GB2343883A

GB2343883A - Component for attachment to sheet material

Info

Publication number: GB2343883A
Application number: GB9825539A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Mark Burgoyne
Original assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1998-11-20
Filing date: 1998-11-20
Publication date: 2000-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2018-11-20
Also published as: GB9825539D0; GB2343883B

Abstract

A plastics component 1 has a panel 2 and flanges 4 to 7 disposed about an aperture 3. The component may provide a handle for a cardboard sheet 14 (preferably a container wall) with the flanges located in an aperture of the sheet and folded over the edges 16 of that aperture. The component is secured to the sheet by rivets 20 extending through slots 12 in the flanges and the sheet material and slots 22 in the panel. To accommodate for different wall thicknesses of the sheet 14 the flanges 4 to 7 are provided with parallel grooves or integral hinge lines 8 to 10 which facilitate bending of the flanges over the edge 16 of the sheet material as appropriate for the thickness of that material for the sheet to be accommodated closely between the panel 2 and flange parts opposing that panel. The moulded component 1 can also be in the form of a reinforcing piece, a corner piece, a connecting piece or a ticket holder for walls of containers.

Description

A PLASTICS COMPONENT FOR ATTACHMENT TO SHEET MATERIAL Technical Field and Background Art The present invention relates to a plastics moulded component for attachment to all edge of sheet material such as cardboard, fibre board or hard board; the edge being located at the outer periphery pf the sheet or at the periphery of an aperture in the sheet.

The present invention was primarily developed for use in the construction of containers having upstanding side walls formed from sheet material such as cardboard as a aforementioned.

One known and commercially successful container has a collapsible structure in which upstanding side walls are formed by a cardboard tube or sleeve (usually of rectangular section and foldable to a flat pack) and at least one end of the tube or sleeve is closed by a plastics moulded base. It is often necessary to attach to the sheet material wall of such a known container plastics moulded carrying handles, corner pieces, connecting pieces, ticket holders or reinforcing pieces having a facia part or panel which is rivetted to the sheet material and a flange part projecting from the facia part and which extends over an edge of the sheet material, conveniently to locate and seat the plastics moulded component at a predetermined position on the sheet material. The flange part may be arranged to engage over the edge of the sheet material on which it is sited to sandwich that edge between the facia and flange parts. As a consequence plastics components are usually moulded for use with sheet material of a predetermined thickness and different sized components are provided for use with sheet materials of different thicknesses. This is clearly commercially disadvantageous, both from economic and convenience points of view, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a plastics moulded component for attachment to sheet material, primarily but not essentially such material as may be used in providing container walls, and which component alleviates the aforementioned disadvantage.

Statement of Invention According to the present invention there is provided a plastics moulded component for attachment to a sheet material comprising a facia part for abutment against a front face of the sheet material and a flange part projecting from said facia part for extending over an edge of the sheet material when the facia part abuts said front face, and wherein said flange part has lines of weakness extending substantially parallel to said facia part which lines of weakness facilitate bending of the flange part about one of those lines which line is selected dependent upon the thickness of the sheet material at said edge for the flange part to be folded over the edge so that the sheet material adjacent said edge can be closely accommodated between the facia part overlying its front face and a free end part of the flange part overlying its rear face.

By the present invention it is envisaged that the plastics component will be moulded with the flange part projecting usually perpendicularly, from the facia part so that when the facia part is abutted against a front face of sheet material with the flange part extending over an edge of the sheet material (and possible seated on that edge), the flange part may be folded over the edge by bending that flange part along a predetermined line of weakness which line of weakness is selected as appropriate for the particular thickness of sheet material to which the component is being fitted. By providing two or more parallel lines of weakness in the flange part it will be appreciated that the component can be used with a corresponding number of different thicknesses of sheet material for the sheet material to be received and fitted closely between the facia part of the component and the free end part of the flange part which is folded to overlie (and preferably abut) the rear face of the sheet material. As a consequence a single plastics moulded component may be fitted to sheet material of several different thicknesses with consequential convenience of usage and savings in manufacturing costs.

The lines of weakness will usually be moulded into the plastics component and are preferably in the form of parallel grooves in the flange part which form relatively thin plastics regions or integral hinges which bridge between relatively thick plastics regions so that the flange part may bend relatively easy along each of the integral hinges or thin plastics regions.

