shown of a rectangular tray-like body and a respectively rectangular lid element fitting over the tray-like body, this shall not exclude that the tray-like body and the fitting lid element have a different shape such as a trapezoidal or parallelogram-like shape.
Fig. 1 is a depiction of an example tray-like body 10 of a paper-based packaging. The tray-like body 10 comprises five wall elements, namely a bottom wall 15 and four side walls 11, 12, 13, and 14 that extend essentially perpendicularly from the bottom wall 15. Side walls 11 and 13 are in the shown example long side walls and the side walls 12 and 14 are short side walls. This shall not exclude that all side walls are equally long. The tray-like body 10 may be made from a sheet of paper-based material such as corrugated cardboard. Free edges 110, 130 of the side walls 11 and 13 are formed by folding a gluing portion, e.g., gluing portion 131, around the free edge 130 so that the corrugated inner structure of the corrugated cardboard is not visible. This may enhance the appearance of the tray-like body 10 when the respective paper-based packaging is opened by a consumer and thus may enhance the unpacking experience. Folded free edges 110 and 130 may also facilitate an automated filling of a receptacle 19 of the tray-like body 10 due to their smooth outer shape. The short side walls 12 and 14 are here integral with wall elements 121 and 141 that define the receptacle 19 of the tray-like body 10 and shape the receptacle 19 such that in the shown example a sleeved brush product 50 and boxed accessories 60 and 70 fit neatly into the receptacle 19. It is obvious that the shown shape of the receptacle and the size and number of products and accessories shown is just exemplary and shall not be understood as limiting. Such internal wall elements are an optional feature as are the folded free edges. In other examples, a brush product received by the receptacle of the tray-like body may not be sleeved and there may be no or any other number of accessories, whether boxed or not.
Fig. 2 is a depiction of an example already opened paper-based packaging 1A for a brush product and optionally additional brush product accessories. The packaging comprises a tray-like body 10A that comprises a cover wall element 30A and a lid element 20A. The lid element 20A comprises five walls, namely a top wall element 21A and four side walls 22A, 23A, 24A and 25A. The side walls 22A and 23A are short side walls and the side walls 24A and 25A are long side walls, which is just exemplary and shall not be understood as limiting. The lid element 20A may be dimensioned such that it essentially gap-free fits over the tray-like body 10A. In the state of the paper-based packaging 1A shown in Fig. 2, tear-open elements 242A and 252A that were part of the lid element 20A are already torn off. A second wall portion 243A of the lid element 20A glued to a side wall of the tray-like body 10A is shown that remained on the outside of a side wall the tray-like body 10A after the tear-open element 242 was torn away. The tear-open element 242A separated the second wall portion 243A from a first wall portion 241A of the side wall 24A that was not glued to the side wall of the tray-like body 10A and the same is to be imagined for the opposite side wall 25A. Thus, after tearing off of the tear-open elements 242A and 252A from the side walls 24A and 25A of the lid 20A, the remaining lid element 20A can be removed from the tray-like body 10A.
Fig. 3 is a depiction of an example tray-like body 10B comprising a cover wall element 30B. The cover wall element 30B here comprises a cover sheet 31B, a cut-out 32B provided in the cover sheet 31B and a gluing portion 33B for gluing the cover wall element 30B to a side wall of the tray-like body 10B. A further, specifically easily removable gluing portion may be provided on the opposite side as well (for an example see Fig. 4 and the tap element described there). The edge 34B where the cover wall element 30B is glued then works as a hinge around which the cover sheet 31B can be deflected to get access into a receptacle of the tray-like body 10B. The cut-out 32B may be provided in positional alignment with a brush product 50B received in the receptacle of the tray-like body 10B. The use of a cover wall element 30B may enhance the unpacking experience of the consumer. When removing a lid element from the tray-like body 10B, the opened paper-based packaging still looks neat and due to the optional cut-out 32B, the consumer's eye may be guided to the brush product 50B as the main item of interest. The cover wall element 30B may be made, e.g., from cardboard or corrugated cardboard. In case the tray-like body 10B is made from corrugated cardboard, e.g., for stability reasons, a cover wall element 30B made from sufficiently coated cardboard offers the possibility to apply a high-quality printing that welcomes the consumer after removal of the lid element.
