GB2139190A - Nestable containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A nesting container formed from folded board or other sheet material has a base member 10 with lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another away from the base member. At least one such wall (12) is foldably connected at one side (13) of the base member (10) and carries a lateral extension (16) which is adhesively secured in face-to-face relation with an adjacent wall panel (14) which is itself, at least at a position adjacent to said wall (12), not directly foldably connected with said base member. The extension (16) has an edge (22) in abutting relation with the base member (10) in a corner defined between the base member and the panel (14) and spans the corner of the base member (10). Alternatively, the lateral extension may be attached to a panel forming an extension of an opposed wall. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Nesting containers and methods of manufacturing same This invention relates to containers of the kind comprising preformed open-topped trays, and preformed cartons, with or without a separate or integrally connected closure member, and so designed as to enable such preformed containers to be nested within one another for the purposes of storage and transportation. It will be understood that in the case of cartons having an integral closure member, such cartons are nested together with the closure members in an open position.

The ability of such containers to nest within one another is achieved by the use of lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another in a direction away from a base member towards an open side of the container, and more specifically the present invention is concerned with nesting containers having such inclined lateral walls, and formed from folded board or other similar sheet material.

Nesting containers of the kind to which the invention applies may be made in known manner by forming an appropriate flat plank by pressing it, by means of an appropriately shaped plunger, through shaping means and into nesting relation with a previously formed container. Since the adhesive used in securing glue flaps or the like to adjacent panels takes finite time to set, the glue flaps and lateral walls are liable to relative displacement through contact with other containers in the stack formed as the containers exit from the forming means.

However, where the glue flaps are formed as extensions of lateral wall panels which are themselves foldably connected to the base panel and such glue flaps are required to adhere to further lateral wall panels that are foldably connected to the base panel along an edge thereof adjacent to that at which the glue-flap-carrying wall panel is connected to the base panel, the only relative movement which can occur between the glue flap and the wall panel to which it is to be adhered is in a lateral direction, i.e.

generally parallel to the plane of the base panel. In general, such restricted relative movement can be tolerated since it mainly affects the angle between the lateral walls and the base panel, and this is not usually critical.

By contrast, where the glue flaps are formed as extensions of lateral wall panels which are themselves foldably connected to the base panel and such glue flaps are required to adhere either to further lateral wall panels which are foldably connected to the base panel along an edge which is not adjacent to that at which the glue-flap-carrying wall panel is connected to the base panel or two further lateral wall panels which whilstfoldably connected to an edge of the base panel adjacent to that at which the glue-flap-carrying wall panel is connected to the base panel do not extend up to the edge at which the glue-flap-carrying wall panel is connected to the base panel, the glue flap may in such cases also move relative to the wall panel to which it is to be adhered in a direction transverse to the plane of the base panel.Such relative movement is less readily tolerated as it introduces a distortion which may weaken the carton or render it otherwise less suitable for its intended purpose.

It is an objection of the present invention to provide an improved container in which at least the latter type of relative movement is eliminated or reduced.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention we provide a nesting container of the kind formed from folded board or other sheet material and having a base member and a plurality of lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another away from the base member, wherein at least one such lateral wall is foldably connected at one side of said base member and carries a lateral extension which is adhesively secured in face-to-face relation with an adjacent panel which is itself, at least at the position adjacent to said lateral wall, not directlyfoldably connected with said base member, and wherein said lateral extension has an edge in abutting relation with the base member in a corner defined between said base member and said panel.

The provision of an edge on such extension to abut the base member has been found greatlyto assist in retaining the formed container in the desired shape without movement of the extension towards the base member during the interval in which the adhesive is not fully set, and-whilst the formed container is subject to forces exerted on it during the forming of subsequent cartons where the containers are produced by pressing flat blanks through shaping means into nesting relation with a previously formed container.

In particular, the panel to which the extension is adhesively secured may comprise a wall adjacent to that on which the extension is provided, such adjacent wall being foldably connected to the base member along the edge adjacent to that at which said one lateral wall is connected to the base member, but not extending up to the edge at which said one lateral wall is connected to the base member. In such a case, said adjacent wall may itself include a lateral extension which is not directly foldably connected to the base member, the extension of said one lateral wall being secured to the extension of said adjacent wall.

In a further arrangement, the panel to which the extension is adhesively secured may itself be formed as an extension of a further wall which is foldably connected to said base member along an edge which is not adjacent to that at which said one lateral wall is foldably connected to the base member, the two extensions together effectively defining a further lateral wall of the container. The base member may carry a foldably connected flap which is secured to said extensions to form said corner. This arrangement is particularly appropriate for containers having, for example, a pair of opposed wide lateral wall panels, and a pair of opposed narrow lateral wall panels, the latter being formed by said overlapping extensions.

