GB2530338A

GB2530338A - Retail Ready Packaging

Info

Publication number: GB2530338A
Application number: GB1416699.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Woolass; Christopher Seage
Original assignee: DS Smith Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: DS Smith Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-22
Filing date: 2014-09-22
Publication date: 2016-03-23
Also published as: GB201416699D0

Abstract

A blank 80 for a box or tray (44, fig 3) and a method of forming such, for displaying products on a shelf, wherein the box comprises a plurality of side walls 14, 15, 16, 18 an insert 86 and the box is reconfigurable whilst containing products such that removal of the lid (46, 54, fig 3) and front wall 16 allows access to products therein and the insert 86 can be reconfigured to form an internal ramp rising toward the rear of the box to allow products to stack through gravity, the insert 86 being lockable in this position. The box and insert may be provided as one blank or the insert may be provided as a separate blank, an end of the insert may be connected to the box by adhesive tape or glue. Perforations or cuts or creases may be provided for removal or tearing of side panels or portions of side panels, removal of one side panel 16 leaves a lip 32. The insert may be held in a lifted state by constraining or retaining, which may be provided by a hooking or locking mechanism (fig 11), or by providing a side panel with slots or cut outs, which can be folded over crenels (fig 7) .

Description

Retail Ready Packaging The present invention relates to packaging, and in particular, although not exclusively, retail ready packaging which is used both for containing products during transport or shipment and for the display of the products on shelves in supermarkets, other shops, or the like.

It is known to display products for sale in a shop, such as a supermarket, on the shelves within the shop on trays or in boxes. It is desirable for this to be done using the same tray or box packaging that the products were originally delivered in. There is also a developing trend to display the products in those trays or boxes in an aesthetic manner, such that they are stacked toward the front of the shelf so as to maximise the ease with which consumers can identify and collect their products -products recessed toward the back of the shelves can be harder to see and harder to collect.

Much of the time, this forward-stacking is carried out by an in-store shelf stacker, i.e. an employee, who manually moves the front-most product, and any products behind it, forwards, i.e. either to or towards the front of the shelf. However, in addition to manual arrangements, there is an increasing occurrence of automated stacking, i.e. products that self-stack towards the front of the tray or box, ready for removal from the tray or box. In this regard it is known that there are shelves which can be loaded with products and rely upon gravity or a pusher mounted behind the products, for example herb bottle dispensers or arrangements using an angled rack or shelf However, these arrangements may require expensive shelves which can only hold specific sized products. Further, the tilting of shelves still typically prevents the use of the shelf for displaying products that are unsuitable for automated stacking.

Therefore there exists a need to provide a tray or box which can itself facilitate an automatic front-stacking of products in a low cost manner, but yet one that is still suitable for transport, shipment or delivery of the products to the store or shelf.

The present invention provides a tray for displaying products on a shelf, the tray comprising: a base for supporting one or more products to be displayed; a plurality of side panels (preferably it is a box with four sides, i.e. the box having a front wall, sidewalls and a rear wall to provide structural rigidity); and an insert which lies on top of the base, inside the tray, the insert having a width and two ends, the width of the insert extending no more widely than the space between the side panels, one end of the insert being affixed to the front of the tray inside the tray; wherein the tray is reconfigurable whilst containing products, the reconfiguration comprising lifting the other end of the insert to form a ramp. This allows the box to be sat on a shelf such that a rear end of the insert is elevated relative to a front end thereof, i.e. the front of the base, within the tray.

The tray can be a box, . It can be closed with a lid or it can be open at the top.

The tray or box can have relatively short sides (i.e. uprights that are shorter than both the length and width of the box), or it can be a deeper box, or even a closed box.

Preferably the length of the insert is at least that of the base.

Preferably the tray or box is formed from cardboard.

Hereinafter references to a tray or to a box may be interchangeable. Generally it has three or more sides -4 are shown in the illustrated example.

Preferably the box is formed from corrugated cardboard.

Preferably the box also has a top wall or lid. This allows the box to be closed and ensures the packaging is suitable for the shipment or transport of products where closed packaging is required. The top may be integrally formed from the same blank as used to make the box, or it may be provided as a separate element, whereby the box is associated with a separate lid.

