GB2313361A

GB2313361A - Blanks for palletised containers

Info

Publication number: GB2313361A
Application number: GB9704180A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Hartley; Nigel William Earnshaw
Original assignee: Linpac Containers International Ltd
Current assignee: DS Smith Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 1996-05-25
Filing date: 1997-02-28
Publication date: 1997-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 2017-02-28
Also published as: GB9704180D0; GB2313361B

Abstract

A unitary, cut and creased blank (1) of sheet material for erection into a palletised container wall panels (2 to 4) of which at least one (4) comprises a panel (20) which is cut and creased to define, on erection of the blank (1), at least one tubular runner integral with the base of the so-erected container.

Description

PALLETISED CONTAINER AND BLANK DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a palletised container of the type comprising a container provided on the underside of its base with parallel tubular runners accommodating reinforcing inserts which are usually made of expanded polystyrene.

Most known palletised containers of this type comprise a separate container preformed from a suitably cut and creased blank of sheet material and separate preformed runners which, during an appropriate stage of erection and/or assembly of the palletised container, have to be secured in some way to the base of the container, usually the underside thereof.

This known arrangement involves the manufacture of separate components, namely the container blank and the tubular runners either in blank or erected form, and the need to secure the runners to the container base at some stage of assembly, which is labour intensive and thus costly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a palletised container and blank which overcome, or at least substantially reduce, the disadvantages of the known types of palletised container outlined above.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a unitary, cut and creased blank of sheet material for erection into a palletised container, the blank comprising wall panels of which at least one comprises a panel which is cut and creased define, on erection of the blank, at least one tubular runner integral with the base of the so-erected container.

A second aspect of the invention resides in a unitary blank of cut and creased sheet material, comprising at least one wall panel and a panel structure comprising a first panel connected to the at least one wall panel by a crease, preferably a reverse crease, a second panel connected to the first panel by another crease, preferably also a reverse crease, and a plurality of tubular runner-defining auxiliary panels connected to the second panel by a crease, the panel structure being erectable such that the auxiliary panels at least partially define a generally tubular runner extending at least partially across the underside of a base wall of a container erected from the blank.

The crease, which is preferably a reverse crease, connecting the second panel to the first panel of the panel structure, is preferably inclined at an angle to the crease connecting the first panel to the at least one wall panel of the blank. That angle is preferably 45o Preferably also, the at least one wall panel of the unitary blank is a side wall panel thereof, in which case, the blank may comprise a base wall panel across whose underside the tubular runner at least partially extends when the panel structure is erected to provide an associated container, with the base wall panel defining a base wall of the so-erected container.

In a preferred embodiment of blank in accordance with the invention, three runner-defining auxiliary panels of the panel structure are provided as two outer auxiliary panels and an inner auxiliary panel intermediate the two outer panels, with adjacent auxiliary panels being connected by respective parallel creases, preferably normal creases. On erection of the panel structure, the three auxiliary panels define three sides of a generally tubular runner of square cross-section extending at least partially across the underside of the base wall of the associated container. The fourth side of the runner is preferably provided by the underside of the container base wall. In this embodiment, each outer auxiliary panel has a tab which, on erection of the panel structure and associated container body, is received in a corresponding < .lot or slit provided in a base wall of the container, to retain the runner in its erect condition.

Also in this preferred embodiment, the unitary blank includes two panel structures each connected to a corresponding side wall panel of the blank, such that, on erection thereof, each so-erected tubular runner extends about halfway across the underside of the base wall of the container with those two half" runners being coaxial with each other to provide a "full runner extending across substantially the whole width or length of the container base wall underside.

The open ends of the so-erected runner at respective opposed sides of the underside of the container base wall may be substantially closed by castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank on erection thereof.

The panel structure may be connected either directly to the at least one wall panel of the blank or indirectly thereto. In the latter case, the first panel of the structure may be connected to the at least one wall panel via at least one, preferably at least two, further panel connected, in turn, by a crease to that wall panel.

In this preferred embodiment of blank and associated container, to be described in greater detail hereinbelow, two such further panels are provided, which, on erection of the blank, at least partially define a further tubular runner extending across substantially the whole width or length of the underside of the base wall of the associated container body. In this case, those two further panels define two corresponding sides of a generally square crosssectioned tubular runner, with the lower edge region of the adjacent wall panel and the underside of the container base wall defining the other two sides of the runner. Again, the opposed open ends of the runner may be substantially closed by respective castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank on erection thereof.

