FR2720724A1 - Container packaging having observation cutouts - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging (10) is for containers (20) which have a top (22), a bottom (24), front (26) and rear (28) faces and two side faces (30,32). The packaging is made from a sheet of material and formed continuously in the sheet longitudinal direction with equal transverse dimensions. An upper wall (12), a lower wall (14) and two side walls (16,18) of the packaging enclose the top, the bottom and the two side faces of the container. The front and rear sides of the packaging are delimited by the top front and rear ends, the bottom and the two side walls. Being open, the packaging has two complementary fixing zones (14b,14c) at the longitudinal ends of the sheet which are fixed to each other. The side walls have observation cut-out of dimensions less than those of the corresponding side face (30) of the container. The cut out makes visible a zone (34) on the side face with disengagement of the container outside the packaging prevented.

Description

 The present invention relates to a packaging capable of containing at least one container having a top, a bottom, a front face, a rear face and two lateral faces.

 The package is formed from sheet material and comprises, formed continuously in the longitudinal direction of said sheet and having transverse dimensions substantially equal to each other and substantially equal to those of the sheet, an upper wall, a lower wall and two side walls, which respectively surround the top, the bottom and the two side faces of the container.

 The front and rear sides of the package, respectively delimited by the front and rear ends of the top, the bottom and its two side walls, are open.

 The packaging further comprises two complementary fixing zones, provided at its longitudinal ends and intended to be fixed to one another.

 The sheet material used can consist of more or less thick cardboard, or a synthetic material such as plastic.

 In known packages of this type, only the front and rear sides are open. Consequently, if the packaging contains a single container, only the front and rear sides of this container will be visible and, if the packaging has several containers side by side, only the front side of one container and the rear side of another container will be visible.

 For reasons related to packaging, it may however happen that it is advantageous not only to show the front or rear faces of the containers, but also to allow a predetermined display area to appear which, for example, characterizes the product contained by the container.

 Known packaging does not allow to reveal, on the one hand, at least one of the front and rear faces of at least one of the containers which they contain and, on the other hand, such a predetermined area of display which is located on a lateral face of this or these receptacles.

 The present invention proposes to eliminate these drawbacks from known packaging.

 For this purpose, at least one of the side walls of the packaging has a display cutout, the dimensions of which are smaller than those of the corresponding side face of the container and which reveals a predetermined display area provided on said side face. , while preventing the disengagement of the container from the packaging.

 On certain containers, and in order to highlight the predetermined viewing area provided on the side face of the container, the latter comprises an advanced portion, and the top of this container has a corresponding protruding portion.

 The packaging according to the invention is advantageously adapted to this type of container, in which case the display cutout consists of a window, formed in the side wall of the packaging and allowing said portion to protrude projecting beyond said wall. lateral.

 In addition, the upper end of the window is located substantially at the height of the top of the container and is provided with a protective tab extending beyond said side wall of the package by covering said projecting portion of the above the container.

 The dimensions of the window are adapted to those of the forward portion which, as previously indicated, may thus exceed beyond the side wall of the packaging. This advanced portion extending only over a part of the surface of the lateral face of the container, the fact of letting it exceed will not make it possible to disengage the container from the packaging even partially.

 The protruding portion formed on the top of the container is of course preferably located above the advanced portion of which it covers the upper end. To take into account the width of the rim of the container, the dimensions of the projecting portion will be slightly greater than those of the upper end of the forward portion.

 Consequently, if it is desired that the tongue completely covers the projecting portion formed on the top of the container, the transverse dimensions of this tongue will be slightly greater than the current transverse dimensions of the window.

 Generally, the upper end of the containers of the aforementioned type is covered by a detachable cover. The protective tab therefore protects the part of this cover which covers the projecting portion of the top of the container.

 This tab thus makes it possible to avoid any tearing, even partial, of the cover which covers the containers, during the various handling maneuvers linked to the handling of the packaging containing the container or containers, prior to the consumption of the contents of this or these containers.

