GB2328679A

GB2328679A - Containers for moist products such as shellfish

Info

Publication number: GB2328679A
Application number: GB9818520A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Oliver Ventoso-Y-Font
Original assignee: BPB Ltd
Current assignee: BPB Ltd
Priority date: 1997-08-29
Filing date: 1998-08-25
Publication date: 1999-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-25
Also published as: FR2767786B1; GB9818520D0; GB2328679B; FR2767786A1

Abstract

A container particularly but not exclusively for moist products such as shellfish has a lower portion formed from cut and folded board material to have infolded pleats 22,24 making each corner of the base watertight. A lid 20 of the container has flaps 26 which are erectable to form a handle for carrying the container. The lid may have a transparent sheet 25 underlying areas from which the flaps were erected to be a window for seeing the contents of the container while keeping the container closed. The lid 20 may be held in a closed condition by inter-engaging tabs and slots or by straps or ties around the container.

Description

CONTAINERS FOR MOIST PRODUCTS SUCH AS SHELLFISH The present invention relates to containers made from a cut and creased blank of foldable sheet board material. The containers of the invention are particularly intended for carrying moist products such as shellfish.

One known container which is used for carrying shellfish is formed from a cut and creased blank of fibreboard. The blank defines a rectangular base, a first pair of side walls which are hinged to a pair of opposite side edges of the base and a second pair of side walls which are hinged to the other pair of side edges of the base. Both of the pairs of side walls are trapezoidal, ie. they have top edges which are longer than their edges which are hinged to the base. The blank further defines a pair of angled connecting panels between the side edges of adjacent side walls at each corner of the container. Each connecting panel is hinged to a side wall and the two connecting panels are hinged together along a line which bisects the angle between the side edges of the adjoining side walls.

In the erect container, the side walls project upwardly and outwardly from the base. The side edges of two adjacent walls are proximate to each other at the corners of the container and the pair of connecting panels between these walls are folded together within the container to provide a bellows corner. The connecting panels joining adjacent side walls extend for part or even the full height of the side walls. The container is thus made without any apertures up to the height of the connecting panels. The surface of the fibreboard that is to the inside of the container is coated with a water-resistant material, consequently the container is leak-proof up to the height of the connecting panels at each corner.

It is known to provide a pair of handles in two opposite side walls of a cuboidal box by making a substantially U-shaped cut in each of the two side walls. Each cut defines a flap in a side wall. The flap is hinged to the rest of the side wall along a hinge line between the ends of the cut and can be turned inside the box on its hinge such that an aperture is provided in the side wall. The fingers of a person carrying the box can be inserted into this aperture. The simple construction of this type of handle, and the fact that it is cut from the material of the box makes it inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

Provision of carrying handles on a box for a wet product is less straightforward. It would obviously be unpleasant and unhygenic if the person carrying the container were required to insert fingers into the interior of the container.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container formed from a cut and creased blank of foldable sheet board material, which blank defines a rectangular or square base panel, a first pair of side wall panels hinged to a pair of opposite side edges of the base panel, a second pair of side wall panels hinged to the other pair of side edges of the base panel, at least one (and preferably both) of the pairs of side wall panels being trapezoidal with top edges which are longer than their edges hinged to the base panel, a pair of angled connecting panels between the side edges of adjacent side wall panels at each corner of the container, each connecting panel being hinged to a side wall panel, each pair of connecting panels being hinged together along a hinge line bisecting the angle between the side edges of the adjoining side wall panels, the erect container having the side wall panels projecting upwardly from the base with the side edges of side wall panels proximate to each other at corners of the container, the pair of connecting panels at each corner being folded together within the container; the container including at least one lid panel hinged to the top edge of a side wall panel, which lid panel forms at least part of a lid for the container, there being provided in the lid panel one or more cuts defining at least one flap, which flap is hinged to the remainder of the lid panel along one or more hinge lines and can be turned along said one or more hinge lines to project upwardly from the lid of the erect container to provide a handle for lifting the container, the container further including means for retaining the lid panel in closed position when the container is lifted by the handle.