In this preferred embodiment, the blank comprises two pairs of the further panels, thereby providing two parallel "full" runners at opposed edges of the underside of the container base wall, with the two coaxial "half" runners extending parallel to the "full" runners and halfway therebetween.

As in the case of the outer auxiliary panels of the panel structure, the or one of the further panels has at least one tab which is receivable in a corresponding slit, slot or other aperture in the base wall of the erected container body.

A third aspect of the invention provides a unitary blank of cut and creased sheet material, comprising a first side wall panel connected by a crease to a first base wall panel and a second side wall panel connected by another crease to a second base wall panel, the first base wall panel including a plurality of, and preferably three, auxiliary panels which, on erection of the a blank into a corresponding container with the first and second base wall panels forming a double thickness base wall of the container, define with the second base wall panel a generally tubular runner extending at least partially across the underside of the double thickness container base wall.

Preferably, at least one of the auxiliary panels has at least one tab which, on erection of the blank into the corresponding container, is received and retained within corresponding in-register slots or slits in the first and second base wall panels forming the double thickness container base wall.

The auxiliary panels of which one is preferably connected to the first base wall panel by a reverse crease, may be formed from a generally central region of the first base wall panel, with the remaining auxiliary panels being connected successively to the one auxiliary panel and each other by respective normal creases.

At least one of third and fourth side wall panels of the blank may include further auxiliary panels arranged to form at least partially one or more further tubular runners extending at least partially, but preferably substantially fully, across the underside of the base wall of the container erected from the blank. Preferably, both third and fourth side wall panels include auxiliary panels which form parallel tubular runners on the underside of the double thickness container base wall at respective opposed sides or ends thereof, with the tubular runner defined by the auxiliary panels of the first side wall panel lying parallel to and intermediate those side or end runners.

In this other preferred embodiment of unitary blank, open ends of the so-erected runner(s) at respective opposed sides or ends of the underside of the double thickness container base wall, may be substantially closed by castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank on erection thereof.

A fourth aspect of the invention provides a container with tubular runners integral with the base thereof, when erected from a blank in accordance with the various aspects of the invention defined above.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, preferred embodiments of blank and associated palletised containers erected therefrom and in accordance therewith will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of unitary blank for erection into a palletised container; Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of a palletised container erected from the unitary blank of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of unitary blank for erection into a palletised container; and Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of a palletised container erected from the unitary blank of Figure 3.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 of the drawings, a cut and creased, unitary blank 1 of corrugated fibreboard sheet, such as corrugated cardboard, comprises respective front, rear and side wall panels 2 to 4, with adjacent panels being separated by respective normal creases 5 to 7. The front wall panel 2 is also provided with a removable header panel 2'.

Also, the front wall panel 2 is provided with a first base wall panel 8 having an array of slots 9, 10 cut therein and is connected to that panel 8 by a pair of normal creases 11 which are produced as cuts defining respective castellated portions 12,13 of the panel 2.

The rear wall panel 3 is provided with a second base wall panel 14 and, as in the case of the front wall panel 2, is separated from its base wall panel 14 by a pair of normal creases 15 and produced cuts defining respective castellated portions 16,17. Each side wall panel 4 has a pair of parallel normal creases 18 providing a pair of adjacent panels 30 which, when the blank 1 is erected, contribute to the provision of a pair of opposed outer hollow runners, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow. Each of a pair of tabs 19 is connected to the lower one of the panels 30 by another normal crease.

An inner tubular runner-defining panel structure indicated generally at 20, comprises a first panel 21 connected to the corresponding panel 30 by a reverse crease 22. A second panel 23 of each runner-defining panel structure 20 is connected to the first panel 21 by another, "diagonal" reverse crease 24. Each second panel 23 has a pair of continuous parallel normal creases 25 and an interrupted normal crease 26 providing outer and inner auxiliary panels 27, 28 which, when the blank 1 is erected, contribute to the provision of an inner hollow runner, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow. Each of the outer auxiliary panels 27 of each panel structure 20 has a tab 29.

On erection of the blank 1 into the palletised container 101 shown in Figure 2, the front, rear, side and base walls thereof are erected in a conventional manner by bending the front, rear, side and base wall panels 2 to 4, 8 and 14 of the blank 1 about respective normal creases 5 to 7, 11 and 15, with the second base wall panel 14 overlying the first base wall panel 8.