The invention will be better understood and its advantages will appear better on reading the detailed description which follows, of embodiments indicated by way of nonlimiting examples. The description refers to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows the developed model of packaging according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a perspective of the packaging after folding of the developed model and fixing of its two ends, containing containers,
FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but shows the empty packaging,
- Figure 4 is a partial front view of the packaging of Figure
- Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4 but shows an alternative embodiment.

 The packaging 10 is produced by folding the developed model of FIG. 1 and fixing its two longitudinal ends. This developed model is made of sheet material 1.

 The packaging has an upper wall 12, a lower wall 14 and two side walls, respectively 16 and 18. These different walls are produced in continuity in the longitudinal direction of the sheet 1 and all have substantially the same transverse dimension L.

 In the example shown, the upper wall 12 is produced in a middle portion of the sheet 1, while the lower wall 14 comprises two halves 14a and 14b located towards each of the two longitudinal ends of the sheet 1. The half 14a is extended by a strip 14c capable of being fixed, for example by gluing or stapling, to the half 14b.

 This strip 14c and the part of the half 14b with which it cooperates thus constitute two complementary fixing zones.

 This method of attachment results in a local excess thickness, which can however be eliminated by modifying the thickness of the strip 14c and that of the terminal portion of the half 14b. Furthermore, the strip 14c can be discontinuous.

 The transverse ends 1a and 1b of the sheet 1 respectively constitute the front and rear ends of the top, of the bottom and of the two side walls of the package 10 when the latter is assembled.

 The packaging 10 shown by way of example in FIG. 2 may contain two groups of four stacked containers, each of these groups comprising two rows of two juxtaposed containers.

 This example constitutes one of the embodiments of the packaging according to the invention, the latter being generally capable of containing at least one container.

 The containers 20, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2 and also visible from the front in FIGS. 3 and 4, generally have a top 22, a bottom 24, a front face 26, a rear face 28 and two lateral faces, respectively designated by references 30 and 32.

 When the container (s) are placed in the packaging, the upper wall 12 of the latter is located opposite the top of the containers, its lower wall being opposite the bottom of the containers, while its two side walls are respectively opposite of the two side faces of the container. When the packaging contains a single container, these different walls enclose the latter, leaving its front and rear faces uncovered.

When the packaging contains several containers, it surrounds their different faces with the exception of the front and rear faces.

 At least one of the lateral faces of the containers, the face 30 in the figures, has a predetermined viewing area 34.

 To reveal this viewing area 34, at least one of the side walls 16 and 18 of the packaging has a viewing cutout 36, of dimensions smaller than those of the side face 30 of the container which includes the viewing area.

 It is generally indicated that the dimensions of the cutout 36 are smaller than those of the corresponding side face of the container.

We will see below that, according to a preferred embodiment,
The packaging is likely to contain containers comprising a secondary compartment and a main compartment. The side face of the secondary compartment has dimensions much smaller than those of the side face of the main compartment. When the viewing area is on the side face of the secondary compartment, the dimensions of the viewing cutout 36 will of course be smaller than those of this side face of the secondary compartment.

 In general, the dimensions of the display cutout will be smaller than the dimensions of the part of the container cooperating with the side wall of the package in which the display cutout is made.

 This cut therefore reveals the predetermined viewing area while preventing the disengagement of the container, or even that of the secondary compartment, from the packaging.

 As seen in Figures 2 to 4, the viewing area 34 of the side face 30 of the container 20 may include an advanced portion 34a and the top 22 of this container may have a corresponding portion 22a projecting.

 In this case, the display cutout consists of a window formed in the side wall of the package 10 and which allows the protruding portion 34a to protrude beyond this side wall of the package when it contains the container.

 The upper end 36a of the window 36 is substantially situated at the height at which the top 22 of the container 20 is located when the latter is placed in the packaging. This arrangement allows the projecting portion 22a of the top of the container to protrude beyond the side wall of the packaging.