Fig. 4 is a depiction of an example cover wall element 30C shown in isolation. The cover wall element 30C comprises a cover sheet 31C having a cut-out 32C, a gluing portion 33C for gluing the cover wall element 30C to a tray-like body, and a tap element 34C. By gluing the gluing portion 33C at a side wall of the tray-like body, the folding edge 34C becomes a hinge around which the cover sheet 31C can be deflected with respect to the tray-like body. The tap element 34C may comprise a gluing portion 341C intended for being glued to a side wall of a tray-like body and a free portion 342C intended for being gripped by a consumer's fingers for ripping off the gluing portion 341C from the side wall of the tray-like body.
Fig. 5A is a depiction of an example blank 10D, i.e., a sheet of paper-based material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, that is cut and stamped for allowing to erect a tray-like body from the blank 10D. The blank 10D comprises various sheet elements that are typically separated from each other by folding lines (shown as dashed lines). Sheet elements 11D, 12D, 13D, and 14D will form side walls of the final tray-like body, while sheet element 15D will form the bottom wall. The sheet elements 11D and 13D will form long side walls and sheet elements 12D and 14D will form short side walls. The sheet elements 11D and 13D comprise gluing portions 111D and 131D, respectively, that will be folded onto the respective sheet element 11D and 13D and will be glued there so that the free edges of the respective side walls will not expose a cut of the paper-based sheet material, e.g., will not expose the corrugated structure of a corrugated cardboard sheet. The short side walls 12D and 14D are here integral with wall elements 121D and 141D, respectively, that will form inner walls of the tray-like body. Gluing sheet portions 122D, 123D as well as 142D and 143D will be used to glue the erected short side walls 12D and 14D to the long side walls 11D and 13D. The side walls 11D and 13D may comprise gluing portions 112D and 132D that may be surrounded by half cut lines. Such portions 112D and 132D may be used in combination with, e.g., an example lid element 20K as shown in Fig. 10B and described with respect to Fig. 10A and 10B. Specifically, tear-open elements 242J and 252J may be glued to portions 112D and 132D and thus the tear-open elements 242J and 252J would then be in positional alignment with the portions 112D and 132D. When tearing open the tear-open elements 242J and 252J, the upper layer of paper-based material of the tray-like body may be torn off as well. This may simplify the opening process as the consumer does not need to break a glue layer but removes the upper paper layer in portions 112D and 132D together the tear-open elements 242J and 252J.
Fig. 5B is a depiction of an intermediate state of the blank 10D shown in Fig. 5A, where several wall elements were already folded onto other wall elements and were glued to each other. Specifically, gluing portion 111E and 131E were folded around folding lines 110E and 130E and were glued to the long side walls 11E and 13E, respectively. Further, the internal wall element portions 121E and 141E where folded around folding lines 120E and 140E, respectively, onto the short side walls and the bottom wall 15E and where glued to these wall elements where appropriate to form the intended inner wall structures of the tray-like body.
Fig. 5C is a depiction of an example tray-like body 10F that results after final folding and gluing steps based on the intermediate pre-folded and pre-glued blank 10E shown in Fig. 5B. The tray-like body 10F comprises four side walls 11F, 12F, 13F, and 14F that essentially perpendicularly extend from a bottom wall 15F. Gluing portions 131F, 123F and 143F are glued to the long side wall 13F as was discussed with respect to Fig. 5B, and a similar structure is to be imagined for side wall 11F. Inner wall structures 121F and 141F defining a receptacle 19F are formed by gluing and folding to structure the receptacle 19F of the tray-like body 10F in accordance with the brush product and potential accessories to be received by the receptacle. The free edges 110F and 130F do not expose a cut of the paper-based sheet material. The same is true for free edges 120F and 140F of the short side walls 12F and 14F, respectively. As mentioned before, such smooth free edges may be considered to have a nicer appearance than cut edges and may facilitate automated filling of the receptacle 19F.
Figures 6A, 6B and 7A, 7B and 8A, 8B and 9A, 9B and 10A, 10B and 11A, 11B are depictions of six different examples of blanks for making lid element and of the respective lid elements. In the following description, emphasis is given to the description of features that are shown in an example for the first time. Such description may not be repeated for following examples where the same or at least similar feature appears again as the skilled person will understand that such description would be redundant.
