GB2035961A

GB2035961A - Partitioned container

Info

Publication number: GB2035961A
Application number: GB7941139A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Dolan Corrugated Containers Ltd
Current assignee: Dolan Corrugated Containers Ltd
Priority date: 1978-12-08
Filing date: 1979-11-28
Publication date: 1980-06-25

Abstract

To save the expense of providing partitioning additional to the material forming the vertical walls 22,24,26, and 28 of a container or carton of bendable material such as fibre board or similar, the initially flat blank from which the container is assembled is formed with fold lines 10,16,18, and 20 and sets of spaced parallel through cuts, each set extending across a respective fold line 16 or 20 which are at opposite vertical corners of the assembled container. These cuts allow parts 34 and 36 to be displaced inwardly of the container from its walls 22,24, and 26,28 to partition the container into a number of cells 42 for receiving goods some of which can be seen through the openings left in those walls by the displaced parts. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Container This invention concerns containers.

It also concerns blanks for folding to form said containers.

The containers may be in the form of boxes or cartons.

The material used to form the containers may be sufficiently stiff to be self supporting but is nevertheless foldable, although folding may be achieved or assisted by forming lines of weakness in the material by, for example, cutting and/or creasing. The material may corrugated fibreboard, fibreboard, stiff paper or plastics sheet, for example.

According to a first aspect of the invention a container having an overall shape which defines therewithin a volume for receiving articles, comprises a wall extending between opposite ends of the container, said volume being bounded by a periphery comprising said wall, at least one partition dividing said volume, said partition being integral with said wall at two opposite ends of the partition, and said partition being bent, at said opposite ends of the partition, from said wall inwardly of the periphery into said volume.

According to a second aspect of the invention a blank for forming a container according to the first aspect comprises a cut sheet of bendable material having two opposite edges for connection together to form a tubular wall of the container such that a periphery bounding the volume defined by the overall shape of the assembled container is comprised by said wall, and said blank having at least one through cut therein extending in a direction transversely to said edges and defining a side of a blank part which is bendable at opposite ends of the cut to form in the assembled container a partition which divides said volume and is integral with the wall.

The container formed from such a blank has a tubular shape which need not necessarily be closed at either end of the tube. The tube can be of any cross-sectional shape. The volume available to receive items to be located or stored in the container is defined by the overall basic shape of the container. In a direction transversely to the edges of the blank to be joined together, at least one cut is made extending part way along the blank to define a first side of a part integral at opposite ends of the said part with the remainer of the blank.A second side of the part opposite to said first side may be one of the edges of the blank extending transversely to the said edges to be joined so that said transverse edge is at one end of the tubular container formed from the blank, or the second side may be a second cut in the blank extending part way along the blank in a direction transversely to the edges to be joined. The cut or cuts enable the part to be bent inwardly of the tubular container to act as a partition which divides the volume defined by the general shape of the container. This partition may then be used to separate items stored in the container.

So that the part may be bent inwardly of the container, the portions of the wall with which the opposite ends of the part are integral are in different planes. This may be achieved by forming the container with a polygonal cross-sectional shape resulting from the wall being formed by respective planar sides of the container with a corner between each adjacent side. The part to form the partition is integral with two such adjacent sides of the container wall and is bent inwardly, into the volume defined by the container, at the corner between those two planar sides from which the container wall is formed. In order to form such a corner the blank may be creased along a fold line and/or cut at intervals along the line, the cut or cuts at the side or sides of the partition part extending across the fold line.

The container may have a plurality of said curt partition parts to form a number of partitions dividing the volume.

More than one of the cut parts forming the partitions may be bent inwardly of the overall container periphery from the same corner of the container. In this case a part of the volume divided by one partition may be subdivided by another partition bent inwardly of the container periphery.

The cut or cuts resulting in a said side or sides of a said partition part of the blank may be straight or shaped to give the partition and the resulting gap in the container wall a sculptured or contoured effect,'when the or each partition part is bent inwardly into the overall internal volume of the container.