To protect this protruding portion 22a and prevent any untimely tearing of the cover which covers the top of the container,
The upper end 36a of the window 36 is provided with a protective tab 38 which extends beyond the side wall of the packaging and is capable of covering the projecting portion 22a.

 As seen in the figures, the tongue 38 is integral with the packaging 10 by its upper side 38a. This upper side 38a is defined as being that which is closest to the upper end 36a of the window 36. In fact, as can be seen in the drawings, it is this upper side 38a which delimits the upper end from the window.

 The window generally has a shape adapted to that of the forward portion 34a of the container. In fact, the tongue is produced by making a notch on all its sides other than the upper side 38a and is thus cut from the upper part 37 of the window 36 on its lower and lateral sides.

 The upper part 37 is enlarged relative to the current transverse dimensions of the window 36. In fact, the container having an upper rim, the portion 22a projecting from the top is wider than the portion 34a in advance. The tongue 38, the edges of which are delimited by the part 37 of the window and which, advantageously, covers the entire protruding portion 22a, is therefore wider than the current part 36 of the window.

 It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the only removal of material from the sheet 1 is carried out in the zones corresponding to the lower parts of the windows 36 and, possibly, in a central zone of the upper wall 12 of the package in which one can practice an opening 40 which allows a finger to pass through to carry the packaging.

 As previously indicated, the packaging is produced by folding the sheet 1.

 Its different walls are therefore delimited by fold lines.

The fold lines 11 and 11 ′ delimit the lateral ends of the upper wall 12 and the upper ends of the lateral walls 16 and 18. The lower ends of these lateral walls, as well as the lateral ends of the lower wall 14, are delimited by fold lines 13 and 13 '.

 The packaging shown by way of example may contain containers distributed over several levels. It can be seen that for the windows of the upper level N1, the tongue 38 extends in the extension of the upper wall 12 of the packaging.

 The packaging advantageously includes means for centering the container or containers that it contains. These centering means are produced by means of notches made in sheet 1 of FIG. 1.

 They include for example folds 42 formed by triangles formed at the ends of the halves 14a and 14b of the lower wall, and of which only the base is not cut and therefore remains integral with the packaging.

 Such folds are provided at the central part of the lower wall when the packaging is intended to contain containers distributed symmetrically.

 In the case where the packaging is likely to contain only a single container, similar folds may be provided at one end of the bottom wall or, if the packaging is in two parts, in a portion which is will find in an intermediate position between these two parts.

 The packaging shown in Figure 2 by way of example is likely to contain at least one group of containers 20 and 20 'juxtaposed in the longitudinal direction of the sheet 1 in which the packaging is made.

 The first side face 30 'of the container 20' is similar to the first side face 30 of the container 20 and therefore also has a predetermined viewing area. The containers are juxtaposed so that the first faces 30 and 30 'are opposite while the second side faces 32 and 32' are opposite one another.

 To reveal the viewing areas on each side of the package, it includes, for each container, a cutout of the aforementioned type. The different cutouts are arranged symmetrically on each of the side walls 16 and 18 of the package 10.

 When, as is the case in the examples shown, the packaging is capable of containing at least two containers 20 and 20 "stacked on at least one upper level N1 and one lower level N2, it comprises, for each container, a viewing window and a protective tab, these tabs and these windows then being distributed at least over the upper level N1 and the lower level N2.

 The tabs 38 of the upper level extend as an extension of the upper wall 12 of the packaging. On the other hand, the tongues 39 of the lower level N2 or of an intermediate level are folded upwards relative to the side wall 16 or 18 of the packaging and therefore extend substantially parallel to the tongues 38 of the upper level. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the tongues 39 are produced in a similar manner to the tongues 38.

