FR2702454A1 - Sheath type packaging for grouping a plurality of objects having end bands. - Google Patents

Abstract

A sleeve-type package for a plurality of articles (B) includes a top wall (100), a bottom wall (400a, 400b) and two side walls (200, 300), and two opposing end openings, as well as two retaining bands (500, 600) extending essentially transversely to said end openings, each band being articulated at one end on a respective side wall by means of an articulation zone (520, 530, 620, 630) folded internally against said side wall and held in this position by one of the packaged objects. According to the invention, each articulation zone extends along an edge of the associated lateral zone (200, 300) essentially to the bottom wall (400a, 400b) and is held in the folded position by the base region of the object.

Description

 The present invention relates generally to cardboard packaging or the like for grouping in particular a plurality of objects such as bottles, boxes, etc.

 EP-A-0 381 465 already discloses a sheath type packaging for a plurality of objects, comprising a top wall, a bottom wall and two side walls, and two opposite end openings, as well as two strips. retaining means extending substantially transversely to said terminal openings, each strip being articulated at one end to a respective side wall by means of a hinge zone folded internally against said side wall and held in this position by one of packaged items.

 The bands come into position during the setting volume of the package, using the hinge areas.

 The headlines have the primary objective of preventing objects grouped in the package can be extracted from it by the terminal openings without damaging the package, ensuring maintenance of said objects at the open ends.

 Another purpose of these strips is to hide barcodes or other identifiers present on the objects, in order to prevent the passage of the plurality of objects grouped together in a bar code optical reading unit, the code of an individual object is read rather than the code corresponding to all objects, usually printed on the package.

 However, the packaging of the aforementioned prior art has the disadvantage that individual objects can be removed from the package by a skilled person without damaging said package. More specifically, it has been found that the hinge zones can be deformed without breaking the cardboard, while allowing to separate a band and release the adjacent objects.

 The Applicant has discovered that it is possible to improve the safety of such packaging, by alleviating the aforementioned problem, and this in a simple and economical way.

 Thus, the present invention relates to a packaging of the type mentioned in the introduction, characterized in that each articulation zone extends along an edge of the associated lateral zone essentially up to the bottom wall and is held in the folded position. by the base region of the object.

Advantageous, but not limiting, characteristics of the packaging according to the invention are the following:
each articulation zone comprises in its lower region an extension extending internally against said bottom wall and held in this position below an object;
- Said extension is articulated on the hinge area by a fold line substantially superimposed on a fold line separating the associated side wall of the bottom wall.

 - In the case where the package further comprises first oblique intermediate walls between the top wall and the side walls, said hinge areas extend upwardly substantially to the transition between said side walls and said walls. oblique intermediates.

- In the case where the packaging further comprises wedging notches formed in the lower region of the side walls for the partial engagement of the objects in the region of their base, each articulation zone has in its lower region a notch of which the edge is substantially superimposed with a counterpart edge portion of an adjacent wedge notch;
- In addition, the notches may be formed in second oblique intermediate walls between the side walls and the bottom wall, in which case each hinge area is separated by a fold line into an upper region folded inwardly against the associated side wall. and a lower region folded internally against the associated second intermediate wall and having said notch;
each articulation zone is connected to the associated lateral wall by a fold line inclined downwardly towards the outside in a longitudinal direction of the package.

 each articulation zone is connected to an edge of the associated strip either directly, in which case the latter adopts a rounded shape, or by means of two essentially triangular articulated connection zones.

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of two concrete embodiments thereof, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank intended for producing a package according to a first embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the blank of FIG. 1 and of the objects grouped after placing in volume;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank intended for producing a package according to a second embodiment of the invention, and
- Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of the blank of Figure 3 and objects grouped after setting volume.

 Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a blank, cut cardboard or the like, which mainly comprises a zone 100 for top wall, two zones 200, 300 for side walls and two demizones 400a, 400b for wall background.

 Between the top zone 100 and the lateral zones 200, 300, intended to be oriented vertically, extend two oblique intermediate zones 120, 130.

 Likewise, between the lateral zones 200, 300 and the respective half-bottom zones 400a, 400b extend two oblique intermediate zones 240, 340.

 Parallel fold lines L1 to L8 separate the main zones 100-400 and the intermediate zones 120, 130, 240 and 340 from one another.

