GB2358176A

GB2358176A - Hinged board for forming a container

Info

Publication number: GB2358176A
Application number: GB9928656A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew David Wilkinson; David Arthur Hare
Original assignee: Taplanes Ltd
Current assignee: Taplanes Ltd
Priority date: 1999-12-04
Filing date: 1999-12-04
Publication date: 2001-07-18
Also published as: GB9928656D0

Abstract

A hinged board, formed preferably from an integral piece of polymeric material and which may be used to form a multi-sided container comprises four side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18 each of which are separated from each adjacent wall by a hinge section 20, 22, 24, 26. The container may be folded away after use. Preferably the container wall is supported on a pallet base and a lid may be provided.

Description

2358176 A HINGED BOARD The present invention relates to a hinged board

and, in particular, but not exclusively, a hinged board formed from an integral piece of polymeric material and being capable of acting as a multi-sided container wall and also being capable of being folded away after use.

Containers formed from cardboard boxes mounted on a pallet base are known in the art. These containers made from cardboard are typically and are generally four sided with a base and lid flaps.

The cardboard container is, usually, sufficiently strong for is a single use with relatively lightweight articles but can be liable to wear and tear and is not suitable for multiple use applications. It would be useful to provide a stronger and reusable container for many applications and it is one of the objects of the present invention to solve this problem.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a hinged board suitable for use as a container side wall comprising at least one hinge section between a pair of substantially flat board sections, wherein the hinge section comprises at least two spaced parallel elongate grooves traversing between opposed sides of the board and extending substantially perpendicular to at least one of the said sides and an elongate co- extensive hinge member between the said grooves and at least partially defined thereby, the depth of the grooves being sufficient to allow relative bending of the respective board sections between a first 2 position for board use and a second position for board storage.

Preferably, the said sides of the board are parallel so that 5 the groove is perpendicular to both sides thereof.

Preferably, the grooves are substantially "v" shaped in section. Preferably, the elongate hinge member separating the parallel elongate grooves is sufficiently wide to allow the respective board sections to be bent into superposed relationship with each other, via hingeing about the grooves, in the storage position. Preferably, the elongate hinge member between the parallel elongate grooves is sufficiently narrow to prevent it substantially increasing is the effective thickness of the superposed sheets at the hinged end in the storage position. The hinge member may not, but preferably does traverse the board between the said opposed sides. The hinge member is, preferably, an elongate strip being, preferably, joined to adjacent board sections on either longitudinal side thereof via a flexible piece of bridging material which is, preferably, produced by the groove formation. Preferably, therefore, the longitudinal sides of the hinge member are formed by the grooves.

Preferably, the board sections, elongate hinge member and elongate grooves are formed from a single board and, preferably, remain integral after formation. Preferably, the outer face of the hinge section of the board is ungrooved and the inner face is grooved in the aforesaid manner.

3 Further hinge sections may be formed in any of the board sections to provide further hinges therein depending upon the number of hinged board sections required.

Two or more hinged boards may co-operate to form a multisided container side wall or multi-faced container sleeve.

A multi-faced sleeve or multi-sided container wall may be formed from a plurality of hinged boards. Each hinged board may itself provide one or more hinges and/or board sections in such an embodiment and be capable of being mated with an adjacent hinged board to be welded at respective mating ends of adjacent hinged boards to form the said multi-faced sleeve or multi-sided container wall. Alternatively, a single hinged board with three or more board sections may be mated at its free ends to form the said multi-faced sleeve or multi-sided container wall. In a preferred embodiment, a four sided container wall or multi- faced sleeve is formed from a pair of hinged boards with each hinged board providing a pair of hinge sections and three flat board sections, one complete board section and two incomplete end board sections for mating with complimentary incomplete end board sections on the other hinged board. Preferably, the four faced sleeve or multi-sided container wall comprises opposed faces of corresponding width so that the sleeve may be collapsible by bending about one pair of diagonally opposed hinges.:

It will be appreciated that the sleeve may have three or more faces but it may also include hinges which are not utilised in use but are utilised during collapsing and 4 storing of the sleeve. For instance, a three faced sleeve may include one face of twice the width of each of the other two faces and a hinge may be located midway across the longer face so that the sleeve may be collapsed and stored flat after use so that each board section is superposed with one of its adjacent sections.

