FR3061484B1 - BOTTLE BOX COMPRISING MEANS FOR RETAINING THE BOTTLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a bottle case consisting of an elongate case (2) having a lateral opening (3) whose dimensions are such as to allow the bottle (40) to be introduced into the useful internal volume of the bottle. housing located behind said opening, said useful interior space being delimited between a base (10) intended to constitute a support for the bottom (42) of the bottle, and a top (20) intended to close the housing at its the top part. The box according to the invention is characterized in that the upper face of the useful internal volume of the housing (2) comprises a groove (34) extending perpendicular to the lateral opening of the housing and having at its front end a stop (32). ) oriented towards the base (10), intended to form a front support for the upper end (44) of the bottle (40), in that at least a portion of the housing (2) is made of a solid material, gifted a slight elasticity, its elastic deformation being reversible, and in that the height of the useful internal volume of the housing (2), between the bottom of the groove (34) and the base (10), is very slightly less than the height of said bottle.

Description

BOTTLE BOX COMPRISING RETENTION MEANS

BOTTLE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a box designed to receive at least one bottle whose particularity is to be perfectly wedged inside said box, which, in the end, can elegantly present said bottle thus avoiding, throughout its transport, be it shaken, with the liquid it contains.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to protect a bottle containing a beverage and to ensure a presentation of excellent quality, it is known to arrange this bottle in a box that is either spherical, parallelepipedal or cylindrical and which, whatever its construction, has an opening lateral dimensions whose dimensions are such that it allows to introduce said bottle to present in the interior volume of the box located behind said opening and, of course, it allows conversely to extract this bottle from its box.

In the two latter cases, the box is generally elongated in a direction called height, which is that of the bottle to be presented, said box having a front face, flat or curved, forming a cover which covers the aforementioned lateral opening and which, most often, pivots on one of its two long sides so that you can open this box and extract the bottle.

Alternatively, the front face constituting the cover of the box can be mounted on slides arranged on the two long sides, such slides to open the box and access to its side opening by sliding its lid in a parallel direction at its height.

According to yet another variant, a parallelepipedic box is completely open on its front face and its cover is then constituted by a box identical in the form to the box which receives the bottle, the height and the width of such a lid being very slightly higher than those of the box that receives the bottle so that, their openings facing each other, one can fit into the other, and this without any play. Thus, after interlocking, the inner surfaces of the four lateral faces of the cover are then in close contact with the outer surfaces of the four lateral faces of the box which receives the bottle, the interlocking is perfect between these two elements and only a traction exerted on the two large lateral faces of the lid makes it possible to disengage it from box.

The boxes of the various kinds mentioned above can be made with a rigid cardboard, or with any other material, such as a metal sheet, a plastic material or wood; generally, these types of box may further include on the outside a commercial or advertising marking.

The bottle is generally adjusted in the cabinet with a clearance that is minimum on the sides and in the height, to facilitate its installation or extraction, by translating it respectively inwardly or outwardly. In this way, it also reduces the movements of the bottle inside during handling or transport of this box.

It is also possible in a similar manner to provide a box containing several bottles, for example two or three aligned along the width, which are also adjusted with minimal clearance to facilitate their installation and then their extraction and also to avoid, or at least limit , the movements of the bottles in the box during its transport.

In particular, it can provide, especially for prestigious drinks such as champagne, a luxurious box that must offer a flawless presentation of the bottle and all of its labels, and a very easy handling.

However, the problem that arises consistently for any cabinet of the aforementioned type is that, once its lid open or separated from the cabinet, a tilt of said cabinet directing the side opening down causes a tilting of the bottle lying inside. The bottle may fall and break if the person handling this box does not take the necessary precautions.

In addition, small movements of the bottle inside the cabinet, especially during transport, can cause traces of friction and wear, and this as well on the labels of the labels on the surface of the bottle, and even such movements, even small amplitudes, can always cause an alteration of the beverage filling the bottle.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended to avoid these disadvantages of the prior art.

