GB2313826A

GB2313826A - Containers

Info

Publication number: GB2313826A
Application number: GB9611895A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Hurt
Original assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 1996-06-07
Filing date: 1996-06-07
Publication date: 1997-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-07
Also published as: GB2313826B; GB9611895D0

Abstract

An eight sided container has, at least one end thereof, flaps (1-8) hingedly attached to each of its sides (11-18). Each flap (1-8) is attached to at least one other flap by adhesive and some of the flaps (1-4) have fold lines formed thereacross such that when a base assembly is constructed from the flaps the assembly can be folded over on itself at the fold lines to enable the container to be collapsed.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CONTAINERS The present invention contains improvements in or relating to containers, especially but not exclusively multi-sided containers erected from a blank of corrugated paper, board or like material and collapsible in the erected state from to an expanded in-use condition to a flat storage condition.

Containers, for exarnple, octagonal cross-section containers of the type described in the preceding paragraph are known and have been provided with top and bottom flap assemblies to provide a lid and base for the container, the flaps of each assembly having inter-locking tabs and notches which are interconnected on erection.

In certain circumstances these assemblies have proved to be unsatisfactory in use, particularly when the base assembly as they are insufficiently secure to reliably contain the contents of the container.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this and other disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a container having at least eight sides, at least some of the sides being provided at one end with flaps hingedly attached thereto each flap being arranged to co-operate with another flap or flaps to form the base assembly of the container and being attached to a corresponding flap by adhesive means.

Preferably each side has a flap extending from one end thereof, from a hinge line at the end of the side.

Preferably a first set of neighbouring sides located to one side of a diagonal between two opposes apices of the erected container each has a flap which extends beyond the diagonal and the flaps of the remaining set terminate short of the diagonal.

Preferably the flaps from the second set of sides are intended to be fixed to the flaps from the first set on the sides thereof which are innermost in the erected condition of the container.

Preferably each flap from said first set of sides is adhered to the corresponding flap from the second set of sides, that where the sides are numbered sequentially the flap from the first side is adhered to the flap from the eighth side, the flap from the second side is adhered to the flap from the seventh side, the flap from the third side is adhered to the flap from the sixth side and the flap from the fourth side is adhered to the flap from the fifth side.

Preferably the flap from the second side extends over substantially the entire base of the erected container.

Preferably in the erected condition the flaps from the first and eighth and fourth and fifth sides overlie the flaps from the second and seventh and third and sixth side respectively and the flaps from the third and sixth side overlie the flaps from the second and seventh side.

Preferably each flap is so dimensioned and shaped that on movement of the container from the flat storage condition to the erected in use condition the adhered pairs of flaps of which the flaps from the first set of sides are slit and scored so that they fold along said diagonal automatically assume the overlying and underlying relationship described in the preceding paragraph.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagram of a carton blank for erection into an eight sided container; Fig. 2 is a view from below of the erected container in the in use position on a larger scale than Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a diagram similar to Fig. 1 of a modified blank.

In the embodiment the container to be described is manufactured from corrugated board and provides a container having a regular octagonal crosssection which is assembled from a shaped blank by a machine which simultaneously erects and glues the blank which can then be collapsed into a flattened condition for storage and transportation. Re-erection can be readily achieved manually or automatically and after the container is filled it can be dosed using the top assembly of interfitting flaps.

A specific feature of the present invention is that the base of the container which is formed from flaps projecting from the end of the sides is assembled by the interconnection of flaps using adhesive. This gives a reliable, secure base.

Fig. 1 shows a blank, from which the container is erected, and it can be seen that the container comprises eight geometrically similar rectangular side panels 11-18- and a connection flap 19. In the drawings chain lines indicate fold lines and it will be observed that the flap 19 is attached to the side 18 by a fold line so that by applying adhesive between the upper side of the flap 19 and the underside of the side 17 along its edge the blank can be readily assembled into a regular octagonal cross-section tube. A base assembly comprises flaps 18 each of which is attached to the bottom edge of each side 11-18 respectively along a fold line.

