GB2208846A - Box - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging box with a hingeing lid is formed from multi-ply cardboard by cutting longitudinal rebates (30) adjacent the opposite parallel edges of a strip of the cardboard material, folding the strip about transverse fold lines which divide the strip into a series of rectangular panels (14-22), so that the three rectangular panels (14, 16 and 18) form a rectangular channel with the rebates (30) to the inside of the channel and fitting respective rectangular end walls (24) of the cardboard material so sized that their edges fit snugly within the rebates (30), the edges of the end walls (24) being held in place by glueing. The remaining panels form an integral lid (20) and closure flap (22) arranged, in the closed container, to overlie the front wall (14) thereof and being securable to the front wall (14) by fasteners (32, 34). <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Title: "Packaging or the like container" THIS INVENTION relates to a packaging or the like container, more particularly to a container in the form of a substantially rigid box suitable, for example, for containing frangible or easily damaged articles.

It is known to provide packaging boxes formed by folding blanks of relatively thin cardboard. However, a package utilising such a box relies for its strength, to a large extent, upon the contents of the package, the walls of the box, particularly remote from the edges thereof, having minimal capacity to resist inward or outward deflection.

Accordingly, where frangible or easily damaged articles are to be packed it is necessary either to utilise some form of inner packaging arrangement, for example utilising blocks of rigid plastics foam, or to provide a box with enhanced rigidity, for example of wood, plywood or metal. Unfortunately, such boxes are expensive. There have been proposals to utilise, for rigid boxes, materials comprising a plurality of layers of corrugated cardboard separated by intervening layers of flat cardboard, but the techniques so far proposed for the manufacture of such boxes have again been unacceptably expensive.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved packaging container which can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and which, nevertheless, possesses enhanced rigidity.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing such a container.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a box having two adjoining walls formed by a panel of foldable sheet material folded about a fold line corresponding to the common edge of said adjoining walls, and a transverse wall extending between and secured to said adjoining walls and having respective edge portions received in rebates formed in said adjoining walls.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a box having two adjoining walls and a transverse wall extending between said adjoining walls, comprising the steps of cutting said transverse wall from sheet material, providing a panel of foldable sheet material, forming across said panel a rebate or groove substantially corresponding in width to the thickness of the sheet material for said transverse wall, folding said panel about a fold line transverse to said rebate or groove to provide respective said adjoining walls on opposite sides of said fold, with the fold defining a common edge of said adjoining walls, so that respective portions of said rebate or groove lie on the inner surfaces of respective ones of said adjoining walls, and fitting and securing respective edge portions of said transverse wall in said respective groove portions.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the invention, FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a blank forming part of the box of Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a step in the manufacture of the box of Figures 1 and 2 and FIGURE 4 is an end view of the box in a closed condition.

The box shown in Figure 1 is made from a multi-ply cardboard material, known per se, which, as shown in Figure 3, comprises a plurality (three in the embodiment illustrated) of layers 10 of corrugated thick paper or card separated by intervening layers 12 of flat paper or card, the surfaces of the laminate sheet material also being provided by layers 12 of flat paper or card applied to the respective layers 10 of corrugated card.The corrugations in each layer 10 extend in a common direction (herein referred as the longitudinal direction of the product) and the sheets 12 are adhesively secured to the layers 10 by adhesive which secures each corrugation crest and each corrugation trough to the adjoining surface of the adjoining layer 12 along a respective line extending in the longitudinal direction of the product, the layers 10 being otherwise unsecured to the layers 12.

Referring to Figure 1, the box is generally rectangular in form and has a front wall 14, a base 16, a rear wall 18, a top or lid 20 and a securing flap 22. The box further has transverse end walls 24.

The wall 14, base 16, wall 18, lid 20 and flap 22 are formed by respective panels of a rectangular blank, shown in Figure 2, of the laminated cardboard material referred to above. The respective panels are correspondingly referenced in Figure 2. Adjoining panels in the blank shown in Figure 2 are separated by respective fold lines about which the laminated material is folded into the configuration shown in Figure 1, so that the fold lines define respective common edges of the respective pairs of adjoining panels. It will be appreciated that the fold lines, represented by broken lines in Figure 2, extend parallel with the longitudinal direction of the product as herein defined.Folding of the laminated product about a line extending in the longitudinal direction of the product can be effected by crushing the product locally along' the desired fold line to cause localised collapse of the corrugation, and subsequently or simultaneously bending the product about the fold line. In the absence of other means for holding adjoining panels fixed with respect to each other, the blank thereafter retains a certain flexibility for folding or pivotal movements about the fold lines which thus can act where appropriate as a kind of integral flex-hinge, namely in the cases of the fold line between the lid 20 and rear wall 18 and the fold line between the lid 20 and the flap 22.The indentation of the laminated product to be folded is, of course, applied on the surface of the product which will lie on the inner side of the angle between the mutually inclined panels on either side of the fold.

Prior to folding of the blank, and prior to the aforementioned localised crushing to assist such folding, the blank is formed with two rectangular-section grooves or rebates indicated at 30 in Figure 2, each rebate 30 extending along a line which is parallel with and close to a respective one of the edges of the blank which, in the finished product, will form the ends of the respective panels. The rebates 30 thus extend perpendicular to the corrugations in the layers 10 of the laminate.