Preferably the box may be prepared for display by removal of walls or portions of the walls, or the lid/top wall, such as parts of or the whole of at least one of the front wall, one or each sidewall or the rear wall, or the top or lid, to allow improved access to the products therein.

The present invention enables the packaging to be shelf ready, in that it easily is adapted to grant access to the products contained therein in preferably an aesthetic display condition.

Preferably portions of the packaging to be removed are defined by continuous or discontinuous lines (i.e. perforations or score/cut lines).

Preferably the lines include perforations and also cuts or creases.

Preferably when first reconfigured the front wall of the box is mostly removed in comparison to the remaining sidewalls.

Preferably the removal of the front wall (removal of a part thereof) leaves a lip, or a shortened front wall. This stops the products from falling out of the front of the packaging but still allows consumer access therein.

Preferably the insert is hinged at its first, fixed, front or lower end. The insert may be creased, perforated or have a hinge line provided at the line of pivot to enable easy movement, i.e. deployment into the ramp form.

Preferably the insert is longer than the base of the box, with the other end -preferably a free end, being folded so as to allow the insert to fit inside the box. That fold, e.g. for a rectangular box, can be substantially perpendicular to the base.

It is preferred that the insert has a portion, e.g. the other end, or a portion extending to or towards that other end, that follows the line of, and preferably being mostly flush with, or touching, the inside of the rear wall when the box's insert is not reconfigured into a ramp. Arranging the insert to follow the internal surfaces of the box ensures internal space is only minimally reduced and thus most of the space is available in the box for the products whilst shipping. A permanent ramp would reduce the available product space within the packaging, thus considerably reducing the efficiency of the pack density (due to the dead space occupied by the ramp).

Preferably the other end of the insert extends up to a lid or top edge of the rear wall of the box. This is so that a box full of product would not have to be unpacked to reconfigure the packaging; instead the other or free end of the insert would be easily accessible by a store worker upon opening or looking within the box.

Preferably the insert of the reconfigured packaging is held in a lifted state by constraining or retaining the other end thereof against or on the rear wall and/or one or more side wall.

Preferably the constraint or retention of the insert when the packaging is reconfigured to form a ramp is provided by a hook mechanism.

Preferably the hook mechanism is provided at the other end of the insert.

Preferably the hook mechanism is shaped or cut into the insert and/or the side walls or rear wall, such that a part of the insert can be slid, slotted, folded or otherwise hooked or locked in its lifted state. Preferably this is achieved by an interaction against a wall of the box, which wall may have slots or cut outs, preferably that correspond with or pair with the form of the other end of the insert.

The locking of the insert when the packaging is reconfigured need not be a permanent arrangement, and as such the insert might be reconfigurable again back to a transport condition.

It is preferred that the reconfiguration into, and the retention of the box in, the condition such that it has the ramp, requires no additional fixing materials compared to those comprised therein when the box is in its transport condition, such as additional glue or separately insertable pegs. However, such additional fixing materials may be provided to supplement the primary hook mechanism, or suchlike, e.g. to make the locking of the insert in its lifted state more permanent or more robust. It is nevertheless preferred that such elements are not needed. Nevertheless, if they are desired, e.g. by a customer, if possible it is preferred that any such fixing materials are non-additional fixing materials in that they are supplied as a part of the box, preferably an integral part of the box (and perhaps a non-functional part of the box) when the box is in its original transport condition. It is not essential that the components remain a part of the box during their redeployment in securing the lifted ramp, although upon that deployment they can again become a part of the box. Likewise it is not essential that they remain a part of the box if the box is reversed back to a transport condition.

In one embodiment of the present invention the hook mechanism is provided by the insert and rear wall of the box having at least one cut out, and/or a crenellated or castellated edge, and more preferably a combination of both. The sides may also or instead have such cut outs or castellations/crenels. In a preferred example there can be slots on the insert.