Each of the flaps 1-8 has a unique shape as illustrated in the drawing and on erection of the blank into a tube the base flaps are joined together in pairs by an automatic adhesive application so that flap 1 is adhered to flap 8, flap 2 to flap 7; flap 3 to flap 6 and flap 4 to flap 5. The flaps are arranged in a first set of longer flaps 1 to 4 and a second set of shorter flaps 5 to 8 and the longer flaps 1-4 are positioned outermost in the erected condition of the container which is shown in Fig. 2 where, once again, a chain line indicates a fold line. In this figure a dotted line indicates a hidden flap edge.

The flaps 1-4 of the first set are each cut and scored along lines 21,22,23,24 (Fig. 1) and in the erected condition these lines coincide to form a diagonal fold line 29 extending between the apex at this junction of sides 14 and 15 and the apex at the junction of sides 11 and 18..

Fig. 1, especially, shows that flap 2 extends over substantially the entire base of the erected container. Fig. 2 shows that in the erected condition the pair of flaps 1,8 overlies the pair of flaps 2,7, and the pair of flaps 4,5 overlies the pair 3,6 which in turn overlies the pair 2,7.

To collapse the container from the erected condition to the storage condition on inwardly directed force is applied along the fold line 29 which forces the flap to pivot about the lines by which they are hingedly attached to their respective sides into the inside of the container, which itself collapses into a flattened form by hinging about the fold lines between respective sides so that in the collapsed condition the hinge lines between sides 11 and 18, and 14 and 15 provide the outermost sides of the collapsed container.

It will be clear that the shape of each base flap is significant and is chosen so that not only does it provide part of the base assembly but also properly relates to neighbouring flaps to which it is intended to overlie/underlie. It is also important that the flaps are shaped such that the collapse of the container can be achieved as described above.

To this end it is to be noted that the flaps 5-8 do not extend in the erected condition of the container beyond the fold line 29 whereas the remaining flaps, the first set 1-4, all extend across the fold line. This means that all the glued flaps are to one side of the fold line and are adjacent to each other during the erection procedure, this easing the application of adhesive.

The container could be open topped as illustrated in Fig. 3 but it is preferable that it has a lid assembly comprising a plurality of flaps 31-34 (Fig. 1). The lid assembly can take a number of forms and the examples shown in Fig. 1 is merely illustrative.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

Claims:-

1. A container having at least eight sides, at least some of the sides being provided at one end with flaps hingedly attached thereto, each flap being arranged to co-operate with another flap or flaps to form the base assembly of the container and being attached to a corresponding flap by adhesive means.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which each side has a flap extending from one end thereof, from a hinge line at the end of the side.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which a first set of neighbouring sides located at one side of a diagonal between two opposes apices of the erected container each has a flap which extends beyond the diagonal and the flaps of the remaining set terminate short of the diagonal.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, in which the flaps from the second set of sides are intended to be fixed to the flaps from the first set on the sides thereof which are innermost in the erected condition of the container.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4, in which each flap from said first set of sides is adhered to the corresponding flap from the second set of sides so that where the sides are numbered sequentially, the flap from the first side is adhered to the flap from the eighth side, the flap from the second side is adhered to the flap from the seventh side, the flap from the third side is adhered to the flap from the sixth side and the flap from the fourth side is adhered to the flap from the fifth side.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, in which the flap from the second side extends over substantially the entire base of the erected container.

7. A container as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, in which in the erected condition the flaps from the first and eighth and fourth and fifth sides overlie the flaps from the second and seventh and third and sixth side respectively and the flaps from the third and sixth side overlie the flaps from the second and seventh side.

8. A container as claimed in any of claims 3 to 7, in which each flap is so dimensioned and shaped that on movement of the container from the flat storage condition to the erected in use condition the adhered pairs of flaps of which the flaps from the first set of sides are slit and scored so that they fold along said diagonal automatically assume the overlying and underlying relationship described in the preceding paragraph.

9. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.