FR2873103A1 - Display package for article e.g. toothbrush, bundle, has housings including strips with connecting tabs that are connected by binding bridge that presents tearing-off resistance lower than resistance value of housings - Google Patents

Abstract

The package has a housing (1) including a strip (1X) for supporting the housing, where the strip presents rigidity exceeding a minimal threshold. The strip has a connecting tab (17) that is connected, by a binding bridge (17P), to another connecting tab (28) belonging to another strip (2X) that supports another housing (2). The bridge (17P) presents tearing-off resistance lower than resistance value of the housings.

Description

The present invention relates to packages for toothbrushes or

  objects of the same kind which require, for hygiene or preservation, to be presented for sale with protection against dust and

also preventing them from touching them.

  More precisely, the problem at the origin of the invention concerned a packaging for presenting a batch of toothbrushes.

  One possible embodiment is to put them together in a common bag. However, such a presentation almost in bulk is not satisfactory, because, in addition to the messy aspect, the sleeves are somewhat intertwined and thus impede the user when he wants to seize one of them. In addition, during this storage bag, bristles may be permanently deformed by neighboring heads. In addition, once the bag is opened to extract a first toothbrush, the heads of the remaining toothbrushes are likely to be polluted, even if the bag is closed. One can think of providing the heads of individual protective covers, both mechanical and hygienic, but this does not solve the problem of bulk presentation.

  Another possible embodiment is to provide individual caps, for hygienic purposes, and to house the respective toothbrushes in a chain of respective compartments of a tray, providing mechanical support in the respective desired positions, that is, to say side by side.

  The present invention aims to provide a more satisfactory solution with regard to the above problems of hygiene and relative arrangement of toothbrushes.

  To this end, the invention relates to a package for a batch of a plurality of articles each comprising a useful part requiring access protection, storage, characterized in that it comprises a said plurality of housing for the said useful parts (51, 52), a first housing comprising a frame, for maintaining the first housing, with rigidity exceeding a minimum threshold and comprising a first connection zone arranged to be connected, by a connecting element, to a second element linkage belonging to another said framework for holding a second housing, the connecting element between the first and second connection zones having, vis-à-vis a predetermined external tearing stress of the first housing relative to in the second housing exerted by a user, a resistance lower than a resistance value of the rest of the first and second housing.

  Thus, the various housings each comprise a somewhat rigid holding portion and it is easy to provide that the cooperation of a first and a second connection zone, each time ensuring the connection between two holding parts, also presents a certain rigidity, to extend, over the plurality of housing, the effect of the rigidity of the holding portion of each housing. The packaging therefore also has a function of maintaining the relative position of each housing.

  When the plurality is at least three housings, one or more intermediate housing can then comprise both the first and second connecting zones, so to be connected to two other housing.

  Connections of the same housing with more than two other housing are possible, providing the desired number of first and second connection areas.

  The first and second bonding areas may be of the same constitution, since their functions are identical, or be of complementary constitutions. In the case of housing at least two links, it is thus possible to provide the desired number of first connection areas and the desired number of second connection areas. For example, in the case of a string of housings, the even-rank intermediate compartments may comprise two second connection zones with the two neighboring odd housings, which then comprise only first connection zones.

  The first and second connecting members may together form a tongue with the joint member as a transverse zone of weakness.

  If the first and second housings are close together, they advantageously comprise a common wall carrying around a connecting bead constituting the second connecting element of the second housing, and the first connecting element is a periphery area of an opening, of a wall of the first housing, thus releasably masked.

  The housings thus form a caterpillar in one piece, breakable in sections to pull each time a free end housing, tearing out the useful part. The housing is thus a kind of hood that tearing the next housing turns into a balaclava, that can possibly slide on the rest of the article, for example the handle of a toothbrush. Since the housings are mutually coupled by a relatively large opening periphery, their relatively large mutual coupling prevents any noticeable twisting, so that increased flexibility for the housing material can be tolerated, in order to remove more easily the cap.

  The housing advantageously comprises an inlet throat arranged to oppose elastically to the passage of the article.

  The article is thus held in the desired position in the housing, in storage before use or after being put back in place after use.

  The first and second connecting elements are for example arranged on the various respective housings so that they form a wound rosary.

  The first and second connecting elements can still be of the plug-in type.

  It is therefore a connection to elastic or friction ratchet, male / female or hermaphrodite, for example in the form of two coaxial V-oppositely opposed openings and disposed in two perpendicular axial planes.

