GB2504086A - Box provided with product engagement features - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a box and to a box blank. The box comprises folded sheet material, which may be corrugated cardboard. The sheet material forms a base 18, upright walls 12, 14, 16a, 16b, and an upper part 22 which is removable to display the contents of the box. The base is formed by at least two base flaps 72a, 72b which overlap one another. At least one of the base flaps is shaped to provide product engagement features 82, 83 which preferably comprise a plurality of cut-aways 82 open to the free-edge of the flap such that fingers 83 are formed between them. These serve to engage with products in the box, assisting in maintaining them in a chosen position and/or orientation. Preferably, the base flap with the product engagement features is inclined upwardly and supported from beneath by another flap. The invention is particularly applicable to shelf-ready packaging.

Description

BOX

The present invention relates to a box and a box blank.

Produce is commonly delivered to retailers in cardboard boxes. At the retailer, items may be taken individually from the boxes and suitably arranged on shelving for display and sale but this involves considerable manual labour. For the sake of efficiency it is a common practice Instead to adapt boxes or other packaging to be placed directly on the retailers shelves and to suitably display the produce within.

In this way the need to take Individual items out of the box and arrange them on the shelf Is avoided. Boxes and other packages for use in this manner are referred to In the trade as shelf ready packaging".

Examples of shelf ready boxes are provided by GB 244780 A (DO Smith Packaging Limited) and US 6073833 (Desrosiers et al) both of which describe cardboard boxes whose top part can be torn away along a hne of perforations.

Such boxes are typically delivered to a manufacturer or distributor of produce in the form of a stamped, pre-creased, fiat blank, The manufacturer/distributor erectstheblanktoformabo;fmsttwfthltemsofproduceandshlpsfttothe retailer. At the retailer, merely tearing away the top part of the box leaves behind a tray or base portion of the box, containing and displaying the items of produce, which can be placed directly on the retailer's shelves It Is desirable that the contents of the box should be tidily arranged, not only when the box is full but also throughout its time on the retailer's shelf during which It Is gradually emptied by purchasers. This can be problematic. Consider

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for example the type of flat plastics packs commonly used for sced foods such as cold meats and cheeses. It is preferable for such packs to be displayed upright, standing on their bottom edges, so that the front face of the package is displayed to best advantage to customers. Sheft ready boxes can be filled with fiat plastics packs in this orientation and whe the box is fu the packs can support one another, but as the box empties support for the remaining packs is lost and they consequently faU over, givLng an untidy arrangement and making the retaners shelf display less attractive, According to a first aspect of the present invention there is a box comprising folded sheet material forming a base, upright was and a top part which is removable to display the contents of the box, wherein the base is formed by at least two base flaps which overlap one another, at least one of the base flaps being shaped to provide product engagement features for engaging with products in the box, tending to maintain them in a chosen position and/or orientation.

Shaping one of the base flaps to provide features for engaging with products packed in the box provides a constructionally convenient way to maintain the products in given positions and/or orientations. It need not add to the cost of manufacture of the box, since the necessary shape of the box bank can be formed during the usual stamping process used to form the blank. Nor need it add to the labour involved in erecting or filling the box. Boxes embodying the present invention can be formed using otherwise known constructional techniques and erected in conventiona manner. By helping to present produce to the customer in a tidy and attractive manner, boxes embodying the present invention can provide an important advantage over other shelf ready packaging Spectho embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the present invention shown inverted that is, with its base uppermost; Figure 2 is a plan view of a precut blank for the box of Figure 1 in a flat configuratbn; Figure 3 is a plan view of the same blank in a different configurahon foflowing a gluing operation: Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of the blank at successive stages in the process of its erection to form a box; Figure 6 is an end view of the box; Figure 7 is a perspective iUustration of the box, seen from above, in front and to one side, after removal of an upper part, Figure 8 is a further perspective illustration of the box, viewed from above and in front. In this drawing the box is shown partly filled; and Figure 9 is an end view of the box after removal of an upper part. In this drawing the box is shown fiHed.

