GB2124590A

GB2124590A - Easter egg container

Info

Publication number: GB2124590A
Application number: GB08318168A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Shilcock
Original assignee: Waddingtons Ltd
Current assignee: Waddingtons Ltd
Priority date: 1982-07-30
Filing date: 1983-07-05
Publication date: 1984-02-22
Also published as: GB2124590B; GB8318168D0

Abstract

A container blank comprises three panels 10, 12, 14 hinged together and having side panels 10A, 12A, 14A with profiled edges 10B, 12B, 14B to define a cradle for holding an article such as an Easter egg. The side panels are connected by fillet panels 26, 28 so that in erecting the blank the fillet panels 26, 28 cause adjacent side panels to overlap. The fillet panels 26, 28 can be glued to the side panels 12A, 14A during an intermediate stage of erection and continued erection causes the side panels to fold inwardly to form a cradle for supporting the article. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Packaging container This invention relates to packaging containers which are of the type constructed from cut and creased sheet materials such as cardboard. The containers are erectible from the sheet material into box like construction and internally of the box construction is a support cradle for holding an article, such as a chocolate Easter egg, in a predetermined position inside the box. The walls of the container may be open so that the article can be viewed when it is in position, but this is not an essential requirement of the container according to the invention.

The present invention is concerned with constructing the container and forming at least a portion of the cradle in a simple and effective manner.

Known containers of the type to which the invention relates are erected from blanks of cut and creased sheet material, and the equipment for erecting these blanks is somewhat complicated and expensive. This is the case because the containers, especially those for holding chocolate Easter eggs tend to be of somewhat complicated design the purpose of which is to provide an open sided container with an internal cradle which supports an Easter egg so that the egg can be viewed through the open sides of the container.

The present invention is concerned with the designing the blank or part of the blank for erection into a packaging container of the type to which the invention relates so that it can be constructed by more conventional and simpler carton erecting machinery, such as that used for erecting simple box cartons which do not have an internal cradle.

In accordance with the invention a cut and creased blank of sheet material is provided having at least first, second and third wall panels connected end to end and having side panels which have profiled edges to define a cradle for holding the article to be held by the container, the side panels being connected by fillet pannels by means of hinge lines whereby the blank is designed to be erected by the folding upwardly of the first and third wall panels relative to the second wall panel so that adjacent side panels overlap in a region equal to the area of the fillet panels, the fillet panels and the adjacent side panels which lie to the inside of the fillet panels can be glued together at a position of intermediate folding of the first and third panels relative to the second panel and when the side panels and fillet panels lie at right angles to the respective first, second and third panels, whereby continued folding of the first and third panels to a final position say in which the first and third panels are at a sharper, for example a right angle, to the second panel, the side panels by virtue of being connected to and/or glued to the fillet panels are caused to bow inwardly and form the said cradle or portion thereof by virtue of the stressing of the side panels.

The arrangement described may be embodied in a complete container, or may be an insert for a packaging container or the arrangement described may be a single blank which is gluable to another blank to form the complete container, but in the preferred case, the arrangement described is part of a composite blank, the remaining portion comprising a fourth wall panel hinged to the free end of the third wall panel and having at its opposite edge a glue flap for gluing to the free edge of the first wall panel. The cover wall panel may be provided with side panels which fold inwardly and engage by tuck flaps the ends of the side panels of the first and third panels, and thereby complete the internal supporting cradle.

With the arrangement described, the initial forming of the first, second and third panels to box shape can be formed by standard punch and die carton forming equipment which comprises essentially a die and a punch which are brought together and by this action, a base panel between the punch and die is moved downwardly, and side panels by the punch and die operation, are moved upwardly to form a three dimensional structure.

Equally, for the closuring of the top of the container by the cover panel, conventional cover forming carton machinery can be used, which involves simply pushing the container and the cover through a tubular guide which folds down the flaps and side panels surrounding the cover panel, into final position.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank according to this embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2, 3 and 4 show part of the blank in the partly erected condition respectively in perspective, side and plan view; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the blank in a further stage of erection; Fig. 6 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 5 showing the completed stage of erection; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the container in the Fig. 6 condition; and Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken on the lines 8-8 and 9-9 of the container shown in Fig. 7 when containing a chocolate Easter egg.

Referring to the drawings, the blank in Fig. 1 comprises four panels, namely a base panel 10, two side panels 12 and 14, and covered panel 16, these panels being hinged together along hinge lines 18, 20 and 22. The free end of covered panel 1 6 is provided with a glue tab 24, and panels 1 0, 12, 14 and 6 are provided with profiled side panels 1 2A, 1 OA, 1 4A and 1 6A, which in the erected container form an internal cradle for supporting, in this case, a chocolate Easter egg.

The profiling comprises essentially curved edges 2B, 1 OB 1 4B and 1 6B. The blank is symmetrical about its longitudinal centre line.

Connecting panels 1 2A, and 1 OA and 1 OA and 4A are fillet panels 26 and 28 which are hinged to the respective side panels 1 OA and 1 2A about hinge lines 26A and 26B and panels 1 OA and 1 4A about hinge lines 28A and 28B.