It is preferred that the embodiments with slots are arranged such that the slots can be folded over the castellations or crenels so as to sit in, or grip, or intermesh with those castellations or crenels. It is also preferred that the castellations or crenels are provided on a top edge of the rear wall or side walls, or in the rear wall or side walls, and perhaps accessed through a removal of a perforated part of the rear wall or side walls.

The insert may be further secured by the interface between crenellations/castellations and the slots, e.g. through a friction fit.

It is preferred that there are multiple slots, although a single slot may instead be provided. The multiple slots, and in some examples a corresponding number of castellations (i.e. tabs for slotting into the slots) increases the surface area over which any force acted upon the ramp (e.g. by the products loaded thereon, or upon their removal or reinsertion/manipulation by a customer) is reacted to or transferred to the supporting wall (i.e. the rear wall or the side walls). Slots and crenels may even be provided on both the side walls and the rear wall to offer a further structural support for the ramp due to the natural buckle resistance provided by the box's corners.

The folding of the insert over the rear wall (or side walls) can also increase the strength of the support provided to the ramp, e.g. by further locking the folded insert, i.e. the other end or free end of the insert, against the outer rear wall. The folding can alternatively or additionally place parts of the insert against the outside of the side walls of the box. The retention of the folded parts against the outside of the box can be achieved using adhesive, e.g. areas of glue covered by release paper, or through further slots and tab-interengagements, or press-studs, or perforated press-engageable features or barbs. The arrangement of the folded end (or flap) against the outside of the box can also be to ensure that the insert is flush to the rear (or sides) of the box, once fully deployed into the display configuration (with the ramp), thus preventing the box from taking up excessive space on the shelf once it is reconfigured in that way.

The insert can have a tongue, or more than one tongue, at its free end (or in its sides) for fitting in one or more slot in a wall of the box, e.g. for the same purpose -tying down the "flap" or free end of the insert. Preferably there are three tongues, two for fitting in spaced holes or slots in the rear of the box, and the third, between the other two, for resting against the rear wall between the holes or slots, thus flexing the insert across its width on the back wall, and thus allowing the two tongues to grip within their holes or slots.

In another embodiment of the present invention the hook mechanism comprises an slot or groove in a side wall or the rear wall, and preferably an open slot in a wall edge (or more than one thereof) and the insert is shaped such that it has a narrowed portion that can be fitted into this slot or groove, or a gap provided thereby, so as to fit in this gap, and additionally having a more distal widened portion relative to that narrowed portion such that it can constrain the insert by preventing extraction of the narrowed portion from the gap, groove or slot. This may thus operate like a barbed arrow tip, in that the insert has shoulders that can bear against the outside wall of the box once the narrowed portion of the insert is threaded through or placed within the gap, slot or groove.

The box may be formed from a single blank. For example, the insert can be formed concurrently from the same roll or rolls of paper, e.g. in a corrugator, and be a part of the final blank, and thus folded into the box as the box is formed. Alternatively, the insert can be a separate blank for placement within the box, or on the blank for the box prior to assembly of the box. Alternatively the box and its insert can be made as a single blank with the portion of the blank for forming the insert being attached to the portion of the blank for forming the rest of the box, e.g. with a perforated juncture, such that the two parts can be separated prior to assembly of the box.

Preferably the width of the insert is slightly narrower than the assembled box such that as the ramp is formed, the sides of the insert either do not foul against the inside walls of the box, or do not excessively foul thereagainst, thus allowing the iamp to form as the insert is lifted at its non-attached end substantially without resistance from the inside side walls of the box. In a preferred embodiment it is narrower by a distance not being less than the thickness of the portion of the blank that forms the sidewalls. More preferably the difference is about 8mm, or between 4 and 20mm.

There can be a single insert extending its width across substantially the whole width of the box, or there may be more than one insert. Preferably the inserts are designed to support the products to be inserted in the box or tray, and thus the number of inserts should preferably correspond with or be suitable for, the number of columns of products to be loaded within the box or trays. A single insert, however, is the preferred arrangement since it can offer a rigid ramp both along the length of the box and along the width of the box due to its lack of discontinuities.