 The packaging 10 shown in the figures is capable of containing at least two juxtaposed containers 20 "and 20" ', arranged in a transverse row. In this case, it advantageously comprises bracing means cooperating with the opposite faces of the containers to maintain between them a determined gap.

 Since the containers are generally attached to the border of their respective edges, this difference is determined by the width of these edges. The rear face 28 "of the container 20" is located opposite the front face 26 "'of the container 20"'. For clarity of the drawings, these faces 28 "and 26t are only started in dotted lines.

 In order to lighten the drawings, and insofar as the packaging shown can in fact contain two levels N1 and N2 of containers, such bracing means have been shown only for the lower row of containers.

 They comprise a strap 44, delimited laterally by two notches 45 formed in at least one wall of the packaging. The strap is therefore secured to the packaging by its upper 44a and lower 44b ends.

 In the example shown, as best seen in Figure 1, the tongue is in fact made in an end portion of the bottom wall and an adjacent end portion of the side wall. When assembling the packaging, it is folded inwards between the opposite faces of the containers.

 The containers shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 comprise two compartments 46 and 48 joined by a connection zone 50, which has a line of flexibility and extends transversely over the top of the container or in its immediate vicinity.

 The respective side walls 46a and 48a of the compartments 46 and 48 which are opposite one another delimit a separation space 52 situated under the connection zone 50.

 The compartment 48 is a secondary compartment which has a height less than that of the compartment 46.

 Since the compartment connection zone is located towards the top of the container, the lower compartment 48 extends downwards from the top over a lesser distance than the compartment 46 and is thus cantilevered. When the container is arranged in the bottom row, only the compartment 46 therefore rests on the bottom wall of the packaging.

Similarly, when the containers are arranged in the upper row or an intermediate row, only the compartment 46 rests on the top of the container located immediately below.

 The small compartment 48 is visible on the side face 30 of the containers 20, and it is its side wall 48b opposite the large compartment 46 which comprises the predetermined viewing area 34.

 In the variant of FIGS. 2 to 4, the upper wall 12 of the packaging has a first horizontal portion 54, at least one longitudinal end of which is determined by a bending line 56, and at least a second portion 58 which extends from this bending line 56 to the junction of the upper wall 12 and the adjacent side wall 16.

 In the example shown, as can be seen in particular on the sheet 1 shown in FIG. 1, the portion 54 is a middle part of the upper wall 12 delimited longitudinally on either side by two flexion lines 56 and 57 at beyond which there are a second and a third portion 58 and 59.

 The first portion 54 remains horizontal while the second and third portions 58 and 59 may be inclined downward to bring the secondary compartment 48 closer to the main compartment 46, possibly until their facing walls come into contact. .

 The tongues 38 actually extend in the extension of the portions 58 and 59.

 As mentioned above, the packaging shown in the drawings may contain at least two containers stacked on at least one upper level N1 and one lower level N2. These containers may be of the type with two adjoining compartments and be stacked so that the secondary compartments 48 and 48 "of each of them are located one above the other, as are their main compartments 46 and 46 ".

 The side wall of the packaging adjacent to the secondary compartments 48 and 48 "is provided with viewing cutouts 36 arranged on the two levels and then has an upper portion 60 and a lower portion 62.

 In FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that the upper portion 60 extends substantially vertically over the height of the upper level N1, and that the lower portion 62 extends over the height of the lower level N2 and is delimited at its upper end by a bending line 63. Thanks to this bending line, the lower portion 62 is capable of being inclined towards the inside of the packaging 10 in order to bring the secondary compartment 48 closer to at least the container 20 of the lower level N2 of the main compartment 46 of this container.

 The tongues 39 of the lower level N2 are parallel to the tongues 38 of the upper level.

 In a complementary manner, the lower portion 62 can itself be in two parts and include an upper part 62a and a lower part 62b. The upper part 62a extends over a height which corresponds substantially to that of the small compartment 48 of the containers, while the lower part 62b extends over the remaining height. Their border is marked by a fold line 65.

