GB2157659A

GB2157659A - Boxes and blanks therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2157659A
Application number: GB08507382A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Patrick Johnson
Original assignee: OMEGALODGE Ltd
Current assignee: OMEGALODGE Ltd
Priority date: 1984-03-21
Filing date: 1985-03-21
Publication date: 1985-10-30
Also published as: GB8407378D0; GB8507382D0

Abstract

A blank for forming a box is scored with folding lines (18) so that the box can be folded to form a box base (13) and sides (14, 15). The box has corner formations each having a cut out corner (21), a first cut (22) parallel to one side, a second cut (23) parallel to the other side and a third cut (24) extending from near the end of the second cut parallel to the first cut. The portion (25) between the first and third cuts is scored with fold lines (26) so that the portion can be folded to provide a pillar giving the box rigidity at the corners. Integral tabs 30 fit in the pillar to hold the box together. The box has high volume per area of blank and good strength. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Boxes and blanks therefor This invention relates to boxes and blanks for forming such boxes for example boxes for cortaining and transporting fruit and vegetables. Such boxes are normally made from cardboard sheet but the invention is applicable to other material.

While many constructions of box and blanks for forming such constructions are known these have varied disadvantages. Examples of such disadvantages are: The boxes require a complicated assembly so that they are not easily assembled by the user on site; They require externally applied fastening means such as staples to hold them assembled; They use an uneconomic amount of material since when the blank is cut there is considerable wastage from the sheet of material; They have sides, parts of which are lower than the corners so that when they are stacked one on the other there is still access to the contents of the lower boxes; They have sufficient strength against vertical compression to allow considerably stacking one on the other without damage to the boxes or their contents;; They have insufficient strength in a hcrizontal direction so that they can be compressed easily, again causing damage to the contents.

An object of the invention is to produce improved boxes and blanks therefor and particularly to provide a box which has adequate strength for transport and stacking and has an increased usable volume over known boxes for the same area of material used for the blank and wasted in cutting out the blank.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention provides a blank for forming a box scored with folding lines such that the blank can be folded along the lines to form the base and sides of the box, in which each corner of the box is cut and scored with a formation designed to be folded to provide a corner pillar (preferably of square section) and at least one tab for insertion therein for locking the folded blank into box form and for adding rigidity to the corners of the box so formed.

Preferably two tabs form part of each corner formation and fit in pillars, each being of substantially the same width as the internal pillar side so that it is a frictional fit in the pillar.

Such a box requires no external fastening members,such as staples.

With advantage each corner formation comprises: 1) A cut out corner, 2) a first cut extending parallel to one side of the blank from the inside corner of the cut out for a first distance, 3) a second cut extending from the inside corner of the cut out parallel to the other side of the blank for the first distance, and 4) a third cut extending from the second cut parallel to the first cut, spaced from the first cut by a distance substantially equal to the depth of the box and of a length at least equal to the depth of the box.

The portion between the first and third cuts is normally scored with four or five score lines extending parallel to one another between the cuts so that this portion can be folded along the score lines to provide the pillar.

Preferably the blank is scored along lines extending from the first and second cuts to form lips extending inwards from the top edge of the folded box, the ends of these lips forming the tabs.

With advantage, for at least the majority of their lengths the cuts are cut outs having a widths at least twice the thickness of the material forming the blank with the score lines between one side and the base and the sides and lips lying intermediate the lines of the sides of these cut outs.

In one embodiment two or more of the lips may have outwardly extending portions with one or more score lines parallel to the side so that they can be folded into double thickness or box section lips preferably of a length to be a push fit between adjacent pillars so as to hold the pillars in their folded condition and add rigidity against horizontal compression of the box.

The pillar and base or lip forming portions may be provided with interengagable tabs and slots and/or adhesive coating to aid locking.

Such a box is simple to assemble, has excellent strength, is easily stacked one on another with no access to lower boxes and normally requires no locking means other than the pillars, tabs and, where used, the box section lips. The box described in the preferred embodiment has at least a 30% saving in material used and wasted over known boxes of the same volume. Two embodiments of blank and a box formed therefrom will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one corner of a first form of box, Figure 2 is a plan view of one corner of a blank for forming the box of Fig. 1, and Figure 3 shows two corners of a modified blank with several optional variants.

An open topped parallel piped box 12 has a base 13, a first pair of parallel opposite sides, one of which is seen at 14 and a second pair of parallel opposite sides one of which is seen at 15. An upright substantially square sectioned pillar 16 is formed in the internal corner of the box and each side has an inwardly turned upper lip 17 of substantially the same width as the side of the pillar.

The blank from which this box is formed, a corner only of which is seen in Fig. 2, comprises a sheet of cardboard material scored along lines 18 separating the base and sides and along lines 20 separating the sides and lips to aid folding the sides and lips through 90 to construct the box.

Further cuts and stores are made at the corner as follows: Firstly a small square corner cut out 21 of size slightly larger than the width of the lips is cut out.

From the inner corner of this cut out corner a first cut 22 extending parallel to side 14 is cut to a length L substantially equal to the depth of the box plus the width of the lip. A second cut 23 is made extending from the inside corner of the cut out parallel to side 15 for substantially the same length L. A third cut 24 extends from the second cut, at a distance from the cut out corner substantially equal to the depth of the box, in a direction parallel to the first cut 22 and for a length substantially equal to the depth of the box. The pillar forming portion 25 between these cuts is scored with four score lines 26 so that it can be folded into a substantially square sectioned pillar. The two outer sections formed by these score lines have a width less than the two inner sections by the thickness (2mm) of the cardboard.As shown the cuts 22, 23 and 24 are in fact cut outs, of approximately 5 mm width and having their edges extending on opposite sides of the line of the score lines 18 and 20.