In use, the container wall or sleeve is, preferably, held in a noncollapsed, assembled position by restraining means.

Preferably, the restraining means is a channel or slot with which the upper and lower ends of the boards engage.

In one embodiment, the container wall or sleeve is mounted on a pallet base. The pallet base has a perimeter groove formed therein on the upper surface of the pallet to receive, in a close fitting manner, the lower ends of the hinged board sections in the preferred arrangement, preferably, to give a substantially square section sleeve or wall. A matching lid is also, preferably, provided with a corresponding perimeter groove for close fitting engagement with the upper ends of the wall or sleeve. In this manner, by the use of a suitable perimeter groove in a base and lid, a collapsible storage box may be provided.

The perimeter groove may or may not be continuous around the lid or base and may comprise a plurality of sections. Preferably, a grooved section is provided for each side of the container wall or sleeve in, preferably, the lid and/or the base.

Preferably, the hinged board is formed from a flexible polymeric material. Preferably, the polymer or co-polymer is selected for its resilience and capacity to bend repeatedly without significant structural weakening. A suitable polymer for this purpose is a polyalkylene, more preferably, a P01Y C2_C4 alkylene, most preferably, a polypropylene or co-polymer thereof.

The groove formed in the board does not cut completely through the thickness of the board and, preferably, leaves a elongate relatively thin section of material at the base of the groove which allows relative bending of the sections of board on either side thereof and acts as a bridge between each adjacent board section and the elongate hinge member therebetween. Preferably, the polymeric material is selected so that this thin section does not substantially weaken with repeated relative bending with respect to the adjacent sections.

The groove may also include, at its base, an elongate coextensive concave channel to assist ease of bending and improve flexibility of the hinge.

Preferably, the polymeric material is selected so that the elongate hinge member and adjacent board sections are thicker than the bridge between and are therefore tough and substantially rigid whereas the thin section at the base of the elongate grooves is resiliently deformable about the longitudinal axis of the groove. It has been found that polypropylene is particularly advantageous as such a material but it is envisaged that other polymers would also 6 be suitable and known to those skilled in the art of polymeric materials.

Preferably, welding of adjacent hinged boards is effected by 5 an inert gas weld, preferably, a nitrogen weld.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a hinged board according to the first aspect of the present invention comprising the step of:forming a pair of spaced elongate grooves on one face of the board extending substantially perpendicular to at least one side thereof.

According to a third aspect of the present invention. there is provided a method of producing a container comprising a hinged board according to a first aspect of the invention comprising the step of the second aspect of the invention and additionally comprising the steps of welding the ends of the said hinged board into a multi-faced sleeve and mounting the said sleeve on a container base.

Preferably, the method incorporates the step of mounting a lid on the said sleeve to form a closed container.

Preferably, the multi-faced sleeve is formed by welding two or more hinged boards at respective ends to form a closed loop for use as a multi- faced sleeve for mounting on a complimentary base.

7 The method of the second or third aspect may incorporate any one or more aspects of the f irst aspect of the invention or any one or more of the third or second aspect respectively.