The present invention also provides a method of assembling a box having an internal deployable ramp and for placing that box into a display configuration, the box comprising an insert which is foldable within the box to form the display configuration with the internal ramp, the method comprising: providing a blank for forming the base and at least parts of the sides of the box, folding the blank to form the base and at least the parts of the sides of the box, with the insert being located on the base of the box, between the at least parts of the sides; and lifting a part of the insert to fold the insert to form the internal ramp above the base of the box, the lifted part being retained in a lifted position by a hooking or catch mechanism of the box or insert.

Preferably the box is formed from one blank.

Preferably the insert is a separate piece, either formed from a different blank or cut from the blank used for the box. The insert may have printed material upon it which would be visible as products were removed from the box.

Preferably, if the insert is formed from a separate blank, the insert may be made from a different material to the box. This could be a stronger or thicker material resulting in a stronger ramp which will hold or support heavier products when reconfigured as a ramp. This material may have, or may be treated to have, a lower coefficient of friction, thus allowing products to more easily slide down the ramp to the front of box. It may also be a stiffer material, or it may have a hardened surface by virtue of a treatment, or a thicker top layer (e.g. in a corrugated material), than the base of the box.

Preferably a portion of the insert is affixed to the inside of the front wall.

In another embodiment a portion of the insert is affixed to the inside of the base.

Preferably the affixation of the insert is achieved through using glue, or another means of fixation. It may alternatively be integrally formed as part of the same blank, and folded into its internal position with respect to the base and walls of the box or tray.

Preferably the insert may be affixed to the box blank prior to folding. This allows blanks to be delivered flat and subsequently assembled into boxes at the destination without the need for additional affixing.

The slots, cut outs and/or crenellations may be present in, or pre-fornied in, the blank for folding, or marked by perforations for later removal of unrequired parts when reconfiguration for retail display is required. The form used in practice may depend on the products to be loaded inside the boxes and whether a preformed hole is acceptable for such products.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the box and insert are formed as a single blank, with the insert folded into position prior to or after the folding of the box structure. There is then no need to affix the insert to the box.

It is preferred that for a corrugated material, the corrugations extend along the length of the ramp so as to offer greater bending stiffness to the ramp.

The ramp preferably does not have folded sides. This reduces the material requirements for the insert. However, folded sides can be provided to increase the rigidity of the ramp. They would likewise be internal of the box, and would preferably engage against the sides of the box.

The front of the box preferably has a rip-off section for better displaying the front-most product within the box when in the display configuration. The rip-off section may be attached to the lid, whereby the lid also rips off with the rip-off section of the front of the box.

These and other features of the present invention will now be described in further detail, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a first form of blank for forming a box of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a first form of blank for forming an insert of the box of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an assembled box with the lid closed using blanks that are similar to those of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the rear of the assembled box with the lid opened, the rear lid flap removed and the insert fixed inside the box; Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the front and open top of the box of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a top, side perspective view of the assembled box, but with the insert reconfigured to form an internal ramp; Figure 7 shows a rear perspective view of the box of Figure 6; Figure 8 shows a plan view of a another blank -insert and box combined -for assembling a combined box and insert as a variant to the previous embodiments of the present invention; Figure 9 shows the assembled box, with the insert reconfigured, and a part of the front wall and the lid removed, made using a blank similar to that of Figure 8, made using paper, rather than card; Figures 10 and 11 show plan views of further possible blanks for making a further embodiment of the present invention, here with a different hook mechanism for the retention of the insert in a reconfigured state, and with a variation in the portion of the walls that is to be removed; Figure 12 shows a further variant of blank, for fomiing a box and insert much like that made with the blank of Figures 10 and 11, but in which the insert is integrally formed as a part of the blank used to assemble the box.

