GB2377925A

GB2377925A - Container for a group of items

Info

Publication number: GB2377925A
Application number: GB0217373A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart James Cameron Simm
Original assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2001-07-26
Filing date: 2002-07-26
Publication date: 2003-01-29
Anticipated expiration: 2022-07-26
Also published as: GB2377925B; GB0217373D0; GB0118243D0

Abstract

A container (1) has a base (4) and first and second side walls (6, 8). The container also has first and second end walls (10, 12) and the first end wall is adapted to be opened or removed. A plurality of items (2) are arranged within the container and a band (44) extends around at least some of the items (2). For access to the items (2), the first end wall (10) may be removed by tearing along perforated lines (36, 38, 40) and the band (44) may be removed from around the items (2). Alternatively, the second end wall (12) may be opened by tearing along perforated lines (28, 30, 32, 34) and the items as a group may be pushed out of the container by applying a force through an opening in the first end wall (10). The group of items may thus be readily unloaded onto a shelf.

Description

CONTAINER The present invention relates to a container for stacking items packed therein directly onto a shelf or the like. The present invention further relates to a method of unloading such a container.

Items, such as cartons and packets for food products, are generally packed into containers for delivery to shops and supermarkets. Once delivered, it is desirable to stack the items on the shelves in an orderly manner to make them readily available to customers and to make effective use of the available shelf space. To stack the items in this way, they may each be manually removed from the container and stacked onto the shelf. However this manual operation is time consuming.

An alternative approach is to provide the items for stacking in containers which are themselves to be placed on the shelf. A front wall of these containers is generally removed once the packed container has been placed on the shelf. The removal of the front wall allows the packed items to be viewed and, if desired, removed by customers for purchase. By placing the containers directly onto the shelves the items are not handled directly and therefore the likelihood of them being damaged is reduced. Furthermore, as the items are not each unpacked manually and then stacked this approach is less labour intensive and, thus, less time consuming. However, after the first few items have been removed, the items remaining in the container are generally less visible to customers as the sidewalls of the container may hide them from view. Indeed, it can be difficult for customers to remove the items from the cpntainer, particularly after the items towards the front of the container have been removed.

The present invention seeks to provide an

alternative to the above systems, and viewed from a first aspect, the present invention provides a container comprising: a base ; first and second side walls ; first and second end walls, the first end wall of the container being adapted to be opened or removed ; a plurality of items arranged within the container ; and a band extending around at least some of the items in the container.

From a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of depositing a plurality of items from a container comprising the steps of: placing a band around a plurality of items ; packing the banded items in a container having a removable or openable end ; positioning the container in a desired location; opening or removing said end of the container ; and pushing the banded items out of the said end of the container to deposit them in the desired location.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, items are directly unloaded from a container into a desired position. An end of the container is opened or removed so that the banded together items can be pushed out through that end. The band substantially fixes the orientation of said items relative to each other as they are unloaded, which prevents jamming of the items as they are unloaded. Without the band, jamming is very likely to occur, particularly where the items are arranged in adjacent rows, where they would tend to "fishtail"together and jam in the container. In addition, once the items have been unloaded, because the band retains the items in substantially the same arrangement as when they were packed, it is not generally necessary to re-arrange them to display them in an orderly manner.

A board may also be provided on the inside of the container between the items and the end wall distal to the end through which the items are to be unloaded, the board covering at least partially the face of each item adjacent to the said end wall such that pressure may be applied to the board to unload the items. In this arrangement the board further assists in preventing jamming of the items as they are unloaded.

In most common use, the first end of the container may be removed by a user, e. g. a shelf stacker, the container placed on a shelf or in another location with the open end of the container facing away from the user, and the container drawn backwards over the items, while holding the items in position so as effectively to push the items out of the first end of the container.

The band may extend around all of the items in the container or around selected items. For example the items may be banded into a number of groups which can be easily pushed together out of the container without jamming. Preferably each group contains at least two rows and two columns of items, and preferably each group extends completely across the container.

