FR2663004A1 - Folding package of the pallet-box type - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallet-box which can be folded flat of the type comprising a container (1) made of corrugated cardboard or the like, of which at least one constituent element of the bottom adjoins a pallet (2) made of rigid material, the container (1) having, in the erected position, the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and the external part of the bottom of the container comprising two substantially identical flaps (4), adjoining two parallel walls (3) by a folding line and assembled together (at 7) in such a way as to form a hinge or joined by at least one element forming a hinge, the said hinge comprising a folding line located in the median longitudinal plane of symmetry of the container, whilst the walls (5) which do not adjoin the said flaps (4) are divided in two by a folding line (9) located in the said median longitudinal plane. According to the invention, one of the flaps (4) and the part or the element (7) forming a hinge are rigidly joined to the pallet (2) whilst the second flap (4) is free to move with respect to this pallet, by pivoting about the folding line of the hinge.

Description

FOLDABLE PACKAGING OF THE PALLET CASE TYPE.

 The present invention relates to a new foldable flat packaging, of the pallet box type, that is to say comprising a cardboard container, corrugated cardboard or the like, generally of rectangular shape, the bottom of which is usually made up of adjoining flaps. on the side walls, is fixed on a wooden pallet or similar. The container can be opened at its upper part and then be capped with a lid. It may also include, as at its base, flaps adjoining the side walls, which are folded down after filling and made integral with each other, the container then being of the type of so-called American boxes.

 Such pallet boxes are widely used for packaging and transporting multiple goods, because they are easy to manufacture, of moderate cost, and can be produced with large dimensions, since the pallet they are equipped and suitable for easy handling using transport or lifting trolleys.

 In order to facilitate their storage before use in a small volume, it has been proposed to fold the packaging body flat on the pallet, but pallet boxes of this type generally require, after assembly, the use of vertical beams in wood, known as "candles" in the art, to ensure their satisfactory behavior, and this increases their manufacturing cost and complicates the assembly operations.

 It has also been proposed (see French Patent No. 2,054,841) to equip the container base with two half-pallets fixed, respectively, on the flaps forming the external part of the bottom and adjoining two opposite side walls, which makes it possible to fold the flat container with the walls applied against each other, as well as the flaps forming the bottom, and with the half-pallets arranged on either side of the flattened packaging, outside of it .

 This packaging is particularly simple, but its formatting by the user is impractical, because nothing is provided to secure the half-pallets together, in the assembled position of the packaging, if not wires or strips, passing over the cover and below bottom.

 To remedy this drawback, the Applicant has proposed, in its European patent application No. 0 228 971, a box of this type, that is to say one whose bottom is equipped with half-pallets, which can be delivered folded flat to the user, but whose half-pallets, both in the folded position and in the mounted position, are joined by an articulation member.

 For this purpose, this pallet box comprises a container of corrugated cardboard or the like, the external part of the bottom of which comprises two adjoining flaps by a fold line with two opposite parallel walls and on each of which is fixed a wooden half-pallet or similar, and it is characterized in that each of the walls to which the flaps carrying the half-pallets are not contiguous is divided into two equal parts by a fold line parallel to the vertical edges of the container, and in that the flaps carrying the half-pallets are assembled together so as to form a hinge or are joined by at least one element of cardboard or the like forming a hinge, which is fixed to said flaps and which comprises a fold line arranged along the connection plane of said half-pallets.

 It is thus possible, due to the vertical folding lines of the walls of the container not adjoining the flaps carrying the half-pallets, to perform an "accordion" folding of these walls of the container in order to fold the latter flat, with the flaps carrying the half-pallets arranged in the extension of the side walls to which they are attached.

 Conversely, it suffices to separate from one another the walls to which the flaps carrying the half-pallets are attached, by exerting traction on these walls or on these half-pallets, so that the pallet box is 'itself shaped, the flaps carrying the half-pallets straightening perpendicular to the adjoining walls, due to the hinge element which joins them.

 The present invention relates to a pallet box of the general type defined above and whose corrugated cardboard container is substantially similar to that of the pallet box according to EP-AO 228 971, but which comprises a monobloc pallet, and not two half-pallets, to facilitate the storage of the pallet boxes folded flat and their volume.

 The invention also aims to provide a pallet box of this type, with which, in a preferred embodiment, the pallets can be nested one inside the other, in the folded position, further reducing the volume of the pallet boxes during storage. .

 To this end, the subject of the invention is a foldable flat pallet box, of the type comprising a corrugated cardboard container or the like, of which at least one element constituting the bottom is attached to a pallet made of a rigid material, the container having in position mounted in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped and the external part of the bottom of the container comprising two substantially identical flaps, adjoining by a fold line with two parallel walls and assembled together so as to form a hinge or joined by at least one element forming hinge, said hinge comprising a fold line situated in the median longitudinal plane of symmetry of the container, while the walls not contiguous to said flaps are divided in two by a fold line situated in said median longitudinal plane, this pallet box being characterized in that one of said flaps and the hinge part or element are rigidly secured of the pallet, while the second flap is free to move relative to this pallet by pivoting around the fold line of the hinge.

 As will be shown in more detail below, it will thus be possible to fold the container flat by applying one against the other and against the upper face of the pallet the bottom external flaps.

 It is therefore possible for the manufacturer to deliver the folded pallet boxes to the users and for them to store them thus, occupying only a very small volume, in order to format them in a simple way, without using any accessory whether for mounting or during use.

