GB2466949A

GB2466949A - Collapsible container

Info

Publication number: GB2466949A
Application number: GB0900542A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark John Ryan
Original assignee: TRM Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: TRM Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2009-01-14
Filing date: 2009-01-14
Publication date: 2010-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2029-01-14
Also published as: GB0900542D0; IE20090487A1; GB2466949B

Abstract

A collapsible container 10, cut from a single cardboard blank 12, has an erected configuration and a collapsed configuration. In the erected configuration the container has a base 18, two side walls 20, 22, and a front 14 and rear 16 wall. At least two of the walls 14, 16 are formed from a foldable panel comprising three sections 28, 30, 32 which form an inner 32, outer 28 and top 30 face of a double wall. Preferably the foldable panels include a locking tongue 38, 40 for locking the container 10 in the erected configuration. The walls 14, 16, 20, 22 of the container 10 may be secured to each other by gluing or pinstitching. The walls 14, 16, 20, 22 of the container 10 may be provided with a plurality of creases, indicated by chain lines, so that the various parts of the container 10 may be bent relative to one another in the erected state so as to assume the collapsed state.

Description

iMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO CONTAINERS The present invention relates to containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to containers for use in transporting foodstuffs.

There are many packages on the market which are supplied in a collapsed configuration for ease of storage and/or transportation and which are then erected for use.

A problem with known boxes of the type described above is that they are often not strong enough for certain requirements and, in particular, when heavy goods are distributed in the boxes, fewer boxes can be stacked on top of another in layers as the boxes cannot withstand the compression exerted by other boxes and their contents in a higher layer(s).

The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to such containers, including boxes, cartons or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to overcame or alleviate one or more of

the problems associated with the prior art.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collapsable container having a collapsed configuration and an erected configuration wherein the erected configuration comprises a base, two side walls, a front and rear wall, wherein at least two of the walls are formed from a foldable panel comprising three sections which form an inner, outer and top face of the wall.

The containers of the present invention are stronger than previously known containers. As a consequence, a plurality of containers can be stacked in higher columns having more layers resulting in the use of fewer pallets and optimising delivery load. As a consequence, the use of such containers to transport goods is more cost effective and the associated carbon footprint is reduced.

The foldable panel may comprise means for locking the container in the erected configuration. The means for locking the container may comprise at least one locking tongue. Preferably, the means comprises at least two locking tongues.

The container may be manufactured from any suitable material known to the skilled person. Preferably, the container is manufactured from cardboard, corrugated board, solid board, carton board, coated board, strawboard, millboard or paper.

In one embodiment of the invention there is a collapsible container constructed with a double front and rear wall provided at each end with a locking tongue adapted for insertion into a slot approximately in the angle between the base and wall.

The container is preferably die-cut from a single blank, the blank being scored, cut & creased, creased or foided (hereinafter referred to as creased') to adapt it to be bent readily to form the various parts of the container when erected.

One or more of the walls may be secured to another wall to help improve the structural integrity of the erected container and save time during erection.

The means of securing the walls to one another may comprise gluing, pinstitching or the like.

In one embodiment, the container may have at each side of the base a lateral wall having an ear at either end for securing to an adjacent part of the rear and/or front wall.

The rear and front walls may each comprise a panel having three creases defining the inner, top and outer faces of the walls.

Remote from the base may be two locking tongues which may be adapted for insertion into a slot approximately in the crease where the base and panel meet. The locking tab may co-operate with a locking slit. The locking slit may be located in the base. Preferably, the locking slit is located at or near to the crease between the base and the wall.

The locking means may have a lateral locking tongue at its distal end from the base which is adapted when the container is erected to enter a locking slot, the effective part of this slot being in or close to the corner between the base and the wall.

In one embodiment, the container may be erected as follows:-The lateral walls are turned up; the flaps are turned inwardly; the front wall is turned upwardly and then its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so that the locking tabs can co-operate with slots in the adjacent base, thus forming a wall having rectangular cross-section;the rear wall is turned upwardly and then its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so that the locking tabs can co-operate with slots in the adjacent base, thus forming a wall having rectangular cross-section.

The rectangular cross-section may provide enhanced structural integrity to the container which enables a plurality of containers when loaded with produce to be stacked one on top of the other to a column height greater than that of known containers.

The lateral or side walls may be turned up and the flaps turned inwardly and either glued or pinstitched to the adjacent front and rear wall. This may improve the structural integrity of the container and also helps to ensure quick and easy erection of the container.

The container may be made from a single cardboard blank; it may comprise a base, a double end wall at each end, and a locking extension at each end, all these being in one line. At each side of the base there is a lateral wall.

The locking slots in the lateral walls that receive the locking tongues may be complementarily shaped. In one embodiment, the tongue is substantially rectangular so as to form a three-sided tab.

The slot for receiving the tongue may extend into the lateral wall or into the adjacent base, but it is preferred that the part of the slot through which the lateral locking tongue passes shall be at or substantially at the junction of the lateral wall with the base.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blank for a collapsable container comprising a base, front and rear walls there being creases between these various parts so that they may be bent relatively to one another to erect the container.

