FR3100235A3 - Packaging for fruits and vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

Packaging for fruits and vegetables Packaging for fruits and vegetables provided with a central and rectangular sector acting as a bottom, which has four chamfers alternating with its four sides, forming an octagonal outline, in which the large side walls (5) and the small ones side walls (6) are extended by flaps (10, 11) which, during assembly, form a wing or a peripheral and horizontal cantilever for the fixing by heat sealing of a plastic sheet closing the packaging. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Packaging for fruits and vegetables

The present invention relates to a packaging for fruits and vegetables, as a tray for the packaging, transport and marketing of products such as fruits and vegetables, without ruling out another type of product.

The object of the invention is to provide the market and the general public with a means of packaging which replaces conventional plastic trays.

The packaging according to the invention is made of corrugated cardboard, and it is only the upper closure which is effected by heat sealing a sheet of plastic material, which thus reduces to a minimum the use of this type of polluting products. .

In the packaging, transport and marketing of fruit and vegetables, plastic packaging or trays obtained by molding are commonly used. There is no doubt that this material offers the advantages of reduced cost while allowing the consumer to view the contents of the package. That said, plastic is a material that, as everyone knows, is a major ecological problem, due to the large number of years it takes for it to degrade and decompose. It is therefore increasingly necessary to find alternatives to this type of packaging.

On the other hand, the products contained in this type of trays can deteriorate or be damaged due to the flexibility of the plastic material, unless the latter has a significant wall thickness, which implies an additional contribution of obviously undesirable material. That is to say that the trays or packaging traditionally used must guarantee a minimum of structural resistance which can only be achieved by using large quantities of plastic.

Another drawback is that this type of plastic trays or packaging does not allow the trademarks or the characteristics of the product they contain to be printed directly on them, so that it is necessary to resort to this effect to adhesive labels or bands also made of other materials, which increases the difficulties when it comes to recycling.

The packaging for fruits and vegetables, object of the present invention, completely satisfactorily solves the problems set out above, on the basis of a simple but effective solution.

As mentioned earlier, both consumers and producers are increasingly aware of the negative impact of plastic on the environment. Cardboard packaging is easier to recycle, making it an environmentally friendly material, and the packaging is smaller and lighter, making it a convenient material to carry.

To do this, the packaging according to the invention is made of corrugated cardboard, determining during its assembly a tray provided with wings or a peripheral projection at its upper part which allow closure by means of a heat-sealed plastic film. .

In this way a box is obtained with a closure perfectly fixed to the box and therefore effectively protecting the product it contains, said product being visible through the transparent plastic film, and thus obtaining a box which combines the properties of printing and recycling, proper to cardboard, with the advantages of visibility and good protection provided by the plastic closure.

More precisely, the packaging according to the invention is formed from the development of a sheet of corrugated cardboard trimmed and with cutting and folding lines, to allow easy assembly and to obtain a packaging with an octagonal outline, which allows to achieve better functionality on automated filling lines. As is well known, rectangular packaging makes it difficult to carry out transport tasks by means of conveyor belts in automated filling or packaging installations. Today, fruit and vegetable packaging processes are increasingly automated, as we work on high-speed production lines with the aim of optimizing yield rates, eliminating human errors and lower the costs. In this type of installation, packages with curved or chamfered corners (as is the case with the octagonal box which is the subject of the invention) have significant technical advantages for their handling and storage.

The development of the cardboard sheet has a central sector acting as the bottom of the packaging, of rectangular configuration with its chamfered tops.

From the long sides start the extensions which will form the large side walls, which in turn are extended at their lateral ends by two adjacent flaps, one to form the wall corresponding to the chamfer of the octagonal outline, and a flange for fixing to the small walls sides, which emerge from the short sides of the rectangular base.

Both the large side walls and the small side walls are extended at their upper ends by flaps which, when the box is assembled, fold outwards adopting a horizontal arrangement and define a cantilevered peripheral wing. for the mouth of the packaging, on which the closure sheet of the packaging is glued by heat sealing, in such a way that these flaps extend over the entire perimeter of the mouth of the packaging, partially overlapping one on top of the other, in areas where they are fixed with adhesive.

The sectors which constitute the small side walls have, in correspondence with the bottom chamfers, a slightly trapezoidal configuration, in order to give the packaging as a whole a stackable character and slightly diverge towards its upper mouth.

Although the packaging according to the invention is preferably and fundamentally intended for the packaging, transport and marketing of fruits and vegetables, it can also be applied to other food products.

As an added advantage, it should be noted that the packaging is designed so that it can be assembled on a machine, with four gluing points before heat sealing.

It should also be noted that the design of the heat sealing flaps is such that they can be assembled and glued in a single machine pass.

Still advantageously, the tray offers high structural strength, as well as easy assembly and gluing.

Another advantage of the packaging according to the invention is that, as it is octagonal in plan, there are no sharp edges liable to be bumped, an advantage for its movement on automated packaging lines. high speed.