 The lower part 62b can therefore be inclined more inwards than the upper part 62a so as to cooperate both with the lower end of the side wall of the small compartment 48 and the lower end of the wall of the large compartment 46 .

 Figures 5 shows a variant of the packaging also capable of containing at least one container with two compartments of the aforementioned type.

 Unlike the variant of Figure 4, in which the small compartment 48 was brought into contact with the large compartment 46, that of Figure 5 comprises means for maintaining this compartment 48 in a substantially vertical position.

 In the variant of Figure 5, the upper and lower walls of the package are therefore substantially horizontal, while its two side walls are substantially vertical. The tongues 38 and 39 are therefore also horizontal.

 In the example shown, these means a spacer 70 inserted in the separation space 52 between the compartments 46 and 48 to maintain substantially constant the spacing of their respective walls 46a and 48a located opposite one another. They can also include a support 72 (shown in broken lines) capable of being inserted under the small compartment.

 For the upper level, this spacer or this support may be made of sheet material attached to the top of the containers of the lower level and suitably folded.

 For the lower level, the spacer or the support can be made directly by folding in the lower wall of the packaging.

 Complementarily or alternatively, these means for holding the secondary compartment substantially vertically may comprise a holding member secured to the display cutout.

Claims (14)

1. Package (10) capable of containing at least one container (20) having a top (22), a bottom (24), a front face (26), a rear face (28) and two lateral faces (30, 32 ), the package being formed from a sheet material (1) and comprising, formed in continuity in the longitudinal direction of said sheet (1) and having transverse dimensions (L) substantially equal to each other and substantially equal to those of the sheet, an upper wall (12), a lower wall (14) and two side walls (16, 18), respectively surrounding the top (22), the bottom (24) and the two side faces (30, 32) of the container (20), the front and rear sides of the packaging, respectively delimited by the front and rear ends (la, lb) of the top (12), the bottom (14) and the two side walls (16, 18) of the packaging (10), being open, the packaging further comprising two complementary fixing zones (14b, 14c), provided at the ends longitudinal moth the sheet (1) and intended to be fixed to each other,  characterized in that at least one of the side walls (16, 18) of the packaging has a display cutout (36), of dimensions smaller than those of the corresponding side face (30) of the container (20) and revealing a predetermined viewing area (34), provided on said lateral face (30), while preventing the disengagement of the container (20) from the packaging (10). 2. Packaging (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, said predetermined zone (34) of the lateral face (30) of the container (20) comprising an advanced portion (34a) and the top (22) of this container having a corresponding protruding portion (22a), the display cut-out consists of a window (36), formed in the side wall (16, 18) of the packaging (10) and allowing said protruding portion to protrude (34a ) beyond said side wall (16, 18) of the package, and in that the upper end of the window is substantially located at the height of the top (22) of the container (20) and is provided with a protective tab, extending beyond said side wall of the package and capable of covering said projecting portion (22a) of the top (22) of the container (20). 3. Packaging according to claim 2, characterized in that the tongue (38) is integral with the packaging (10) by its upper side (38a) and is cut in the upper part (37) of the window (36) on its lower and lateral sides. 4. Packaging according to claim 3, characterized in that the tongue (38) extends in extension of the upper wall (12) of the packaging (10). 5. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises means for centering at least the container, comprising folds (42) formed in at least one of the upper walls (12 ) and lower (14) of the packaging (10). 6. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 5, capable of containing at least one group of two containers (20, 20 ') each having a predetermined viewing area (34) on a first side face (30, 30' ) and juxtaposed so that their respective second side faces (32, 32 ') are opposite one another and their respective first side faces (30, 30') are opposite to each other other,  characterized in that it includes, for each container (20, 20 '), a cutout (36) revealing the viewing area (34) of this container, and in that said cutouts (36) are arranged symmetrically on each side walls (16, 18) of the package (10). 