In such a case, one extension of each overlapping pair may include an end edge in abutting relation with another of said lateral walls, opposite to the lateral wall on which the extension itself is provided, in a corner defined between such wall and the extension carried thereby.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention we provide a method of forming a nesting container from folded board or other sheet material, comprising the step of pressing a blank of the sheet material through forming means and into a pre viously formed container, wherein such container has a base member and a plurality of lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another away from the base member, and at least one such lateral wall is foldably connected at one side of the base member and carries a lateral extension which is thereby arranged in face-to-face relation with an adjacent panel which is itself, at least at a position adjacent to said lateral wall, not directly foldably connected with said base member, the extension having an edge which is arranged in abutting relation with said base member in a corner defined between said base member and said panel whereby movement of said extension relative to said panel in a direction towards the base member is resisted, and adhesively securing said extension to said adjacent panel while such relative movement is thereby resisted.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the acompanying draw inns which illustrate various embodiments of the invention, as applied to one corner of a container in the form of a pre-formed open-topped tray.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, this illustrates a container in the form of a tray having a rectangular base member 10 with a diagonally cut-away corner 11. A first lateral wall panel 12 is foldably and integrally connected with the base member along an edge 13, and a similar wall panel 14 is likewise foldably connected at the adjacent edge 15. Wall panel 14 terminates short of the edge 11 at which panel 12 is provided and as a result under some circumstances the base member 10 may bend adjacent to either or both of these edges. The wall panels 12 and 14 are secured together by means of a glue flap 20 which is formed as an end portion of a tongue 16 itself formed as a lateral extension of the wall panel 12, foldably connected thereto along crease 17 at the end of the wall panel 12 proper.An intermediate portion 18 of the tongue 16 extends across the corner of the base member 10 and in assembling the tray from a flat blank, the flap 20 is glued in face-to-face relation with the end portion of wall panel 14, so that the end edge 21 thereof is subtantially in alignment with crease 19 which divides the tongue 16. The end edge 21 is disposed at an obtuse angle to the edge 15 and similarly the crease 17 is disposed at an obtuse angle to the edge 13, so that, when assembled, the side walls 12 and 14 incline outwardly away from the base panel in such manner that a plurality of trays can be nested one within the other.

In accordance with the invention, the lower edge 22 of the flap 20 is disposed at such an obtuse angle to the crease 19, that when the edge 22 abuts the base member 10 in the corner defined along edge 15 the wall panel 12 is disposed at the required obtuse angle relative to the base member 10, and likewise the angular position of the wall panel 14 is also determined.

Such a tray can be formed from a flat blank by pressing the blank through appropriately shaped forming means whereby the various panels are brought into the desired relation, after adhesive has been applied to the flap 20 and/orthe end portion of the wall panel 14. Typically such trays are formed in an inverted position and moved upwardly through the forming means so that each successive tray engages the previous tray and they are stacked up into an ascending column. After leaving the forming means, the glue flaps 20 may move relative to the wall panels before the adhesive sets sufficiently to resist such movement and thereby distortion of the base and/or walls may occur. During this time, each newly formed tray bears the weight of the stack of previously formed trays above it, and is subject to forces from beneath as successive trays are formed.

As a result, when the glue flap is of the conventional form in which the lower edge thereof is spaced from the base panel, the base panel can become distorted at its margins. However, in accordance with the invention the lower edge 22 of the flap 20 is arranged to be in abutting relation with the base panel 10, so that such movement of the glue flap 20 relative to the wall panel 14 is positively resisted at leastin the direction towards the base panel, this being the most likely direction of movement when the blanks are formed in this way.

The problem of such relative displacement of the glue flaps and wall panels is especially great where the wall panels do not meet directly at a sharp corner and there is an intermediate corner portion which extends between the walls proper, as illustrated in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, due for example to the cut-away corners of the base member The embodiment shown in Figure 2 is generally similar to that shown in Figure 1 exceptthatthe tongue 116, which is formed as an integral extension of the wall panel 114, adopts a curved configuration and for this purpose it may be creased if required as shown. The end portion of the tongue 116 serves as a glue flap 120, and is disposed in face-to-face relation with the adjacent wall panel 112. The arrangement is such that the lower edge 122 of the flap 120 is brought into engagement with the base member 110 which positively resists displacement of the flap 120 relative to the lateral wall 112 towards the base member while the adhesive is not fully set.