Fig. 6A is a depiction of an example blank 20B for making a lid element for covering a tray-like body as discussed in the previous paragraphs. The blank 20B may be made from a paper-based material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard. The blank 20B comprises various wall elements such as a top wall 21B and four side walls 22B, 23B, 24B, and 25B. Gluing portions 244B, 245B, 254B, and 255B are provided for gluing the side walls 22B, 23B, 24B, and 25B together. The various wall elements of the blank 20B are separated by folding lines (also named crease lines) shown as dashed lines. Emphasis is put in the present description onto the use of tear-open elements that are used to release a lid element being partly glued to a tray-like body from the tray-like body and to thus open the paper-based packaging and to get access to a packaged brush product and optional accessories. In the example blank 20B of Fig. 6A two tear-open elements 242B and 252B are provided on the oppositely arranged side walls 24B and 25B and extend along the complete length of the side walls. The side wall 24B is thus separated into three portions, namely a first wall portion 241B that is connected with the top wall 21B, a tear-open element 242B and a second wall portion 243B that is intended for being glued at a side wall of the tray-like body to be covered by the lid element. Similarly, the side wall 25B opposite the side wall 24B is separated into three portions, namely a first wall portion 251B that is connected with the top wall 21B, a tear-open element 252B and a second wall portion 253B that is intended for being glued to a side wall of the tray-like body In the following more detailed discussion of the shown tear-open elements 242B and 252B it is assumed that the sheet material is a cardboard material, which shall not be understood as limiting. The tear-open elements 242B and 252B are separated from the first and second wall portions of the respective side walls 24B and 25B by pairs of half-cut lines 2423B, 2424B, 2523B, and 2524B, where half-cut line pairs 2423B and 2523B shown as dashed-double dotted lines are exposed on the outside of the lid and half-cut line pairs 2424B and 2524B shown as dotted lines are exposed on the inner side of the lid element. Both half-cut lines are shown for sake of completeness even though only one pair is seen from one of the sides of the blank. The half-cut line pairs 2423B and 2523B are provided with a first distance between the lines of each pair and the half-cut line pairs 2424B and 2524B are provided with a different distance so that the outer and the inner half-cut lines are provided with a distance to each other, which may facilitate a smooth tearing open process. Further, half-cut lines are relatively unobtrusive and may support a high-quality impression of the paper-based packaging.
The tear-open element 242B comprises two ends 2421B and 2422B that are separated from the side wall 24B by short cut lines so that a consumer can catch one of the ends to tear-open the tear-open element. Similarly, the tear-open element 252B comprises two ends 2521B and 2522B that are separated from the side wall 25B by short cut lines so that a consumer can catch one of the ends to tear-open the tear-open element.
Fig. 6B is a depiction of an example lid element 20C formed from the blank 20B shown in Fig. 6A by respective folding and gluing operations. The lid element 20C has a top wall 21C and four side walls 22C, 23C, 24C, and 25C, which side walls 22C, 23C, 24C, and 25C extend essentially perpendicularly from the top wall 21C. The side walls 22C and 23C are arranged oppositely to each other and form short side walls, and the side walls 24C and 25C are arranged oppositely to each other and are forming long side walls. The short side walls 22C and 23C have a reduced height when compared with the long side walls 24C and 25C, where the height is measured from the top wall 21C to the respective free edge of the side wall. In the shown example, the short side walls 22C and 23C end prior to the tear-open elements 242C and 252C provided in the long side walls 24C and 25C, respectively. By this design, a consumer can grab an end 2421C, 2422C, 2521C or 2522C of the tear-open elements 242C or 252C without getting into conflict with a short side wall. After the tear-open elements 242C and 252C have been torn open, the remaining side walls all have essentially the same height.
It is noted that the above and the following examples shall not exclude that the side walls of the lid element do not perpendicularly extend from the bottom wall, e.g., they may be angled outwards. It shall also be understood that the tear-open elements may be provided in the shorter side walls instead of the longer side walls. As mentioned for the tray-like body, the side-walls may also all have the same length and the basic shape of the lid element may also deviate from a rectangle und may be a trapezoidal shape or a parallelogram shape and the like, where of course, the lid element should neatly cover the tray-like body, i.e., lid element should essentially gap-free cover the tray-like body.