The band is removed, or at least broken after the items are unpacked. Preferably, to facilitate its removal, the band extends around the sides of the items whereby that it lies generally parallel to the base of the container. In this way, the band does not have to be pulled out from under the deposited items.

The band is preferably made of paper or a plastics material, although it may be made of any suitable lightweight foldable sheet material. The band may be provided with a perforated tear line, or other weakened region to facilitate its tearing and removal.

Preferably the band is constructed from an elongate strip of material the ends of which overlap to form the band. A tab may be provided at a free end of the strip to facilitate the separation of the adhesive bond

securing the sides of the strip together to open the band.

The container is preferably provided with one or more perforated tear lines or other weakened regions to facilitate the removal or opening of the first end wall.

Alternatively, or in addition to the weakened regions, the end wall may comprise a plurality of glued flaps which may be separated to open the first end wall.

The first end wall need not extend completely across the end of the container. It need function only to retain the items in the container during transit.

Accordingly in the preferred embodiment the first end wall comprises a plurality of flaps extending only partially across the end of the carton. Preferably the flaps are attached to the side walls and base of the container.

Similarly the second end wall need not extend fully across the other end of the container. Indeed the second end wall is preferably provided with an opening to allow a user to gain access to the banded items so as to assist in pushing them out of the container. In the preferred embodiment the second end wall is of a similar construction to the first end wall, i. e. it also comprises a plurality of flaps which extend only partially across the end of the container.

Alternatively, the opening in the second end wall may be initially covered by a pull-off portion which the user removes to gain access to the banded items. The removable portion may be, for example, a portion of the second end wall defined by perforations, or it may be a separate member located over the opening and retained in position using adhesive or other suitable fixture means.

A container embodying the invention may be adapted to be used in a different manner. In existing display containers, which typically comprise a base tray with upstanding side and end walls, it is common to have the front wall and a part of the side walls of the container

removable to expose the items within the container. In the present invention therefore, lines of weakness may be provided in the container to facilitate the removal of the second end wall and adjacent sections of the side walls. The preferred container of the invention may therefore have dual application.

From a further aspect therefore, the invention provides a display container comprising a base and a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls upstanding from the base and further comprising weakened regions facilitating opening or removal of one end wall and the removal of the other end wall.

Viewed from a further aspect, the present invention extends to a blank for a container as described herein.

Viewed from a still further aspect, the present invention provides a method of unloading a plurality of items for stacking from a container, the container having a base, first and second side walls and first and second end walls, the first end wall of the container being adapted to be opened or removed to provide a first opening, the second end wall having a second opening provided therein, and a band extending around the items; the method including the steps of: opening or removing said first end wall ; applying a force through the second opening to slidingly unload the items through the first opening; and removing the band from around the items.

The method may include the further step of removing or opening a portion of the second end wall to create the second opening in arrangements whereby the opening is initially partially or fully covered.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure la shows a front perspective view of a packed container according to the present invention ; Figure lb shows a rear perspective view of the container of Figure 1 ;

Figure 2 shows the first stage in unloading items from the container ; Figure 3 shows the second stage of the unloading process ; Figure 4 shows the third stage of the unloading process ; and Figure 5 shows the unloaded items.

Figures la and lb show a packed container 1 according to the present invention. The container 1 is made of cardboard, paperboard or other lightweight foldable sheet material. A plurality of items 2, such as cereal boxes, are packed into the container 1 in two rows of eight.

The container 1 has a base 4 on which the items 2 rest, two sidewalls 6,8, a front end wall 10 and a rear end wall 12. The rear end wall 12 is formed from side flaps 14,16 hingedly attached to the sidewalls 6,8 and a bottom flap 18 hingedly attached to the base 4 and glued to the outside of the side flaps 14,16 to secure them in position.

The front end wall is similarly formed from side flaps 14a, 16a and a bottom flap 18a glued to the flaps 14a, 16a.