Figure 13 is a view of an assembled box, made using the blank of Figure 12 using corrugated cardboard, with the top and portions of the sidewalls and rear wall still intact, and with the insert in its transport condition; Figures 14 and 15 are views of an assembled box, similar to that of Figure 13, but instead made with paper, in the reconfigured display condition; Figure 16 is a composite blank incorporating the blanks from Figures 1 and 2 into a single blank, with the two parts of the blank forming the blanks of Figures 1 and 2 being joined together initially ready for separating at an adjoining cut line prior to either assembly or distribution; and Figure 17 is a view of a blank similar to that of Figure 8, but in which dimensions for one particular arrangement are provided. Other dimensions are possible too.

Figure 17 also carries dimensions, again for one particular arrangement, but again other dimensions are possible too.

Referring first of all to Figure 1, a blank 10 is shown. This blank 10 is for forming a box in accordance with the present invention.

An assembled view of the box 44 is shown in Figure 3.

In this first embodiment, the blank 10 has cut and score lines defining various panels which upon assembling the box define various walls of the box. These include two sidewalls 14, 15, a front wall 16 in between them and a rear wall 18 attached to one of the sidewalls 14. In this embodiment there are just the four sides, plus a top and bottom, the top and bottom being formed from flaps, as is conventional. However, other tops and bottoms are also known in the art, and could instead be provided.

The four panels discussed above are provided in a linear array with three interconnecting fold lines defined in this embodiment by creases or scorelines.

There is also a tab 20 at the end of the array, which in this embodiment is on the edge of the rear wall that is distal from the two sidewalls 14, 15 and the front wall 16.

Since the four panels are all rectangular, they each have two opposing pairs of edges, perpendicular to each other. The tab is on one of those pairs of edges, but on the edge thereof that is not attached to the first side wall 14. It is therefore to be used to enable the rear wall 18 to be glued to a free edge of the other sidewall 15 when the box 44 is being assembled. Conventional glues or staples, or tape, as known in the art, can be used for this purpose. It may even be pre-glued and covered with a pull-off strip for ready assembly at a client's premises.

Crease lines 22 are provided between the four walls and also between the rear wall and the tab to assist with the folding of the walls to form the box 44.

If more than four walls are to be provided, additional panels may be provided, e.g. in the linear array.

The four walls all have bottom flaps 24, 26 extending from them to form the base of the blank 10. This is a achieved by the two front and rear flaps 24 being folded at right angles to the front wall 16 and rear wall 18, followed by the side flaps 26 being folded at right angles to the sidewalls 14, 15, or vice versa, to form the outside of the base.

Crease lines 28 are provided to between the walls and the flaps to assist with the folding.

The bottom side flaps 26 can be held in place to form a base by fixing techniques known in the art such as stapling, gluing or taping.

The top likewise has flaps 46, 50, 54, and they have a similar or identical form, but they can also serve an additional purpose and are thus discussed in that respect below.

Figure 2 shows a second blank 30 which is instead for forming an insert. It comprises a fixing section 34 which may be attached to the inside of the front wall 16, e.g. by glue or staples. In this example it is shaped such that it can be fixed to a front lip 32 of the front wall 16. The front lip is the lower section of the front wall 16, and is a portion intended to remain intact upon opening the box. Other parts of the front wall 16 may be pulled away from the box upon opening the box, as will be disclosed in further detail below.

The attachment of the fixing section 34 to the front lip 32 can be seen in Figure 4. As shown it is attached to the inside surface of the front lip 32, and it has a recessed edge for allowing for the shape of the rip-off portion of the front wall 16. Other shapes are also permitted, depending upon the shape of any rip-off portion.

The insert then has a base section 36, and the base section of the insert sits on top of the base of the box, once formed by front and rear flaps 24 and side flaps 26. That base section then forms the surface on which the products inside the completed packaging will stand.

The insert then has a rear section 38 and a locking section 40. The rear section 38 and the locking section 40 of the insert both fold up to align with the rear wall 18 of the box, sitting flush to it as shown in Figure 5. The insert thus lines parts of the inside of the box, but takes up little room inside the box beyond that.

Further creases 42 are provided on the insert -between each section -to allow easy bending of the sections of the insert relative to one another so as to facilitate the assembly of the box with its insert.

Preferably these two blanks 10, 30 are formed from corrugated cardboard. Typically the insert will be of a stiffer structure than the other blank, e.g. by using a heavier top layer in the cardboard's structure.

