GB2383028A

GB2383028A - A basket-style carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2383028A
Application number: GB0130162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Mcdonald
Original assignee: DS Smith PLC
Current assignee: DS Smith PLC
Priority date: 2001-12-17
Filing date: 2001-12-17
Publication date: 2003-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2021-12-17
Also published as: GB2383028B; GB0130162D0

Abstract

A basket-style carrier comprises a blank (40) of stiff yet foldable sheet material which is cut, creased and joined, e.g. adhesively bonded, together to form the carrier which is movable between a flat collapsed configuration and an erected configuration in which bottom panels (19-21, 22') are automatically configured to provide a carrier base. The blank (40) has cut lines (42) formed therein which define partition means therebetween, the partition means, in the erected configuration of the carrier, extending between a handle and sides of the carrier. The cut lines (42) are formed as slots whereby the confronting walls (42a, 42b) of each slot do not contact each other during movement of the carrier into or out of its collapsed configuration.

Description

A Basket-Style Carrier This invention relates to a basket-style carrier of the kind comprising a blank of stiff yet foldable sheet material which is cut, folded and has regions adhered together, the carrier being movable between an erected configuration having a bottom formed of bottom panels, spaced apart end walls, spaced apart side walls, a handle extending between the end walls and partition means extending between the handle and the side walls, and a flat collapsed configuration in which first and second regions of the blank are folded flat towards each other with said bottom panels therebetween, the partition means being formed by spaced apart cut lines formed in said first and second regions of the blank.

Basket-style carriers made of stiff yet foldable sheet material are well known in the art as exemplified by, for example, WO-A-97,05026, GB-A-2,302, 322, EP-A-0, 711, 709, EP-A-0, 786,408, WO-A-96/09,223, WO-A-96/09,224, WO-A- 96,12, 658, WO-A-96/12,649, EP-A-0, 584,418, WO-A-93/04933, WO-A-95/34, 486 and US-A-5, 645, 162.

US-A-5, 645, 162 is a basket-style carrier of the kind referred to and is of particular relevance to the present invention. The handle of the carrier disclosed therein is formed from three layers of the sheet material and thus has enhanced strength. In addition the cut lines providing the partition means are formed as slits so that no material is cut from the blank when the slits are created and the confronting slit walls of each cut slit contact each other when the carrier is in its flat collapsed configuration.

When the carrier is moved from the collapsed configuration to the erected configuration, or alternatively back into the collapsed configuration from the erected configuration, the confronting slit walls interfere and"snag"with each other.

This"snagging"of the confronting slit walls is particularly apparent if the foldable sheet material has a

degree of thickness, i. e. if the sheet material is, for example, made of double faced corrugated board or the like as opposed to a card-like sheet material.

An aim of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of known prior art designs.

According to the present a basket-style carrier of the kind referred to characterised in that said cut lines are formed as slots whereby the confronting walls of each slot do not contact each other during movement of the carrier into or out of its collapsed configuration.

By arranging the cut lines as slots in the initially formed blank, the confronting walls of each so-formed slot are spaced apart from each other and therefore do not"snag" or catch each other when the carrier is moved into or out of the collapsed configuration. By this simple modification of the existing design the movement of the carrier from one to the other of the collapsed and erected configurations is considerably facilitated for the end user.

Preferably the various parts of the blank which are to be joined together (as opposed to being integral joints) are adhesively bonded together.

Conveniently at least one of the confronting walls of each slot is slightly curved or bowed. This has been found to increase the efficiency of the gluing process by eliminating the chance of the cuts"catching"during gluing.

Suitably the stiff, yet foldable sheet material comprises double faced corrugated fibreboard.

Preferably the ends of each slot are radiused. This minimises risk of failure of the material in use of the carrier.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a known basket- style carrier shown in US-A-5,645, 162, the carrier being in an erected configuration and shown carrying a plurality of bottles ; Figure 2 is a plan of a cut and creased blank which is foldable and has portions adhesively bondable together to form the carrier of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a view of the carrier of Figure 1 with the bottles removed and in a collapsed configuration ; Figure 4 is a plan of a cut and creased blank for forming a basket-style carrier according to the present invention ; and Figure 5 is plan illustrating how two blanks of the kind shown in Figure 4 are cut from a web of stiff, yet foldable sheet material.

Figure 1 shows a basket-style carrier, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, carrying six bottles 2. The carrier 1 has a pair of spaced apart end walls 3, a pair of spaced apart side walls 4 (only one of which can be seen in Figure 1), a handle 5 and an"automatic"bottom (not shown). The carrier 1 is formed by cutting and creasing a blank 6 (see Figure 2) from a sheet of stiff yet foldable sheet material. In Figure 2, cut lines are represented by full lines, fold lines are represented by dashed lines, the longer dashed lines representing fold lines foldable upwardly from the plane of the paper and the shorter dashed lines representing fold lines foldable downwardly from the plane of the paper, and the hatched lines represent glued regions.

The blank 6 has a first panel portion formed by an end panel 7 and a side panel 8 joined together about a fold line 9. An end tab 10 is foldably connected to the side panel 8 about a fold line 11 and an end portion, comprising an end panel 12 and a side panel 13 is joined to the end panel 7 about a fold line 14. The panels 12 and 13 are joined about a fold line 15. A handle panel 16 is integrally joined to the upper part of the end portion formed by panels 12 and 13 and a handle panel 17 formed of two parts 17a and 17b, foldably joined together about fold line 18, is integrally joined to the upper part of the first panel portion. Bottom panels 19-22 are foldably joined to the panels 8,7, 13 and 12, respectively.