Further features of each aspect of the invention and examples of how they may be put into effect will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show several embodiments by way of example. In these drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank according to the second aspect of the invention for forming a first embodiment of a container according to the first aspect of the invention; Figs, 2, 3 and 4 show in perspective different stages in the formation of the container from the blank in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of the blank in Fig. 1 for forming a modification of the container in Figs. 2 to 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the modified container formed from the blank in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fragment of a second embodiment of a container formed according to the first aspect of the invention;; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a blank according to the second aspect of the invention for forming the container in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of Fig. 7; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a modification of the container in Fig. 7; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a modification of the blank in Fig. 8 for forming the container in Fig. 9; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another modification of the container in Fig. 7; Fig. 13 is a plan view of a blank formed according to the second aspect of the invention for forming the container in Fig. 12, and; Fig. 14 shows a stage in forming the container in Fig. 12.

Fig. 1 5 is a plan view of a third embodiment of a blank formed according to the second aspect of the invention for forming a third embodiment of container according to the first aspect of the invention; Fig. 1 6 is a perspective view of the container formed from the blank in Fig.15; Fig. 17 is a plan view, with parts omitted, of the container in Fig. 16; Fig. 18 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of a blank formed according to the second aspect of the invention for forming into a fourth embodiment of container according to the first aspect of the invention; Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the container formed from the blank in Fig. 1 8;; Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a stage in the formation of a container in Fig. 19, and Fig. 21 is a plan view, with parts omitted, of the container in Fig. 19.

In the drawings like references relate to same or comparable parts.

In Fig. 1, a blank 2 is shown for forming into a container. The blank is cut from appropriate bendable sheet material, for example corrugated fibreboard, and has an edge flap 4 for glueing to a portion of the blank adjacent to edge 5, and sets of respective end flaps 6 and 8 at respective other opposite edges. A fold line 10 is formed along the base of flap 4. Another fold line 1 2 is formed along the bases of the flaps 6, at what in the assembled container will be its top end, whilst another fold line 14 parallel to theline 12 is formed along the bases of the flaps 8 at what in the assembled container will be its bottom end. The portion of blank between lines 10, 1-2, 14 and edge 5 will form the wall of the container.Extending across this wall are three further parallel fold lines 1 6, 18 and 20 which in conjunction with the line 10 and edge 5 divide the wall of the container into four areas 22, 24, 26, 28 to constitute sides of the assembled container. Cuts 30, 30a, and 32, 32a are formed through the blank and extend across the lines 1 6 and 20 respectively so that the cuts separate fold line section 1 6a or 20a from the remainder of the fold line 1 6 or 20. The cuts 30, 32 and 30a, 32a demarcate and form sides of blank parts 34 and 36 having opposite ends integral with the remainder of the blank and at which opposite ends fold lines 38 and 40 are located.When a container is assembled from the blank the opposite ends at 38 and 40 of each part 34, 36 will be spaced apart along the periphery of the container.

The aforementioned fold lines are lines of weakness which may be formed by indentations or creases in the blank and/or by a series of interrupted through cuts or perforations extending along the fold line.

As a first stage of forming a container from the blank a flat may be formed by folding the blank about lines 16 and 20 and glueing the flap 4 to area 28 in the region of the edge 5. However any other securing technique known in the container making art may be used to connect the flap 4 to area 28.

In the following description relating to forming the container from the flat, edges or corners of the container produced at the fold lines will be identified to the reference numerals used previously to identify those fold lines.

The flat is brought into the tubular shape having the square cross-section and periphery shown in Fig. 2. Then the flaps 8 are folded under as shown in Fig. 3 to close a bottom end of the container.

When the top end is closed by folding over the flaps 6 as shown in Fig. 4, the closed container is of overall parallelipiped shape having a similar shaped volume inside in which goods or items (not shown) are stored. Fig. 3 also shows the parts 34 and 36 bent inwardly of the square periphery bounding the container volume so that this volume is divided by those parts which constitute two partitions. The result is that on looking into the container through an open end an observer would see the container interior divided by the two partitions into four similar square sided cells 42 into each of which may be placed an item or items to be stored or packaged in the container.

