FR2598688A1 - BOX FOR PACKAGING FRAGILE ARTICLES SUCH AS EGGS, AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING THESE ARTICLES - Google Patents

Abstract

BOX FOR THE PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ITEMS SUCH AS EGGS. THIS BOX INCLUDES: A. A SUPPORT ELEMENT 10 CONTAINING A ROW OF 100 ALVEOLES EACH RECEIVING AN ARTICLE 0; B. A U-SHAPED SHEET 2, WHICH ENCLOSES THE BOTTOM AND THE SIDE SIDES OF THE SUPPORT ELEMENT 10; C. A LID 3 FIXED TO THE UPPER PART OF SHEET 2, THIS COVER SHOWING A ROW OF OPENINGS 300 DIMENSIONED AND POSITIONED SO AS TO STYLE THE UPPER PART OF THE ARTICLES 0. PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ARTICLES SUCH AS EGGS, CERTAIN FRUITS OR VEGETABLES, ELECTRIC BULBS, POTTED PLANTS, ETC.

Description

The present invention relates to a boot for conditioning

  fragile items, including eggs; it also relates to a packaging method

of these articles.

  Currently fragile articles such as eggs are generally packaged for retail sale in boxes of cushioning material, for example fiberboard or expanded polystyrene, these boxes comprising a honeycomb bottom and a closure lid hinged on this background. The cells are divided into two rows of six or three cells, depending on whether the box is intended to contain a

  dozen or half a dozen eggs.

  This type of packaging unfortunately has a number of disadvantages: firstly, the eggs are imperfectly held in place in the boots, which is a common cause of breakage when these boxes are turned over or receive shocks; - Secondly, the cost of the boot is relatively high, the boot being entirely made by molding; - Third, finally, the grip of the boxes by consumers, especially when they -25 levy in a rack or on a display, is not very convenient because of the shape of these boots and

from their flat layout.

  On the other hand, the eggs supplied by the producer to the conditioner which can be boxed (for retail sale) are generally delivered on alveolar trays which contain a relatively large number of eggs, for example thirty; the cells of these trays are arranged in several juxtaposed rows, generally five rows of six. To package these eggs, it is therefore necessary to remove each egg from the tray beforehand and then place it in a box of the type mentioned. This is a relatively long and tedious intermediate operation, a source of frequent breakage. The object of the invention is to solve these various problems: on the one hand by proposing a new packaging box for fragile articles, and in particular eggs, in which these articles are perfectly held in place, this box being more than a low cost price while allowing easy gripping; - on the other hand by proposing a new method of packaging these articles which does not require their individual transfer from the honeycomb tray on

  which they are delivered, in the box.

  These results are achieved according to the invention in that the box comprises: a) a support element comprising a row of cells open upwards and adapted to each receive the lower part of an article; b) a U-shaped sheet, which is fixed to the support member such that the bottom of the cells rests on its central zone and that its wings extend vertically against the lateral sides of the support element; c) a lid which is fixed to the upper part of said wings and has a row of openings sized and positioned so as to each cap the upper part of an article and retain it

in its alveolus.

  It is easily conceivable that this boot structure maintains a firm place in alldirections, each of the items inside the box. The low cost of the box results from the simplicity of the elements that make it up, and from the simplicity of their mutual assembly. The generally vertical shape of the box makes it easy to pick up on a rack, this picking being done in the same way as

  that of a book in a library.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the U-shaped sheet is attached to the support member by bonding the bottom of the cells to its central area.

  The lid openings naturally have an outline which is adapted to the shape of the articles contained in the box; so if you're dealing with eggs, these

  openings will advantageously have a circular shape.

  The openings of the lid, in a variant, may be provided with incisions or deformable serrations, capable of being intimately applied against the upper part of the article contained in the box, in order to

  to further improve the quality of maintaining this article.

  In a preferred embodiment, the support element is made of molded fiber pasteboard or expanded polystyrene, this support element being advantageously obtained by dividing a honeycomb tray. The U-shaped sheet is for example a sheet of cardboard whose wings are folded by folding. Similarly, the lid can be made in a second U-shaped sheet, whose central zone has the openings and whose lateral wings are fixed to those of the other sheet, this fixing being possible

  simply do it by gluing or stapling, for example.