Alternatively or in addition, lines of weakness can be provided by an array of perforations or dimple like recesses in the material of the flange part.

Preferably the facia part and flange part comprise means by which those parts are intended to be secured to the sheet material when the flange part is folded over an edge of the sheet material. This means will usually be in the form of openings such as apertures in the facia and flange parts which openings are arranged to coincide when the flange part is folded over the edge of the material to permit fasteners (such as rivets, screws, bolts or the like) to extend through the sheet material and the coinciding openings in the facia part and the flange part to secure them together and to the sheet material. Bearing in mind the necessity for the flange part to be foldable over the edge of different thicknesses of sheet material, it is preferred that the aforementioned openings in the flange part and in the facia part are in the form of slots which extend lengthwise substantially perpendicularly relative to longitudinal extent of the lines of weakness so that at least part of the slots in the facia part and in the flange part will coincide on opposite sides of the sheet material as the flange part is folded to accommodate the thickness of the sheet material. In addition or alternatively the means for securing the facia part and/or the flange part to the sheet material can comprises one or more barbs on the facia part and/or the flange part which barb is intended to pierce and be retained in the sheet material to secure the respective part on which the barb is located against the respective front or rear face of the sheet material.

The component may have two or more flange parts projecting from its facia part and which flange parts are foldable independently of each other about an edge or edges of the sheet material. These two or more flange parts may be coplanar, for example as may be appropriate for providing a corner piece or connecting piece in which the flange parts are to be folded over different outer periphery edges of the sheet material which extend from a corner formed in the sheet material.

The facia part of the component may have an aperture with two or more flange parts located about the periphery of that aperture so that the component can be fitted to inner periphery edges of a sheet material, for example to such material having an aperture so that the aperture in the facia part of the component coincides with the aperture in the sheet material and the two or more flange parts extend through the aperture in the sheet material to be foldable over edges of the sheet material which define the aperture therein. Such an arrangement will be useful where the component is to provide a carrying handle for the sheet material where a hand can be inserted through the a periphery in the facia part to facilitate gripping of the sheet material whilst the edge or edges of the sheet material which define the aperture (in which the component is received) are reinforced by that component.

The plastic moulded component can be attached or fitted to the sheet material for several purposes, particularly where the sheet material provides a wall of a container. Typically the component will provide a carrying handle as aforementioned, a reinforcing piece, a corner piece, a connecting piece between two different sheets of material or a dedicated ticket holder (although all of the aforementioned uses may provide for locating and carrying a label or ticket on the component).

The present invention also provides for the combination of a plastics moulded component as previously specified as being in accordance with the present invention and sheet material to which that component is attached, particularly, but not essentially, where the sheet material provides a wall of a container.

Drawings Embodiments of plastics moulding components constructed in accordance with the present invention and sheet material for use in container structures attached to such components will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a said component in the form of a carrying handle for attachment to a container side wall; Figure 2 is a section of the handle taken on the line II-II of figure 1; Figure 3 is a section similar to that shown in figure II of the carrying handle attached to a container side wall; Figure 4 is the perspective view of a further said component in the form of a corner piece which is to be attached to a container wall, and Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the flange part of the components in figures 1 and 4 and particularly illustrates the formation of the lines of weakness in those flange parts.

Detailed Description of Drainas The component 1 shown in figures 1 to 3 is formed by injection moulding in plastics, typically ABS or nylon, to have a substantially flat facia part or panel 2 with a centrally located rectangular aperture 3. Projecting from the plane of the facia panel 2 and substantially perpendicularly to that plane are four flange parts 4 to 7 which extend one each along the respective side edges of the rectangular aperture 3. Located in the each of the flanges 4 to 7 are three lines of weakness 8 to 10 in the form of parallel grooves (see Fig 5) which are spaced from the panel 2 in the respective flange parts and are parallel to the plane of that panel 2. Furthermore the three lines of weakness in each flange part are located one in each of three respective planes which are parallel to the plane of the panel 2 (this is best seen in figure 2).

