GB2167043A

GB2167043A - Variable depth container

Info

Publication number: GB2167043A
Application number: GB08428797A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven William Smith
Original assignee: SAWLEY PACKAGING Co LIMIT
Current assignee: SAWLEY PACKAGING Co LIMIT
Priority date: 1984-11-14
Filing date: 1984-11-14
Publication date: 1986-05-21
Also published as: GB8428797D0; GB2167043B

Abstract

A variable depth container is formed from a blank which comprises a rectangular base portion (11) having flaps (12, 13, 14 and 15) respectively hinged to each of its sides. The flaps (12, 13, 14 and 15) cooperate to define the top of the container and its side and end walls. Fold lines (39) provided in the side and end walls facilitate variation in the depth of the container and lines of weakness 41 permit removal of portion of flaps 36 according to the container depth chosen. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Variable depth container This invention relates to a variable depth container and in particular to a variable depth container which can be stacked prior to assembly.

It is frequently necessary to package good which may be expected to vary in depth from batch to batch. For example when packaging flat stacked items, such as sheets, which have similar plan dimensions, differences in the numbers of sheets between different batches which require packaging provide corresponding differences in batch depths.

An obvious solution to this problem is of course to provide a range of containers which have similar plan dimensions but which are of differing depths to accommodate batch depth variations. Such a solution is likely to be expensive however in view of the large stock of differing containers which would have to be held.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which is of variable depth in order to accommodate corresponding variations in the depth of goods which are to be contained therein.

According to the present invention, a variable depth container is formed from a unitary sheet of stiff foldable material and comprises a base having flaps hingedly attached thereto which in use define two opposite side walls and two opposite end walls, one of said flaps defining said side walls having an additional flap hingedly attached thereto which in use constitutes a portion of the top of said container, the other of said flaps defining said side walls also having an additional flap hingedly attached thereto which in use also constitutes a portion of the top of said container and overlies at least part of said other additional flap in superimposed relationship so that together said additional flaps constitute the top of said container, each of said end walls having a secondary flap hingedly attached thereto at each end thereof which in use locates within said container, overlies the interior surface of the side wall adjacent thereto and abuts said container top, said overlying flap constituting a portion of the top of said container and each of said side walls being provided with means facilitating the attachment of said end walls to said overlying additional flap, each of said side and end walls being provided with fold lines to provide alternative hinge locations for said flaps connected thereto to facilitate variations in the depth of said container, each of said secondary flaps having lines of weakness therein which provide for the removal of portions thereof in accordance with the desired depth of said container.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank of a container in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view of a container in accordance with the present invention in partially assembled form.

Figure 3 is a view of a container in accordance with the present invention in fully assembled form.

Figure 4 is a view of a container in accordance with the present invention is fully assembled form having a dpeth which is less than that of the container shown in Figure 3.

With reference to Figure 1, a unitary sheet 10 of stiff foldable material is configured so as to define a blank for a variable depth container 5 (as shown in Figure 3) in accordance with the present invention. The sheet 10 comprises a rectangular base portion 11 which has four flaps 12, 13, 14 and 15 respectively extending from its four boundaries 16, 17, 18 and 19. The base portion boundaries 16, 17, 18 and 19 are constituted by lines of reduced thickness of the sheet 10 which serve as hinges to permit the flap pairs 12 and 13, and 14 and 15 to be folded up from the base portion 1 1 to respectively define the opposite side walls 20 and 21 and opposite end walls 22 and 23 of the container 5 as can be seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

The flap 12 which defines the side wail 20 is provided with a second line 24 of reduced sheet 10 thickness which is parallel with the line of reduced thickness 16. The second reduced thickness line 24 serves as a hinge to permit the flap 12 to be folded in the manner shown in Figure 2 to define a portion 25 of the top 26 of the container 5 which portion 25 is dimensionally similar in plan to the container base 11 and is in complete superimposed relationship therewith. The top portion 25 engages flanges 26 and 27 which are respectively constituted by flaps folded from the outermost portions of the flaps 14 along lines of reduced thickness 28 and 29.

The flap 13 which defines the other side wall 21 is also provided with a second line 30 of reduced sheet 10 thickness. The line of reduced thickness 30 is parallel with the line of reduced thickness 17 and serves as a hinge to permit the flap 13 to be folded to define a portion 31 of the container top as can be seen in Figures 3 and 4. The top portion 31 is smaller lengthwise than the other top portion 25 and overlies that other top portion 25 in the manner shown in Figures 3 and 4 so that together they define the container top 26. Tongues 32 and 33 are provided on opposite sides of the top portion 31 to locate in appropriate generally n-shaped slits 34 and 35 provided in the flaps 14 and 15 defining the end walls 22 and 23.The tongues 32 and 33 are generally wider than the slits 34 and 35 in which they locate but are provided with a narrower portion at their joint lines with top portion 31 to facilitate their insertion into the slits 34 and 35 as shown in Figure 3. Thus the slits 34 and 35 serve to retain the tongues 32 and 33 in position, thereby in turn causing the top portion 31 to retain in position the other top portion 25 which it overlies.