  If the first and second connecting elements are implanted, on the first and second housings, respectively, respectively, first and second implantation zones associated and mutually spaced by at least one step corresponding to a volume occupied by each housing, the first and the second connecting element advantageously have globally an offset arm for connecting the two associated implantation areas.

  The housings can then all be arranged in the same way in a row, the first and second connecting zones occupying substantially the same position on each housing and being connected by a said arm of length equal to one step. The housing can however be grouped into twin housing, the two housings of each pair being arranged upside down, and then the arm has a useful length of two steps, corresponding to the size of the group.

  In this case, the offset arm has a first tear end, and possibly a second such end, provided for said tearing.

  In the latter case, if said plurality is at least three housings, with at least two said offset arms, the offset arms are preferably mutually integral to form a common support.

  The offset arm may further comprise a fastening element to a display.

  The assembly thus constitutes a kind of coat rack to which the housings are fixed detachably, that is to say, detachable with possibly possibility of return to the attached position.

  As mentioned at the beginning, the housings are, for example, arranged to receive an article of the 20-tooth brush head type.

  The present invention will be better understood from the following description of four embodiments of a package according to the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1, formed of Figures 1A and 1E, is a plan view of an assembly constituting a chain of two housings according to the first embodiment, FIG. 1B being an enlarged view of the housings, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a chain of three dwellings according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chained package of four housings for toothbrush heads according to the first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 4 is a top view of the rosary of FIG. 3, Figure 5 is a front view of the string of Figure 3, and Figure 6 is a schematic top view of a package according to the fourth embodiment.

  FIG. 1A shows, according to the first embodiment, a pair of sleeve toothbrushes 50 extending in a direction of axis 59 and carrying, at the front, heads 51, with brush strands 52, housed in respective housings 1 and 2 of a string 9, capable of having more than two such housings 1, 2.

  The housings 1 and 2 are identical and arranged in the same way, the heads 51 being arranged side by side, with the respective brushes 52 strands rising perpendicularly to the plane of Figures 1A and 1B, perpendicularly to a direction, here horizontal, d extension of the string 9 of slots 1, 2. The housing 1, here generally rectangular parallelepiped, comprises, as shown in Figure 1B, a rear wall 11, opposite a front wall 16, a bottom wall 12 opposite a wall from above 14, and a so-called left side wall 13 opposite to a so-called right side wall 15. The housing 2 likewise has walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 respectively corresponding to the walls referred to above. of the same unit but of ten 1.

  The rear walls 11 and 21 have a respective rear opening 10, 20, at the bottom of the housing 1, 2 in Figure 1 (see also Figure 2), adjusted to a cross sectional shape of a section of the handle 50 bearing the head 51, that is to say here the top of a terminal neck 53 of the handle 50.

  The housings 1 and 2 are mutually connected by a tongue consisting of a first connecting tongue 17, integral with the housing 1, which continues with a second connecting tongue 28, integral with the housing 2. More specifically, each connecting tongue 17 , 28 is secured to a portion of the housing retaining frame 1, 2 corresponding, having a rigidity exceeding a minimum threshold. The connecting tongues 17 and 28 are connected at the end by a section constituting a junction bridge 17P, here a transverse groove of weakness, having, vis-à-vis a predetermined external tension of tearing of one of the first and second housing 1, 2 exerted by a user, a resistance lower than a resistance value of the remainder of the first and second housing 1, 2. Alternatively, the first and second connecting tongues 17 and 28 may constitute a connector, being able to thus be plugged and unmated by being separated by traction, without tearing material.

  In this way, the housing 1 and 2 can be easily separated by traction or torsion breaking junction bridge 17P.

  The above support structure may be constituted by the greater part of the walls 11 to 16, then provided relatively rigid, or be more restricted, being limited to, for example, a reinforced wall strip, for example here a 1X rear band of the bottom wall 12, constituting an extension of the tongue 17, limiting a sector of the opening 10 and joining a corresponding edge of the right wall 15, with a possible extension to the right, not drawn, having the shape of the tongue 28, if another housing was provided. Housing 2 also has a 2X band frame. The rigid and integral strips 1X, 2X and any subsequent ones ensure the maintenance of the alignment of the housing 1, 2 and following in a desired shape, for example in a straight line, as here, or for example in a form wound around a vertical axis in FIG. 1 or even perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1. Each strip 1X, 2X may be provided in the form of a collar completely surrounding the associated opening 10, 20. In a variant, the tongues 17, 28 may be provided in another axial position relative to the toothbrush 50, 51, that is to say closer to the front walls 16, 26.