The blank 6 is provided with cut lines in the form of angled slits 24-27. No material is intended to be cut out of the sheet material of the blank by these slits, the opposing or confronting walls of each slit contacting one another.

The blank is formed into the carrier 1, in a flat collapsed configuration (see Figure 3), by initially folding bottom panels 19-22 upwardly through 1800. The handle panel part 17a is folded about fold line 18 and the upper surfaces (as viewed in Figure 2) of the handle panel parts 17a and 17b are adhered together. Then the end portion formed by the end panels 12 and 13 is folded upwardly through 1800 about fold line 14 so as to be positioned on top of the first panel portion. The handle panel 16 is adhesively bonded to the handle panel part 17a. The end tab 10 is then folded upwardly through 1800 about fold line and is adhesively bonded to the end panel 12. A corner portion 19a of bottom panel 19 is adhesively bonded to the bottom panel 22 and a corner portion 21a is adhesively bonded to the bottom panel 20. The corner portions 19a, 20a are connected to the main portions of panels 19,20 by fold lines which may, if required, be perforated and creased or nonperforated and creased fold lines. The carrier 1 is now in the flat, collapsed configuration shown in Figure 3 with the

bottom panels sandwiched between the first panel portion and a second panel portion formed by the panels 12 and 13 and the end tab 10 adhered thereto.

In order to erect the carrier from the flattened. collapsed condition shown in Figure 3, inward pressure P is applied to the fold lines 11 and 14 causing the fold lines 11 and 14 to move towards each other and the carrier to open up and move into its erected configuration in which the bottom panels automatically form a substantially flat, interlocked bottom. Portions 30 of the blank extend between the handle 5 and the side walls 4 and define partitions of the carrier 1. Further description of the construction of the blank and how the carrier moves between its collapsed and erected configurations can be found in US-A-5, 645-162.

The present invention is illustrated by the blank 40 shown in Figure 4. The blank 40 is similar in many respects to the blank 6 shown in Figure 1 and where possible the same reference numerals as used with blank 6 have been used with blank 40 to identify similar parts. The blank 40 only has two handle panels 16,17 intended to form a handle in the carrier of double thickness sheet material, e. g. double faced corrugated fibreboard having flutes extending in the directions of the double-headed arrow A in Figure 4. (The flute direction is not essential to the invention and the flutes could extend perpendicular to the arrow A). End

panel 12'is foldably connected to the side panel 8 and has bottom panel 22'foldably joined thereto and end tab 10'is foldably joined to the side panel 13. The main difference, however, between the blanks 6 and 40 is the provision of slots 42 in the blank 40 (as opposed to slits 24 in the blank 6).

The slots 42 are angled and are generally arranged substantially parallel to each other. Confronting walls 42a and 42b of each slot 42 are spaced apart and do not contact each other in the blank or when assembled to form the collapsed carrier. This ensures that the walls of the slots

42 do not snag or contact each other during movement into and out of the collapsed configuration thereby facilitating the erection and collapsing of the carrier by an end user.

Although the angled slots are substantially straight and parallel this is not essential to the design.

At least one of the ends of each slot 42 has radiused curves to prevent or deter the slot from opening up or tearing in use. At least one of the slot walls 42a of each slot may be slightly curved to facilitate the gluing operation.

Figure 5 shows how two blanks 50 and 51 may be cut from a web of sheet material to minimise wastage of the sheet material.

Claims

1. A basket-style carrier comprising a blank of stiff yet foldable sheet material which is cut, folded and has regions adhered together, the carrier being movable between an erected configuration having a bottom formed of bottom panels, spaced apart end walls, spaced apart side walls, a handle extending between the end walls and partition means extending between the handle and the side walls, and a flat collapsed configuration in which first and second regions of the blank are folded flat towards each other with said bottom panels therebetween, the partition means being formed by spaced apart cut lines formed in said first and second regions of the blank, characterised in that said cut lines are formed as slots whereby the confronting walls of each slot do not contact each other during movement of the carrier into or out of its collapsed configuration.

2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the various parts of the blank which are joined together are adhesively bonded together.

3. A carrier according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the confronting walls of each slot is curved or bowed.

4. A carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the stiff, yet foldable sheet material comprises double faced corrugated fibreboard.

5. A carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the ends of each slot are radiused.

6. A cut and creased blank constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A basket-style carrier comprising a blank of stiff yet foldable sheet material having a first panel portion with spaced apart ends defined by first and second parallel fold lines, the first panel portion comprising a first end panel and a first side panel foldably joined to the first end panel about a third fold line parallel to said first and second fold lines, a first handle panel joined to an upper part of the first panel portion, first and second end portions foldably joined to said first panel portion about said first and second fold lines, respectively, and joined together to provide a second panel portion, the second panel portion comprising a second end panel and a second side panel foldably joined to the second end panel about a fourth fold line parallel to said first and second fold lines, a second handle panel joined to the upper part of the second panel portion to form with the latter a handle of the carrier, and bottom panels joined to lower edges of said panel portions, the carrier formed by the blank in its joined together condition being movable between a flat collapsed configuration and an erected configuration in which the bottom panels are automatically configured during erection to provide a base for the carrier, the first and second panel portions each having cut lines formed therein which, in the collapsed configuration of the carrier, are spaced apart from each other to define partition means therebetween, the partition means, in the erected configuration of the carrier, extending between the handle and the side panels to partition the carrier, characterised in that said cut lines are formed as slots whereby the confronting walls of each slot do not contact each other during movement of the carrier into or out of its collapsed configuration.