  This second sheet is advantageously also a

  cardboard sheet whose wings are folded by folding.

  To facilitate the opening of the box for the collection of articles, it is advisable to provide 5 in the central zone of the cover at least one tear line, it can cross the openings

  to make them communicate with each other.

  In a possible variant of the box, the U-shaped leaf wings which are attached to the support member 10 extend upwards above the level of the lid, these extensions forming a handle adapted to

  facilitate the wearing of the box by hand.

  The proposed packaging method, which is adapted to the packaging of articles initially placed on a honeycomb tray comprising several rows juxtaposed with cells, is characterized in that it first cuts off this plate so as to divide it into several elements. -support of the same width each containing a row of articles, which each of said support elements is fixed on a sheet shaped to wrap its bottom and side flanks, then a cover is provided thereon to ensure the retention of each article

in its alveolus.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description and the accompanying drawings.

  which present preferential embodiments thereof

  adapted to egg packaging.

  In these drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support element containing the eggs, this support element being placed, before making the box, on a sheet intended to be U-shaped; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lid for closing the upper part of the box after folding and assembly with the elements of Figure 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the box obtained after forming and assembling the elements of FIGS. 1 and 2; - Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the box of Figure 3; - Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing a variant of the box of Figures 3 and 4; Figures 6 and 6A are partial perspective views showing a lid opening provided with a serrated edge, respectively before and after placement on the upper part of an egg; Figure 7 is a schematic side view of a box variant provided with a handle; FIG. 7A is a schematic view cut through the transverse plane A-A of FIG. 7; - Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of a honeycomb tray on which are delivered the eggs 20 before packaging; - Figures 9 and 10 are schematic views, from above, of the tray of Figure 8 furnished with eggs, before and during its division into several support elements; FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views showing the various steps of making a box from a support element which has been obtained by the operation illustrated in FIG.

Figure 10.

  Figure 1 shows a support member 10 on which are placed eggs 0, pointing downwards. The support element 10 comprises a row of six cavities 100, of generally frustoconical shape, whose opening is directed upwards and whose bottom 12 is

  headed down; each cell receives an egg 0.

  In known manner, each cell is lined with four generally pyramidal fingers 13, allowing a centering of the egg in its cell, and allowing the stacking of the support elements, without damage to the eggs; each support element is advantageously obtained from a previously cut honeycomb tray, in rows; the support element is realized by

  Example molded fiber paste, expanded polystyrene, or thermoformed plastic material.

  The lateral flanks of the support element 10 have been

designated by reference 11.

  The support element 10 is placed on the central zone of a rectangular cardboard sheet 2 whose length is slightly greater than that of the element; it is a semi-rigid cardboard intended to be folded in lines represented by broken lines I1, I2, which delimit the central portion 20 of the sheet, these lines being spaced a distance which corresponds substantially to the width of the support element; the parts - or wings - external to the central zone 20, designated by the reference 21, have a

  width substantially greater than the height of the support element.10, and eggs O it contains.

  The element shown in FIG. 2, which is intended to serve as a cover for the box, has the shape of a rectangular sheet 3, the length of which corresponds to that of sheet 2, but whose width is substantially smaller than that of sheet 2. of this leaf; it is also a semi-rigid cardboard sheet, able to be folded along two lines J1, J2, which divide the sheet 3 into a central zone 30 and two lateral wings 31. The central zone 30 has a row six openings 300 whose diameter corresponds substantially to the section of the upper part of the eggs O; these openings are positioned to coincide exactly with the cells 100, and correlatively with the eggs 0 contained therein. Figure 3 shows how the elements

  just described are shaped and assembled together.