The invention extends to a container comprising a multifaced sleeve or side wall according to any previous aspect of the invention mounted on a complimentary base in a suitable manner.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure la shows a front elevation of a container wall in accordance with the present invention; Figure lb shows a side elevation of a container wall in accordance with the present invention; Figure ic shows a plan view of a container wall of f igures la and 1b; Figure 2a shows a plan view of a hinge in accordance with 20 the present invention; Figure 2b shows a plan section through a weld in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 shows a front sectional elevation through a sleeved pallet in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a plan view of a pallet base in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to figure 1, a hollow sleeve 2 comprises two parts 4, 6 which have been inert gas welded together along vertical joints 8, 10 located on opposite faces 12, 14 respectively of the sleeve 2. The sleeve is shown in its 8 assembled position suitable for mounting on a pallet. The sleeve has a substantially square section in its assembled position and comprises four side walls or faces 12, 14, 16, 18. All four faces have the same width and are separated from each adjacent face by a hinge section 20, 22, 24, 26.

The sleeve material in the embodiment shown comprises thick polypropylene. The first section 4 comprises side wall 18, two thirds of the width of side wall 12 located adjacent to side wall 18 on one side thereof, connected via hinge 24, and one third of side wall 14 located adjacent to the opposite end of side wall 18, connected via hinge section 26. Second piece 6 comprises side wall 16 and one third of the width of side wall 12 located adjacent to one end of side wall 16, connected via hinge 22 and two thirds of side is wall 14 located adjacent to the opposite end of side wall 16, connected via a hinge section 20. Referring to figure 2a, the hinge section 26 is shown in greater detail. The hinge section is cut from the same piece of polypropylene as its adjacent sides 14, 18 and comprises an elongate hinge bar 28 bordered by parallel elongate v-notch sections 30, 32 on either side thereof. The v-notch sections 30, 32 outwardly terminate at apexes 34, 36 which are spaced marginally inwardly from the outer corners 38, 40 of the hinge 26. The effect of this construction is to join the adjacent sides 14, 18 of the sleeve by means of thin sections 42, 44 between the respective v-notch apexes 34, 36 and the outer corners 38, 40 of the sleeve. Repeated use of the thin sections 42, 44 during assembly and collapse of the sleeve improves the flexibility of the section for its intended purpose. In addition, the v-notches 30, 32 provide the side walls 14, 18 with the necessary degree of freedom 9 to be fully collapsible so that they can be folded into superposed relationship with each other. After the sleeve has been assembled by welding, the sleeve is collapsed by removal from the pallet base in which it is held so that a S pair of diagonally opposed corners of the sleeve may be urged together so that the whole sleeve collapses into a single flat sheet of double thickness.

Referring to figure 2b, a section through welded joint 8 is shown in greater detail.

Welded joint 8 on face 12 of the container sleeve comprises abutting sections 50, S2. Each mating end of the respective abutting sections SO, 52 is formed into an elongate co- is extensive knife edge and the respective ends abut at the respective knife edges to form a pair of co-extensive elongate v-shaped channels 54, 56 on either side thereof. Each channel is subsequently filled with suitable welding material so that the ends are suitably welded together.

Referring to figures 3 and 4, a pallet 60 has a conventional construction comprising four elongate spaced parallel supporting members 62, 64, 66 and 68, with the two central supporting members 64, 66 being located closer to each other than to their respectively adjacent outer members 62, 68. The greater spacing between the outer members and the inner members being provided to accommodate the forks of a fork lift truck or other suitable mechanical lifting device. A series of spaced elongate parallel cross members extend at right angles to the supporting members across the upper surfaces thereof and a similar spaced parallel series extend in a similar manner across the lower surface thereof to provide the pallet base. The sleeve 80 is shown mounted on the upper surface 70 of the pallet 60 and, in turn, a lid 82 is shown mounted on the upper rim of the container side wall 80. Figure 3 is a schematic view of a suitable use of the present invention. Figure 4 shows the base in greater detail with perimeter grooves in a pallet base 90 suitable for use with the present invention. The pallet base 90 has an outer rim 92 extending completely around the perimeter of the upper surface thereof which is raised upwardly from the inwardly adjacent mounting area 94 which is suitable for receiving the base of a container wall 80 mounted thereon. A series of inwardly spaced elongate straight upwardly protruding inner lips 96, 98, 100 and 102, parallel with the perimeter rim 92, define the inward extent of the mounting area 94 along each of the sides of the pallet base 90. The distance between the outer rim 92 and each inner lip98 defines a parallel sided groove suitable for receiving the lower ends of a container wall 80 for mounting on the mounting area 94. The inner lip 96, 98, 100 and 102 do not extend completely around the perimeter of the pallet base but each terminate short of the corners of the pallet. The inner area of the pallet 104 defines the loading area and is divided into two rectangular sections 106, 108 which each provide approximately half the loading area.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification,