It proposes for this purpose a box for bottle consisting of an elongate housing, having a lateral opening whose dimensions are such that it allows to introduce the bottle to present in the useful interior volume of the housing located behind said opening, said useful interior volume being, in height, delimited between a lower base, intended to constitute a support for the bottom of the bottle to be presented, and a top, intended to close the casing at its upper part, said patent being characterized in that the upper face of the useful internal volume of the housing comprises a groove extending perpendicularly to the lateral opening of the housing and having at its front end an upper stop facing towards the base, intended to constitute a frontal support for the upper end of the housing; bottle which is then blocked forward by this stop, in that at least part of the housing is re made of a solid material, endowed with a slight elasticity, its elastic deformation being reversible, and in that the height of the useful internal volume of the housing receiving the bottle, between the bottom of the groove and the base on which relies the bottom of the bottle, is very slightly lower than the height of the bottle.

An advantage of this cabinet is that, in its useful interior volume, the bottle can slide and that it is then held fixedly, even if the cabinet is open and even though its side opening would yet be located below from the bottle. For this, the bottle is introduced into the casing by tilting to first engage the neck behind the abutment located in the upper part of the housing, then forcing backwards on the bottom of the bottle to insert it into the the internal volume, which causes a small elastic deformation of at least a portion (lower portion and / or upper portion and / or side portion) of the housing, the reversibility of the material after such deformation to maintain fixedly the bottle through precisely at the slightly reduced height of its interior volume.

At the end of such an installation, there is obtained a bottle arranged vertically in the box, which is clamped in its height by the elastic deformation of at least a portion, or even of the entire housing, the neck being further maintained towards the 'before by the upper stop. In this way, all possible small movements of the bottle in the cabinet have been eliminated. Another advantage is that the cabinet can be tilted or completely returned without the risk of seeing the bottle fall. The quality of the presentation is ensured accordingly.

The bottle case according to the invention may further include one or more of the following features, which may be combined with each other.

Advantageously, the groove has two sides providing a lateral wedging of the upper end of the bottle.

Preferably then, the groove has a width narrowing towards the lateral opening of the housing.

Advantageously, the front end of the groove may be formed by constant spokes provided to fit around the upper end of the bottle.

According to a preferred construction intended more particularly for a box for the presentation of a bottle of champagne, the front end of the groove comprises a clipping means which holds back the upper end of the bottle.

In this case, the clipping means may comprise a cut forming a circular arc greater than 180 °, provided to fit around the top of the upper end of the bottle.

According to a first variant embodiment, the interior volume of the housing comprises height-setting systems of the bottle, respectively lower and upper, which wedging systems are formed by stacking plates. This system is economical to produce.

Preferably, the plates of the upper wedging system comprise grooves having forward ends which are offset.

In this case, the clipping means may be formed by a particular cut of at least one plate of the upper clamping system.

Advantageously, the box is made with cardboard plates.

According to a second variant embodiment, the case of the case according to the invention has in the upper part a device in stages arranged to wedge the top of the upper end of the bottle.

In a then preferred construction, the device in stages is formed in the upper part of a shell intended to be integrated into the housing.

In particular, the box may have a generally parallelepiped shape, and it may include a cover for closing the lateral opening of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will appear more clearly on reading the following description given by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings in which: FIG. example of cabinet according to the invention, which is then shown closed; - Figures 2 and 3 show this open box, seen in perspective at two different angles; FIG. 4 is a view from below of the upper setting assembly of this box; - Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view along a vertical median sectional plane of the upper setting assembly of this cabinet; - Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 have, according to the same sectional plane, four successive steps of installation of a bottle in the box according to the invention; FIG. 10 illustrates a variant of construction of the box according to the invention, variant in which the box schematized in dashed lines encloses a removable shell, plastic or metallic, obtained for example by molding; and - Figure 11 is a side view in section of the shell of Figure 10.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate a first embodiment of a box 2 according to the invention, which box is here parallelepipedal and essentially elongated according to the height, and which is made entirely by cutting, folding and gluing dense cardboard plates. .

The elongated cabinet 2 in question could be just as cylindrical.

In France, the cardboard used most frequently is a fibrous, dense cardboard, which is usually called "gray cardboard".

Ideally, all the cardboard plates used in the realization of the box 2 are covered with sheets of paper glued together, in order to achieve the realization of a box of very high quality. The cardboard sandwiched between the sheets of paper can then, in some places, be corrugated.