 In the top area are formed four openings 01-04 arranged in a square and intended for the passage of the necks of four bottles B to be grouped using the package. Four LM retaining tabs extend inwardly of each aperture and are intended to engage below the side edges of the bottle caps for locking in the vertical direction.

 In addition, two retractable legs P are intended to facilitate the seizure of the packaging grouping the bottles with the fingers.

 In each of the two lower intermediate zones 240, 340 are formed respectively two notches, E1, E2 and E3, E4, intended for the setting of the base of the bottles B during the setting volume of the blank, by engagement of said bases in the notches in direction from the outside.

 The half-bottom zones 400a, 400b are each provided with locking arrangements, respectively Va and Vb, for holding the blank closed on itself following the setting volume. These arrangements, of conventional design, will not be described in detail.

 Moreover, it is easy to substitute for such a mechanical lock a simple bonding of the two demizones 400a, 400b in a covering region.

 According to the present invention, the blank further comprises two strip-forming zones, respectively 500 and 600, which are intended to extend horizontally across each of the opposite openings of the package once set in volume. These areas 500, 600 are delimited by two edges, respectively inside and outside (before setting volume), substantially parallel to each other.

 The zone 500 is connected to the two longitudinal end edges of the lateral zones 200, 300 by two articulation zones, respectively 520 and 530.

 A generally elongated void space extends, in the blank before volume, between the inner side edge of the area 500 and the adjacent longitudinal end edge of the top area 100 and the intermediate areas 120, 130.

The articulation zone 520 comprises three parts 521, 522 and 523. The part 521 extends at the level of the side wall 200 and has a complex shape delimited by
a fold line L9 separating it from the adjacent lateral zone 200, this line L9 extending slightly obliquely outwards from the top to the bottom of the package;
a short-length edge B1 extending, before putting in volume, in the extension of the fold line
L1;
- a fold line L10 extending at an angle of about 450 between said portion 521 and an adjacent edge of the strip 500;
a straight free edge B2 extending in the extension of the outer edge of the strip 500; and
a fold line L11 separating the parts 521 and 522.

Part 522 extends at intermediate zone 240 and is delimited by
- A fold line L12 located in the extension of the line L9;
the aforementioned fold line L11;
a concave free edge 522a defining an indentation with respect to the adjacent right edge B2 of the portion 521; and
a fold line L13 separating the parts 522 and 523.

 Finally, the portion 523 is in the form of a tab articulated by said line L13 and extending the hinge zone 520 outwardly along the adjacent half-bottom zone 400a.

 The fold lines L11 and L13 are slightly inclined with respect to the lines L5 and L7 that they extend, this inclination being such that the aligned fold lines L9 and L12 constitute the bisector of the angle formed on the one hand by the lines L5 and L11, and on the other hand by lines L7 and L13.

 The other three articulation zones 530, 620 and 630 have a constitution symmetrical to that of the zone 520, as illustrated, the different homologous parts being designated by reference signs are the first two digits have been changed. The folding lines and associated free edges have not been referenced for the sake of simplification.

 The volume of the blank is made by folding the top, side, bottom and intermediate zones along the fold lines L1-L8 while folding the hinge zones 520, 530, 620 and 630 towards the inside of the lateral areas.

 Before closure of the package at the bottom, objects (in this case bottles B) are introduced into it and their necks engaged and locked in the openings 01-04 with the LM tabs.

 The hinge zones pressed firmly against the inside of the package by the bottles B cause the strips to be positioned transversely to the end openings of the formed sheath, adopting a rounded shape that tangentially marries the walls of the bottles.

 We can see in Figure 2 a part of the packaging thus produced. The portion 521 of the articulation zone 520 is applied against the inside of the side wall 200, and the portion 522 is applied against the inside of the lower intermediate wall 240, adopting the same obliquity. Finally the tab 523 is applied internally against the bottom wall 400a, being pressed against it from below the bottle B.

 It can also be observed that the notch 522a defined by the part 522 is superimposed with the edge of the adjacent notch El, so that said portion 522 does not close this notch.

 This construction makes it possible to ensure an extremely firm support of the articulation zone against the inside of the packaging, thanks to the fact that not only the bottle side but also its base participate, in two essentially orthogonal directions, in the application of said hinge zone against the inside of the sheath.