11 and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification 5 (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, is unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the 20 foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

12

Claims

1. A hinged board suitable for use as a container side wall comprising at least one hinge section between a pair of substantially flat board sections, wherein the hinge section comprises at least two spaced parallel elongate grooves traversing between opposed sides of the board and extending substantially perpendicular to at least one of the said sides and an elongate co-extensive hinge member between the said grooves and at least partially defined thereby, the depth of the grooves being sufficient to allow relative bending of the respective board sections between a first position for board use and a second position for board storage.

is 2. A hinged board according to claim 1, wherein the said sides of the board are parallel so that the groove is perpendicular to both sides thereof.

3. A hinged board according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein the elongate hinge member separating the parallel elongate grooves is sufficiently wide to allow the respective board sections to be bent into superposed relationship with each other, via hinging about the grooves, in the storage position.

4. A hinged board according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elongate hinge member between the parallel elongate grooves is sufficiently narrow to prevent it substantially increasing the effective thickness of the 13 superposed sheets at the hinged end in the storage position.

5. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the hinge member is an elongate strip.

6. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the hinge is joined to adjacent board sections on either longitudinal side thereof via a flexible piece of bridging material.

7. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the board sections, elongate hinge member and elongate grooves are formed from a single board and remain integral after formation.

8. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein further hinge sections are formed in any of the board sections to provide further hinges therein depending upon the number of hinged board sections required.

9. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein two or more hinged boards co-operate to form a multi sided container side wall or multi-faced container sleeve.

10. A hinged board according to claim 9, wherein in use, the container wall or sleeve is held in a noncollapsed, assembled position by restraining means.

14 11. A hinged board according to claim 10, wherein the restraining means is a channel or slot with which the upper and lower ends of the boards engage.

S 12. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the container wall or sleeve is mounted on a pallet base.

13. A hinged board according to claim 12, wherein the pallet base has a perimeter groove formed therein on the upper surface of the pallet to receive, in a close fitting manner, the lower ends of the hinged board sections allowing stable mounting of a substantially square section sleeve or wall.

is 14. A hinged board according to claim 13, wherein a matching lid is provided with a corresponding perimeter groove for close fitting engagement with the upper ends of the wall or sleeve.

15. A hinged board according to claim 14, wherein a grooved section is provided for each side of the container wall or sleeve in the lid and/or the base.

16. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the hinged board is formed from a flexible polymeric material.

17. A hinged board according to any preceding claim, wherein the groove also includes, at its base, an elongate co- is extensive concave channel to assist ease of bending and improve flexibility of the hinge.

18. A method of producing a hinged board according to any of claims 1 to 17 comprising the step of:- forming a pair of spaced elongate grooves on one face of the board extending substantially perpendicular to at least one side thereof.

19. A method of producing a container comprising a hinged board according to any of claims 1 to 17, comprising the step according to claim 18 and additionally comprising the steps of welding the ends of the said hinged board is into a multi-faced sleeve and mounting the said sleeve on a container base.

20. A method of producing a container according to claim 19, wherein the method incorporates the step of mounting a lid on the said sleeve to form a closed container.

21. A container side wall comprising at least one hinged board in accordance with any of claims 1-17.

22. A hinged board as substantially herein described with reference to, and as illustrated by, theaccompanying drawings.

23. A method of producing a hinged board as substantially herein described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.

16 24. A method of producing a container as substantially herein described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.