GB2127780A

GB2127780A - Plastics box divider

Info

Publication number: GB2127780A
Application number: GB08225940A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Edwards
Original assignee: SLATEROSE Ltd
Current assignee: SLATEROSE Ltd
Priority date: 1982-09-10
Filing date: 1982-09-10
Publication date: 1984-04-18
Also published as: GB2127780B

Abstract

A plastics box divider of unitary construction comprises a plurality of generally rectangular wall sections (1). Each section is connected along each of two opposite edges to a similar edge of up to three other wall sections, so that the sections define a number of open-ended packaging spaces (9). The divider is deformable between an open position and a flattened storage position. At the junction of each wall section a connecting pillar may be provided, and fold lines may be formed into the plastics material at each connected edge. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Plastics box divider This invention relates to a plastics box divider.

When packaging in boxes items which may be damaged in transit, such as bottles, cans or medicine containers, it is common practice to separate the items from one another by use of box dividers.

At present box dividers are made from stiff card or corrugated paper and comprise two sets of strips of the card or paper. Each strip has in it a series of evenly spaced cut-out slots extending from one longitudinal edge to approximately the middle of the strip. The slots may be formed mechanically. The strips are fitted together by co-operation of the slots in one set of strips with the slots in the other set. In use, the two sets of strips are arranged approximately perpendicular to one another within the box, thereby defining a number of open-ended packaging spaces. The two sets of strips may also be arranged approximately parallel to one another to facilitate storage of the dividers.

Present box dividers suffer from many disadvantages. They are generally assembled by hand, which is a slow and tedious process, even for a skilled person. The high cost of this manual labour forms a large proportion of the unit cost of such dividers, thus, making them expensive. Machines are available which assemble the strips into dividers. However, these are of limited capability and are not generally used.

The dividers are not re-usable and are generally discarded after use. They are unhygienic and, especially where corrugated paper is used, dusty.

They cannot be washed or sterilised and have therefore not found any great use in food packaging or in packaging loose medicinal material.

Assembled dividers arranged for storage do not adopt a rectangular shape. It is therefore difficult to stack dividers for storage to any great height on a pallet for transportation. Moreover, only a limited number of pallets may be stacked on top of one another during transportation. Therefore, transportation of assembled dividers can be both difficult and inefficient.

The present invention seeks to overcome the above problems.

According to the present invention there is provided a plastics box divider of unitary construction comprising a plurality of generally rectangular wall sections, each section being connected along each of two opposite edges to a similar edge of up to three other wall sections such that the sections define a number of openended packaging spaces, the divider being deformable between an open position, in which only opposite wall sections defining a packaging space are parallel, and a storage position, in which all wall sections are approximately parallel to one another.

It will be appreciated that, at the periphery and corners of the divider, each section may only be connected to less other sections than is possible in the main part of the divider.

Preferably all the wall sections are of the same size and each edge of each section, with the exception of the peripheral ones, is connected to the same number of other sections so that the packaging spaces are all of the same size and cross-sectional shape. For instance, if each edge is connected to three other sections, the packaging spaces in the open position will be square in cross-section. Alternatively each edge may be connected to only two other sections, in which case the packaging spaces will be hexagonal in cross-section.

Alternatively, the wall sections may be connected to variable numbers of other wall sections so that they define a number of packaging spaces having varying sizes and/or cross-sectional shapes.

In another embodiment, there are two sizes of wall sections, one being longer than the other, but both being of same height, so that in the open position the longer sections are parallel to one another and perpendicular to all the shorter wall sections. Where each wall section is connected to the same number of other wall sections the packaging spaced in the open position will be of the same size and be rectangular in cross-section.

Where each wall section is connected to a variable number of other wall sections, the packaging spaces in the open position of the dividers will be of varying cross-sectional shapes having rectangular corners.

Preferably, a further number of wall sections are connected along one of their edges only to each point on the periphery of the divider at which other wall sections are connected together.

Conveniently, at each corner two such further wall sections are connected to the divider. These further wall sections serve to space the divider from the box in which, in use, it is disposed, thereby to provide further packaging spaces.

Preferably at the junction of each wall section a connecting pillar is provided. The pillar may be of any convenient shape and is conveniently cylindrical but may also be square or hexagonal in cross-section. Where the divider is large enough, the pillar may be hollow to increase the flexibility of the divider and reduce the amount of plastics material used in the divider.

Preferably the wall sections are sheet like, although they may be reticulated. Reticulated wall sections will provide a lighter and cheaper box divider. However, it must be ensured that dividers using reticulated wall sections have sufficient stiffness in the direction parallel to the connected edges to act properly as dividers and that the size of the holes in the reticulated wall sections is not so large as to allow items separated by the divider to come into contact during transit or packing.

The plastics material used to construct the divider of the present invention may be polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, or polyurethane.

However, preferably the plastics material is polypropylene.

The plastics material should be stiff in the direction parallel to the connected edges, but should be able to deform about axes passing through the connected edges. This requirement may be met by use of a relatively stiff plastics material and by forming fold lines into the plastics material at each connecting edge. The fold lines may be formed on only one side of each wall section adjacent each connection or in both sides of at least some of the wall sections.

Preferably, the box divider of the present invention is produced using an injection moulding or extrusion process.

The plastics box dividers of the present invention may be formed at a low unit cost in a one stage automated operation, eliminating the need for manual assembly. They are re-usable, washable and sterilisable and may therefore be used in packaging foodstuffs and medicinal materials as well as for packaging products such as glass bottles and pill containers for which paper or card box dividers are presently used.