  The top of the neck 53 has an enlarged shape with respect to a lower throat of the neck 53 and each housing 1, 2 has two opposite rear flanks extending the side walls 13, 15 and 23, 25 protruding rearwardly by tongues or elastic tabs 131, 151 and 231, 251 for holding neck 51, shaped flanks adjusted to that of the crown portion 53 of the neck, that is to say mutually converging rearwardly to form a throat. It is thus possible to extract a head 51 by pulling the handle 50 downwards, to explode the rear wall 11, which can, for this purpose, comprise two lines of weakness at the base of the tongues 13, 15, and that is to say, perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1, which enables the head 51 to be put back into place in the housing 1 which has conveniently been separated from the others for easier storage and transport of the first toothbrush 50, 51.

  In the second embodiment according to Fig. 2, three housings 1A, 2A, 3A are provided for three respective toothbrushes 50-52 which still occupy mutually identical positions, but, with respect to Fig. 1, rotated 90 degrees. relative to the axis 59 of the sleeves 50, that is to say that the ends of the strands of two brushes 52 of the first and second housings 1A and 2A, the rightmost, are opposite a rear face of the head 51 carrying the second or third adjacent left-hand brush 52. The references of the walls are unchanged with respect to FIG.

  The bottom wall 22 of the second housing 2A is a side wall with the right housing 1A, that is to say that, for the first housing 1A, the so-called top wall 14, facing the ends of the brush strands 52, is almost omitted, thus providing an opening said top 19. A periphery 19L area of the opening 19, limiting the walls 12, 13, 14 and.15 after a possible top edge, is secured by a junction fragile, temporary, a looped loop 22L located opposite, belonging to the so-called outer surface of the bottom 22 of the second housing 2A. The periphery zone 19L of the opening 19 is a functional equivalent of the tongue 17, while the looped band 22L is a functional equivalent of the tongue 28. The fragile junction above can be, as previously (17P), a bridge of smaller thickness, intended to be torn. This temporary bridge can be obtained by molding or be formed by a bead of glue. The holding strips, like the strip 1X above, are then here, for example, strips 1XA, 2XA and 3XA extending in the direction of the brush strands 50, that is to say from the wall from above 14 to the bottom wall 12, passing through at least one of the other walls, for example the rear part of the wall 15, visible in FIG. 2.

  Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the third embodiment, generally similar to the first embodiment, that is to say disjoint housing rosary. It is here provided, from right to left, four dwellings 1B, 2B, 3B and 4B. The tongue 17 of the housings 1B to 3B, however, is in the form of a truncated pyramid whose vertex constituting the junction bridge 17P, at maximum attenuation, is connected to a low rear zone, of the right wall 25 of the neighboring housing corresponding left 2B, 3B, 4B, that is to say located near the bottom 22 and the rear opening 20. The tongue 28 is non-existent. As previously, the tongue 17, secured to a reinforced strip 1XB of the housing 1B, is thus connected to a string of frames for maintaining the adjacent dwellings 2B, 3B or 4B, frames each consisting of all or part of the housing considered or by at least one reinforced strip 2XB, 3XB, 4XB, of one or more of the walls 22 to 26 or homologues, here provided, as for FIG. 1, at the rear of the bottom 14.

  Figure 6 illustrates the fourth embodiment of the package of the invention, seen from above, showing the top walls 14 and homologues. It comprises a chain of four housings 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C connected by tabs 17, 28 as in the first embodiment and the previous statement relating thereto remains valid.

  However, here, the tongues 17, 28 are optional because redundant with respect to connecting elements of the same function located in the area of the front walls 16, 26 and following 36 and 46. For this purpose, the front walls 16, 26, and that homologous front walls 36, 46 of the housings 3C and 4C, each comprise a respective base 17b, 27b, 37b and 47b, equivalent to a union of the tongues 17 and 28, that is to say that each base 27b, 37b intermediate housing, in the chain, 2C or 3C serves for connection with each of the two neighboring housing 1C and 3C or 2C and 4C. The bases like the base 17b, of limited size, all occupy the same relative position on the housing carrying them, here at mid-length of the front wall 16, 26, 36, 46 in the direction of extension here horizontal of the rosary. As a result, there are provided three connecting arms 18b, 28b and 38b, with rigidity exceeding a minimum threshold, constituting an offset of the bases 17b, 27b, 37b and 47b. There is thus formed a sequence of point-to-point links, of functional length equal to the length of an implantation pitch of the housing 1C to 4C. The offset arms 18b, 28b and 38b also serve, associated with the bases 17b, 27b, 37b and 47b, housing retaining frames 1C to 4C in the respective desired positions. The frames of the examples above can however also be provided.