The direction of the corrugations can provide differing structural characteristics: When the corrugations are parallel with a crease, it can be easy to fold the card at this line.

Likewise, for cut lines it can be easier to tear the card along the line of the corrugation.

Further, the compression strength of a cardboard sheet is strongest when the loading is parallel to the corrugations. As such, it is preferred when forming the creases between the panels that they extend parallel to the corrugations so that the sides of the box (left, right, front and back sides) when arranged vertically are placing the corrugations in a vertical arrangement.

The compressive strength of the box is important. However, this arrangement for those creases then makes the base flaps 24, 26 such that they have to be creased across their corrugations in order for them to be folded closed. However, although this may be less favourable for folding, it increases the flaps resilience to tearing at the crease line.

This is therefore actually advantageous for when the boxes are filled with products and moved about -a stronger base is achieved.

It is also preferred that the corrugations be specifically arranged for the insert 30, but this is not to make the folding of the insert into the box as easy as possible. Instead the main folds -the further creases 42 -are directed across the corrugations, thus allowing the folding of the insert across the corrugations to allow the base section to sit at the bottom of the box. This is done so that those folds are again strong -the insert is to be reconfigured to form a ramp, and upon its reconfiguration it needs to support the weight of the contents of the box, and the corrugations form a stronger "bridge" if aligned from the front to the back of the ramp.

This orientation of the corrugations also has a further benefit: it ensures that the inevitable undulations on the surface of the insert (from the corrugations) are not crossing a direction along which the products within the box are to slide (e.g. under the influence of gravity). If they were to cross that direction, they would hinder the sliding action that the ramp seeks to achieve. Further, having those undulations actually instead lie parallel to that direction, they also benefit the sliding action in that the products can touch, or be in contact with, a smaller surface area of the ramp, whereby sliding resistance is further reduced.

In Figure 3, a fully assembled and closed box 44 is shown, with the front wall 16 and the sidewall 14 clearly visible. Top flaps 46 are folded down to form a lid for the box.

The front wall 16 has a visible cut crease 56 which borders with the front lip 32. Further cut creases 48 hold the top flaps 46 in place. These cut creases 56, 48 are the preferred form for corrugated card: perforations formed by intermittent cuts, perhaps 2mm gaps between 3mm cuts, extending along the full length of the line of the crease.

The perforations of a preferred embodiment extend through the thickness of the card, piercing the inside and outside skins and cutting through the corrugation layer in between. It is helpful too if the cuts coincide with the peaks or troughs of the corrugations (either one or both of these). Applying the curs/perforations in the corrugating machine make it easier to provide such alignment since the wavelength of the corrugations will then be known or predefined for the cutter used.

Due to the perforations or creases flattening or cutting the corrugations, the card can be folded (or creased) along these lines. However, in the case of the perforations used for the crease lines 56, 48 between the top portion of the front wall and the lip 32 of the front wall, and between the flaps used to make the top of the box and the side walls, the cuts are adequate to facilitate a rip-off action of the top and front portion when it is desired to open the box. However, the perforations are also such that the remaining tags (generally in the outer skins) can also initially form a hinge at least for the flaps, and yet still be strong enough to survive handling and transport of the products in the box.

When ready for display of the products, however, the perforations enable this cut crease to be torn along to, in this case, allow the removal of the lid flaps 46. The flap that is instead attached to the front can simply detach from the box with the top removable part of the front wall -perforations are not needed. The front top flap 54 (only the edge of which is visible in Figure 3 as it is folded underneath top flaps 48) is thus hinged with a crease 52 and not a cut crease in this embodiment.

As for the flap that is attached to the back wall, it detaches with other parts of the back, as will be discussed in further detail below.

Regarding the perforations, there is sometimes the need for the perforations to be nonlinear, such as curved around corners. These perforations are not provided to facilitate folding. As a result they can be of a different form -instead of the cuts and gaps, they can be such that the length of the cut is extended, sometimes by as much as necessary to take the cut around the entire corner, or further. This eases the removal of the tear away sections of card at these points.