Accordingly the partitions 34 and 36 will keep the item or items in one cell separated and afford them protection from the item or items in another cell. At the same time the items in the cells adjacent opposite longitudinal corners 1 6 and 20 can be seen from outside the container through openings 44 left in the container wall when the partitions 34 and 36 are bent inwardly.

A container such as described and formed in accordance with the invention has a number of advantages. The inturned partitions are formed of material taken from the container wall and thus no extra material need be used to form the partitions.

Furthermore, the openings 44 left in the container wall enable the contents of the container to be readily identified and allow labelling on the contents to be seen and perform an advertising function if the carton is placed in a sales or other area open to the public.

These advantages are present in other embodiments of the invention, some of which are described below.

The container described with reference to Figs.

1 to 4 has a square polygonal cross-sectional shape. By changing the number of fold lines 10, 1 6, 1 8 and 20 and/or their spacing apart and/or by inclining one or more of the fold lines relatively one to another containers of other polygonal cross-sectional shapes for example triangular or of non-cubic or non-parallelipiped shape, for example pyramidal shape, may be formed.

The cells 42 in Figs. 3 and 4 are four in number and square sided by reason that the cuts 30, 30a, 32, 32a are of appropriate equal length, the pair 30, 32 is symmetrical about the fold line 1 6, and the pair 30a, 32a is symmetrical about the fold line 20.

Cells of differing cross-sectional shapes can be achieved by varying the length of one cut 30 (30a) or 32 (32a) relatively to the other and/or by varying the length of one pair of cuts 30, 32 or 30a, 32a in relation to the other pair and/or by making one or both pairs of cuts asymmetrical with respect of the corresponding fold line 1 6 or 20.

In Fig. 1, each cut 30, 30a, 32 or 32a is formed along the same straight line crossing the respective fold line 16 or 20, but any or each cut may be non-rectilinear over its entire length, for example by a said cut being formed of contiguous sections of differing shapes and/or inclination one to another. An example of such a modification of the cut 30 is shown in Fig. 1 in which the modification of the cut is shown in chain dots formed by two inclined cut sections 30' and 30" which collectively define a side of the part 34. An example of the cuts being formed by contiguous sections of different shapes is illustrated in Figs.

10 and 11.

Any of the aforesaid modifications are applicable to any of the other containers or blanks shown in the accompanying drawings.

In Fig. 5 a blank is shown for forming into a container of rectangular cross-section having an overall parallelipiped shape defining a similarly shaped volume within the container. In Fig. 5 the pair of cuts 30, 32 is asymmetric about fold line 16 and the pair 30a, 32a is asymmetric about fold line 20 so that when the partitions 34 and 36 divide the volume of the container in Fig. 6 the resultant four cells 42 are of rectangular crosssection. The partitions have corners within the container coinciding with additional fold lines 45 in the parts 34 and 36 of the blank in Fig. 5.

The container shown in Fig. 7 from which the top flaps 6 have been omitted to render other parts of Fig. 7 more clear, is formed from the blank in Fig. 8 and has an overall shape defining a parallelipiped shaped internal volume divided by partitions into six cells 42 as shown in Fig. 9. The partitions are formed by parts 34a, 34b, and 36a, 36b, respectively demarcated by through cuts 46, 48, 50 and 52, 54, 56 and fold lines 38a, 40a, 40b and 38b, 40c, 40d. With the container in an upright attitude the partition 36b is above partition 34b and those two parts of the internal volume of the container surrounded by those partitions are respectively subdivided by the less elongate partitions 34a and 36a respectively, the partition 34a overlying partition 34b and the partition 36a underlying partition 36b.

The through cuts which demarcate the parts of blank to be bent inwardly from the sides of the container to form the partitions need not, as mentioned above, be rectilinear along the whole length of each, but may have any desired shape to give the sides of openings 44 a sculptured or contoured decorative appearance. An example of this is shown in Figs. 10 and 11; which each through cut has alternate rectilinear and arcuate portions.