  The first arm 18b, for example, comprises, at one end or the other or even anywhere along its length, at least one weakening zone, or connecting bridge, for separating the housing 1C and 2C. In this example, two such connecting bridges 18p and 18q are provided respectively at the two ends of the connecting arm 18. The second arm 28b is likewise limited by two connecting bridges 28p and 28q respectively connected to the second base 27 and at the third base 37. The third link arm 38 also has two connecting bridges 38p and 38q respectively connected to the third base 37 and the fourth base 47.

  It is here provided a fastening element 28d integral with the second arm 28, central, to suspend all of the packaging thus formed. The hooking element 28d may be for example a hook or a ring or a recess formed in the connecting arm 28b. To improve the rigidity between the arms 18b, 28b and 38b, it can be expected that they form an integral arm in one piece, that is to say a beam, by providing integrated sections 28a and 28c of integrating each end of the central arm 28b with the respective arm 18b and 38b. The connecting bridges 18p, 18q and following are then, as drawn, carried by descending branches of lateral derivation of the beam here horizontal. The juxtaposed intermediate bridges 18q and 28p (or 28q and 38p) can then be combined into a single latching bridge.

  In all the above examples, the housings are advantageously formed by molding a plastic material.

Claims (12)

claims   1. Packaging for a batch of a plurality of articles each having a useful part (51, 52) requiring access protection, storage, characterized in that it comprises a said plurality of housings (1, 1A , 1B, 1C, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3, 3A, 3B, 3C) for said useful portions (51, 52), a first housing (1, 1A, 1B) comprising a frame (1X, 1XA, 1XB), holding the first housing (1, 1A, 1B, 1C), with rigidity exceeding a minimum threshold and having a first connecting zone (17, 17b, 19L) arranged to be connected, by a connecting element (17P ), to a second connecting element (28, 27b, 22L) belonging to another said frame (2X, 2XA, 2XB) for holding a second housing (2, 2A, 2B), the connecting element (17P ) between the first (17, 19L) and second (28, 22L) connecting regions having, with respect to a predetermined external pull-out stress of the first housing (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) relative to the second housing (2, 2A , 2B, 2C) exerted by a user, a resistance lower than a resistance value of the remainder of the first (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) and second (2, 2A, 2B, 2C) housings.   The package of claim 1, wherein the first (17) and second (28) connecting members together form a tongue with the joining member as a transverse weakening zone (17P).   3. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the first (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) and second (2, 2A, 2B, 2C) housings being adjacent, they comprise a common wall (12) carrying around a cord of link (22L) constituting the second connecting element of the second housing (2A), and the first connecting element is a periphery zone (19L) of an opening (19), a wall (14) of the first housing ( 1A), thus masked in a removable manner.   4. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing (1, 2) comprises an inlet throat (131, 151, 231, 251) arranged to oppose elastically to the passage of the article.   5. Package according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first (17, 19L) and second (28, 22L) connecting elements are arranged on the various respective housings (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C) such that these form a wound rosary.   6. Packaging according to claim 1, wherein the first (17) and second (28) connecting elements are of plug-in type.   7. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first (17b) and second (27b) connecting elements being implanted, on the first (1C) and second (2C) housing, respectively first and second associated implantation zones and mutually spaced at least one step corresponding to a volume occupied by each housing (1C, 2C), the first (17b) and the second (27b) connecting element generally have an offset arm (18b , 28b, 38b) for connecting the two associated implantation areas.   8. Package according to claim 7, wherein the offset arm (28b) has a first tear end (18p), provided for said tearing.   The package of claim 8, wherein the offset arm (18b) has a second tearing end (18q).   10. Packaging according to claim 9, wherein, said plurality being at least three housings (1C, 2C, 3C), with thus at least two said offset arm (18b, 28b, 38b), the offset arms (18b, 28b, 38b) are mutually integral to form a common support.   11. Packaging according to one of claims 9 and 10, wherein the offset arm (28b) comprises a member (28d) for attachment to a display.   12. Packaging according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the housings (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C) are arranged to receive a head-type article ( 51) of toothbrush.