The inner end of cut 22, which extends along the top of the pillar when formed, is not formed as a slot but has a portion which is a straight cut along the line of the upper edge of the slot 22.

The extensions of the lips 17 which extend beyond the sides 14 and 15 from tabs 30 the outer edges of which are slightly cut away so that they have widths substantially equal to the internal dimensions of the pillar when formed.

In order to assemble the box the sides 14 and 15 are bent upwardly at 90 to the base 13 the pillar is folded into its square section, the lips 17 are folded inwardly and the tabs are pushed into the pillar to form U formations within the pillar, one within the other, to lock the sides onto the pillar.

Such a box is easy to assemble has considerable vertical strength provided by the pillars, has considerable resistance to horizontal compression and provides good stacking through the pillars and lips.

The blank shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 2 but shows several modifications,any or all of which may be used in a box according to the invention. Firstly the pillar forming portion between the cut outs is scored with five lines 26 so that it may be folded into a pillar, still of four sides but with the end two sides lying against one another.

This provides increased locking and reduces the size of the pillar while increasing its strength.

Secondly the edge of the lip 17 on at least one side, and preferably on at least the opposite side as well, has an outward projection 33 scored with three further lines 34 so that the lip itself can be formed into a square sectioned lip. The length of each projection 33 and thus of the associated lip should be chosen so that in the assemblied condition of the whole box this lip is a push fit between two adjacent pillars, which aids in retaining both the lip, where folded, and the pillars in their folded formations and adds increased strength against horizontal compression.

As an alternative,the lip 17 on two or more sides (only one shown)has an extension 35 scored along line 36 so that it can be folded in to form a double thickness lip.A second tab 37 can be formed to additionally fit in the pillar.

The tabs are shorter than in Figure 2 and are scored at intervals thereacross, as shown at 38, to aid folding into the pillar.

Finally, the corners of the base forming portion 15 are formed with slots 40 positioned to receive tabs or extensions 41 at the bases of two of the sides of the pillars when formed to hole the pillars folded.The pillar and box sectioned lips need not be square sectioned.

A jig 43 Fig 4) for assembling the box compises a base member 44 and a holding member 45 rotatable thereon about a vertical axis 46.The holding member has a base 47 substantially the size of the base of the base of the box and vertical sides 48 each shorter than the length of the box and ending in inwardly turned lips 49.

A blank is pushed downwardly into the holding member thus folding the sides and lips and holding the partially formed box.The two corner formations on one side can be folded simultateosly, the tabs pushed in with a dibber, the box rotated and same done on the other side and then the ends folded up and the tabs pushed home.The box can thus be formed in twenty seconds.

Claims

1. A blank for forming a box scored with folding lines such that the blank can be folded along the lines to form the base and sides of a box, in which each corner of the box is cut and scored with a formation designed to be folded to provide a rectangaular sectioned corner pillar and at least one tab for insertion therein for locking the folded blank into box form and for adding rigidity to the corners of the box so formed.

2. A blank according to claim 1 in which each corner formation includees two tabs arranged to fit inside the pillar.

3. A blank according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which each tab has a width substantially the same as the internal dimension of the pillar side so that it will be a frictional fit in the pillar.

4. A blank according to any of claims 1 - 3 in which at each corner formation a part to form the base of the pillar is extended and the base forming part of the blank adjacent the corner formation has a slot or slots to receive such extention.

5. A blank according to any of claims 1 - 4 in which each corner formation comprises a cut out corner, a first cut extending parallel to one side of the blank from the inside corner of the cut out for a first distance at least equal to the depth of the box, a second cut extending from the inside corner of the cut out parallel to the other side of the blank for at least the first distance and a third cut extending from the second cut parallel to the first cut, spaced from the first cut by a distance substantially equal to the depth of the box and of a length at least equal to the depth of the box.

6. A blank according to claim 5 in which the portion between the first and third cuts is scored with four or more score lines extending parallel to one another between the cuts so that this portion can be folded along the score lines to provide the pillar.

7. A blank according to claim 6 in which the portion between the first and third cuts is scored with five score lines.

8. A blank according to any of claims 1 - 7 in which the blank is scored along lines extending from the first and second cuts so that when folded along these linesthe box has lips extending inwards from the top edge of the box, the ends of these lips forming the tabs.

9. A blank according to claim 5 or any claim dependent thereon in which the cuts, for at least the majority of their lengths are cut outs having a width of at least twice the thickness of the material forming the blank.

10. A blank according to claim 9 together with claim 8 in which the score lines for forming the lips lie intermediate the sides of the cutouts.

11. A blank according to any of claims 1 to 10 in which the tabs are formed with a series of score lines thereacross.

12. A blank according to claim 8 or any claim dependent thereon in which two or more of the lip forming portions have parallel to the side so that they can be folded into double thickness or box section lips.

13. A blank according to claim 8 or any claim dependent thereon in which the lips have lengths such that they are a push fit between adjacent pillars so as to assist in holding the pillars in their folded condition and add rigidity against horizontal compression of the box.

14. A blank for forming a box substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 - 3 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A box formed from a blank according to any of claims 1 - 14.

16. A parallelopiped box having four sides and a base formed from folding a blank, in which each corner of the box includes a hollow rectangular sectioned pillar extending substantially the whole depth of the box and held in folded condition by integral tabs.

17. A box formed substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 -3 of the accompanying drawings.

18. A Jig comprising a base and sides for holding and forming a box/blank according to any of claims 1 to 17.

19. A jig substantially as described herein with reference to Fig.4 of the accompanying drawings.