Located in free end parts 4a to 7a of the flanges 4 to 7 respectively are linearly elongated apertures or slots 12 which extend lengthwise perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal extent of the groves 8 to 10 in their respective flanges. More particularly each of the narrow flanges 4 and 6 is provided with a single centrally located slot 12 while each of the broader flanges 5 and 7 is provided with two such slots 12 located one towards each side of those flanges.

The component 1 of Figure 1 is intended to provide a handle in a sheet of cardboard 14 (or other sheet material) as may be used for providing an upstanding wall of a container so that the component 1 provides a convenient and comfortable opening within which a hand may be received for the purpose of lifting the container. The component is also to reinforce an internal edge 16 of the sheet material that forms a rectangular opening which is cut in the sheet 14 for the purpose of receiving the handle component. The aforementioned rectangular aperture is cut in the sheet 14 to correspond with the rectangular outline presented by the four flanges 4 to 7 projecting from the panel 2. The flanges 4 to 7 are presented to the aperture and the component 1 is manoeuvred to press the flanges through the aperture until the panel 2 abuts the front face 14A of the sheet 14. In this latter condition the flanges extend over the edge 16 of the sheet 14 in the aperture to stand proud of the rear face 14b of the sheet (and preferably to abut the respective edges 16 of the sheet which they overlie). Each of the four flanges is now independently folded so that its respective free end part 4A to 7A abuts the rear face 14b of the sheet material adjacent to the edge 16 of that material over which the respective flange projects. Bending of the flanges over the edges 16 as aforementioned is facilitated by the grooves 8 to 10 which grooves form relatively thin linear regions 15 of plastics material which bridge relatively thick linear regions 17 of such material (see figure 5) to provide, in effect, each flange with three integral plastics hinges. The position of the grooves 8 to 10 is selected so that the component 1 can be fitted to anyone of three different thicknesses of sheet material 14 whereby the flanges can be folded over the edge 16 of the sheet material and one of the linear hinges 15 to closely accommodate the thickness of the sheet material between the facia panel 2 and the opposing free end part of the flanges. This latter attachment of the component to the sheet material reinforces the internal edges 16 about the opening whilst the material is being lifted with the handle. The component 1 when attached to the sheet material 14 as aforementioned is secured to the sheet material by use of pop rivets 20. For this purpose the marginal peripheral edge of the panel 2 is provided with 6 slotted apertures 22 arranged for coinciding one with each of the slots 12 in the flanges when those flanges are folded over the edges 16 of the sheet material as shown in figure 3. It will be appreciated that because of the different thicknesses of sheet 14 which can be accommodated by the component 1, the flanges 4 to 7 will fold about different lines of weakness 8 to 10 thereby varying the extent to which the free end parts 4A to 7A of the flanges overlies the panel 2.

As a consequence there will be variations in the extent to which the slots 12 will coincide with the respective slots 22 and accordingly the slots 12 and 22 should be elongated sufficiently to accommodate for these possible variations in the overlying relationship as aforementioned between the flanges and the panel to permit the pop rivets 20 to be fitted to secure each flange through the sheet material to the panel 2.

In the embodiment shown in figure 4 the plastics moulded component 1 is in the form of a corner fitting for upper external edges 30 of two sheet material walls 14 which extend from a corner 31. Typically the walls 14 may be the upstanding side walls of a rectangular open topped container and the component 1 may serve to reinforce the upper region of the corner 31 and also to a provide seating on the walls 14 in which an extension wall or a closure member may be fitted. The component 1 has an L shaped facia panel extending perpendicularly from each length panel section 33 of which are respective flange parts 35 having lines of weakness 8 to 10 and slots 12 similarly to those shown in the embodiment of figure 1 to 3. The two flange parts 35 are substantially co-planar and located substantially centrally on their respective panel sections 33 so that the component 1 can be seated over the corner 31 with the underside of the flanges 35 abutting and projecting over the respective upper edges 30 of the sheet material whilst the upper marginal edge part of the sheets of material 14 are accommodated beneath the flanges 35 and abutting the lower parts of the respective panels sections 33.

