GB2448171A - Packaging of a stack of folded laminar elements - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for packaging laminar elements, e.g. smooth slippery plastic sheets, that can be unitarily used comprises folding each laminar element (1) about at least one longitudinal axis (3), stacking a plurality of the folded elements, and carrying out successive foldings of the stack in zigzag about transverse axes (5) to form a rectangular prismatic block. This block is then doubled about a final folding axis (7) perpendicular to the transverse axes (5) and tightly housed inside a box (4) from which an area close to one of its corners can be torn off along precut lines of weakness 15. This area defines a window (18) for direct access to the folded stack in order to unitarily extract each laminar element (1) by means of manual and direct pulling thereon.

Description

METHOD FOR PACKAGING LAMINAR ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE UNITARILY

USED AND PACKAGE SUPPLYING SAID LAMINAR ELEMENTS.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for folding, with a view to the corresponding packaging, a group or block of equal laminar elements, which can be subsequently and unitarily extracted from the corresponding package for its also unitary consumption.

The invention also relates to the package storing and supplying said laminar elements.

The invention is especially applicable to laminar elements with completely smooth contact surfaces allowing the easy sliding thereof, such as smooth plastic sheets for example, and cannot be used with laminar elements provided with rough surfaces, which cannot slide over one another.

The invention is especially suitable for being used in plastic clothing protectors of the type used in hairdressing for the, protection of the customers, but is also applicable to disposable sheets for stretchers, covers for armchair backrests, garbage bags, etc. The invention is therefore located in the field of unitary dispensers of plastic sheets, with different applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a diversity of products obtained from smooth plastic, such as those mentioned above, which with a single-use character are unitarily supplied by a dispenser and are eliminated after their use. The aforementioned products are included in this group of products, such as for example the protectors used in hairdressing to protect the clothes of the users while operations such as hair dyeing for example are carried out.

These plastic sheets, as also occurs with those forming single-use sheets for stretchers, and others, have considerable dimensions, creating storage problems.

To date, it is usual for such laminar elements to be joined to one another, forming a continuous strip with an undefined length, from which they can be made independent by means of perforated or bored lines, they are supplied to the market in the form of rolls from which the different unities are extracted every time it is necessary, but this solution does not turn out to be very satisfactory, since the rolls obtained have a considerable length, which is not very desirable, and the extraction of each unit or * laminar element is slow and inconvenient since it is necessary to unroll it, which can take a considerable time depending on its length, subsequently having to make it independent by tearing the immediately following unit, which also contributes to complicating said handling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The method for packaging proposed by the invention solves in a completely satisfactory manner the problems set forth, allowing laminar elements with large dimensions and in a considerable number of units to be housed inside a rectangular prismatic box with a reduced size and, what is more important, that inside said box or container the mentioned elements can be easily extracted, in an unitary manner, and in a virtually instantaneous operation.

For that purpose and in a more specific manner, the process of the invention consists of folding each of said laminar elements over itself, at least once and according a centered longitudinal axis, according to its size, at least one successive folding being able to be carried out according to an axis parallel to the previous one, subsequently superimposing the already folded laminar elements in the expected number of units for a certain package, such as for example 50 units, subsequently proceeding to a transverse folding of this assembly, specifically a zigzag folding according a transverse axis, and finally subjecting said assembly to a folding over itself according an axis perpendicular to the previous ones, finally achieving a block tending to a rectangular-prismatic configuration which can be introduced inside an also rectangular prismatic box, preferably made of cardboard, with suitable dimensions.

The package must initially be open at one of its smaller sides or faces, so as to allow the introduction of the folded laminar element block and after its initial closing at the time of packaging, it must have precut lines facilitating the elimination of one of its corners, specifically of portions affecting four of its faces in correspondence with the joining edge between two close vertices, defining a window through which the laminar element block can be accessed, specifically through the folding line for the folding over itself, such that by pulling the directly accessible laminar element, a pulling on the latter will cause its exit from the package, parallel to its own extension, without affecting the remaining laminar elements.

Several laminar element blocks can optionally be arranged inside the cardboard package, which blocks are folded as described above, independent from one another and laterally adjacent, all of them being directly accessible through the mentioned window.

As regards the cardboard package, the latter will adopt the mentioned rectangular prismatic configuration, based on a onepiece body forming one of its side walls and the classic closing flange therefor, with lower flaps closing the base or lower end of the body in a fixed manner, and with similar upper flanges allowing the definite closing after introducing the laminar element block or blocks inside it, but with the peculiarity that the Iwo larger and upper closing flaps as well as one of the smaller side walls of the body are affected by precut lines which also affect one of the upper corners of the larger side walls and which together with the closed box allow tearing the latter through a lower finger notch, to obtain virtually instantaneously the aforementioned Jo window for the access to the laminar elements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description which is being made and for the purpose of aiding to better understand the features of the invention according to practical preferred embodiment thereof, a assembly of drawings is attached as an integral part of said Is description, in which the following has been represented with an illustrative and non-limiting manner: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a laminar element, specifically hairdressing protectors, in the initial phase of applying the packaging method of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the same element of the previous Figure after folding it over itself through its longitudinal middle line.