The box 10 in the drawings is formed from a single piece of cardboard, more speciflcaly corrugated cardboard. Other suitabe sheet materials could be substituted. It is generaDy cuboida in shape, having upright front, rear and side wafis 12, 14, 16a, 1Gb, a base 18 and a top panel 20. The base 18 and top pan& are formed by multiple flaps/tabs as will be described b&ow. To enable the box to function as a shelf ready package, it is divided into upper and lower parts 22, 24 by a line of weakening. In the illustrated embodiment this takes the form of a perforation 2$ in the which extends continuously around all four of the box's uphght walk. To prepare a ready flUed-box for display on a retailer's shelves, one need only tear along the perforation 26 and remove the upper part 22 of the box. The box's contents are thereby revead, being carried in its lower part 24 which can then be placed on the sh&f (see FigureS in particular). The base 18 is formed, in accordance with the present invention, in such a way that it tends to keep the box's contents in a certain position and orientation, AU these aspect.s of the box's construction will now be described in more detail.

The blank IDa shown in Figure 2 can be formed by a conventional stamping process whioh not oniy defines the blank's shape but also forms crease lines, represented by dotted Unes in Figure 2, and the aforementioned perforaUon 26.

Three crease hnes 28. 30, 32 extending in the direction from top to bottom of the blank divide it to form the front, rear and side walls 12, 14, iSa, iSb. The sheet material of the blank IDa folds preferentially at the crease lines, which form upright vertices of the erected box (see items 50 in Figure 1, for example). A continuous crease line 34 extends from one side of the biank IDa to the other.

defining top edges of the walls 12, 14, lOs, 1Gb and coupllng them to respective top flaps 36, 38. 40, 42. The top flaps are separated from one another by cut aways 44, 46, 48 enabhng each to be folded inward through ninety degrees with respect to the walls that carry them so that in the erected box the top flaps together define the box's top panel 20. In this configuration the top flaps 40, 36 carried by the front and rear walls overlap the top flaps 38, 42 carried by the side walls, The top flaps may for example be kept in this configuration by a strip of adhesive tape, after the box has been filled, to cbse the box.

The rear wall 14 has an outer edge defined by a crease line 50 running in the direction from top to bottom of the blank IDa and coupling the rear wall 14 to a glue tab 52. Before the blank is despatched to a user, the rear waD 14 and the side wall 18b are folded through 180 about crease lines 28, 32, to form the configuration seen in Figure 3. in which rear wall 14 and side wall lOb are concealed beneath front wall 12 and side wall 16a. In this configuration glue tab 52 (not seen in Figure 3) overlaps an edge portion 54 of side wall 1Gb (see Figure 2) and these parts are glued to one another.

The perforation 26 dividing the box's upper and lower parts 22, 24 is seen in Figure 2 to extend across the entire width of the blank 1 Oa, running parallel to the upper and lower edges of the walls 12, 14, 16a, 16b across the rear wall 14, as seen at 56 in Figure 2: but being inclined upwardly from front to rear of the box where it crosses the side walls, as seen at 58a. 58b. Where it crosses the front wall 12 (at 60 in Figure 2) the perforation has a truncated "V' shape. Figure 7 shows the resultant shape of the lower part 24 of the box, following its erection and remova of the upper part 22. The lower part 24 forms an upwardly open tray for display of produce which is deeper at its rear than its front and has a argely open front face which maximises visibihty of produce within for the benefit of customers.

To facffitate tearing away of the boxa upper part 22, finger holes are provided at intervas along the perforation 26. In the filustrated embodiment these take the form of "D shaped cutaways 62.

The formation of the base 18 of the box 10 wi now be described.

A continuous crease line 64 extending from one side of the blank IDa to the other divides the box waHs 12, 14, ISa, 16b from a lower portion of the blank which wiU form the base 18, and that portion is divided by cutaways 66, 68, 70 to form first and second base flaps 72a, b depending from respective side walk iSa, 16h and first and second locking tabs 74, 76 depending respectively from the rear and front was 14, 12.

During erection of the box the flaps and tabs 72a, b, 74. 76 are each foded inwardy about crease Une 64 to overlap one another and so together form the base 18. These parts are shaped and arranged to mechanically interlock and so to maintain the box in its erected configuration. This aspect is best understood with reference to Figures 1, 4 and 5, showing the stages involved in erection of the box.