  The support element 10, which contains the row of six eggs 0, having been previously glued by the bottom of the cells 12 on the central zone 20 of the sheet 2, the wings 21 of this sheet are then folded upwards by folding along the lines I1, I2 so as to be vertically applied against the lateral flanks 11 of the support element 10; the wings 21 are possibly also fixed to these flanks 11 by gluing. The sheet 2 thus receives a U-shaped profile configuration. Similarly, the edges 31 of the cover sheet 3 are folded upwards by folding along the lines J1, J2. This cover 3 is then placed between the upper part of the wings 21 in such a way that each opening 300 comes to cover the upper part (end of a non-pointed end) of an egg 0. The depression of the cover 3 between the wings 21 is determined by such that the eggs O are suitably clamped between the cells 100 and the openings 300. Then, the folded edges 31 of the lid are fixed to the upper parts 30 of the wings 21 by any appropriate means, for example by

gluing or stapling.

  The box thus made has an elongate parallelepipedal shape, arranged vertically, convenient to handle. Each egg O contained in the box is correctly held in place, at its lower part (pointed) in a cell 100, and at its upper part (rounded) by the edge of a lid opening 300; this maintenance is perfectly illustrated on the sectional view of Figure 4, which shows that the egg O is completely immune to shocks. In this figure, the areas of bonding bottoms 12 with the central portion 20 of the sheet 2 and side flanks 11 with the wings 21, 10 have been designated respectively by the references 4 and 5. To facilitate the sampling, in order to consumption, eggs in the box, it is possible to provide means facilitating the opening of this boot. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, these means consist of a tear line, denoted by the reference 6, which is formed in the middle part of the area 30 of the cover, this tear line connecting to each other the openings 300. This tear line is for example made by punching the zone 30; by pulling vertically upwards on the lid, it is easy to tear the central portion 20, and to release the upper part

  of one or more eggs 0, so as to allow their removal.

  In the variant shown in Figure 5, the central zone 20 of the sheet 2 has a series of arcuate cuts, which delimit recessed areas 22 whose contour corresponds to that of the cell bottoms 12; the bonding of the support member with the sheet 2 is by nesting the bottoms of cells in these recessed portions 22 (and no longer by gluing). Furthermore, the cover 3 'has wings 31' directed downwards, these wings coming v covering the upper part of the wings 21 of the U-shaped sheet 2. This is a possible variant embodiment of the box of the invention; however, contrary to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, this solution does not allow the stacking of boxes, because the upper part of the egg protrudes above the level of the boxes. Stacking is nevertheless possible if the fins 31 '- always facing downwards - are fixed inside the wings 21 and if the upper edge of the latter is higher than the level of the part

superior of the egg.

  In the variant of Figure 6, the edge of the circular hole 300 is provided with a series of serrations 301 regularly distributed over its circumference. As can be seen in FIG. 6A, when this opening 300 caps the upper part of the egg 0, the serrations

  301 folds upward, thus providing pressure against the egg 0, so as to further improve the retention of this egg in the box.

  In the variant of FIGS. 7 and 7A, the lateral wings 21 extend upwards, above the level of the lid 3, and this extension is shaped like a handle 23 having an opening 230. The two wing extensions constituting the handle

  23 are advantageously fixed to one another, for example by gluing or stapling. It is easily understood that the existence of this handle facilitates the wearing of the box.

  Figures 8 to 13 illustrate the method of conditioning which is the subject of the invention.

  The tray 1 is a honeycomb tray which comprises

  thirty cells arranged in five rows of six.

  This is a known type of tray made of fibreboard, on which the eggs from the producer are delivered. For the sake of simplification, only two cells 100, as well as four pyramidal fingers 13 surrounding one of these cells have been completely shown in FIG. 8; the other cells 100 are symbolized by dots, and the rows of cells are

  designated by the references R1, R2, R3, R4, R5.

  FIG. 9 represents the tray 1 lined with thirty eggs 0. In accordance with the invention, this tray (packed with eggs) is cut by cutting it along longitudinal lines L situated between the different rows of cells Ri, R2 ,. .. R5. The spacing between these lines has been designated by the reference "e". The longitudinal edges 14 of the plate are also cut, so that we obtain five rectilinear support elements 10, of well-defined width "e". The division of the tray 1 into individual elements 10 is preferably done in an automatic machine specially designed for this purpose, by any appropriate means, the cutting of the elements 10 being

  made for example by sawing for shearing.