The blank shown in Fig. 13 has only bottom flaps 8 so that the container to be formed therefrom has an open top defined by edge 6a of the blank. Fold line 1 6 is divided into two sublengths 1 6b and 1 6c by two through cuts 60 and 62, and fold line 20 is divided into two sublengths 20b and 20c by two through cuts 60a and 62a. These through cuts, the edge 6a and fold lines 38a, 38b, 40e, 40g and 40h demarcate parts 64, 66, 68 and 70 in the blank for bending inwardly into the overall volume of the container defined between its top and bottom ends and the vertical line of each of the corners 10,16, 18 and 20 when the container is erected as shown in Fig.

12. A stage in the erection procedure, from the blank in Fig. 13 is shown in Fig. 14. The base of the container shown in Fig. 1 2 is in part similar to a tray. The partitions formed by the blank parts 64, 66, 68 and 70 divide the overall volume into six substantially square section cells 42. When goods are disposed in the cells the whole container may be further enclosed for example by shrink wrapping.

In Fig. 1 5 the blank has through cuts 80, 82 and 84 extending across fold line 16 to divide it into sections 1 6e and 1 6f and through cuts 86, 88 and 90 extending across fold line 20 to divide it into sections 20e and 20f. Parts 92, 94, 96 and 98 to form partitions are further demarcated at opposite ends by fold lines 38c, 38d, 38e, 38f, 40i,40j, 40k, and 40/. With this blank erected into the container shown in Fig. 1 6 the partitions formed by parts 92 and 98 overlap and sub-divide the volumes each divide off. Also the volume divided off by partition 92 is sub-divided by partition 94, whilst the volume divided off by partition 98 is sub-divided by partition 96. The result being that the overall internal volume of the container in Fig.

1 6 is partitioned into nine cells each of a substantially similar square cross-section as shown in the plan view in Fig. 1 7 from which the end flaps 6 have been omitted.

In Fig. 18 the blank has through cuts 100 to 106 subdividing fold line 1 6 into sections 16g, 16h, 16L It also has through cuts 108 to 114 sub-dividing fold line 20 into sections 20g, 20h, and 20i. These cuts together with fold lines 38g, to 38j and 40m, 40 n, and 40p, to 40s demarcate blank parts 116 to 126 which in the assembled container in Fig. 1 9 form overlapping partitions which subdivide the overall parallelipipedal shaped internal volume of the container, illustrated in a stage of erection in Fig.

20, into twelve cells of substantially similar square cross-section as shown in the plan view in Fig. 21 from which the end flaps 6 have been omitted.

The flaps 6 and 8 illustrated above are basically rectangular but they may have any other desired shape and may interlock, or otherwise engage, in any desired manner when folde.d over to close the corresponding top or bottom ends of the container.

If desired the flaps 6 and 8 may be omitted so that the container is open top and bottom, or only the flaps at one end omitted as exemplified in Figs.

12 to 14.

If desired the container-wall may be formed with a line or lines of weakness, for example, a tear off strip, around the container, whereby an upper part of the container can be readily separated from a lower part thereof in the form of a tray on which the items in the container sit. Such line or lines of weakness may also be formed around an upper part of the c.ontainer wall, so that the top of the container may be readily detached for access to the container interior.

Hand holes or other gripping provisions may be provided in or on the wall of the container.

Flap 4 may be omitted and opposite edges of blanks connected together by other connection means, for example, adhesive strip.

Claims

1. A container having an overall shape which defines therewithin a volume for receiving articles, comprising a wall extending between opposite ends of the container, said volume being bounded by a periphery comprising said wall, at least one partition dividing said volume, said partition being integral with said wall at two opposite ends of the partition, and said partition being bent, at said opposite ends of the partition, from said wall inwardly of the periphery into said volume.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which said opposite ends of said partition are spaced apart along said periphery.

3. A container as claimed in claim T or claim 2, in which the wall is formed with a corner from which the partition is bent inwardly into said volume.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which a plurality of said partitions are disposed one above another such that a said partition divides the volume into a portion which is sub-divided by another said partition.