The blank ba, dehvered to the user in the flat configuration seen in Figure 3, is first opened out to form the generay cuboidai, inverted configuration of Figure 4.

The base flaps 72a, 72b are then folded inward, toward the plane of the base 18.

In Figure 4 the first base flap 72a has been folded inward. In Figure 5 the second base flap 72b has been simarIy folded inward, The first and second base flaps 72a, 72b each have locking cut.outs 78, 79, 80, 81 In the iUustrated embothments these take the form of two diagonal strips cut from each of the base flaps adjacent their ends, but the locking cutouts could take other forms. To lock the base 18, corner portions of the locking tabs 74, 76 are inserted into respective locking cutouts 78, 79, 80, 81 to form the configuration seen in Figure 1. With the base 18 mechanicaHy locked in this manner, the box 10 is prevented from coflapsing back to the flat state of Figure 3 and is thus ready to be packed with produce. This type of locking arrangement is known in the trade as a "haif moon lock". Erection of the box ready for packing is abie to be carried out by the user quickly and without need of tape, adhesive or any tools.

The box's base 18 is, foowing the present invention, also adapted to keep the produce within in a chosen configuration, Looking at Figures 2 and 7 in particular, can be seen that the first base flap 72a is shaped to provide product engagement features. These features engage with products packed in the box 10 and assist in maintaining then, in a desired position and/or orientation. They may in principle take a range of different forms according to the shape and nature of the produce being displayed, but in the

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illustrated embothment they comprise cutaways 82 extending from free edge 84 of the base flap 72a. across part of its widtft A set of these cutaways 82 is provided at intencals along the flaps length. In the illustrated embodiment there are four cut-aways, Fingers 83 are formed between them. Where the cut-aways 82 meet the free edge 84 of the base flap 72a they have open mouths, so that the lower edge of a generally flat product or pack can be received in any of the cut-sways 82 and so prevented from slipping abng the base 18. In this way the cut-sways 82 can help to maintain such products or packs in a standing configuration, as shown in Figure 8.

Looking again at Figure 7, it can be seen that the base flap 72a does not lie flat in the plane of the base 18 (that is, the ptne defined by the bottom edges 64 of the boxs walls), Instead it is indllned out of this plane, its free edge 84 being somewhat higher than its root 86. One reason for this is that the base flaps 72a, 72b overlap one another. The width of each of the base flaps 72a, b, indicated by arrow 88 in Figure 2, is more than haff of the width of the front and rear walls 12, 14, indicated by arrow 90 in that drawing. The resultant overlap of the base flaps 72a, b can be seen for example in Figure 5. Because of this overlap the two base flaps 72a, b cannot lie in the same plane. The second base flap 72b lies beneath first base flap 72a and so pushes it upward into the desired, incned, configuration. The locking tabs 74, 76 assist in this respect because they also tend to urge the base flap 72a upward somewhat.

Referring again to Figure 6. the upward inclination of the base flap 72a enhances its ability to maintain products or packs in a desired configuration because the a fingers 83, standng up somewhat from the pane of the base 18, are better abe to engage with the products or packs.

Not every product or pack n the box 10 need engage wfth the product engagement features. n the Dustrated embocUment there are just four cutaways 82 and a much arger number of ndvdua packs to be paced n the box. Hgure 0 demonstrates that the freedom of each indMdua pack to move about and to fafl over s resificted by ts ncUghbours, so it suffices, in order to keep them in a tidy arrangement, to engage ony a few of the packs.

Numerous modifications could be made to the box whfle remaining within the scope of the present invention. The arrangement used to lock the boxa base, for example, could take many other forms, or indeed the box could have a base which is glued or taped. The shape. proporUons and dimensions of the box shown in the drawings serve as an example only and can be varied. For instance the front wails could be wider than the sides. The ifiustrated box is cuboida, having a rectanguiar footprint, but boxes with square footprints or with other shapes aogether hexagonal or octagon&, for example may be formed in accordance with the invention. The box's removable upper part need not be a tearoff item. It could for example be a lid formed separately from the remainder of the box. The term produce" has been used above to refer to the items packed in the box, but this should not be understood to impose any imitation on the nature of the items in question and while the items may be foodstuffs such as packaged cheese and prepared meats, they may take quite dWferent forms.

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