The corner 111 of the base member is rounded to correspond to the configuration of the tongue 116.

In the embodiments described above, it will be appreciated that all four corners of a rectangular tray will normally be formed in a similar manner, a respective wall panel being foldably and integrally connected at each edge of the base member.

However, in a further arrangement in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in Figure 3, at least one lateral wall of a nesting container may be formed by two adhesively secured overlapping panels.

As illustrated in Figure 3 a carton includes a base member 210 having a pair of convexly curved longitudinal edges 213, 213a and a pair of straight, transverse edges 215 (only one of which is shown).

Two opposed side walls 212, 21 2a are integrally and foldably connected at the longitudinal edges 213, 213a. One wall panel 212a carries a lateral extension in the form of a panel 214, whilst the other carries an extension in the form of panel 216, the two panels being adhesively secured in face-to-face overlapping relation as shown.

At the transverse edge 215, the base member 210 is formed with an external tongue 218 which is adhesively secured to the outermost panel 214. The lower edges 222 and 223 respectively of the panels 216 and 214 are arranged to abut against the base member 210 in the corner at the edge 215 of the base member. Preferably, as shown, the innermost panel 216 is formed with a lateral edge 224 which is arranged to abut the side wall panel 212a opposite that on which the panel 216 is provided, so as further to assist in the positive location of the panels relative to the base member 210.

The arrangement of the edges 222, 223 in abutting relation with the base member 210 in accordance with the invention ensures that when the container is made up by forming a blank by pressing it through a die into a stack of previously formed nesting containers, the panels 214 and 216 retain the desired relationship and resist distortion of the base member. Without such engagement of the edges 222,223 with the base member it would not be possible to form such a carton in this way so reliably.

It will be appreciated that the panels 214 and 216 and the tongue 218 in combination define a transverse wall between the two lateral walls 212, and such transverse wall also inclines outwardly away from the base member 210.

It will be understood that, where appropriate, such cartons or trays may be provided with a separate or integrally connected lid member (not shown).

Claims (11)

1. A nesting container of the kind formed from folded board or other sheet material and having a base member and a plurality of lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another away from the base member, wherein at least one such lateral wall is foldably connected at one side of said base member and carries a lateral extension which is adhesively securedin face-to-face relation with an adjacent panel which is itself, at least in a position adjacent to said lateral wall, not directly foldably connected with said base member, and wherein said lateral extension has an edge in abutting relation with the base member in a corner defined between said base member and said panel.

2. A container according to Claim 1 wherein said panel to which the extension is adhesively secured comprises a wall adjacent to that on which the extension is provided, such adjacent wall being foldably connected to the base member along the edge adjacent to that which said one lateral wall is connected to the base member, but not extending up to the edge at which said one lateral wall is connected to the base member.

3. A container according to Claim 2 wherein said adjacent wall itself includes a lateral extension which is not directly foldably connected to the base member, the extension of said one lateral wall being secured to said lateral extension of said adjacent wall.

4. A container according to Claim 1 wherein said panel to which the extension is adhesively secured is itself formed as an extension of a further wall which is foldably connected to said base member along an edge which is not adjacent to that at which said one lateral wall is foldably connected to the base member, the two extensions together effectively defining a further lateral wall of the container.

5. A container according to Claim 4 wherein the base member carries a foldably connected flap which is secured to said extensions to form said corner.

6. A container according to Claim 5 wherein one extension of each overlapping pair includes an end edge in abutting relation with another of said lateral walls, opposite to the lateral wall on which said one extension is provided, in a corner defined between such wall and the extension carried thereby.

7. A method of forming a nesting container from foldable board or other sheet material, comprising the steps of pressing a blank of the sheet material through forming means and into a previously formed container, wherein such container has a base member and a plurality of lateral walls which incline outwardly relative to one another away from the base member, and at least one such lateral wall is foldably connected at one side of the said base member and carries a lateral extension which is thereby arranged in face-to-face relation with an adjacent wall which is itself, at least at a position adjacent to said lateral wall, not directly foldably connected with said base member, the extension having an edge which is arranged in abutting relation with the base member in a corner defined between said base member and said panel whereby movement of said extension relative to said panel in a direction towards said base member is restricted, and adhesively securing said extension to said adjacent panel while such relative movement is thereby resisted.

8. A nesting container having at least one corner portion thereof formed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to an as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A nesting container having at least one corner portion thereof formed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A nesting container having at least one corner portion thereof formed substantially as herein before described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A nesting container having any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.