A narrow flap 2'' extending along the otherwise free edge of the front wall panel 2 is glued, in known manner, to the inside of the opposed free edge of the right hand side wall panel 4.

Thus, and as shown in Figure 2, the first base wall panel 8 forms a first base wall 8' of the container 101, with the second base wall panel 14 forming a second, inner base wall 14' overlying the first base wall 8' in confronting relationship therewith.

Next, each pair of adjacent panels 30 are folded about respective normal creases 18 and the tabs 19 are inserted into respective slots 10 in the first base wall 8', to provide, in combination with the lower edge region of the panel 4 and the corresponding portion of the first base wall 8', a pair of opposed, parallel outer tubular runners 30'. The castellated portions 13 of the front wall panel 2 and the castellated portions 17 of the rear wall panel 3 effectively close the opposed ends of each tubular runner 30'. In this partially-erected configuration of the container 101, the first panel 21 of each panel structure 20 has also been folded through 90 with respect to the adjacent panel 30 about the reverse crease 22 and the second panel 23 has been folded through 180 with respect to the first panel 21 about the reverse crease 24, such that each second panel 23 lies in parallel confronting relationship with respect to the corresponding first panel 21 and base wall 8'.

Such folding about the reverse crease 24 may take place in either rotational direction.

The outer and inner auxiliary panels 27 and 28 are folded through 90 about their respective normal creases 25, 26, such that the extension tabs 29 lie generally parallel with respect to each other and are then inserted in the corresponding slots 9 in the base wall 8' of the container 101. In this manner, the auxiliary panels 27, 28, provide, with the first base wall 8', a pair of coaxial tubular runners 28' extending generally parallel to the pair of opposed outer tubular runners 30'.

Each castellated portion 12, 16 of the front and rear wall panels 2, 3 effectively closes the outer end of each tubular runner 28'.

Polystyrene inserts (not shown) may be inserted in the runners, 28', 30' for reinforcing purposes and in known manner before, during and/or after erection of the blank 1 into the container 101.

The blank 1 may be provided partially erected in flat form or fully erected, depending upon its particular application and at, say, point of use or sale, the header panel 2' may be removed to provide access to the contents of the container, particularly if a lid (not shown) is provided. Further, the header panel 2' may be used as a header card at, say, point of sale of the container contents, in which case, it may be pre-printed with information relating to those contents when the blank is first made.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, a cut and creased, unitary blank 41 of corrugated fibre board sheet, such as corrugated cardboard, comprises respective front, rear and side wall panels 42 to 44, with adjacent panels being separated by respective normal creases 45 to 47. The front panel 42 is also provided with a tear-off, removable header panel 42'.

Also, the front wall panel 42 is provided with a first base wall panel 48 having four slots 49 cut therein and is connected to that panel 48 by a pair of normal creases 51 which are produced as cuts defining respective castellated portions 52, 53 of the front wall panel 42.

The rear wall panel 43 is provided with a second base wall panel 54 and, as in the case of the front wall panel 42, is separated from its base wall panel 54 by a pair of normal creases 55 and produced cuts defining respective castellated portions 56, 57. Each side wall panel 44 has a pair of parallel normal creases 58 providing a pair of adjacent panels 60 which, when the blank 41 is erected, contribute to the provision of a pair of opposed outer tubular runners, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow. Each of a pair of tabs 59 is connected to the outer one of the panel 60 by another normal crease.

The second base wall panel 54 is provided with four slots 61 and two further slots 62.

From a generally central region of the first base wall panel 48 are cut three auxiliary panels 63 to 65, with the auxiliary panel 63 being connected by a reverse crease 66 to the panel 48, the intermediate auxiliary panel 64 being connected to the auxiliary panel 63 by a normal crease 67 and the third auxiliary panel 65 being connected to the intermediate auxiliary panel 64 by a further normal crease 68. That third auxiliary panel 65 is also provided with a pair of spaced tabs 69 connected by respective normal creases thereto.

On erection of the blank 41 into the palletised container 201 shown in Figure 4, the front, rear, side and base walls thereof are erected by folding the front, rear, side and first and second base wall panels 42 to 44, 48 and 54 of the blank 41 about respective normal creases 55 to 57, 51 and 55, with the second base wall panel 54 overlying the first base wall panel 48, to provide a double thickness base wall for the so-erected container.

A narrow flap 42'' extending along the otherwise free edge of the front wall panel 42 is glued, in known manner, to the inside of the opposed free edge of the left hand side wall panel 44.

