GB2463525A

GB2463525A - Collapsible container

Info

Publication number: GB2463525A
Application number: GB0817049A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kelvin John Wells
Original assignee: DS SMITH CORRUGATED Ltd
Current assignee: DS SMITH CORRUGATED Ltd
Priority date: 2008-09-17
Filing date: 2008-09-17
Publication date: 2010-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-17
Also published as: GB2463525B; GB0817049D0

Abstract

A blank 1 for a container 4 is formed of a relatively rigid, creasable and foldable material and comprises inner and outer wall panels 2, 3 secured together substantially in parallel, and one of which has a means 5 to separate part 7 thereof from remaining material of the panel 3, the arrangement being such that when the part 7 is separated, it remains attached to the other panel 2 and the container can be collapsed.

Description

A CONTAINER

The invention relates to a container, particularly to such as is used for storage andlor transport of vegetables.

Such produce is often held in plastic trays, which are expensive to produce, but which can interstack and or side walls can be collapsed by folding down. This is useful for storage, and transport when empty of produce. Containers such as trays are also made from lighter material such as corrugated or fluted material which is assembled from a blank or blanks, but usually cannot be collapsed to a flat mode, which can cause disposal issues.

It is an object of the invention to seek to mitigate these disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a container for produce, erectable from a single blank of a relatively rigid creasable and foldable material, comprising inner and outer wall panels secured together substantially in parallel and one of which has means to separate part thereof from remaining material of the panel, the arrangement being such that when the part is separated, it remains attached to the other panel and the container can be collapsed.

Using the invention it is possible to provide a container erected from a blank of relatively rigid, strong yet light material such as a corrugated or fluted sheet of plastic or board, and which is flattenable after use.

The one wall panel means may comprise an outer wall panel, or alternatively may comprise an inner wall panel. This provides for flexibility in construction.

The means to separate part of the one wall panel may comprise at least one continuous rupturable perforation, which in one embodiment may be of substantially oval configuration.

The material may comprise a fluted material.

There may be spaced apart continuous rupturable perforations in an outer wall panel on each longer side of the container when the container is of substantially rectangular configuration.

The superposed wall panels may be secured together with adhesive, which may be applied to the other wall panel at a corresponding position or positions to the means to separate part of the one panel from the surrounding material. This provides for a positive glueing together of respective parts.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides a blank of relatively rigid creasable and foldable material adapted for erection to provide a container, comprising means adapted to allow separation of part of the material of the blank from surrounding material of the blank.

In the blank, the said means may comprise at least one continuous, rupturable perforation.

Preferably, there may be two sets of spaced apart said perforations each having a generally oval shape in plan, or which may comprise two spaced apart said perforations each of substantially square or rectangular shape in plan.

A container for produce, and a blank therefor are hereinafter described, by way of example, in the accompanying schematic drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank of material used to assemble or erect a particular embodiment of container; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a container assembled or erected from the blank of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 to 6 are plan views of respective further blanks which are used to assemble and erect containers each similar to Fig. 2, but not illustrated herein.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by like reference numerals Fig. 1 is a plan view of a single blank 1 of relatively rigid creasable and foldable material such as a fluted or corrugated material of card or plastics.

The blank I comprises panels 2 and 3 which are in the erected container 4, Fig. 2, inner and outer wall panels respectively secured together substantially in parallel and one of which in the embodiment shown, the outer (as viewed) panel 3, has means 5 to separate part 7 thereof from remaining material 6 of the panel 3, the arrangement being such that when the part 7 is separated, it remains attached to the other panel 2, in the embodiment the inner one as viewed panel, and the container 4 can be collapsed.

The panels 2, 3 are secured together by suitable securing means in the form of glue or adhesive applied to the surface of one or both of the panels 2, 3 at locations within the boundary 5 of the part 7. In the embodiment there are two parts 7 in an outer wall panel 3, which is one of a pair of opposite wall panels of the blank 1. The means 5 to separate a respective part 7 of the panel 3 from the remainder comprising a continuous line of perforation nicked in the material of the panel 3. The line of perforation 5 which in the embodiment is of substantially square configuration with rounded corners defines within its boundary the location for application of the glue or adhesive. As also shown in Fig. 1, there are in each panel, two spaced apart means 5 for separation providing he two parts 7. This provides for a symmetrical construction and collapse of a container 4 or tray assembled from the blank 1.

Turning now to other features of the blank 1, it is a planar sheet of material having a series of flutes or corrugations extending in the direction of arrow X. There is a central rectangular part 8 which in use forms a base of the erected container 4. The pair of opposite wall panels 3, which in use are the outer panels of longer sides of the container or tray, which is rectangular, are connected to the part 8 by hinge or fold lines 9.

Opposite end walls 10 of the erected container are formed by opposite flap parts 11 secured to the part 8 by respective hinge or fold lines 12 at right angles to the hinge or fold lines 9. The inner wall parts 2 are defined by respective opposite flap parts hinged to the flap parts 11 along respective hinge or fold lines 13. The flap parts 2 are separated from the wall parts 3 by cuts or indents 14. The flap parts 11 each have additional flaps 15 secured thereto by hinge or fold lines 16, there being at opposite sides of each additional flap 15 a tab 17 which is hinged to the additional flaps by respective hinge or fold lines 18. There are cut-outs 19 which are located to receive an upstanding spigot or tongue 20, and further cut outs 21 which provide hand-holds for lifting the assembled or erected container 4. In use, to erect the container 4 from the blank 1, the respective wall parts and flaps and flap parts 2, 3, 11 are folded up out of the plane of the figure (i.e. upwardly towards the viewer) about the respective hinge or fold lines 9, 12, 13.