 Of course, the walls of the container which are not adjoining the external flaps of the bottom of the container may also include flaps at their base, which will be arranged inside the container and applied against the internal face of the flaps carrying the half-pallets. . These flaps will also have fold lines arranged in the same plane as the fold lines of the walls on which they are articulated and, to fold the pallet box flat, it will suffice to apply said flaps against the adjoining walls so that '' they can themselves undergo an accordion folding.

 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pallet will be constituted, in a manner known per se, by a tray of molded synthetic material, comprising hollow legs molded from, which, on the side of the face of the pallet in contact with the external flaps of the container form cells, while these flaps and the articulation hinge comprise, in positions corresponding to these cells, cutouts of the same section, making it possible to stack the pallet boxes folded flat by fitting into the cells corresponding to the legs of a pallet the legs of the immediately upper pallet. With such an embodiment, it will thus be possible to reduce the storage, in significant proportions, the volume of pallet boxes stacked on top of each other.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the detailed description which follows, in which reference will be made to the appended drawings, which are not limiting. On these drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mounted package
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the package being shaped;
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the pallet box;
Figure 4 illustrates the stacking of folded flat boxes.

 The pallet box shown in the drawings is of a general type known per se. It has a longitudinal plane of symmetry and comprises a container 1 of corrugated cardboard, in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, resting at its base on a pallet 2 of molded plastic.

Container 1 has
- On the one hand, two longitudinal walls 3, at the base of which are articulated by a fold line two flaps 4, which constitute the external part of the bottom of the container
- On the other hand, two transverse walls 5, at the base of which are articulated by a fold line two flaps 6, which, after assembly of the pallet box, are folded back inside the container against the flaps 4, for constitute the interior part of the bottom.

 The walls 3 and 5 may also include, at their upper part, flaps, not shown, which, after filling the container, are folded down and assembled together to ensure the closing of the pallet box, but this could as well have a cover or be fitted with another closing system.

 The transverse walls 5 are provided, along the longitudinal median plane of the container, with a fold line 9, parallel to the vertical edges of the box pallet. Furthermore, the flaps 4 adjoining the longitudinal walls 3 are assembled together by gluing, along strips 7, in the vicinity of their edge parallel to their line of connection to the wall 3, so as to form a corner dihedral parallel to this connection line.

 One of the flaps 4 is glued against the upper face of the pallet, along one half thereof, while the strip 7 is glued against a part of the other half, in the extension of the glued flap 4. The other flap 4 is free to pivot relative to that which is glued against the pallet, around the line limiting the part along which the strips 7 are glued against one another.

This articulation line is arranged substantially along the median longitudinal line of the pallet 2 and, as can be seen in FIG. 2, the container 1 can thus be folded flat against the pallet, by straightening the flaps 6 against the internal face. of the walls 5, by applying one against the other the halves of the transverse walls 5, by folding around the lines 9, and by folding down that of the flaps 4 which is free against that which is glued against the pallet.

 It is thus possible to store the pallets flat in a small volume, but in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, it is possible to further reduce this volume.

 Indeed, in this embodiment, the pallet is made of a molded plastic, and the feet 12, coming from the molding, are hollow and define cells 13 at the upper surface of the pallet. Opposite the openings of these cells 13, the flaps 4 and the strips 7 are pierced with cutouts 14 of corresponding profile. It is thus possible, after folding the pallet boxes flat, to stack them on top of each other by fitting the feet 12 of a pallet into the cells 13 of the immediately lower pallet, which considerably reduces the volume occupied in storage (see Figure 4).

 Naturally, the invention is not limited to the use of a pallet of the type shown in the drawings, but encompasses any other type of pallet, in particular wooden pallets of a usual type.

Claims (4)

 1- Foldable flat pallet box of the type comprising a container (1) of corrugated cardboard or the like, at least one component of the bottom of which is attached to a pallet (2) of rigid material, the container (1) having mounted position in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped and the external part of the bottom of the container comprising two substantially identical flaps (4), adjoining by a fold line with two parallel walls (3) and assembled together (at 7) so as to form a hinge or joined by at least one hinge element, said hinge comprising a fold line situated in the median longitudinal plane of symmetry of the container, while the walls (5) not adjoining said flaps (4) are divided into two by a fold line (9) located in said median longitudinal plane, this pallet box being characterized in that one of said flaps (4) and the part or element (7) forming a hinge are rigidly ground idaries of the pallet (2), while the second flap (4) is free to move relative to this pallet, by pivoting around the fold line of the hinge.  2- Pallet box according to claim 1, characterized in that the flap (4) integral with the pallet (2) covers one half of this pallet and is glued against the upper face thereof, while the element ( 7) forming a hinge is glued on a part of the other half of the pallet, in the extension of said flap (4).  3- Pallet box according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the side walls (5) not adjoining the external flaps (4) themselves include, at their lower part, flaps (6) which, in position mounted pallet box, are applied inside thereof against the external flaps (4), characterized in that said flaps (6) comprise a fold line (10) disposed in the extension of the line of folding (9) of the walls (5) to which they are adjacent, in the plane joining the opposite folding lines (9).  4- Pallet box according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pallet (2) consists of a tray of a molded synthetic material comprising hollow legs (12), molded, which, on the side of the face of the pallet in contact with the external flaps (4) of the container (1), form cells (13), while the flaps (4) and the element (7) forming a hinge have, in corresponding locations to these cells, cutouts of similar section, allowing the stacking of pallet boxes folded flat by fitting into the cells (13) of a pallet (2) of the legs (12) of the immediately upper pallet.