When the lid of the box is closed, the rear top flap 50 folds underneath top flaps 46, again the line is marked by a cut crease 48 -which allows for a strong lid but which is also removable when required.

The folding or creasing of the card along a crease cut often has the effect of tearing the perforations on one side of the card leaving just one of the outer skins of the corrugated card. It is preferred, although not necessary, that the outer corner skin remains intact (aside from perforations). This will provide a more aesthetic corner visible on the outside of the box, and will also be stronger for stacking since the lid flap 46 will still sit on the edge of the sidewalls 15, 16.

Although specific cuts and perforation sizes are described herein, other crease forming methods, and alternative sizes of perforations, cuts, and creases, or other marking, may be utilized as necessary or appropriate for the material used.

Figure 4 gives an inside view of the box 44 and the attached insert 30. The fixing section 34 of the insert 30 has been glued to the inside front lip 32, just below the cut crease 56.

It is possible for the insert 30 to be attached to the front lip 32. This can be a temporary attachment to the box insert for the purpose of the shipping of the blank to a customer, and ensuring the relevant insert for the box is not lost or separated prematurely from the blank for the box structure. As such it might not be attached ready for assembly, but may instead be for removal and then insertion into the assembled box.

The insert can also be attached in a ready to assemble state. This is advantageous if box packers would prefer to assemble boxes themselves and have the blank delivered as one piece, thereby saving on transport space. The fixing portion 34 would then be pre-attached to the lip 32 in the location shown in Figure 4.

The fixation of the insert by the box or blank manufacturer negates the need for product packers or box assemblers (probably at a different location) to become familiar with additional aspects of the box assembly beyond the folding of the insert either in or into the box. Having an end of it extending beyond the border of the blank for the box structure also ensures that it can still be accessed after assembly of the box structure.

Figure 4 also shows that the base section 36 of the insert now forms the base of the box 44. As can be seen, the inner dimensions of the box are only reduced by the thickness of the card of the insert 30 horizontally and vertically whilst the box is in this configuration, ensuring the product carrying volume of the box is not significantly reduced by the use of the insert of the current invention.

The removable rear top flap 50 has already been torn off in this figure (Figure 4) to show the resulting crenellations 66 with the locking section 40 of the insert 30 being just visible. In practice, however, that flap would be attached to the other flaps of the top and would all pull off together.

The method of reconfiguration of the box 44 to form the internal ramp is next described herein with reference to figures 5, 6 and 7.

To form the ramp, a pulling tab or flap 62 of the locking section is drawn vertically up, and the creases 42 of the insert 30 allow the base section 36 to rise at that distal end so as to hinge about the crease between it and the fixing section 34. It is then the base section 36 which forms the ramp.

The pulling flap 62 is raised to a height such that locking slots 64 of the locking section 40 are at the same height as a remaining top of the rear wall 18 -defined by the crenellations. These locking slots 64 are then slid over the crenellations 66 of the rear wall 18.

To give the thus assembled ramp a more secure fixation, and also to improve the aesthetics and stackability of the rear wall, the locking section 40 of the insert is then folded over the rear wall 18 and its locking tabs 68 are then slid down through rear wall slots 70 on the outside rear of the box 44, as seen in Figure 7 by pushing down the folded parts as appropriate. The insert is thus then both supported in its raised position and locked in that raised condition (i.e. its reconfigured mode) with the ramp deployed as seen in Figure 6. Products inside the box can thus then slide down the ramp, under the influence of gravity, towards the front wall of the box upon a product in front being removed.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 all show the top flaps 46 and front wall 16 present. However, once the box is ready to display products upon a shelf, the cut creases 48 which hold on the top flaps allow an easy removal of these flaps -a rip-off action. Also the cut crease 56 of the front wall allows removal of a rip-off part of the front wall 16 and the front top flap 54, just leaving the front lip 32 remaining. The removal of these flaps and wall parts allow easy access to the products when placed upon a shelf, although without allowing the contained products to slide out of the front of the box 44 when the ramp is formed.