Fig. 7A is a depiction of an example blank 20D for a lid element 20E shown in Fig. 7B. The example has similarities with the example shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, but in the present example, short side walls 22D and 23D have the same height as long side walls 24D and 25D. As was mentioned with respect to the previous example, the consumer may then encounter difficulties in grabbing an end 2421D, 2422D, 2521D or 2522D of tear open elements 242D or 252D, respectively. To overcome this potential difficulty, the side wall 22D has cut-outs 221D and 222D that are located such that access to tear-open element ends 2421D and 2521 is improved and side wall 23D has cut-outs 231D and 232D that are located such that access to tear-open elements 2422D and 2522D is improved.
Fig. 7B is a depiction of the example lid element 20E that results from folding and gluing the blank 20D shown in Fig. 7A. In this erected state of the lid element 20E, side wall 22E has a cut-out 222E that is in positional alignment with end 2421E of tear-open element 242E and an opposite side wall 23E has a cut-out 232E that is in positional alignment with an end 2422E of the tear-open element 242E. The same is to be imagined for the opposite side of the lid element 20E.
Fig. 8A is a depiction of an example blank 20F for making a lid element, which lid element is depicted in Fig. 8B. The blank 20F comprises various wall elements such as a top wall 21F and four side walls 22F, 23F, 24F, and 25F. Gluing portions 224F, 225F, 2331F, and 2332F are provided for gluing the side walls 22F, 23F, 24F, and 25F together. The various wall elements of the blank 20F are separated by folding lines shown as dashed-dotted lines. There are two main differences to the previously discussed examples. The first difference is that the side walls 24F and 25F comprise tear-open elements 242F and 252F that do not extend along the full length of the side walls 24F and 25F, respectively, but only along a fraction of the full length. In detail, in the shown example, first wall portions 241F and 251F that are connected with the top wall 21F are kind of U-shaped and extend around the tear-open elements 242F and 252F, respectively. This is to be understood as an example and other shapes are contemplated as well. In the shown example, the relatively short side-legs of the U-shaped first wall portions 241F and 251F are used as gluing partners for the mentioned gluing portions 224F, 225F, 2331F, and 2332F, where gluing portions 224F and 225F are integral with side wall 22F and gluing portions 2331F and 2332F are integral with side wall 23F. But the specific design of the side walls 24F and 25F is to be considered as independent from the gluing concept. Second wall portions 243F and 253F are separated from the first wall portions 241F and 251F, respectively, by the tear-open elements 242F and 252F, respectively. Tear-open element 242F comprises two ends 2421F and 2422F and tear-open element 252F comprises two ends 2521F and 2522F. A cut-out 2451F is provided in the side wall 24F around the end 2421F, a cut-out 2452F is provided in the side wall 24F around the end 2422F, a cut-out 2551F is provided in the side wall 25F around the end 2521F, and a cut-out 2552F is provided in the side wall 25F around the end 2522F. These cut-outs 2451F, 2452F, 2551F, and 2552F may improve the access to the ends 2421F and 2422F and 2521F and 2522F when a consumer wants to open the paper-based package. The second difference is the realization of side wall 23F as a three-layer side wall comprising wall portions 233F, 234F and 235F that will be folded and glued onto each other. In the shown example, the first layer wall element 233F comprises a first hanger element 261F and the second layer wall element 234F comprises a second hanger element 262F. The hanger elements 261F and 262F will be secured, e.g., glued to each other to form a hanger 26G (see Fig. 8B). The third layer wall element 235F will be glued to the second layer wall element 234F, but without gluing it to the second hanger element 262F so that the hanger 26G can be pivoted outwards as is shown in Fig. 8B. The gluing portions 2331F and 2332F are integral with the first layer wall element 233F. This may result in improved stability of the side wall 23G of the final lid 20G (see Fig. 8B), specifically when the hanger 26G is used for hanging the paper-based packaging. The tear-open elements 242F and 252F have here the same half-cut line structures as previously discussed.
Fig. 8B shows the final lid element 20G made by folding and gluing operations from blank 20F. The hanger 26G is here shown in a swung-open condition. The hanger 26G comprises two hanger elements 261G and 262G that are glued together. A third layer wall element 235G is closing the opening 263G resulting from the provision of the hanger 26G.