By so designing the blank, it can be erected on conventional carton erecting machinery such as punch and die machinery as described herein, and the erection takes place as follows.

Panel 10 is located between punch and die members and is displaced downwardly by the punch into a die member, which action causes upward folding of the panels 14 and 12 about the fold lines 1 8 and 20, and simultaneous upward folding of the panels 10A, 12A and 14A. The folding of the side panels is such that panels 1 4A and 1 2A lies inside, panels 1 OA, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, with the fillet panels 26 and 28 lying between the overlapped portions of panels 1 OA and 12A on the one hand and 1 OA and 14A on the other hand, also as shown in Fig. 2.The Figs, 2, 3 and 4, position shows the blank partly erected, and in this condition, the panels 14A, 1 OA and 1 2A at the respective sides of the panels 10, 12 and 14 lie in planes, as shown in Fig. 4, which are at right angles to the respective panels 10, 12 and 14, and this means that the overlapping fillet panels 26 and side panels 1 2A can be firmly glued and pressed together as can the fillet panels 28 and the side panels 14A, and this is in fact a step of the erection process. It is to be noted that the fillet panels 26 and 28 are not glued to side panels 1 OA.

With the blank in this condition, the upward folding of the side panels 12 and 14 is continued as indicated by the arrows 30 in Fig. 3, and this has the effect of forcing all side panels 10A, 12A and 1 4A to deflect inwardly as shown in Fig. 5, and this upward folding is an automatic erection of the cradle structure inside the erected container. Fig. 6 shows the position when the panels 14 and 12 have been moved to a position at right angles to the base panel 10, and the internal cradle has been formed, as shown in Fig.

7. The curved eges 1 OB, 1 2B and 14B come together and define a surface which conforms to the surface of the Easter egg to be held by the cradle formed by the side panels 10A, 12A and 14A. To complete the closure it is simply a matter of bringing over the cover panel 1 6 (after insertion of the egg into the cradle) so as to glue the glue tab 24 to the outside of the panel 12 at the top edge thereof, and to complete the container, the side panels 1 6A are tucked inwardly so that tongues 1 6C thereof engage in cut-away shoulders 1 4C and 1 2C in the side panels 1 2A and 14A, the curved edges 16B forming the final sections of the cradle holding the Easter egg.

The sectional views of Figs. 8 and 9 show how the cradle sections 10A, 12A, 14A and 1 6A in fact hold the Easter egg firmly in position.

It is furthermore to be noted in this connection that the crease lines 26A and 28A in the erected container abut firmly on the base 10 whereby the cradle is extremely stable.

The equipment which is used for closing the container by folding over the panel 1 6 and gluing the tab 24 may be quite simple and conventional in nature and may be of the type which is used for closing conventional cartons and boxes which do not have an internal cradle.

It is also to be noted that in the erected container, the sides are in fact open so that the article can be viewed therethrough.

The invention can be applied to containers for holding different types of article, and in a modification, the side panels are not in fact glued to the fillet panels but are simply folded inwardly, the article being held by holding the side panels forming the cradle securely in position.

Although the features of the use of the fillets 26 and 28 is shown in the embodiment in connection with a single blank, it could be used in any container construction whether it be single or multiple blank, or the container could in fact be an insert to define a cradle inside, for example an outer transparent case.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show an interesting aspect of this invention which is that the parts to be glued together are pressed together when the blank is in an intermediate stage of erection, with the side panels lying in planes at right angles to the main panels. Clearly the geometry of the fillets must be arranged to ensure that this position is reached.

Claims

1. In or for a packaging container blank of sheet material having at least first, second and third wall panels connected end to end and having side panels which have profiled edges to define a cradle for holding the article to be held by the container, the side panels being connected by fillet panels by means of hinge lines whereby the blank is designed to be erected by the folding upwardly of the first and third wall panels relative to the second wall panel so that adjacent side panels overlap in a region equal to the area of the fillet panels, the fillet panels and the adjacent side panels which lie to the inside of the fillet panels can be glued together at a position of intermediate folding of the first and third panels relative to the second panel and when the side panels and fillet panels lie at right angles to the respective first, second and third panels, whereby continued folding of the first and third panels to a final position say in which the first and third panels are at a sharper, for example a right angle, to the second panel, the side panels by virtue of being connected to and/or glued to the fillet panels are caused to bow inwardly and form the said cradle or portion thereof by virtue of the stressing of the side panels.

2. The invention ciaimed in Claim 1 , wherein the blank is embodied in a composite blank which can form a complete packaging container.

3. The invention according to Claim 2, wherein the composite blank has a fourth wall panel hinged to the free end of the third wall panel and having at its opposite edge a glue flap for gluing to the free edge of the first wall panel.

4. The invention according to Claim 3, wherein the cover wall panel is provided with side panels which fold inwardly and engage by tuck flaps the ends of the side panels of the first and third panels, and thereby complete the internal supporting cradle.

5. In or for a packaging container a cut and creased blank substantially as hereinbefore descrbed with reference to the accompanying drawings.