Longitudinally extending flaps 20,22 are hingedly connected to the upper end of the sidewalls 6,8 and are folded inwardly to retain the items 2 in the container 1. The top flaps 20,22 are provided with glue tabs 24, 26,24a, 26a for fixing them to the side flaps, 14,16, 14a, 16a. This closes the top of the container.

As can be seen from Figure lb, the hinge lines 28, 30 between the flaps 20,22 and the rear glue tabs 24, 26 are perforated so as to allow the rear glue tabs 24, 26 to be separated from the respective flaps 20,22.

Similarly, perforated tear lines 32 and 34 are provided in the base flap 18 to allow it to be separated from the side flaps 14,16.

As described above, the front end wall 10 is of a

similar construction to that of the rear wall 12. The flaps 14a, 16a, 18a together provide an opening 19 in the front wall 10. However, rather than providing tear lines to allow the side flaps and bottom flaps to be opened, perforated tear lines 36,38 are provided in the side walls 6,8 and across the top flaps 20,22. In combination with a perforated tear line 40 along the front edge of the base 4, this arrangement of tear lines 36,38 facilitates the removal of the front end wall 10 and the associated portions of the side walls 6,8 and the flaps 20,22, in the manner of a traditional display tray. An opening may be formed in each of the side walls 6,8 by removing the portion of card defined by second perforated lines 41,42 to facilitate tearing of the lines 36, 38.

As can be seen, the items 2, are packed into the container 1 such that the front of each of the items faces the front end wall 10. A band 44 extends around the items 2. The band 44 is made of paper, plastics material or other suitable material for retaining the items 2 together as they are slidably removed from the container 1, as will be described further below. The band 44 may extend over as much of the depth of the items 2 in the container as is necessary to achieve this.

The container 1 can be used in two different ways.

In a first mode of use, the container 1 is placed on a shelf and the front end wall 10 removed by tearing along the perforated tear lines 36,38, 40. The band 20 is then removed from around the items 2. The items 2 may then be selected and removed from the container by customers, as desired. This arrangement, with the exception of the removal of the band 44, is the same as that of the prior art discussed above.

In a second mode, the items 2 are slidably removed from the container 1 and stacked directly onto the shelf as follows. Firstly the rear end wall 12 is opened by

tearing along the perforated lines 28,30, 32,34 to allow the side flaps 14,16 and the base flap 18 to hinge down, as shown in Figure 2.

The container 1 is then positioned on the shelf where the items 2 are to be stacked with the rear end wall 12 located towards the rear of the shelf. The individual loading the shelf then applies a force to the front of the items 2 positioned at the front of the container 1, through the opening 19 in the front end wall 10, and withdraws the container in the direction of the arrow F shown in Figure 3, over the banded items 2, so as effectively to push the banded items out from the container onto the shelf. During this operation, the band 44 ensures that the items 2 remain secured together and that they do not interfere with or jam against the sides of the container 1.

The items 2 are thus positioned on the shelf with the band 44 in position, as shown in Figure 4. The band 44 retains the items 2 as a single unit and allows any further adjustments to the positioning of the items on the shelf to be made.

Finally, the band 44 is removed from around the items, as shown in Figure 5. The band 44 is typically torn, for example along a perforated tear strip or"zip" strip (not shown). Alternatively, the band 44 may be kept intact and slid up and over the top of the items 2.

The skilled person will appreciate that various modifications may be made to the arrangement of the container 1 of the present invention and the method of unloading said container without parting from the scope of the invention. For example, it is not necessary that the container 2 be provided with a perforated tear strip 14 to facilitate removal of the front end wall if only the second mode of operation is desired. Furthermore, although the container 2 described herein is formed only by top flaps 12, the top of the container may be covered completely.

Furthermore, although the embodiment described herein shows the band 44 extending around all of the items in the container 1, it may be possible to band the items 2 together into smaller units which are packed in the same container 2. For example, it may be possible to band the items into two batches of four by two, for example.

The container may be used for any of a number of items, such as cartons or packets for food products, which it may be desirable to stack. Whilst the invention has been illustrated applied to rectangular items such as cereal packets, it may equally be applied to non-rectangular, e. g. circular items such as bottles, jars and so on.