Fig. 9A is a depiction of an example blank 20H for making a lid element 20I as depicted in Fig. 9B. Blank 20H comprises, inter alia, a top wall 21H and four side walls 22H, 23H, 24H, and 25H. Side wall 23H comprises three layers and hanger elements as discussed with respect to Fig. 8A. Side wall 24H comprises two tear-open elements 2423H and 2425H. Tear open element 2423H comprises an end 2424H and tear-open element 2425H comprises an end 2426H. The two ends 2424H and 2426H face each other and are separated by a cut-out 245H that may allow improved access to the ends 2424H and 2426H. In case that the blank 20H were made from corrugated cardboard, the tear-open elements 2423H and 2425H could be defined by perforation lines rather than half-cut lines as is indicated in Figs. 9A and 9B. As before, the side wall 24H comprises an essentially U-shaped first wall portion 241H that is connected with the top wall 21H and a second wall portion 243H that is intended for being glued to a respective side wall of a tray-like body. In the shown example, perforated lines or half-cut lines 2427H and 2428H are provided to allow separation of the first wall portion 241H from the second wall portion 243H by tearing off the tear-open elements 2423H and 2425H. The same structure is here also realized for side wall 25H and the description will not be repeated.
Fig. 9B is a depiction of a lid element 20I that was made from the blank 20H shown in Fig. 9A by folding and gluing operations. An exemplary side wall 24I extends essentially perpendicularly from a top wall 211 and comprises a first wall portion 2411 that is connected with the top wall 21I, a second wall portion 243I that is intended for being glued at a respective side wall of a tray-like body. Further, the side wall 24I comprises two tear-open elements 2423I and 2425I. Gripping ends 2424I and 2426I of the tear-open elements 2423I and 2425I, respectively, face each other and a cut-out 245I is located between the gripping ends 2424I and 2426I to potentially improve the access to the gripping ends 2424I and 2426I. The gripping ends 2424I and 2426I may be separate from the side wall 24 24I by cut lines to provide an easily deflectable first end portion. The remainder of the tear-open elements 2423I and 2425I may be separated from the side wall 24I by perforation lines, specifically in case the blank 20H is made from corrugated cardboard. In the shown example, perforation lines separating the first wall portion 241I and the second wall portion 243I may be provided in proximity to ends of the tear-open elements 2423I and 2425I so that the glued second wall portion 243I can be easily separated from the remainder of the lid element so this remainder of the lid element 20 I can be removed from the tray-like body during the unpacking process.
Fig. 10A is a depiction of an example blank 20J for a lid element 20K shown in Fig. 10B. This example differs from the previously discussed example as here, side walls 24J and 25J comprise only two first wall portion 241J and 251J, respectively, and at each of them one of two tear-open element 242J and 252J, respectively. In this example, the intention is to glue the tear-open elements 242J and 252J to respective side walls of a tray-like packaging so that when the tear-open elements 242J and 252J are torn off, the remainder of the lid element 20K can be removed from the tray-like body. The tear-open elements 242J and 252J are located at the lower edges of the side walls 24J and 25J, respectively, and they are located centrally and leave enough space for gluing elements to be glued to the inner sides, which gluing elements are provided at the sides of side walls 22J and 23J. The side wall 23J here comprises a two-layer structure with a two-layer hanger 26J. It is referred to the discussion above relating to portions 112D and 132D as indicated in Fig. 5A.
Fig. 10B is a depiction of a lid element 20K made from the blank 20J shown in Fig. 10A. Side wall 25J is here shown to comprise a first wall portion 251K and a tear-open element 252K. A cut-out 255K is provided around one end of the tear-open element 252K to allow easy access to this end.
Fig. 11A is a depiction of an example blank 20 L for making a lid element 20M shown in Fig. 11B. This example is an alternative variant to the blank 20I shown in Fig. 10A. The blank 20L comprises a top wall 21L and four side walls 22L, 23L, 24L and 25L. The side walls 24L and 25L each comprise a first wall portion 241L and 251L, respectively, and each of the side walls 24L and 25L comprise two tear-open elements 2421L, 2422L and 2521L, 2522L, respectively. The tear-open elements 2421L, 2422L and 2521L, 2522L are located at the lower edges of the respective side walls 24L and 25L, respectively, and may be separated in the lower region by a cut-line from the first wall portions 241L and 251L, respectively, and otherwise by a perforation line to allow easy tearing off.