Glue or adhesive is applied to the surface shown of the part 7 of the wall part 3 within the continuous line of perforation 5 so that it can adhere to the lower and hence hidden surface of the wall panels 2 which as shown in Fig. 2 are inside and secured to the wall parts 3. The flap parts 15 are folded over and the tabs 17 folded down, to secure the end walls 10 of the erected container and to provide opposite inwardly directed ledges for stacking one container on top of an erected similar container. The tongues 20 enter the cut outs 19 to provide stability in a pile of stacked containers.

When it is desired to collapse the container 4 of Fig. 2, the parts 7 are separated from the remaining or surrounding material 6 of the outer wall panel 3 by application of suitable pressure, which can be, and usually is, manual pressure. This ruptures, or bursts, the continuous line of perforations 5. Following rupture, the separated part 7 remains secured to the inner wall panel 2. The ends 10 can then be folded inwardly and downwardly to or towards the base 8, with the wall panels 3 being folded in turn onto them. The container 4 is then collapsed as by being flattenable for storage andlor transport.

The embodiments of blank of Figs. 3 to 6 respectively are similar to that of Fig. 1 and thus will not be described in detail, as they are erected in a maimer similar to that described with respect to Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of blank 300 of Fig. 3, the separable parts 7 have the shape shown, which provides for ease of separation from the surrounding material 6 of the wall parts 3.

In the embodiment of blank 400 of Fig. 4, the separable parts 7 are rectangular and at edges of the wall parts 3, in this case there also being a separable part 7' of the inner wall part 2, the two separable parts 7, 7 being secured by adhesive. When the part 7 of the outer wall part 3 is separated from the remaining material 6 of the wall part 3, it remains attached to the other panel 2, but in this case the part 7' to which it is attached is also separated from the remainder of the inner panel 2 by perforations 5' along two edges so that the container can be collapsed as before. In this embodiment too, the inner wall panel is foldable on itself about fold lines 401 to align the separable parts 7, 7'.

The embodiment of blank 500 of Fig. 5 is similar in configuration and erection to that of Fig. 4, except that the separable part 7' of the inner in use wall panel 2 is omitted.

In the embodiment of blank 600 of Fig. 6, the end wall panels 11 has apart 7" separable by a line of perforation 5" and which is secured as by adhesive to the inner wall part 2, which is also secured to the separable part 7 of the outer wall panel 3 as in Fig. 5. In Fig. 6, the inner wall panel is folded about hinge or fold lines 601 so that the part 2 is secured to the separable part 7" of the end wall, Separation of the part 7 from the remainder of the outer panel 3 and separation of the part 7" from the remainder of the end wall panel 11 results in ease of collapse of the container to a relatively substantially flattened condition for storage or transport as before. A line of perforation defines the separable part 7".

It will be understood that in all the embodiments described with reference to the drawings, the perforations 5, 5', 5" are essentially lines of weakness formed by a suitable perforating tool and which can be ruptured or burst by suitable applied pressure, e.g. manual, to separate the parts 7, 7', 7" from the remaining material of the respective wall panel or part to provide for the collapsing operation. It will also be understood that the hinge, fold or crease lines are formed in the material of the blanks by any suitable means, and that all of the separable parts are separated prior to collapse, through for simplicity, only one has been described.

The continuous rupturable perforations can be in the inner flap, rather than the outer one.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A container for produce, erectable from a single blank of a relatively rigid creasable and foldable material, comprising inner and outer wall panels secured together substantially in parallel and one of which has means to separate part thereof from remaining material of the panel, the arrangement being such that when the part is separated, it remains attached to the other panel and the container can be collapsed.
2. A container according to Claim 1, the one wall panel means comprising an outer wall panel.
3. A container according to Claim 1, the one wall panel comprising an inner wall panel.
4. A container according to any preceding claim, the means to separate part of the one wall panel comprising at least one continuous rupturable perforation.
5. A container according to Claims 3 or 4, the at least one continuous rupturable perforation being of substantially square, rectangular or oval configuration.
6. A container according to Claim 6, the material comprising a fluted material.
7. A container according to any of Claims 3 to 5, there being spaced apart continuous rupturable perforations in an outer wall panel on each longer side of the container when the container is of substantially rectangular configuration.
8. A container according to any preceding claim, the separable part being located at an edge of the one panel.
9. A container according to Claim 8, the other panel comprising a separable part to which the separable part of the one panel is attached.
10. A container according to Claim 9, the separable part of the other panel being located at an edge thereof.
11. A container according to Claim 8, the other panel being foldable on itself.
12. A container according to any of Claims ito 7, there being a separable part of a wall of the container at right angles to the inner and outer wall panels.
13. A container according to any preceding claim, the wall panels being secured together with adhesive.
14. A container according to Claim 13, the adhesive being applied to the other wall panel at a corresponding position or positions to the means to separate part of the one panel from the surrounding material
15. A blank of relatively rigid creasable and foldable material adapted for erection to provide a container, comprising means adapted to allow separation of part of the material of the blank from surrounding material of the blank.
16. A blank according to Claim 15, the said means comprising at least one continuous, rupturable perforation.
17. A blank according to Claim 15, comprising two sets of spaced apart perforations.
18. A blank according to Claim 15, comprising two spaced apart said perforations each of substantially square, rectangular or oval shape in plan.
19. A container for produce, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
20. A blank, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.