The means for retaining the lid panel in closed condition when the container is lifted by the handle or handles may comprise one or more pairs of inter-engaging tabs and slots in the sheet board material. Alternatively it may comprise one or more straps, ties, or elastic bands, which are wrapped around the container.

Preferably a separate sheet is attached to the lid beneath the handle or handles, to close the opening formed by the handle or handles. This sheet way be transparent, eg a piece of cellulose acetate sheet.

Each of the pair of connecting panels between adjacent side wall panels may extend for the full height of the side wall panels or may extend up from the base for part only of the height of the side wall panels. In either case, the container can be made without any apertures up to the height of the lowest connecting panel: if the container is made from a suitably waterresistant material it is therefore leak proof up to this height.

Thus the container is suitable for carrying wet product such as shellfish, and in particular oysters, because water draining from the shellfish will not be able to leak from the container.

Preferably, the two connecting panels at each corner of the container differ in size. One of them extends along and is hinged to only part of the side edge of its adjacent side wall panel. The other is larger and extends along and is hinged to more (preferably all) of the side edge of its adjacent side wall panel. In the erect container the larger of the two connecting panels at the corner extends above the smaller one and can be fastened to the adjoining side wall panel above the smaller of the connecting panels. This forms a direct connection between the two side wall panels.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows the blank for a first container according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows the first container with the lid open and partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line III-III at one corner of the first container; Fig. 4 shows the first container with the lid closed and the handles projecting upwardly from the lid; and Fig. 5 shows part of the blank for a second container according to the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows a cut and creased blank of sheet fibreboard which can be used to make a container according to the present invention. The fibreboard is solid fibreboard made by laminating a number of thinner layers. Each of the two faces of the fibreboard sheet is provided with a surface layer which is a sheet of kraft paper. The face which will be directed into the interior of the erect container further has a water barrier provided on its surface so that water cannot penetrate into the board material from the interior of the container. The water barrier may consist of a polyethylene surface coating on the kraft paper. In an alternative embodiment, a water barrier is provided on both major faces of the fibreboard sheet.

As seen in Fig. 1 the blank defines a base panel 10 hinged to two side wall panels 12 along hinge lines 112 and to two side wall panels 14 along hinge lines 114. The panels 14 are trapezoidal with an upper cut edge 16 which is longer than the hinge line 114. One of the other pair of panels 12 is hinged along a line 118 to a tab 18. The other of these panels 12 is hinged along a line 118 to a panel 20. Panel'20 forms a lid of the erect container. The side wall panels 12 are also trapezoidal and the hinge lines 118 are longer than the hinge lines 112.

Two almost semi-circular cuts 21 are provided in lid panel 20, concentric with and surrounding a circular cut 23. Between them, the cuts define arcuate flaps 26 in the lid panel 20. The flaps 26 are hinged to the remainder of the lid panel 20 along hinge lines 127, 128. A sheet 25 of transparent material is secured on the face of the lid panel 20 which will be to the inside of the box and forms a closure of the porthole formed by the cut 23 and under the flaps 26.

A pair of connecting panels is provided at each corner of the container. A smaller connecting panel 24 is hinged to the adjacent wall panel 14 along hinge line 124. This hinge line 124 does not extend the full height of wall panel 14. It is continued by a cut edge 126. The larger of the connecting panels 22 is hinged along line 122 to a side wall panel 12. The smaller connecting panel 24 is hinged to the larger connecting panel 22 along hinge line 128 which bisects the angle between fold lines 124,122. The top edge of the smaller wall panel 24 is a cut 30 separating it from a larger connecting panel 22.

Referring in particular to Fig. 2, to erect the container the side wall panels 12,14 are brought upwardly towards an upright but still outwardly inclined position so that, at each corner of the container, the side edge 122 of panel 12 lies adjacent to the edge 124, 126 of the adjacent side wall panel 14.

