GB2230176A - Confectionery box - Google Patents

Abstract

A confectionery box has an open-fronted housing 10 formed by folding and gluing a single cardboard blank. The housing 10 has side walls 12 and 14, a back wall 16, a base 24, and a flap 18. Within the housing is disposed a plastic sheet 30 vacuum moulded so as to have ribs 26 thereon. The ribs 26 define supports for drawers 22. The sheet 30 abuts against the side walls 12 and 14 and the back wall 16 of the housing 10. <IMAGE>

Description

CONFECTIONERY BOX This invention relates to confectionery box and is particularly concerned with a confectionery box in which a plurality of trays in the form of slidable drawers are provided for holding the confectionery.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a confectionery box which is relatively economic to manufacture.

According to the present invention, there is provided a confectionery box comprising a housing having a front opening, side walls and back wall; and a stack of drawers disposed in the housing, said drawers being carried on supports disposed in spaced apart relationship at the side walls of the housing so that the drawers are individually slidable in and out of the housing through the front opening thereof; wherein said supports are provided as ribs in a sheet of material which abuts against the side walls and back wall of the housing.

In this way, the drawer supports can be provided in a simple and economical way in a single sheet of material, which thereby avoids the need to secure the supports individually to the side walls of the housing.

Conveniently the sheet of material is a plastics material in which the ribs are formed by any suitable means, eg by vacuum forming the plastics sheet so that the ribs are defined by portions of the sheet which are deformed out of the plane of the sheet.

Provided that the sheet of material is a relatively close fit within the housing, there is no need to secure it into position by means of adhesive or the like.

Conveniently, the housing is formed from a sheet material blank, eg cardboard which is folded so as to define the side walls, the back wall and top and bottom walls, and may also include a portion which defines a flap for closing the front opening of the box so as to overlie the fronts of the drawers.

The sheet of material in which the ribs are formed may include one or more slits arranged along lines where the sheet material is folded adjacent the edges of the housing between the back wall and the respective side walls.

Also according to the present invention, there is provided a confectionery box as defined above in combination with a plurality of articles of confectionery disposed in said drawers.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a confectionery box according to the present invention shown with three of the four drawers removed and the remaining drawer partly open, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sheet of transparent plastics material used to provide drawer supports in the confectionery box of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the confectionery box comprises an open-fronted housing 10 formed by folding and gluing a single, suitably shaped cardboard blank.

The housing comprises side walls 12 and 14, a back wall 16, and a flap 18 integrally joined to the front edge of side wall 14. The flap 18 is provided with a tongue 20 to enable the flap 18, when folded over front of the housing 10, to be held in this position by frictional engagement of the flap 20 between the side wall 12 and side edges of drawers 22 (only one shown).

The drawers 22 are arranged as a stack of four within the housing 10. The illustrated drawer 22 is the bottom drawer which rests on bottom wall 24 of housing 10. The remaining drawers are individually supported by respective supports in the form of three pairs of ribs 26 provided at the side walls 12 and 14 of the housing 10.

A further pair of ribs 28 is provided at the top of the side walls 12 and 14 to assist in correctly locating the uppermost drawer 22 and to prevent a protective cover sheet (not shown) from being displaced within the uppermost drawer 22. Such a cover sheet is provided in each drawer so as to provide protection for an underlying layer of confectionery.

The ribs 26 and 28 are formed in a sheet 30 of transparent plastics material eg UPVC which closely fits against the side walls 12 and 14 and also the back wall 16 of the housing 10.

The sheet 30 is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises portions 32, 34 and 36 defined by two parellel lines of slits 38 and 40. The slits are arranged so that the portions 32, 34 and 36 are joined only in the regions of the ribs 26.

The sheet 30 is folded along the lines of the slits 38 and 40 which correspond respectively to the edges of the housing between side wall 12 and rear wall 16, and side wall 14 and rear wall 16.- The ribs 26 and 28 are produced by a vacuum forming operation in the sheet 30 and are therefore hollow and have a slight inward taper away from the plane of the sheet 30. The ends of the ribs are curved. Because the sheet 30 fits closely within the housing 10, there is no need to secure it adhesively thereto.

In the completed confectionery box, the drawers 22 are filled with articles of confectionery which will usually be carried on specially shaped vacuum formed trays placed in the drawers 22. The flap 18 overlies the fronts of the drawers 22 when the box is closed and there will usually be provided a clear plastics wrapping over the whole box.

Claims (8)

1. A confectionery box comprising a housing having a front opening, side walls and back wall; and a stack of drawers disposed in the housing, said drawers being carried on supports disposed in spaced apart relationship at the side walls of the housing so that the drawers are individually slidable in and out of the housing through the front opening thereof; wherein said supports are provided as ribs in a sheet of material which abuts against the side walls and back wall of the housing.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of material is a plastics material in which the ribs are formed.

3. A box as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ribs are vacuum formed so that they are defined by portions of the sheet which are deformed out of the plane of the sheet.

4. A box as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing is formed from a sheet material blank which is folded so as to define the side walls, the back wall and top and bottom walls.

5. A box as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sheet material forming the housing also includes a portion which defines a flap for closing the front opening of the box so as to overlie the fronts of the drawers.

6. A box as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet of material in which the ribs are formed includes one or more slits arranged along lines where the sheet material is folded adjacent the edges of the housing between the back wall and the respective side walls.

7. A confectionery box as claimed in any preceding claim, in combination with a plurality of articles of confectionery disposed in said drawers.

8. A confectionery box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.