Fig. 11B is a depiction of a lid element 20M that was made from the blank 20L shown in Fig. 11A. It is exemplary shown that a side wall 25M comprises a first wall portion 251M and two tear-open elements 2521M and 2522M.
In the examples discussed with respect to Figs. 10A, 10B, 11A and 11B, a glue may be chosen to glue the tear-open elements to side walls of the tray-like body so that they can be removed without leaving paper remnants on the tray-like body to improve the aesthetics and the user's unpacking experience.
Generally, the tray-like body may comprise at least one printed area located in alignment with at least one of the tear-open elements, e.g., for providing information to user about also removing the opposite tear-open element.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

Claims

A paper-based packaging for at least one brush product and optionally at least one brush product accessory, the packaging comprising:
a tray-like body for receiving the at least one brush product and optionally the at least one brush product accessory in at least one receptacle formed by the tray-like body, the tray-like body having a bottom wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the bottom wall;

a lid element essentially gap-free fitting over the tray-like body, the lid element having a top wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the top wall, where at least two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise portions that are secured at respective opposite side walls of the tray-like body, where each of the two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise at least one tear-open element, where either the tear-open elements are the portions glued to the side walls of the tray-like body or the tear-open elements are arranged between the portions secured to the opposite side walls of the tray-like body and the top wall, so that in case the tear-open elements are torn open, the remaining portion of the lid element can be removed from the tray-like body.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tray-like body is made from one single sheet of paper-based material such as a cardboard sheet or a corrugated cardboard sheet that also forms at least one wall element defining the receptacle.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tray-like body comprises a cover wall element covering the receptacle, in particular where the cover wall element is a hinged cover wall element.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with claim 3, wherein the cover wall element comprises a cut-out.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the cover wall element is on one edge secured at a side wall of the tray-like body.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with claim 5, wherein the cover wall element comprises a tap element provided at an edge opposite to the secured edge, which tap element is secured a side wall of the tray-like body.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tray-like body is made from corrugated cardboard and wherein the free edges of the side walls of the tray-like body are formed by folding the corrugated cardboard so that the free edges do not expose the corrugated cardboard structure.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 7, wherein one of the side walls of the lid element comprises a hanger made from at least two layers of paper-based sheet material from which the lid element is made.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lid element is made from cardboard and the tear-open elements each comprise two half-cut lines extending into the cardboard from an outer side and two half-cut lines extending into the cardboard from an inner side, wherein the two inner and the outer half-cut lines are disposed with a distance to each other.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least one of the tear-open elements extends along a complete length of the side wall of the lid element in which they are provided.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at least one of the tear-open elements extends only along a fraction of a complete length of the lid element and a cut-out is provided in the side wall of the lid element around at least one end of the at least one tear-open element.
The paper-based packaging in accordance with one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a perforated line or a cut line extends from an end of at least one tear-open element to a free edge of the side wall in which the tear-open element is provided.
A paper-based brush product packaging comprising:
a tray-like body for receiving the at least one brush product and optionally the at least one brush product accessory in at least one receptacle formed by the tray-like body, the tray-like body having a bottom wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the bottom wall;

a lid element essentially gap-free fitting over the tray-like body, the lid element having a top wall and four side walls essentially perpendicularly extending from the top wall, where at least two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise portions that are secured at respective opposite side walls of the tray-like body, where each of the two oppositely arranged side walls of the lid element comprise at least one tear-open element, where either the tear-open elements are the portions glued to the side walls of the tray-like body or the tear-open elements are arranged between the portions secured to the opposite side walls of the tray-like body and the top wall, so that in case the tear-open elements are torn open, the remaining portion of the lid element can be removed from the tray-like body; and

at least one brush product received in the receptacle of the tray-like body.
The paper-based brush product packaging in accordance with claim 13, wherein the tray-like body comprises a cover wall element that covers the receptacle and that comprises a cut-out provided in positional alignment with the brush product.
The paper-based brush product packaging in accordance with claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the brush product is sleeved in a paper-based wrapper that in turn is received in the receptacle of the tray-like body.