Figure 3 shows a second folding of one of the ends of the element according to a longitudinal line parallel to the previous one.

Figure 4 shows a block formed by a plurality of stacked sheets undergoing a zigzag folding.

Figure 5 shows the block of sheets once it has been folded, having a substantially rectangular prismatic shape 4.

Figure 6 shows the block of the previous figure after folding it over itself according to an axis perpendicular to the previous foldings.

Figure 7 also shows a perspective view of the block of the previous figure housed in the corresponding package or box, which is still open.

Figure 8 shows the box of the previous figure definitively closed.

Figure 9 again shows a perspective view of the box of Figure 8 after opening it for the unitary extraction of one of the laminar elements.

Figure 10 finally shows a plan view of the box of the previous figure.

* PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION As previously stated in the chosen practical embodiment, the method of the invention has been applied to hairdressing protectors (1), made of a basically rectangular, thin plastic sheet with smooth and slippery surfaces, provided with an intermediate cut finished in a circular expansion (2) for coupling it to the user's neck, but the laminar bodies (I) can evidently have any other configuration, determined by the any other practical purpose thereof.

In any case, as shown in Figure 1, the starting element is a laminar element (1), and said element is subjected to a folding over itself through and according to a centered longitudinal axis (3), and a subsequent folding according to another axis (21) parallel to the previous one, as shown in Figure 3, said second folding being carried out according to the width of the elements (1) and according to the expected size for the box or package (4) in which they are to be marketed.

A laminar element assembly is then stacked determining a block which is is subjected to a subsequent zigzag refolding according to transverse axes (5), as shown in Figure 4, with suitably spaced out folds, so as to determine a folded laminar element assembly (6) shown in Figure 5, with a width according to the width of the box (4), this folded laminar element assembly (6) then being subjected to a subsequent folding according to a centered axis (7) perpendicular to the axes (5), as shown in Figure 6, now achieving a definitive block (8) tending in turn to the rectangular prismatic configuration, the height and width of which coincide with or rather are close to those of the prismatic box (4), and the thickness of which can coincide with that of said box, when the introduction of a laminar element block is expected therein, or it can be a submultiple of that of said box when several laminar element blocks are to be introduced therein.

The box (4) is formed from a one-piece body, preferably made of cardboard, in which there are defined two larger side walls (9-9'), two smaller side walls (10-10'), a closing flange (11) for closing the walls (9) and (10') to change the body of the box into a tubular body, lower flaps (12) which, conveniently fixed to one another, close the box at their lower end, and upper flaps (13-13') and (14-14') which in the opened situation shown in Figure 7 allow introducing the definitive block (8) to be packaged inside the box, and which subsequently are closed by means of adhesive or any other means considered to be convenient.

A precut line (15) with an angular path one each of the larger flaps (13-13') is formed in correspondence with one of the ends of the upper base of the box, which precut lines affect the larger side faces (9-9') near one of their vertices and are closed one over the other in correspondence with one of their smaller side walls (10), where the precut line (15) is complemented with a finger notch (16) such that from the closed situation shown in Figure 8 and acting on the finger notch (16), it is easy to tear the sectors (17) of the body of the box, to define thereon the window (18) shown in Figure 9 and making the laminar &ement block (8) directly accessible, specifically accessible to the laminar element (1) occupying the outermost plane, which element can be easily extracted leaving the following laminar element ready for repeating the extraction operation, and so on until the complete extraction of the content of the box (4).

Claims (5)

1.-A method for packaging laminar elements that can be unitarily used, such as plastic protectors for hairdressing, plastic sheets for stretchers, plastic bags and other single-use laminar elements with smooth and slippery surfaces, characterized in that the following operative phases are formed therein: -Folding each of the laminar elements (1) over themselves according to at least one centered longitudinal axis (3).

-Stacking a laminar element assembly (1) once they have been folded in the predicted number of units.

-Folding the mentioned laminar element assembly (1) in zigzag according to transverse axes until achieving a considerably prismatic rectangular folded laminar element assembly (6).

-Folding said folded laminar element assembly (6) according to an axis (7) perpendicular to the zigzag folding axis(5) to define a definitive block (8).

-Introducing at least one definitive block (8) obtained in the previous phase inside a cardboard box (4) such that the fold according to axis (7) is accessible from one of the ends of the upper part of the box (4).

2.-A package supplying the laminar elements packaged with the method of claim 1, characterized in that it has a rectangular prismatic body (4), having in correspondence with one of the ends of its upper base a precut line (15) affecting both its closing flap (13-13') and one of its smaller side waIls (10) and the larger side walls (9-9') framing it, said precut or tearing line defining a window (18) for the direct access to the definitive laminar element block (8), the laminar elements being housed inside the box (4).

3.-A package according to claim 2, characterized in that the mentioned window (18) affects a wide sector of the larger upper flaps (13-13'), defining in correspondence therewith an angular edge affecting triangular sectors of the larger side walls (9-9') and a wide upper sector of the intermediate smaller side wall (10), defining a concave curved edge, in correspondence to which a finger notch (16) facilitating the removal of the determined material from the mentioned window (18) is arranged.

4. A method for packaging laminar elements that can be unitarily used substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings

5. A package for supplying laminar elements substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in Figures 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.