Each pair of connecting panels 22,24 fold together along hinge line 128 and turn inside the container.

As best seen in the cross-sectional view Fig. 3, the smaller connecting panel 24 lies against the panel 14 and is overlaid by the larger connecting panel 22. The upper part of each larger connecting panel 22 lies directly against the side wall panel 14 and is glued to it with glue applied to the areas 34 on these side wall panels 14. A small tongue 36 projects downwardly from the upper part of each of the larger connecting panels 22 as can be seen in the drawings.

It can be seen from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 that the container has no holes or cuts through the material of the blank below the level of the cuts 30 which define the upper edges of the smaller connecting panels 24. Consequently, the erect container can contain water up to the level of the top of the smaller connecting panels 24.

The container is intended to contain shellfish such as oysters. When these are placed in the container, some water will drain from them and collect in the base of the container: this water cannot leak out because of the construction of the container as just described.

As shown in Fig. 4, the two arcuate flaps 26 in lid panel 20 can be folded along their hinge lines 126, 128 such that they project upwardly from the lid panel 20 of the erect container.

Together these two flaps 26 provide a pair of handles for the container.

Elastic bands 36 may be wrapped around the container to keep the container closed, ie. to keep the lid panel 20 in contact with at least two side wall panels of the container, when a load is applied to the handles.

Fig. 5 shows a second container according to the present invention. In this container the connecting panels 24 are larger so that a hinge line 132 between the panels 14 and 24 extends for the full height of the panels 14.

When this container is erected, each pair of connecting panels 22,24 fold together along the hinge line 128, and turn inside the container. They can be held in place by gluing the panels 24 to the side wall panels 14, or secured in place in some other way if desired.

Clearly, the cuts defining the flaps in the lid need not be (semi) circular but could be such as to form angular or ellipsoid handle-forming flaps, with a correspondingly shaped window between and below them. Also the lid need not be formed by a single panel but of two or more panels hinged to respective side wall panels with the handle-forming flaps being on one or more of those panels.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A container formed from a cut and creased blank of foldable sheet board material, which blank defines a rectangular or square base panel, a first pair of side wall panels hinged to a pair of opposite side edges of the base panel, a second pair of side wall panels hinged to the other pair of side edges of the base panel, at least one (and preferably both) of the pairs of side wall panels being trapezoidal with top edges which are longer than their edges hinged to the base panel, a pair of angled connecting panels between the side edges of adjacent side wall panels at each corner of the container, each connecting panel being hinged to a side wall panel, each pair of connecting panels being hinged together along a hinge line bisecting the angle between the side edges of the adjoining side wall panels, the erect container having the side wall panels projecting upwardly from the base with the side edges of side wall panels proximate to each other at corners of the container, the pair of connecting panels at each corner being folded together within the container; the container including at least one lid panel hinged to the top edge of a side wall panel, which lid panel forms at least part of a lid for the container, there being provided in the lid panel one or more cuts defining at least one flap, which flap is hinged to the remainder of the lid panel along one or more hinge lines and can be turned along said one or more hinge lines to project upwardly from the lid of the erect container to provide a handle for lifting the container, the container further having means for retaining the lid panel in closed position when the container is lifted by the handle.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein the means for retaining the lid panel in closed condition when the container is lifted by the handle or handles comprises one or more pairs of inter-engaging tabs and slots in the sheet board material, forming a lock to hold the lid closed.

3. A container according to claim 1 wherein the means for retaining the lid panel in closed condition when the container is lifted by the handle or handles comprise one or more straps, or ties around the container.

4. A container according to claim 1,claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the lid panel has a separate sheet adhered to its underside beneath the handle(s) to cover the cuts defining the flap(s).

5. A container according to claim 4 wherein the sheet is transparent.

6. A container substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.