The end walls 24 are preferably rectangular pieces of the same laminated cardboard material referred to above and the width of each rebate 30 corresponds substantially with the thickness of the laminate material. The dimensions of the rectangular pieces affording the end walls 24 are such that with the panels 14 and 18 bent at right angles to the panel 16 as shown in Figure 1, the lower edge portion, and the adjoining side portions of each end wall 24 fit snugly within the portions of the respective rebate 30 which extend over the inner surfaces of the panels 14, 16 and 18. The edge portions of each end wall 24 are secured in the respective rebate portions by a suitable adhesive.

The rebates or grooves 30 are extended from one end to the opposite end of the blank primarily for manufacturing simplicity (see below), and, assuming that the upper edges of the end walls 24 are flush with the upper edge of the front wall 14, the portions of the grooves 30 extending across the lid panel 20 and the securing flap 22 serve no function. However, if desired, the end walls 24 may project upwardly slightly above the level of the upper edge of the wall 14 for engagement in the portions of the grooves 30 on the underside of the lid 20. As shown in Figure 4, the arrangement is such that the flap 22 extends, in a closed position of the box, downwardly, flat against the outer surface of the front wall 14. The flap 22 may be secured against the wall 14 by means of turnbuckle fasteners 30 of the kind known per se fitted in apertures in the flap 22, engaging in complementary retaining formations 32, also known per se, fitted in corresponding apertures in the front wall 14.

Referring to Figure 3, the grooves or rebates 30 are formed by cutting through the upper layer 12 and part of the corrugated layer 10 immediately therebelow to a depth less than the full depth of the respective layer 10 along two parallel lines (for each groove 30) defining the opposite edges of the respective groove or rebate 30, by means of suitable cutting devices. The result of such a procedure, it will be appreciated, is to separate a narrow strip of the upper layer 12 from the remainder of the upper layer and, effectively, to perforate, at intervals, the underlying corrugated layer 10, whilst leaving said narrow strip and the adjoining portion of the underlying corrugated layer 10 adhesively attached at intervals and likewise leaving the underlying portion of the underlying layer 10 adhesively attached at intervals to the next layer 12.It has been found that, subsequent to this cutting procedure, it is possible to pull each said narrow strip of the upper layer 12 away from the remainder of the blank, drawing with it the underlying portion of the adjacent corrugated layer 10 which simply tears away from the remainder of the respective layer 10 and from the next layer 12, leaving, in effect, the requisite groove or rebate 30 of which the bottom is afforded by the upper surface of the layer 12 which is second from the top in Figure 3. The broken line in Figure 3 indicates the lower limits of the cuts formed.

The cuts or incisions defining each groove 30 may simply be formed by knife blades mounted in a suitable apparatus (not shown) which defines a slot dimensioned to allow the blank to be pulled therethrough, such apparatus having, for example, a spacer member for engagement with the upper surface of the laminate material in the region of the intended cuts, with said blades extending below the level of such spacer members, (preferably at an angle to the intended direction of passage of the product through the cutting assembly).

Good results have been obtained using cutting members in the form of fine-toothed thin saw-blades, in respective pairs (one pair for each groove 30), the blades of each pair being spaced apart by a respective spacer which also affords a guide member for engagement with the upper surface of the product to limit the depth of the cuts. Alternatively, rotating circular saw or cutting blades may be utilised.

Claims (9)

1. A box having two adjoining walls formed by a panel of foldable sheet material folded about a fold line corresponding to the common edge of said adjoining walls, and a transverse wall extending between and secured to said adjoining walls and having respective edge portions received in rebates formed in said adjoining walls.

2. A box according to claim 1 wherein said rebates in said adjoining walls are respective parts of a single rebate or groove formed in said panel before folding the latter.

3. A method of forming a box having two adjoining walls and a transverse wall extending between said adjoining walls, comprising the steps of cutting said transverse wall from sheet material, providing a panel of foldable sheet material, forming across said panel a rebate or groove substantially corresponding in width to the thickness of the sheet material for said transverse wall, folding said panel about a fold line transverse to said rebate or groove to provide respective said adjoining walls on opposite sides of said fold, with the fold defining a common edge of said adjoining walls, so that respective portions of said rebate or groove lie on the inner surfaces of respective ones of said adjoining walls, and fitting and securing respective edge portions of said transverse wall in said respective groove portions.

4. A box according to claim 1 having a base, a front wall and a rear wall and opposing end walls, wherein the base, front wall and rear wall are formed by a single piece of foldable sheet material folded about respective spaced apart parallel lines defining the common edge of the base and front wall and the common edge of the base and rear wall, said end walls having edge portions thereof received and secured in groove or rebate portions formed in the inner surfaces of said front, rear and base walls.

5. A box according to claim 4 which has a lid integral with said rear wall and pivotally connected therewith by a flex-hinge formed by said foldable sheet material.

6. A method of forming a box according to claim 4 or claim 5, comprising the steps or providing a panel of foldable sheet material, forming across one face of said panel two parallel spaced apart grooves or rebates, folding said panel about parallel spaced apart fold lines perpendicular to said rebates, and simultaneously or subsequently fitting, into said rebates, respective edge port ions of two end walls of a sheet material of a thickness corresponding with the width of said rebates or grooves.

7. A box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of forming a box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.