Two embodiments of the plastics box divider according to the present invention are described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompany'\n dxamixxgs wci\ch:-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a part of the first box divider in its open position; Figure 2 is a plan view of said part of the first box divider; Figure 3 is a plan view of said part in its storage position; and Figure 4 is a plan view of a part of the second box divider in its open position.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the first box divider is a unitary construction comprising a plurality of rectangular wall sections 1 all of which are connected along each of two opposite edges to three other similar edges of other wall sections 1, with the exception of those at the periphery of the dividers. At the junction of each wall section a connecting pillar 3 is provided and, as shown, is cylindrical and is hollow. A fold line 5 is formed in the face of each wall section 1 immediately adjacent each pillar 3, the fold lines 5 being made in the face of the clockwise side of each pillar 3.

Further edge wall sections 7 are connected along ole of their edges only to the periphery and corners of the box divider at each peripheral point at which other wall sections meet. Two such further sections 7 are connected at each corner pillar 3. The further sections are also provided with fold lines 5.

In this embodiment, apart from at the periphery and corners, each of the two opposite edges of the wall sections 1 are connected to three other wall sections so that in the open position of the divider, the wall sections define a number of open-ended packaging spaces 9 of square cross-sectional shape.

Referring now to Figure 4, the second box divider is a unitary construction comprising a plurality of rectangular wall sections 11 all of which are connected along each of two opposite edges to three other similar edges of other wall sections 11, with the exception of those at the periphery of the divider. At the junction of each wall section a solid cylindrical pillar 13 is provided.

The wall sections 11 comprise two sets, 1 A and 1 B the wall sections in each set being arranged perpendicular to those in the other set when the divider is in the open position. Each of the wall sections 1 1A has a fold line 15 formed in each of its faces adjacent each connecting pillar 13. No fold lines are formed in the wall sections in the other set 11 B.

Further edge wall sections 1 7 are connected along one of their edges only to the periphery and corners of the box divider at each peripheral point at which the other wall sections meet. Two such further sections 1 7 are connected at each corner pillar 13. The further sections are also provided with fold lines 1 5 as necessary.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the wall sections 11 define a number of openended packaging spaces 1 9 of square crosssectional shape.

In an alternative construction, a divider may be formed so as to provide rectangular rather than square packaging spaces. Such a divider comprises t\No s;zes os same height but different length. The opposite edges (which are of equal height) of each of the sections are interconnected, but to variable numbers of other sections. The box divider is also formed with cylindrical pillars and fold lines in similar fashion to that shown with respect to the second embodiment. The box divider is also provided with further wall sections on the periphery and at its corners.

In a further alternative embodiment, a divider may be formed so as to provide hexagonal, rather than square or rectangular, packaging spaces.

Such a divide comprises a plurality of rectangular wall sctions. Each of two opposite edges is connected to either one or two other sections in a fashion similar to that shown in Figure 4. The box divider comprises cylindrical pillars and fold lines.

In each case, the box divider was made in a single operation in an injection moulding process using conventional technology. The plastics material used to form each unitary box divider is polypropylene.

In use, a box divider according to any one of the three embodiments described above in its open position is placed inside a box and items are inserted in each packaging space. The items rest on the bottom of the box or on a layer of a packaging material, such as corrugated paper or a foamed plastics material, and are held apart by the box divider. If desired a sheet of plastics, corrugated paper or card may be placed over the box divider, another box divider inserted and further items inserted into the box, just as with dividers of known construction. Packaging material may also be used to line the sides and top of the box. The packaging material is used where the items to be packaged may be damaged in transit.

For storage purposes, the box divider is deformed so that it adopts the storage position.

This is shown in Figure 3, to which reference is now made, for the first embodiment of the box divider. In the storage position all the wall sections 1 are approximately parallel, having been folded about the cylindrical holes 3 along fold lines.

The box dividers are re-usable, washable and sterilisable and may be readily stored in stacks.

Thua-the box divider of the present invention is an improvement over the paper or card box dividers presently used.

Claims

1. A plastics box divider of unitary construction comprising a plurality of generally rectangular wall sections, each section being connected along each of two opposite edges to a similar edge of up to three other wall sections such that the sections define a number of open-ended packaging spaces, the divider being deformable between an open position, in which only opposite wall sections defining a packaging space are parallel, and a storage position, in which all wall sections are approximately parallel to one another.

2. A divider according taclaim 1, wherein there are two sizes of wall sections, one being longer than the other, but both being of same height, so that in the open position the longer sections are parallel to one another and perpendicular to all the shorter wall sections.

3. A divider according to claim 1, wherein all the wall sections are of the same size and each edge of each section, with the exception of the peripheral ones, is connected to the same number of other setions so that the packaging spaces are all of the same: size and cross-sectional shape.

4. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: each edge is connected to three other sections.

5. A divider according to claim 3, wherein each edge is connected to only two other sections and the packaging spaces are hexagonal in crosssection.

6. A divider according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the wall sections are connected to variable numbers of other wall sections so that they define a number of packaging spaces having varying sizes and/or cross-sectional shapes.

7. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and including a further number of wall sections connected along one of their edges only to each point on the periphery of the divider at which other wall sections are connected together.

8. A divider according to claim 7 wherein at each corner two such further wall sections are connected to the divider.

9. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at the junction of each wall section a connecting pillar is provided.

10. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wall sections are sheet like.

11. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wall sections are reticulated.

12. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the plastics material is polyvinylchloride, polyethylene or polyurethane.

1 3. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the plastics material is polypropylene.

14. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein fold lines are formed into the plastics material at each connected edge.

15. A divider according to any one of claims 1 to 14, formed by an injection moulding or extrusion process.

16. A plastics box divider of unitary construction, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or 4 of the accompanying drawings.