Also, the band as used may take differing sizes to that shown. It may be deeper, covering a greater proportion of the face of the items, or shallower.

Furthermore, a board may be provided on the inside of the container adjacent the rear end wall. The board preferably at least partially covers the back face of a plurality of items in the container adjacent to the rear end wall such that, when the container is being unloaded in accordance with the second mode of use, the user applies pressure to the board and the board is pushed out of the container with the banded items. This arrangement helps prevent"fishtailing"of the items in the container as they are unloaded.

Claims

Claims 1. A container comprising: a base ; first and second side walls ; first and second end walls, the first end wall of the container being adapted to be opened or removed ; a plurality of items arranged within the container ; and a band extending around at least some of the items in the container.
2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein a band extends around all of the items in the container.
3. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein bands extend around groups of items within the container.
4. A container as claimed in claim 3 wherein a said group extends completely across the container.
5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the band is made of paper or a plastics material.
6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the band is provided with a weakened region to facilitate its tearing and removal.
7. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the band is constructed from an elongate strip of material the ends of which overlap to form the band.
8. A container as claimed in claim 7 wherein a tab is provided at a free end of the strip to facilitate the separation of the adhesive bond securing the sides of the strip together to open the band.

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9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the band extends generally parallel to the base of the container.
10. A container as claimed in any preceding claim provided with one or more weakened regions to facilitate the removal or opening of the first end wall.
11. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first end wall does not extend completely across the end of the container.
12. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the end wall comprises a plurality of glued flaps which may be separated to open the first end wall.
13. A container as claimed in claim 12 wherein the flaps are attached to the side walls and base of the container.
14. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the second end wall does not extend fully across the other end of the container.
15. A container as claimed in claim 14 wherein the second end wall is provided with an opening to allow a user to gain access to the banded items so as to assist in pushing them out of the container.
16. A container as claimed in claim 15 wherein comprises a plurality of flaps which extend only partially across the end of the container to define the opening.
17. A container as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising lines of weakness to facilitate the removal of the second end wall and adjacent sections of

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the side walls.
18. A container as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a board located adjacent to the inside of the second wall, said board at least partially covering the face of each item adjacent to said second wall.
19. A display container comprising a base and a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls upstanding from the base and further comprising weakened regions facilitating opening or removal of one end wall and the removal of the other end wall.
20. A container comprising a base, first and second side walls, first and second end walls, said first end wall comprising a plurality of overlapping flaps hingedly attached to said base and said side walls, said flaps being provided with one or more regions of weakness facilitating breaking the connection between the flaps to allow opening of the first end of the container.
21. A container comprising: a base; first and second side walls ; first and second end walls, the first end wall of the container being adapted to be opened or removed ; a plurality of items arranged within the container ; and a removable member extending around at least some of the items in the container to facilitate their removal through the opened end of the container.
22. A blank for a container as claimed in any preceding claim.
23. A method of depositing a plurality of items from a container comprising the steps of: placing a band around a plurality of items ;

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packing the banded items in a container having a removable or openable end ; positioning the container in a desired location; opening or removing said end of the container ; and pushing the banded items out of the said end of the container to deposit them in the desired location.
24. A method of unloading a plurality of items from a container, the container having a base, first and second side walls and first and second end walls, the first end wall of the container being adapted to be opened or removed to provide a first opening, the second end wall having a second opening provided therein, and a band extending around the items ; the method including the steps of: opening or removing said first end wall ; applying a force through the second opening to slidingly unload the items through the first opening ; and removing the band from around the items.
25. A method as claimed in claim 23 including the further step of removing or opening a portion of the second end wall to create the second opening.
26. A method as claimed in claim 23 or 24 wherein the first end of the container is removed, the container placed in the desired location with the open end of the container facing away from the user and the container drawn backwards over the items, while holding the items in position, so as effectively to push the items out of the first end of the container.