On the rear side indicated in FIG. 2 by the arrow "AR", the box comprises a box 2 which, in the following example, receives a cover 4 closing a lateral opening 3 situated in this same example in front of this box. housing. The lateral opening 3 is of such dimensions as to introduce the bottle 40 to be present in the useful internal volume of the housing 2 located behind said opening. The depth of the lid 4 is about half the depth of the case, which is about one third of the total depth of the case.

The lid 4, as will be understood from the description which follows, is an element which, for aesthetic reasons, may be desirable but which is not necessary to achieve the invention.

The casing 2 comprises on the contour of its opening a groove 6 formed by a glued internal plate projecting slightly towards the front of the outer plate, thereby constituting a rabbet receiving a complementary shape formed on the cover 4.

In this way, the complementary shape of the cover 4 is interlocked in the groove 6 of the housing 2, which ensures proper positioning and retention of the cover when the enclosure is closed.

The inner face of the cover 4 can receive a glued pouch 8, allowing to slip there for example a business card.

The interior volume of the housing 2 receives on the lower face a lower clamping system 10 and on the upper face an upper clamping system 20, these two systems 10, 20 being, in the first example shown, made by stacking of flat boxes cut.

The wedging systems 10, 20 have a symmetry with respect to the vertical median plane of the housing 2.

The wedging systems 10, 20 define in height the so-called interior volume of the housing 2.

For example, the lower wedging system 10 thus comprises six superposed cardboards which are fitted on the bottom and on the inner lateral faces of the casing 2 and which have rounded front edges forming arcs of circle extending over almost the entire width of the casing. this housing, which rounded front edges slightly protrude from the housing 2 to the front to enter the cover 4 when it is closed.

The arcuate front edges of the stacked cartons of the lower rigging system 10 have rays steadily increasing from one carton to another from the lowest to the highest to form regular steps. The highest carton forms a forward advance that comes almost to the bottom of the lid 4 when it is closed.

In this first embodiment of the box according to the invention, the lower setting system 10 is the base that will support the bottom of the bottle to present.

The upper wedging system 20 likewise has six stacked cardboards, having rounded front edges including spokes rising steadily from the highest to the lowest, to also form regular steps. However, the leading edge of the upper wedging system 20 is shifted rearwardly relative to that of the lower wedging system 10, so as to have a front edge of the lowest cardboard 12 which does not exceed the opening Side 3 of the cabinet 2.

For the two locking systems 10, 20, at least the carton 12 ending the stack, that is to say the one with the leading edge forward, has on each side a tab 14 which is inserted into a slot provided in each of the two lower lateral faces of the casing 2 so as to be fixed, and to hold firmly the stack of cartons which is set back from the end carton 12.

The cartons of the upper wedging system 20 which closes the casing 2 at its upper part each comprise a groove 34 formed by a central cut-out symmetrical with respect to the vertical median plane of the casing 2, said central cut-out comprising two straight sides which start from the bottom of the casing housing 2, which approach slightly forward, and which are connected to the front by a constant radius 24, 32.

In this way, over the entire height of the upper wedging system 20, a groove 34 extends perpendicularly to the lateral opening 3 of the housing 2 in a width which decreases from the rear to the front of the housing, which groove is intended to receive the upper end of the bottle 40.

The three lowest boxes 30 have a first common radius 32 closing the groove 34 forward, said spoke 32 being disposed near the leading edge of these first three cartons. The first radius 32 is designed to receive and lock in a tight manner the upper end 44 of the bottle 40, thus forming a forward stop an upper stop facing the lower setting system 10, upper stop on which will come to rest frontally said upper end of the bottle, as will be explained in the following paragraphs.

The three upper boxes 22, 26 of the locking system 20 comprise a second common radius 24 closing the grooves 34 forwards, this second radius 24 being disposed behind the first common radius 32.

The third carton from the top 26 further comprises an additional cutout 28 in an arc with a much smaller radius, formed in front of the second radius 24, which is centered on the first common radius 32 of the three lower boxes 30.

Thus, on the height of the upper wedging system 20 is obtained a front side of the groove 34 which is stepped, which from the top is further back for the three upper carton 22, 26, with the additional cutout 28 for the third carton 26, and which is further forward for the three lower boxes 30.