5. A container as claimed in claim 3 or as claimed in claims 3 and 4, in which there are a plurality of said partitions bent inwardly into said volume from a plurality of said corners.

6. A container as claimed in claim 3 or 5, in which the or at least one of said partitions has a side edge extending at its opposite ends into portions of an edge of the wall at a said end of the container.

7. A container as claimed in claim 3, 5 or 6, in which the opposite ends of the or at least one of said partitions have the or a said corner disposed between them, and the partition is bent inwardly into the volume from that corner.

8. A container as claimed in claim 4, in which two said partitions disposed one above the other have a portion which is common to each.

9. A container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, or as claimed in claim 7 when appended to claim 3 or 5, or as claimed in claim 8, in which at least one end of the container is closable by flap means integral with said wall.

10. A container as claimed in claim 6, or as claimed in claim 7 when appended to claim 6, in which the opposite end of the container is closable by flap means integral with said wall.

11. A container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the container is open at both ends.

12. A container as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, in which an open end of the container is closed by an enclosure surrounding the container.

13. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said wall is formed with one or more lines of weakness extending around the periphery of the container to facilitate separation of and end part of the container from the rest of the container.

14. A blank for forming a container as claimed in claim 1, said blank comprising a cut sheet of benda-ble material having two opposite edges for connection together to form a tubular wall of the container such that a periphery bounding the volume defined by the overall shape of the assembled container is comprised by said wall, and said blank having at least one through cut therein extending in a direction transversely to said edges and defining a side of a blank part which is bendable at opposite ends of the cut to form in the assembled container a partition which divides said volume and is integral with the wall.

15. A blank as claimed in claim 14, in which the sheet has a fold line across which the through cut extends, the arrangement being such that when the sheet is bent at said fold line to form the container a peripheral corner of the container coincides with said fold line.

16. A blank as claimed in claim 14, in which the sheet has a fold line extending transversely to said through cut which terminates at the fold line.

1 7. A blank as claimed in claim 16, so arranged that when the sheet is bent at said fold line to form the container a peripheral corner of the container coincides with said fold line.

1 8. A blank as claimed in any of claims 1 5 to 17, in which the sheet has a further edge extending between said two opposite edges, and part of said further edge forms an opposite side of said blank part.

19. A blank as claimed in claim 15, in which the through cut is divided into unequal lengths by the fold line.

20. A blank as claimed in any of claims 1 5 to 1 9, in which a plurality of through cuts extend side by side transversely to the fold line, each cut defines a side of at least one said blank part of a plurality of blank parts which are bendable at opposite ends of the sides to form in the assembled container a plurality of partitions one above another such that a said partition divides said volume into a portion which is sub-divided by another said partition.

21. A blank as claimed in claim 20, in which two said blank parts are so formed from said sheet material that a portion of the sheet material is common to both blank parts so that in the assembled container the common part forms a partition portion common to both the partitions formed from the two blank parts.

22. A blank as claimed in any of claims 1 5 to 21, in which there is at least two spaced fold lines each having at least one said through cut associated with the fold line.

23. A blank as claimed in any of claims 1 5 to 22 in which the or each fold line is a line of weakness in the sheet.

24. A blank as claimed in claim 23, in which the line of weakness comprises a crease.

25. A blank as claimed in claim 23, in which the line of weakness comprises a row of cuts or perforations.

26. A blank as claimed in any of claims 14 to 25, in which the or at least one of said through cuts has two consecutive non-collinear portions.

27. A blank for forming a container, said blank being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig. 5, or Fig. 8, or Fig. 11, or Fig. 1 3, or Fig. 1 5, or Fig. 1 8 of the accompanying drawings.

28. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4, or Fig. 6, or Figs. 7 and 9, or Fig. 10, of Figs. 12 and 14, or Figs.16 and 17,orFigs.19to21 ofThe accompanying drawings.

29. A container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13 or in claim 27, in which articles are disposed and separated one from another by the or at least one of said partitions.