The term crease' is intended to include scored, creased or folded.

The blank may comprise a base, front and rear walls and two side walls, a double front and rear wall, a base, and two lateral walls.

The blank may additionally comprise locking means for the front and rear wa I Is.

Preferably the blank comprises: -a base and extending therefrom -a front and rear wall comprising a panel having three creases forming there between in an erected container an inner, top and outer face of the wall -two lateral walls comprising a panel having disposed at either end a flap for enagagement with the inner face of the front and rear walls.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figs. I a-e show a one-piece blank cut and creased so that it can form a container in accordance with the present invention and shows each stage of the assembly method; Fig. 2 shows an alternative embodiment showing a one-piece blank cut and creased so that it can form a container in accordance with the present invention; and Figs. 3 a-e show a further embodiment showing a one-piece blank cut and creased so that it can form a container in accordance with the present invention and shows each stage of the assembly method.

The container 10 is cut from a single cardboard blank 12, the blank being scored, creased or folded (hereinafter referred to as creased') to adapt it to be bent readily to form the various parts of the container when erected. The blank comprises a double front and rear wall 14,16, a base 18, and two side walls 20, 22. There is a plurality of creases indicated by chain lines between these various parts so that they may be bent relatively to one another.

At each side of the base 18 there is a lateral wall 20, 22 each having two flaps 24, 24' and 26, 26' at either end.

The front and rear walls 14, 18 have three panels 28, 30, 32 separated by parallel creases 34, 36. Remote from the base and extending away therefrom are locking tongues 38, 40 which are complementarily shaped to slots 42, 44 located in the crease 46 between the base 18 and adjacent walls 14, 16 the effective part of this slot being in or close to the corner between the base 18 and the wall 14, 16 and somewhat spaced from the box corner. It will be noted that this slot is formed without it being necessary to remove any waste from the blank; the flap formed in the blank by the cutting tends to grip the locking tongue 38, 40 when the latter inserted.

The container 10 is erected as follows (Figs 1be): The lateral walls 20, 22 are turned up; the front wall 14 is turned upwardly and then its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so as to form the top 50, outer 52 and inner 54 walls of the double front wall; the locking tongue 38, 40 for the front wall is then passed through the locking slot in the base and is gripped there by the flap formed by the cut.

The rear wall 16 is erected in a similar fashion to the front wall: the rear wall is turned upwardly and then its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so as to form the top 50', outer 52' and inner 54' walls of the double rear wall; the locking tongue for the rear wall is then passed through the locking slot in the base and is gripped there by the flap formed by the cut.

The front and rear walls 14, 16 have a rectangular cross-section when erected which provides mechanical strength allowing the erected containers even when full to be stacked on top of one another.

The lateral wall flaps 24, 26, 24', 26' are turned inwardly and glued to the adjacent part of the inner face of outer wall 52, 52' of the front and rear wall.

The collapsable cardboard container made of one substantially rectangular blank the front and rear walls being diagonally scored from the back bottom edge, the front also having scores inclined from the bottom corner upwards and at the same angle to the bottom edge as the scores in the end pieces, the edges or corners all being scored, whereby when the ends of the erected box are pushed in, the whole container forms a flat pack.

There is a flat rectangular blank scored along six lines parallel with the short side of the blank, so that when bent, on these lines, there will be formed the front and rear walls, and base of the container, the front and rear wall also being scored inwardly from their edges at forty five degrees. Each side wall is formed from a panel having a score line substantially perpendicular to the six parallel lines. The side walls have flaps which can be glued or pinstitched in place on the adjacent front and rear walls. Thus there is provided a box which can be easily collapsed for storage and bulk transportation, and which can be opened and erected by the reverse movement.

According to one embodiment of the invention a rectangular blank of cardboard is taken having two long sides and two short sides, and, considering the blank from the top short edge, a score is made right across parallel with the edge and a short distance inward, the cardboard from the edge to this score constituting the inner face of the rear wall. Further in, another parallel score is made which will form the top face of the rear wall between the score lines. A third parallel score is now made which constitutes the bend line between the front face of the rear wall and the base of the container. There are three further similarly arranged parallel score lines to form the front wall.

From the bottom corner of each side a score is made at an angle of forty five degrees to the top edge and which starts at the junction between the base and the front and rear walls and extend as far as the edge removed from the base.

The lateral walls of the container are rectangular panels, each with a projecting flap at each side, those at the side being cut away to clear the inclined scores on the sides and to be glued or pinstitched on the adjacent panel.

The score lines at forty five degrees allow the container to collapse into a flat pack when glued or pinstitched to allow for quick and easy erection. The panels forming the front and rear wall are deformed so that the walls can be collapsed into the base allowing the container to be stored and/or transported as a flat pack.