In this manner, the four slots or slits 49 in the first base wall panel 48 lie in-register with the respective slots or slits 61 in the second base wall panel 54.

Thus, and as shown in Figure 4, the first base wall panel 48 forms an outer, first base wall 48' of the container 201, with the second base wall panel 54 forming a second, inner base wall 54' of the double thickness base wall of the container.

Each pair of adjacent panels 60 are folded about respective normal creases 58 and the tabs 59 are received in respective in-register slots 49, 61 in the first and second base walls 48', 54', to provide, in combination with the lower edge region of the associated side wall panels 44 and corresponding portions of the outer, first base wall 48', a pair of opposed parallel outer tubular runners 60'. The castellated portions 53 of the front wall panel 2 and the castellated portions 57 of the rear wall panel 43 effectively close the otherwise open, opposed ends of each tubular runner 60'.

In this partially-erected configuration of the container 201, the auxiliary panels 63 to 65 are folded through 90 about respective creases 66 to 68, to define three sides of a central, tubular runner 64' which is parallel to the two outer tubular runners 60'. With the tabs 59 received in respective slots of slits 62 in the inner, second wall panel 54' of the container 201, that base wall 54' provides the fourth wall of the centrally-extending, tubular runner 64'.

Each castellated portion 52, 56 of the respective front and rear wall panels 42, 43 of the blank 41 effectively closes the otherwise open outer end of the continuous tubular runner 64'.

Polystyrene inserts (not shown) may be inserted in the runners 60', 64' for reinforcing purposes and in known manner before, during and/or after erection of the blank 41 into the container 201.

The blank 41, as in the case of the blank 1 of the first embodiment described above in relation to Figures 1 and 2, may be provided partially erected in flat form or fully erected, depending upon its particular application and at, say, point of use or sale and the header panel 42' may be removed to provide access to the contents of the erected container 201, particularly if a lid (not shown) is provided. Further, the header panel 42' may be used as a header card at, say, point of sale of the container contents, in which case, it may be preprinted with information relating to those contents when the blank 41 is first manufactured.

It is to be appreciated that the presently inventive unitary blanks, and associated containers, may be used to modify any type of known blanks for erection into palletised containers. For example, the blanks and containers described and claimed in our copending British Patent Application No. 9413592.8 entitled "Storage/Transit Container" may be somodified to eliminate the use of a standard wooden pallet.

Thus, it is to be appreciated further that the inventive unitary blanks and palletised containers erected therefrom, reduce sheet area, manufacturing machine time, assembly time, the number of components involved and wooden pallets. Also, the erected palletised containers can be stacked and the selflocking nature of the tubular runners with respect to the container base walls eliminates the need for any taping, gluing or stapling. Further, the optional interior base wall (14') which overlies the exterior base wall (8') of the container provides a flat interior base surface for ease of packing and no additional header panel is required, thereby further reducing costs. Additional advantages associated with the inventive blanks and containers include, inter alia, speed of erection and flexibility of size, subject to manufacturing machine limitations.

Claims

1. A unitary, cut and creased blank of sheet material for erection into a palletised container, the blank comprising wall panels of which at least one comprises a panel which is cut and creased to define, on erection of the blank, at least one tubular runner integral with the base of the so-erected container.

2. A unitary blank of cut and creased sheet material, comprising at least one wall panel and a panel structure comprising a first panel connected to the at least one wall panel by a crease, a second panel connected to the first panel by another crease, and a plurality of tubular runner-defining auxiliary panels connected to the second panel by a crease, the panel structure being erectable such that the auxiliary panels at least partially define a generally tubular runner extending at least partially across the underside of a base wall of a container erected from the blank.

3. A unitary blank according to claim 2, wherein the crease connecting the second panel to the first panel of the panel structure, is inclined at an angle to the crease connecting the first panel to the at least one wall panel of the blank.

4. A unitary blank according to claim 3, wherein the angle is 45".

5. A unitary blank according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the crease connecting the second panel to the first panel of the panel structure is a reverse crease.

6. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the crease connecting the first panel of the panel structure to the at least one wall panel, is a reverse crease.

7. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the at least one wall panel is a side wall panel.

8. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 7 further comprising a base wall panel across whose underside the tubular runner at least partially extends when the panel structure is erected during erection of an associated container, with the base wall panel defining a base wall of the so-erected container.

9. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the panel structure comprises three runnerdefining auxiliary panels of which two are outer auxiliary panels and the third is an inner auxiliary panel intermediate the two outer panels, with adjacent auxiliary panels being connected by respective parallel creases, preferably normal creases, such that on erection of the panel structure, the three auxiliary panels define three sides of a generally tubular runner of square cross-section extending at least partially across the underside of the base wall of the associated container.

10. A unitary blank according to claim 9, wherein the fourth side of the runner is provided by the underside of the erected container base wall.

11. A unitary blank according to claim 9 or 10, wherein each outer auxiliary panel has a tab which, on erection of the panel structure and associated container, is received in a corresponding slot or slit provided in a base wall of the container, to retain the runner in its erected condition.

12. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 11 including two panel structures each connected to a corresponding side wall panel of the blank, such that, on erection thereof, each so-erected tubular runner extends about halfway across the underside of the base wall of the container with those two "half" runners being coaxial with each other to provide a "full" runner extending across substantially the whole width or length of the container base wall underside.

13. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 12, wherein open ends of the or each so-erected runner at respective opposed sides of the underside of the base wall of the container erected from the blank, are substantially closed by castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank.

14. A unitary blank according to any of claims 2 to 13, wherein the panel structure is connected either directly to the at least one wall panel of the blank or indirectly thereto.

15. A unitary blank according to claim 14, wherein, when the panel structure is connected indirectly to the at least one wall panel, the first panel of the structure is connected to the at least one wall panel via at least one, further panel connected, in turn, by a crease to that wall panel.

16. A unitary blank according to claim 15 including two such further panels which, on erection of the blank, at least partially define a further tubular runner extending across substantially the whole width or length of the underside of the base wall of the associated container body.

17. A unitary blank according to claim 16, wherein the two further panels define two corresponding sides of a generally square cross-sectioned tubular runner, with the lower edge region of the adjacent wall panel and the underside of the container base wall defining the other two sides of the runner.

18. A unitary blank according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the opposed open ends of the runner are substantially closed by respective castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank on erection thereof.

19. A unitary blank according to claim 16, 17 or 18.

comprising two pairs of the further panels, thereby providing two parallel "full" runners at opposed edges of the underside of the container base wall, with the two coaxial "half" runners extending parallel to the "full" runners and generally halfway therebetween.

20. A unitary blank according to any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the or one of the further panels has at least one tab which is receivable in a corresponding slit, slot or other aperture in the base wall of the container erected from the blank.

21. A unitary blank of cut and creased sheet material, comprising a first side wall panel connected by a crease to a first base wall panel and a second side wall panel connected by another crease to a second base wall panel, the first base wall panel including a plurality of, and preferably three, auxiliary panels which, on erection of the blank into a corresponding container with the first and second base wall panels forming a double thickness base wall of the container, define with the second base wall panel a generally tubular runner extending at least partially across the underside of the double thickness container base wall.

22. A unitary blank according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the auxiliary panels has at least one tab which, on erection of the blank into the corresponding container, is received and retained within corresponding in-register slots or slits in the first and second base wall panels forming the double thickness base wall of the erected container.

23. A unitary blank according to claim 21 or 22, wherein one of the auxiliary panels is connected to the first base wall panel by a reverse crease.

24. A unitary blank according to claim 23, wherein the remaining auxiliary panels are connected successively to the one auxiliary panel and each other by respective normal creases.

25. A unitary blank according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the auxiliary panels are formed from a generally central region of the first base wall panel.

26. A unitary blank according to any of claims 21 to 25, wherein at least one of third and fourth side wall panels of the blank include further auxiliary panels arranged to form at least partially one or more further tubular runners extending at least partially, across the underside of the base wall of the container erected from the blank.

27. A unitary blank according to claim 26, wherein both third and fourth side wall panels include auxiliary panels arranged to form parallel tubular runners on the underside of the double thickness container base wall at respective opposed sides or ends thereof, with the tubular runner defined by the auxiliary panels of the first side wall panel, lying parallel to and intermediate those side or end runners.

28. A unitary blank according to any of claims 21 to 27, wherein open ends of the so-erected runner(s) at respective opposed sides or ends of the underside of the double thickness container base wall, are substantially closed by castellated portions of corresponding wall panels of the blank on erection thereof.

29. A unitary blank substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

30. A container with at least one tubular runner integral with the base thereof, when erected from a blank in accordance with any preceding claim.