7. Packaging according to any one of claims 3 to 6, capable of containing at least two containers (20, 20 ") stacked on at least one upper level (N1) and one lower level (N2), characterized in that it comprises, for each container (20, 20 "), a viewing window (36) and a protective tab (38, 39), these windows and these tabs thus being distributed over at least said upper and lower levels (N1, N2), and in that the tabs (38) of the upper level (N1) extend in extension of the upper wall (22) of the package (10), while the tabs (39) of at least the lower level (N2) are folded relative to the side wall (16, 18) of the package (10) and extend substantially parallel to those (38) of the upper level. 8. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 7, capable of containing at least two juxtaposed containers (20 ", 20"), arranged in a transverse row,  characterized in that it comprises bracing means (44) cooperating with the faces (28 ", 26" ') opposite the containers (20, 20 "') to maintain between them a determined gap. 9. Packaging according to claim 8, characterized in that the bracing means comprise a strap (44), delimited laterally by two notches (45) formed in at least one wall (16, 14a; 18, 14b) of the packaging (10), integral with the latter by its upper (44a) and lower (44b) ends, and folded towards the inside of the packaging (10) between the faces (28, 26 "') opposite the containers ( 20, 20 "'). 10. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, capable of containing at least one container (20) with two compartments, (46, 48), joined by a connecting zone (50) having a line of flexibility and s 'extending transversely at least in the vicinity of the top of the container, the respective side walls (46a, 48a) of said compartments located opposite one another delimiting a separation space (52) situated under said connection zone (50) , one of said compartments, called "secondary" (48), having a height less than that of the other compartment (46), being located on one of the lateral faces (30) of the container (20) and having a predetermined viewing area (34),  characterized in that the upper wall (12) of the packaging has a first horizontal portion (54), at least one longitudinal end of which is delimited by a bending line (56, 57), and at least a second portion (58, 59) extending from said flexion line (56, 57) to the junction of said upper wall (12) and the adjacent side wall (16), said second portion (58, 59) being capable of being inclined downward to bring the secondary compartment (48) closer to the other compartment (46). 11. Packaging according to claim 10, capable of containing at least two containers (20, 20 ") with two adjoining compartments (46, 48; 46", 48 "), said containers being stacked on at least one upper level (N1) and a lower level (N2) so that the secondary compartments (48, 48 ") of each of them are located one above the other,  characterized in that the side wall (16) adjacent to said secondary compartments (48, 48 ") and provided with viewing cutouts (36) has at least one upper portion (60) extending, substantially vertically, over the height of the upper level (N1) and a lower portion (62) extending over the height of the lower level (N2) and delimited at its upper end by a bending line (63), said lower portion (62) being capable of being inclined towards the inside of the package (10) to bring the secondary compartment (48) of at least the container (20) closer to the lower level (N2) of the other compartment (46) of said container. 12. Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, capable of containing at least one container (20) with two compartments (46, 48), joined by a connection zone (50) having a line of flexibility and s' extending transversely at least in the vicinity of the top of the container (20), the respective side walls (46a, 48a) of said compartments (46, 48) located opposite one another delimiting a separation space (52) located under said connecting zone (50), one of said compartments, called "secondary" (48), having a height less than that of the other compartment (46), being located on one of the lateral faces (30) of the container (20) and having a predetermined viewing area (34),  characterized in that it comprises means for maintaining said secondary compartment in a substantially vertical position. 13. Packaging according to claim 12, characterized in that the means for maintaining the secondary compartment (48) in a substantially vertical position comprise a spacer (70) capable of being inserted in the separation space (52) between the compartments (46, 48) to keep the spacing of the respective walls (46a, 48a) of said compartments (46, 48) located substantially opposite each other substantially constant. 14. Packaging according to any one of claims 12 and 13, characterized in that the means for maintaining the secondary compartment (48) in a substantially vertical position comprise a holding member secured to the display blank (36).