 The strips 500 and 600 are therefore held in place with excellent security, and only a tear of the carton allows to extract a bottle B.

 In addition, the banners allow, if necessary, to hide an individual bar code of each product. In this regard, it will be observed that the height of the strip can be easily modified by those skilled in the art by adjusting the geometry of the hinge areas.

 A second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

 Parts identical or similar to those of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference signs and will not be described again.

 The features of this second embodiment are as follows.

 First, this package is designed for two rows of three generally cylindrical boxes and there are no openings in the top wall 100 or lower oblique intermediate areas 240, 340.

In this embodiment, the articulation zone 520 comprises a single part, the outline of which is defined by:
a fold line L9 connecting it to the adjacent lateral wall 200, over the entire height of the latter;
a fold line L14 inclined downwards from the package starting from the line L3;
- A rectilinear free edge portion B3 extending in the extension of the outer edge of the strip 500, followed by a concave edge portion 520a forming a rim; and
a short free edge B4 extending in alignment with the fold line L7.

 The purpose of the exchanged part 520a is, as in the previous embodiment, to prevent the articulation zone 520 from closing off the adjacent wedging notch E1 when said articulation zone is folded against the inside of the lateral area 200.

 Furthermore, the strip 500 comprises a main central zone 501 and, extending this central zone towards the hinge zone 520, two triangular connecting zones head-to-tail 525, 524 connected to each other, to the part 501 and to the zone 520 by oblique fold lines.

 The other articulation zones 530, 620 and 630 are designed in the same way, symmetrically, the first two digits of the reference numerals in question being adapted accordingly.

 The volume of the packaging is essentially the same as in the case of Figures 1 and 2. It is observed that the hinge areas 520, 530, 620 and 630 down to the bottom wall 400a , 400b of the package. It is also observed that the triangular connecting zones 524, 525 fold against each other and against the upper region of the articulation zone 520 to bring the strip 500 in position.

 In this embodiment also, the fact that the base of packaged objects B participates in the firm application of the hinge areas against the inside of the sleeve ensures a secure hold of the bands in place.

 Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but one skilled in the art will be able to make any variant or modification within its spirit.

Claims (9)

 1. Sheath-type packaging for a plurality of objects (B), of the type comprising a top wall (100), a bottom wall (400a, 400b) and two side walls (200, 300), and two end openings opposed, and two retaining strips (500, 600) extending substantially transversely to said terminal openings, each strip being hinged at one end to a respective side wall via a hinge area (520, 530, 620, 630) folded internally against said side wall and held in this position by one of the packaged articles, characterized in that each articulation zone extends along an edge of the associated lateral zone (200, 300 ) substantially to the bottom wall (400a, 400b) and is held in the folded position by the base region of the object.  2. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each articulation zone comprises in its lower region an extension (523) extending internally against said bottom wall and held in this position below an object (B ).  3. Packaging according to claim 2, characterized in that said extension (523) is articulated on the hinge zone (520) by a fold line (L13) essentially superimposed on a fold line (L7) separating the side wall. associated (200) of the bottom wall (400a).  The package according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising first oblique intermediate walls (120, 130) between the top wall and the side walls, characterized in that said hinge areas (520, 530, 620 , 630) extend upwardly substantially to the transition between said side walls and said oblique intermediate walls.  5. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising wedges (E1-E4; El-E6) formed in the lower region of the side walls (200, 300) for the partial engagement of objects in the region of their base, characterized in that each articulation zone has in its lower region a notch (520a; 522a) whose edge is substantially superimposed with a homologous edge portion of an adjacent wedge notch (El).  6. Packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that the notches are formed in oblique second intermediate walls (240, 340) between the side walls and the bottom wall, and in that each hinge zone is separated by a folding line (L11) in an upper region (521) folded inwardly against the associated side wall and a lower region (522) folded internally against the second intermediate wall associated and having said notch (522a).  7. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each hinge zone (520) is connected to the associated side wall (200) by a fold line (L9) inclined from top to bottom towards the l outside in a longitudinal direction of the package.  8. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each hinge zone (520) is connected directly to an edge of the associated strip (500), the latter adopting a rounded shape.  9. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each hinge zone (520) is connected to an edge of the associated strip (500) via two hinged connection zones (524, 525 ) essentially triangular.