To complete the following description and for a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of a practical embodiment thereof, are appended as an integral part of said description schematic drawings where, by way of illustration and not limiting, the following has been shown:

shows the development in plan of an octagonal package provided with heat-sealing flaps for fruits and vegetables produced in accordance with the object of the present invention;

shows a perspective view of the package duly assembled or assembled.

In view of the aforementioned figures, one can observe how the packaging for fruits and vegetables is obtained from the development of a sheet of corrugated cardboard trimmed with cutting and folding lines to allow the assembly thereof, said development comprising a central and rectangular sector acting as the bottom 1, which has four chamfers 2 alternating with its four sides, forming an octagonal outline.

The bottom 1 has two long sides 3 and two short sides 4, from which respectively the large walls 5 and the small walls 6 of the packaging emerge. From the sides of the large walls 5 protrude inverted trapezoidal sectors 7 which, at the time of assembly, constitute the walls corresponding to the chamfers 2, sectors 7 which in turn terminate in respective flanges 8 which, by means of folding lines 9 , are attached by gluing to the small side walls 6 at the time of assembly.

From the small sides of the bottom 1, two small side walls 6 emerge by means of folding lines 9.

Both the large side walls 5 and the small side walls 6 are extended, in particular at the level of the corresponding weakened fold lines (marked in the figure by a differentiated line), by flaps 10 and 11 respectively which, during assembly, form a wing or a peripheral and horizontal overhang for the fixing by heat sealing of a plastic sheet which will close the packaging, in particular with the products inside.

The flaps 10 extend a little over the entire upper edge of the large side walls 5 and extend partially on the edges of the inverted trapezoidal sectors 7. For their part, the flaps 11 have bends 11 'inward, d 'a width conforming to the edge of the mouth defined by the inverted trapezoidal sectors 7 corresponding to the chamfers 2, said flaps partially overlapping (in areas where they are glued), for their gluing during assembly.

The size of the flaps 10 and 11 will be the minimum necessary so that an automated assembly on the machine is possible, with four gluing or junction points, and that subsequently the plastic film can be added by heat sealing.

• en collant les rebords 8 sur les petites parois latérales 6 à l'extérieur, laissant ainsi la surface intérieure, où va le produit, sans arêtes qui pourraient l'endommager et fournissant un point d'appui extérieur résistant pour qu’au moment de plier les rabats 11, qui constituent l'aile ou le porte-à-faux périphérique, l'horizontalité de ceux-ci se maintienne.
• en collant les rebords 8 aux petites parois latérales 6 à l'intérieur, en essayant d'écraser les arêtes lors du massicotage, et en laissant libre la partie extérieure des petites parois latérales 6 pour rendre possible une bonne impression de l'image de la marque ou des spécifications techniques du produit.

An important feature of the present invention is that the packaging can be mounted and glued in two different ways:

• by gluing the edges 8 on the small side walls 6 on the outside, thus leaving the inner surface, where the product goes, without edges that could damage it and providing a strong external fulcrum so that when bending the flaps 11, which constitute the wing or the peripheral overhang, the horizontality of these is maintained.
• gluing the edges 8 to the small side walls 6 on the inside, trying to crush the edges when trimming, and leaving the outer part of the small side walls 6 free to make possible a good impression of the image of the brand or technical specifications of the product.

In this way we obtain a box extremely resistant in its assembly, ecological and economical in its production. The edges 8 are therefore attached by gluing to the outside or inside of the small side walls 6.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims (4)

Packaging for fruits and vegetables, which is formed starting from the development of a sheet of corrugated cardboard trimmed with cutting and folding lines, said development comprising a central and rectangular sector acting as a background (1), which has four chamfers (2) alternating with its four sides, forming an octagonal outline, characterized in that

• from the long sides (3) of the bottom (1), by means of folding lines, two large side walls (5) emerge, on both sides of which respectively exit inverted trapezoidal sectors (7) which at the time of assembly constitute the walls corresponding to the chamfers (2), which in turn terminate in respective flanges (8) which, by means of fold lines (9), attach by gluing to the small side walls (6); and
• from the small sides (4) of the bottom (1) come out, by means of fold lines, two small side walls (6),

and in that
the large side walls (5) and the small side walls (6) are extended by flaps (10) and (11) respectively which, during assembly, form a peripheral and horizontal wing or overhang for fixing by heat sealing a plastic sheet to close the packaging. Packaging for fruits and vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the flaps (10) extend a little over the entire upper edge of the large side walls (5) and partially extend over the edges of the inverted trapezoidal sectors (7 ) and
in that the flaps (11) have inward bends (11 '), of a width conforming to the edge of the mouth defined by the inverted trapezoidal sectors (7) corresponding to the chamfers (2), the flaps ( 10) and the flaps (11) partially overlapping in areas determined for their gluing during assembly. Packaging for fruit and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that the edges (8) are fixed by gluing to the outside of the small side walls (6). Packaging for fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, characterized in that the edges (8) are fixed by gluing inside the small side walls (6).