An advantage associated with this embodiment is that the side walls do not try to revert back to their flat form and enables the container to be manufactured more cost effectively by using a reduced strength grade and or thickness material. lf used as a base with a coniplementarily shaped lid, the construction of the container may allow for the lid to be made from a reduced strength and or thickness container material and may also allow for a reduction in height of the lid, thus using less material, speeding up the production process and also permitting more container to be loaded on a pallet thus reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions. This is due to the increased structural integrity and strength of the container of the present invention.

In addition, the container of the present invention allow the flaps 24', 26' to be glued or pinstitched at higher speeds reducing manufacturing costs.

Fig. 2 shows a similar container to Fig. I with the exception that the edge of panels 50, 50' are cut away to allow easier and faster assembly.

I

Fig. 3 a-e show an alternative embodiment where the side walls are designed to collapse whilst the front and rear wall are simply folded inwardly at crease line 46.

There are score lines 601 62 at forty five degrees extending from the corner of each side adjacent to the base and extend as far as the edge removed from the base. This enables the side walls to deform and allow the container to be collapsed when the flaps of the side walls are glued or pinstitched to the front and rear walls.

This embodiment has a lower height when flat packed which can be beneficial in certain circumstances.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A collapsible container having a collapsed configuration and an erected configuration, wherein the erected configuration comprises a base, two side walls, a front and rear wall, wherein at least two of the walls are formed from a foldable panel comprising three sections which form an inner, outer and top face of the wall.
2. A collapsible container as described in claim 1 wherein the foldable panel comprises means for locking the container in the erected configuration.
3. A collapsible container as claimed in claims 1 and 2 wherein the means for locking the container comprises at least one locking tongue.
4. A collapsible container, as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims wherein the container is manufactured from any suitable material known to the skilled person, including but not limited to; cardboard, corrugated * : *.: board, solid board, carton board, coated board, strawboard, millboard or paper.
5. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the *.***S * S *. preceding claims which is constructed with a double front and rear wall provided at each end with a locking tongue adapted for insertion into a slot approximately in the angle between the base and wall.
6. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims which has been made from a single blank, the blank being adapted to be bent readily.
7. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 6 which has been die-* 13 cut from a single blank, the blank being adapted to be bent readily by being scored, cut and creased, creased or folded.
8. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims in which one or more of the walls is secured to another wall.
9. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 8 in which one or more of the walls is secured to another wall by gluing, pinstitching or the like.
10. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims which has at each side of the base a lateral wall having an ear at either end for securing to an adjacent part of the rear andlor front wall.
11. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims in which the rear and front walls may comprise a panel having three creases which define the inner, top and outer faces of the walls.
12. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims wherein remote from the base there are two locking tongues which may be adapted for insertion into a slot. S... * I S...

* : *.:
13. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 12 wherein the locking tab co-operates with a locking slit.

*.IS.S * *
14. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein the *s: locking slit is located in the base, at the crease between the base and the wall or near to the crease between the base and the wall.
15. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims wherein the locking means has a lateral locking tongue.
16. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 15 wherein the lateral locking tongue is at the distal end from the base. * 14
17. A collapsible container as claimed in claims 15 and 16 wherein the lateral locking tongue is adapted when the container is erected to enter a locking slot.
18. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 17 wherein the effective part of this locking slot is in or close to the corner between the base and the wall.
19. A method of erecting a collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims wherein the lateral walls are turned up, the flaps are turned inwardly, the front wall is turned upwardly and the its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so that the locking tabs can co-operate with slots in the adjacent base, thus forming a wall having rectangular cross-section, the rear wall is turned upwardly and then its upper end is turned downwardly and inwardly so that the locking tabs can co-operate with slots in the adjacent base, thus forming a wall having rectangular cross-section.
20. A method of erecting a collapsible container as claimed in claim 19 *...* : *.: wherein the lateral or side walls may be turned up and the flaps turned inwardly and either glued or pinstitched or the like to the adjacent front and rear wall.

****** * * :.
21. A collapsible container as claimed in claims 6 OR 7 comprising a * :* base, a double end wall at each end and a locking extension at each end, and in which at each side of the base there is a lateral wall.
22. A collapsible container as claimed in any one of claims 6, 7 or 21 in which the locking tongues are complementarily shaped.
23. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 22 wherein the locking tongue is substantially rectangular so as to form a three-sided tab. * 15
24. A collapsible container as claimed in any one or more of claims 21 to 23 wherein the slot for receiving the locking tongue extends into the lateral wall, or into the adjacent base, or that part of the slot is at or substantially at the junction of the lateral wall with the base.
25. A blank for a collapsible container comprising a base, front and rear walls, there being creases between these various parts so they may be bent relatively to each other to erect the container.
26. A blank as claimed in claim 25 wherein the blank comprises a locking means for the front and rear walls.
27. A blank as claimed in claim 25 or 26 comprising; a base and extending therefrom a front and rear wall comprising a panel having three creases forming there between in an erected container an inner, top and outer face of the wall two lateral walls comprising a panel having disposed at either end a flap for engagement with the inner face of the front and rear walls.I I...I**. . .* * *I* Its.. * *I I.. If SW * ( S * I * a...S S