With the component 1 mounted on the upper edges of the sheets 14 over the corner 31 as aforementioned, each of the flanges 35 is folded about the respective edges 30 by hinging along a line of weakness 9 to 10 appropriate for the thickness of the sheet material 30 (so that the free end parts of the respective flanges abut the inner faces of the sheets 14 to closely accommodate the sheets between the free end parts of the flanges and the lower parts of the panel sections 33. In the arrangement shown in figure 4 the flanges 35 will hinge or bend about the respective lines of weakness 9 as the sheets 14 are relatively thinner than the sheet 14 shown in figure 3 (where the flanges are folded about the hinge or line of weakness presented by the grooves 8).

Following the folding of the flanges 35 over the edges 30 as aforementioned, the free ends of those flanges may be secured to the respective sheets 14 by pop rivets extending through the slots 12 and the sheet material and through slots 22 in the lower parts of the panel sections 33 in a similar manner to that previously described for the arrangement shown in figure 3. The upper parts of the panel sections 33 of the component 1 project upwardly from the edges 30 and provide convenient stops for locating a lid or closure member for the container or for locating the base of an overlying container which may be stacked over the edges 30. It will be seen that a part circular web 40 co-planar with the flanges 35 (as those flanges are initially moulded) extends between the panel sections 33 to reinforce the corner formation presented by those sections.

Each of the plastics moulded components 1 shown in figures 1 and 4 is provided on its facia panel with a rebate 50 which provides a convenient location for a label or ticket.

Claims

1. A plastics moulded component for attachment to a sheet material comprising a facia part for abutment against a front face of the sheet material and a flange part projecting from said facia part for extending over an edge of the sheet material when the facia part abuts said front face, and wherein said flange part has lines of weakness extending substantially parallel to said facia part which lines of weakness facilitate bending of the flange part about one of those lines which line is selected dependent upon the thickness of the sheet material at said edge for the flange part to be folded over the edge so that the sheet material adjacent said edge can be closely accommodated between the facia part overlying its front face and a free end part of the flange part overlying its rear face.

2. A component as claimed in claim 1 in which the facia part and flange part comprise means by which those parts are intended to be secured to the sheet material when the flange part is folded over the edge of the material.

3. A component as claimed in claim 2 in which said means comprises openings in the facia part and flange part which openings are arranged to coincide when the flange part is folded over the edge of the material to permit fasteners such as rivets, screws, bolts or the like to extend through the sheet material and the coinciding openings.

4. A component as claimed in claim 3 in which the openings comprise linearly elongated slots the longitudinally extent of which is substantially perpendicular relative to the longitudinal extent of the lines of weakness to permit at least parts of the slots in the facia part and flange part to coincide on opposite sides of the sheet material as the flange part accommodates for the wall thickness of the sheet material.

5. A component as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 in which said means comprises barb means on at least one of the facia part and flange part and which barb means is intended to pierce and be retained in the sheet material to retain the respective part on which the barb means is located against the respective face of the sheet material.

6. A component as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the facia part has at least two said flange parts which are to be foldable independently of each other about an edge or respective edges of the sheet material.

7. A component as claimed in claim 6 and having substantially co-planar flange parts.

8. A component as claimed in either claim 6 or claim 7 and in the form of a corner piece in which the flange parts are to be folded over different edges which extend from a corner of the sheet material.

9. A component as claimed in claim 6 and having an aperture in the facia part with flange parts being located substantially about the periphery of said aperture whereby the component can be fitted to a sheet material having an aperture therein for the aperture in the component to coincide with the aperture in the sheet material with the flange parts extending through the aperture in the sheet material to be foldable over edges of the sheet material which define the aperture therein.

10. A component as claimed in claim 9 in the form of a carrying handle for the sheet material whereby a hand can be inserted through the aperture in the facia part.

11. A component as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims and comprising means for locating or carrying a label or ticket.

12. A component as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the lines of weakness comprise grooves in the flange part which grooves form relatively thin plastics hinge regions which bridge between relatively thick plastics regions so that the flange part will bend along a selected one of the hinge regions as appropriate for the thickness of the sheet material.

13. A plastics moulded component as claimed in claim 1 and substantially herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

14. The combination of a component as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims and sheet material to which the component is attached.

15. The combination as claimed in claim 14 in which the component comprises at least one of a reinforcing piece, a carrying handle, a corner piece, a connecting piece or a ticket or label holder for the sheet material.

16. A container having the combination of either claim 14 or claim 15 in which the sheet material provides a wall of the container