All cartons of chocking systems 10 and 20 can be compressed and filled, but they can also be corrugated, all or only part of them, as soon as they are wrapped in laminated paper sheets.

FIG. 6 illustrates a first step of placing a bottle 40, for example a bottle of champagne, having a wide body having a lower end or cul 42 and a neck 43 ending in a narrow part closed by a plug forming the upper end 44. The upper end 44 of the bottle 40 is engaged first at the top of the box 2, in the rear part of the groove 34 of the upper setting system 20 which constitutes the widest part of said groove ( see Figure 6).

FIG. 7 illustrates the following step of engaging the bottom 42 of the bottle 40 on the lower setting system 10, in order to advance the bottle towards the bottom of the casing 2.

The wedging system 10, thus constituting the base of the useful interior volume of the housing 2, is the support element on which the bottom of the bottle to be presented will be able to come to rest.

FIG. 8 illustrates the end of the engagement of the bottom of the bottle 40 which is pushed towards the bottom of the casing 2, as illustrated by the arrow 45, with a simultaneous rectification movement of the upper part of this bottle 40 illustrated by FIG. arrow 46.

At the end of this righting movement 45-46, the neck of the bottle 40 is slightly pulled forward, its upper end 44 then sliding forward in the groove 34 which tightens to ensure its lateral setting. The upper end of the bottle 44 comes to the front of the groove 34 of the three lower boxes 30, and is supported in height on the third cardboard 26.

In particular, in the case where the bottle 40 is a champagne bottle, the slightly convex portion of the cap protection placed at the upper end 44 fits into the additional arcuate cutout 28 of said third carton 26. A clipping effect of the domed portion of the champagne bottle cap is obtained in this arcuate cutout 28 forming about three quarters of a circle, which has the effect of reinforcing the holding of this end 44 in the preventing you from going backwards.

The vertical distance between the underside of the third carton 26 of the upper wedging system 20 and the top of the sixth carton of the lower wedging system 10, i.e., the height of the useful interior volume of the housing 2, is slightly less than the total height of the bottle 40, which gives a tightening of this bottle causing a small elastic deformation of a small part or the entire housing 2.

Such a result is obtained by the fact that the constituent elements of the housing 2 are made of cardboard, a solid material endowed with a slight elasticity, the deformation of the cardboard being moreover reversible. That being so, it is sufficient that only a portion of the components of the housing are elastically deformable and this applies to the cartons of the base 10 and / or the top cartons 20 and / or the side walls of the housing which connect the base and the base. top of said housing.

FIG. 9 illustrates the end of the positioning of the bottle 40 in the casing 2, its upper end 44 being wedged forwards by the stop 32 formed by the front of the groove 34 of the upper wedging system 20, and also being wedged on the sides by the same groove which is fitted around said upper end of the bottle.

As discussed above, the thickness of the upper and lower clamping systems 10 compressed by the bottle 40, formed by the stack of cartons, has a certain flexibility which gives elasticity to the housing 2, thus maintaining the bottle tight enough on its height permanently.

The cabinet can be tilted and even turned without the bottle 40 may fall through the side opening 3, and that the lid 4 (if it exists) is open or closed.

With an exterior and interior decor of the cabinet, we obtain a luxurious and practical protection that highlights the bottle presented inside the box.

The cabinet can be made easily and economically by cutting cardboard plates and assembling them, which requires reduced tooling.

Alternatively, the box can be made with all kinds of malleable materials, including metal sheets tin, iron, zinc or aluminum, plastic plates or wood panels, provided in these cases that the base 10 or the top 20 of the housing has this desired property of elastic deformation.

It is also possible to perform the setting systems 10, 20 by any other method, for example by injection, by molding, by casting or by machining a malleable material.

Thus, it is shown in Figures 10 and 11 such an alternative embodiment of the housing according to the invention, variant in which a shell 47 having a certain flexibility is integrated in the housing 2 itself, which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 10.

The housing 2 may for example be made of a plastic such as that marketed by the company Dupont de Nemours under the trademark CORIAN.