Opposite sides of each of the flaps 14 and 15 defining the end walls 22 and 23 are respectively provided with secondary flaps 36 and 37. The secondary flaps 36 and 37 are folded along lines 38 so as to locate within the container 5 and overlie the side walls 20 and 21 which they are adjacent as can be seen in Figure 2. The secondary flaps 36 and 37 are of the same depth as the end and side walls 20 and 21, and 22 and 23 so that when the container 5 is assembled as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the uppermost edges of the secondary flaps 36 and 37 engage the underside of the container top 26. The secondary flaps 36 and 37 thus serve to maintain the end walls 22 and 23 in a position normal to the side walls 22 and 23 and the container base 11 and top 26.

The container 5 is adapted to be of variable depth in order that it may accommodate articles of similarly variable depth. In order to facilitate this variation in the depth of the container 5, each of the flaps 12, 13, 14 and 15 defining the side and end walls 20, 21, 22 and 23 is provided with three lines of reduced thickness 39 which are parallel with each other and, when the container 5 is assembled, with the plane in which the base portion 11 lies. The reduced thickness lines 39 constitute fold lines which are alternatives to the fold lines 16, 17, 18 and 19, thereby facilitating a choice in the heights of the side and end walls 20, 21, 22 and 23 and hence the depth of the container 5.

It will be appreciated that any use of the alternative fold lines 39 will necessitate the use of additional generally n-shaped slits 40 which are provided in the flaps 14 and 15 defining the container end walls 22 and 23 to accommodate the different positions of the tongues 32 and 33. Moreover since the uppermost edges of the secondary flaps 36 and 37 are intended in use to engage the underside of the container top 26, provision must be made to provide appropriate reductions in their height. This takes the form of the provision of three lines of weakness 41 in each secondary flap 36 and 37 which are aligned with the three fold lines 39 on their respective end walls 23 and 22, and also ensuring that the secondary flap fold lines 38 also constitute lines of weakness.The lines of weakness 41 and 38 facilitate the tearing off of appropriate portions of the secondary flaps 36 and 37 in accordance with the desired depth of the container.

The container top portion 25 extends across the whole of the container top 26. In order to ensure that the top portion 25 continues to fit correctly for different depths of the container 5, three parallel lines of weakness 42 are provided in the top portion 25. These facilitate either the tearing off of portions of the top portion 25 or the folding over of a portion of the top portion 25 to overlie the inside face of the side wall 21 as appropriate.

In Figure 4, the container 5 is shown with its depth reduced and it will be seen that the depth reduction results in the effective enlargement of the top portion 31, thereby increasing the amount by which it overlays the other top portion 25. It also results in an effective increase in the size of the flanges 26 and 27 which support the container top 26 by virtue of the reduction in size of the end walls 22 and 23 although this is not visible in Figure 4.

The unitary sheet of stiff foldable material from which the container 5 is formed may be formed from any material which is suitable for the construction of containers. Thus, for instance, it may be cardboard either in single flat sheet form or laminates thereof, or alternatively corrugated cardboard, or laminates thereof.

Claims

1. A variable depth container formed from a unitary sheet of stiff foldable material and comprising a base having flaps hingedly attached thereto which in use define two opposite side walls and two opposite end walls, one of said flaps defining said side walls having an additional flap hingedly attached thereto which in use constitutes a portion of the top of said container, the other of said flaps defining said side walls also having an additional flap hingedly attached thereto which in use also constitutes a portion of the top of said container and overlies at least part of said other additional flap in superposed relationship so that together said additional flaps constitute the top of said container, each of said end walls having a secondary flap hingedly attached thereto at each end thereof which in use locates within said container, overlies the interior surface of the side wall adjacent thereto and abuts said container top, said overlying flap constituting a portion of the top of said container and each of said side walls being provided with means facilitating the attachment of said end walls to said overlying additional flap, each of said side and end walls being provided with fold lines to provide alternative hinge locations for said flaps connected thereto to facilitate variations in the depth of said container, each of said secondary flaps having lines of weakness thereon which provide for the removal of portions thereof in accordance with the desired depth of said container.

2. A variable depth container as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said flaps defining said end walls are folded to define flanges which in use are overlaid by container top.

3. A variable depth container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said means facilitating the attachment of said end walls to said overlying additional flap comprises tongue members hingedly attached to opposite sides of said additional flap and corresponding slits in said end walls adapted to receive and retain said tongue members.

4. A variable depth container as claimed in any one preceding claim wherein said additional flap which is overlaid by said other additional flap to define said container top is so dimensioned as to correspond in plan and be in complete superimposed relationship with said base.

5. A variable depth container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said overlaid additional flap is provided with a plurality of lines of weakness therein which facilitate the removal or folding of portions thereof in accordance with the desired depth of said container in order to maintain said overlaid additonal flap and said base in said complete superimposed relationship.

6. A variable depth container as claimed in any one preceding claim wherein said stiff foldable ma terial is cardboard.

7. A variable depth container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 2-4 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A blank for a variable depth container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.