GB2363113A

GB2363113A - Containers

Info

Publication number: GB2363113A
Application number: GB0014162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher John Clough; Neil Rylance; John Hammond
Original assignee: Field Group PLC
Current assignee: Field Group PLC
Priority date: 2000-06-09
Filing date: 2000-06-09
Publication date: 2001-12-12
Also published as: GB0014162D0

Abstract

A container, e.g. of cardboard, has a sleeve (10) extending around it so as to be slidable up and down and connected by tapes (9) to an internal carrier (8) for the contents which is slidable up and down inside the container, to enable the contents to be lifted to the top of the container by moving the sleeve down the outside. A stack of carriers (8) may be provided and the carrier (8) may be arranged to fall open outwardly when freed from the confines of the container.

Description

2363113 72580/001.609 CONTAINERS 5 This invention relates to containers

made of cardboard, paperboard or similar lightweight sheet material, and has as its object to provide for enhanced presentability of the contents of such a container.

According to the invention there is provided a 10 container made of cardboard, paperboard or similar lightweight sheet material, having at least one internal carrier for contents, the said carrier being suspended in the container body for upward movement, the suspension means being actuable by a user to move the is carrier up.

With such an arrangement contents supported on the said carrier may be elevated by the user moving the carrier up. One possible use of such a facility is to elevate a number of layers of contents, e.g.

20 confectionery, one by one to the top of the container, for presentation and consumption. Another possible use would be to display a single item of contents, such as a bottle of beverage, following opening of the container top.

25 Preferably the said carrier fits in the container in slidable up and down fashion.

In one form of the invention the container has at least two of said carriers, arranged in a stack, the said suspension means acting directly on the bottom one 30 thereof.

The said carrier, or the bottom one thereof, preferably forms a false bottom above a fixed base of the container.

The container will usually have an open or openable 35 top, with the said suspension means extending out of the top of the container for actuation by a user.

Preferably the said suspension means comprises at least one flexible elongate tension member such as a tape, which may extend outwardly over the edge of the open top of the container. Such a tension member may then be connected to a sleeve actuator which surrounds 5 the outside of the container and is slidable down the same to move the carrier up.

In one form of the invention the container has at least two of said tension members, spaced substantially equidistantly around the container, and secured to the 10 said carrier. Such at least two tension members may comprise a single length of material, or two or more separate lengths. In another form the container has only one said tension member, which is secured to the container body at one end, extends movably under the 15 said carrier in supporting fashion, and is actuable by a user at its other end.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompany drawings, in which:- 20 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container for three layers of confectionery, according to the invention, with its lid removed; Figure 2 is a vertical medial cross-section view of the container of Figure 1; 25 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1, with the top layer of confectionery removed; Figure 4 is a vertical medial cross-sectional view of the container in the condition illustrated in Figure 3; 30 Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the second layer of confectionery elevated to the top of the container; Figure 6 is a vertical medial cross-sectional view of the container in the condition illustrated in Figure 35 5; Figure 7 is a similar cross-sectional view with both the top and middle layers of confectionery removed; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 8, with its platform partly elevated; 5 Figure 10 is a plan view of a blank for making a carrier for use in a container according to a third embodiment; Figure 11 is a perspective of the carrier made from the blank of Figure 10; 10 Figure 12 is a perspective view of a container including two carriers as shown in Figure 11; and Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 but partly broken away.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a square cardboard 15 container 1 has a base 2 and side walls 3 and houses three layers of chocolates 4 to 6, each layer topped by a paper cover 7. The container has a false bottom in the form of a square platform 8 of cardboard, dimensioned to be an easy sliding up and down fit in the 20 container, and acting as a carrier for the container contents. A plastics tape 9 extends underneath the platform 8, where it is glued to the latter, up two opposite inside walls of the container, and out over the tops of the walls where the ends of the tape are glued 25 to a square cardboard sleeve 10 which makes an easy sliding up and down fit on the outside of the container walls. It will thus be understood that the opposite parts of the tape constitute two elongate flexible tension members connecting the platform 8 to the sleeve 30 10.

The manner of use of the container will be clear from Figures 3 to 7. When the chocolates of the top layer 4 have been consumed and that layer removed, the user slides the sleeve 10 down to the position shown in 35 Figure 3, thereby elevating the middle layer 5 to the top of the container. The friction between the various parts is sufficient to hold them in this position without any help from the user. When the chocolates of the middle layer have been consumed, that is removed and the sleeve is slid down to the position shown in Figure 7, thereby elevating the bottom layer 6 to the top, 5 wherein again it is held by friction.

Figures 8 and 9 show a circular container in which three separate tapes 11 are used to support and elevate a platform 12, by means of a circular sleeve 13. Beyond these differences, this embodiment operates in the same 10 way as the previous one.

Figure 10 shows a cardboard blank for making a carrier 14 for container contents, e.g. confectionery, as shown in Figures 11 to 13. Two such carriers 14 make a frictional sliding fit in a square container body 15, 15 supported for upward movement by a plastics tape 16 which passes slidably through two slots 17 in the base of the lower carrier (see Figure 13) with its ends extending out over the opposite top edges of the container body for actuation by a user. When the 20 carriers 14 are elevated in turn to a position where their side walls are no longer confined within the container body, their walls automatically fall open as shown in Figures 12 and 13, to provide access to the contents, e.g. chocolates. It will be understood that 25 these carriers could be elevated by pulling down on only one end of the tape, if the other end were to be secured to the container body. Again the friction between the parts is such as to hold them in any desired position without assistance from the user.

30 The parts of a container according to the invention could be made of lightweight sheet material other than cardboard or paperboard, for example injection moulded plastics or light metal, or of a mixture of such materials. Containers according to the invention may be 35 used for all manner of contents, such as confectionery, toiletries, giftware, jewelry, beverages, tobacco, multimedia articles, and games and toys.

Claims

Claims:

1. A container made of cardboard, paperboard or similar lightweight sheet material, having at least one 5 internal carrier for contents, the said carrier being suspended in the container body for upward movement, the suspension means being actuable by a user to move the carrier up.

10

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said carrier fits in the container in slidable up and down fashion.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, having at 15 least two of said carriers, arranged in a stack, the said suspension means acting directly on the bottom one thereof.

4. A container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, 20 wherein the said carrier, or the bottom one thereof, forms a false bottom above a fixed base of the container.

5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, 25 which has an open or openable top, the said suspension means extending out of the top of the container for actuation by a user.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the said 30 suspension means comprises at least one flexible elongate tension member.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the said tension member extends outwardly over the edge of the 35 open top of the container.

8. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said tension member is connected to a sleeve actuator which surrounds the outside of the container and is slidable down the same to move the carrier up.

9. A container as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, having at least two of said tension members, spaced substantially equidistantly around the container, and secured to the said carrier.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least two tension members comprise a single length of material.

15

11. A container as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, having only one said tension member, which is secured to the container body at one end, extends movably under the said carrier in supporting fashion, and is actuable by a user at its other end.

12. A container as claimed in any of claims 6 to 11, wherein the or each said tension member is a tape.

13. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, 25 wherein the or each said carrier comprises an inner container having upstanding side walls which are arranged to fall open outwardly when freed from the confines of the container body.

30

14. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the friction between the relatively movable parts is such as to hold them in any desired position PF ISE.

35

15. Containers as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.