In this construction, the base 10 is more simply constituted by the bottom of the shell 47 and the top 20 of this shell is constituted in stages symmetrical with respect to the median plane of the shell 47, which stages are composed, from the back to the opening 3 of the shell: - a flat bottom 48 having the general shape of a disk adapted to receive the upper end 44 of the bottle 40, - an intermediate stage 49 of circular shape, smaller diameter that the disk 48, this stage 49 having the same role as the cut 28 of the first variant, namely to receive the cap of the champagne bottle, - a second stage 50 which extends towards the opening 3 of the hull 47 perpendicular to said opening, which has a slightly smaller width than that of the disk 48 and whose edges converge slightly forward, - a stop 32 arranged between the second stage 50 and the opening 3 of the hull , stop which, intended to be e at a level lower than that of said second stage 50, blocks any displacement of the upper end 44 of the bottle 40 forward.

In this second variant, it suffices that the base 10 and / or the top 20 of the shell 47 and / or the vertical walls 51 connecting the base 10 and the top 20 have the desired property of elastic deformation. The assembly 48, 49, 50 plays in this second variant the same role as the groove 34 of the first variant, namely that of receiving and wedging the upper portion 44 of the bottle 40 to present or even that of wedging the cap in the case of a bottle of Champagne, using the intermediate stage 49 for this purpose.

From all the foregoing, it is understood that the cover 4 is not an indispensable element to the invention. The cover 4 serves only to cover the opening 3 of the housing.

Its role is essentially aesthetic, but in no way it participates in fixing the bottle in the housing.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the only preferred embodiments described above.

On the contrary, it embraces all the possible variants of embodiment, insofar as the latter do not go beyond the scope delimited by the appended claims which define the scope of the present invention.

It therefore applies to all cases 2, whether or not associated with a cover 4.

Claims (12)

1 - Box for bottle consisting of an elongated housing (2), having a lateral opening (3) whose dimensions are such that it allows to introduce the bottle (40) to present in the useful interior volume of the housing located behind said opening (3), said useful interior volume being, in height, delimited between a lower base (10), intended to constitute a support for the bottom (42) of the bottle to be presented, and a top (20) , intended to close the housing at its upper part, characterized in that the upper face of the useful internal volume of the housing (2) comprises a groove (34, 48-50) extending perpendicular to the lateral opening (3) of the housing (2) and having at its front end an upper stop (32) oriented towards the base (10), intended to constitute a frontal support for the upper end (44) of the bottle (40) which is then locked towards the before by this stop (32), in that at at least part of the casing (2) is made of a solid material, endowed with a slight elasticity, its elastic deformation being reversible, and in that the height of the useful internal volume of the casing (2) receiving the bottle (40), between the bottom of the groove (34) and the base (10) on which rests the bottom (42) of the bottle, is very slightly less than the height of the latter. 2 - Box for bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that the groove (34, 48-50) has two sides providing a lateral wedging of the upper end (44) of the bottle (40). 3 - Box for bottle according to claim 2, characterized in that the groove (34, 48-50) has a width tapering towards the lateral opening (3) of the housing (2). 4 - bottle box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the front end of the groove (34, 48-50) comprises a clipping means (28, 49) which retains backwards the top of the upper end (44) of the bottle (40). 5 - Box for bottle according to claim 4, characterized in that the clipping means (28, 49) comprises a cut forming a circular arc greater than 180 °, adjusting around the top of the upper end (44). of the bottle (40). 6 - Box for bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the internal volume of its housing (2) comprises height adjustment systems of the bottle (40), respectively lower (10) and higher (20), said wedging systems being formed by plate stacks. 7 - bottle cabinet according to claim 6, characterized in that the plates of the upper clamping system (20) comprise grooves (34) having forward ends which are offset. 8 - Box for bottle according to claims 4 and 7, characterized in that the clipping means (28) is formed by a particular cut of at least one plate (26) of the upper clamping system (20). 9 - Box for bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is made with cardboard plates. 10 - Box for bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that its housing (2) has in the upper part (10) a device in stages (48, 49, 50, 34) arranged to wedge the top the upper end (44) of the bottle (40). 11 - Box for bottle according to claim 10, characterized in that the device in stages (48, 49, 50, 34) is formed in the upper part of a shell (47) intended to be integrated in the housing (2). 12 - Box for bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a cover (4) for closing the lateral opening (3) of the housing (2).