  Each support member 10, which contains a row of six eggs, is then placed on the central strip 20 of a sheet 2 previously lined with glue dots 4, 5 (F f, Figure 11); the lateral wings 21 of the

  Sheet 2 is then folded vertically upward such that this sheet takes the form of a U and envelops both the bottom and the lateral flanks of the element 10 (arrows G, Figure 11).

  After bonding, the lid 3 is also U-shaped and placed on the box in such a way that the openings 300 come to cap the upper part.

eggs 0 (arrow H, Figure 12).

  The height positioning of the lid naturally depends on the size of the eggs; more precisely, the positioning can be determined in such a way that the lid comes to apply firmly, by the edge of the corresponding opening 300, against the egg 1 1

big of the row.

  After placement, the lateral wings 31 of the lid 3 are fixed to the upper part of the wings 21,

for example by gluing.

  The advantage of this method is clear from the foregoing description, the eggs being packaged directly from the original tray, without individual transfer. It is easy to imagine that a conditioning of

  this type can be easily automated.

  It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the only possible embodiments that have just been

  described; on the contrary, it includes all the variants.

  Thus, for example, the sheet is not necessarily a folded cardboard sheet in U; this element could be made of plastic

  thermoformed or even molded; similarly, the cover 3 could be a plastic cover.

  The number of expected alévoles - and correlatively the number of articles contained in the box - is obviously any, this number being adapted to the kind of packaged article and its dimensions. In addition, it is possible to produce multiple boxes, composed of two or more elementary boxes of the type described, juxtaposed and fixed to each other. Thus, for example, by sticking together two boots of six eggs identical to that of Figure 3, we obtain a box of

twelve eggs.

  Furthermore, the type of packaging claimed could be applied to various articles other than eggs, particularly to certain fragile fruits or vegetables such as pears and avocados, for example, to electric light bulbs, to potted plants (these pots being formed by cells), etc.

Claims (1)

15 20 25 30   Box for packaging fragile articles, and in particular eggs, characterized in that it comprises: a) a support element (10) comprising a row of cells (100) open upwards and adapted for each receive the lower part of an article (0); b) a U-shaped sheet (2), which is fixed to said support member (10) so that the bottom (12) of the cells (100) rests on its central zone (20) and that its wings (21) ) extend vertically against the lateral flanks (11) of the support member (10); c) a cover (3) which is fixed to the upper part of said wings (21) and has a row of openings (300) dimensioned and positioned so as to each cap the upper part of an article   (O) and hold it in its cell.   2. Box according to claim 1, characterized in that said sheet (2) U-shaped is attached to said support member (10) by bonding the bottom (12) of the cells (100) on its central zone (20) .   3. Box according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the openings (300) of said lid (3) have a generally circular shape.   4. Box according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the edge of the openings (300) of said lid (3) has incisions or serrations (301) deformable.   5. Box according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said support member (10) is made of molded fiberboard.   6. boot according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said sheet (2) U-shaped   is a sheet of cardboard whose wings (21) are folded by folding.   7. Box according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said lid (3) is constituted   a second U-shaped sheet, the central zone (30) of which has the openings (300), and whose lateral wings (31) are attached to the lateral wings   (21) of said U-shaped sheet, for example by gluing or stapling.   8. Box according to claim 7, characterized in that said lid (3) is a sheet of cardboard   whose wings (31) are folded by folding.   9. Box according to claim 8, characterized in that the central zone (30) of said cover pre15 has at least one tear line (6) for   facilitate the collection of items (0) in the boot.   Box according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized by the fact that the wings (21) of the sheet   (2) U-shaped which is attached to the support member (10) 20 extend upwards, above the level of the cover (3), these extensions forming a handle (23).   11. A process for packaging fragile articles such as eggs, which are initially placed on a cell plate comprising several rows juxtaposed with cells, characterized in that said plate (1) is sectioned so as to divide it into pieces. a plurality of support members (10) of the same width (e), each containing a row (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5) of articles (0), which each of said support members (10) is fixed on a 30 sheet (2) shaped to envelop the bottom (12) and the side flanks (11), and that there is reported a lid (3) adapted to ensure the retention of each article (0) in its cell (100).