The gradient of the ramp may be varied during manufacture of the blank by changing the height of the locking slots 64 on the insert or the depths of the crenellations 66. For instance, the closer to the top edge of the insert the locking slots are situated (or the further from the relevant crease line), the less the insert is drawn vertically up and the lesser the gradient of the ramp.

Multiple locking slot heights may also or instead be provided in a single insert to allow the gradient to be varied depending on the products contained therein or the amount of produce remaining, or the design of the shelf to carry the product (if already an angled shelf, less angle for the ramp would be necessary).

A variant of the current invention is shown in Figure 8, which shows a blank 80 where the box and insert are assembled as one piece from the same blank. All the features of the blank 10 of Figure 1 are present excepting the bottom flap of the front wall 16 and the fixing section of the insert. They are instead now provided as a single insert flap 82.

This flap 82 is connected to the insert base 86 by a cut crease 84. Using a cut crease allows the base section 86 to hinge completely over such that it lies atop the insert flap 82. This allows the blank 80 to maintain a substantially rectangular shape when shipped to the box assembly location thereby allowing the blank to be palletized more easily. Other forms of crease, however, are also useable.

In this variant the base of the box is formed from the insert flap 82 and the base section 86, where the insert flap 82 is fixed in place and the base section 86 forms the ramp when the box is reconfigured. Again the ramp is wholly contained within the inside of the assembled box with little detriment to the total internal volume. However, the ramp is now shorter -it does not extend all the way to the front of the box. The insert flap can also be utilised as a part of the ramp if it is not glued to the closing flaps 85.

However, the crease 84 will create a flow-interruption.

If the crease 84 is not used, and instead only the fold between the lip 32 and the insert flap 82 is folded during shipment of the blank, or if the corrugating factory is the same location as the box assembly plant, in either of which circumstances the crease 84 can be omitted entirely, then the full ramp can again be employed and without the provision of an interruption.

Figure 9 shows the assembled and reconfigured box 90. Here the front wall 16 and top flaps 46, 50 have all been removed. Since the base section 86 of the insert now hinges at the cut crease 84 of the insert flap 82, there is a larger flat area when the ramp is formed. This might produce a more aesthetically pleasing retail packaging for the products, since the at least first row will not be tilted forwards as in the case where there the ramp extends fully across the length of the box. However, forward stacking does not occur once the ramp has been cleared by the rear-most product.

Figures 10 to 15 show another embodiment of the current invention, but with a different hooking mechanism for the reconfigured insert.

The blank 100 of Figure 10 shares a similar box structure and mode of assembly compared to the blank of Figure 1. An assembled view of the box 140 is shown in Figure 13. The box is formed with a front wall 116, sidewalls 114, 115 and a rear wall 118. Creases 122 between the panels that form these walls allow the blank to fold along the crease lines, and the folded arrangement is held in position by a tab 120, again adjacent to the edge of the rear wall 118 that is being glued to the sidewall 115.

Front and rear bottom flaps 124 are also again folded along creases 128 to form the base, with side bottom flaps 126 again folding and being secured on the outside of the front and rear bottom flaps 124 in relation to the assembled box 140 to secure those front and rear bottom flaps as one base. However, there are differences in the arrangement and locations of the perforations for the rip off top and a slot for the hooking mechanism. These are discussed in further detail below.

Alternatively a variant of the invention allows the blank of the box and insert to be formed from one piece 142 as shown in Figure 12. This is then more similar to the embodiment discussed above with reference to Figure 8.

In either variant the insert comprises of a fixing section 132 (separate to the base flap if the blank for the insert is formed as a separate blank or doubling as that flap if the single blank is used), a base section 134, a rear section 136, a hooking section 138 and a locking tab 137. Before, the locking tab 40 was at least partially required to ensure that the slots 64 were formed, but as before the actual locking part of the tab is optional, whereby in this embodiment the whole of tab 137 is optional (whereas before it was tabs 62 and 68 which were optional, not all of tab 40.

The fixing section 132 and base section 134 are attached to one another at a perforation cut 133 or crease, and in this example the perforation cut consists of 10mm cuts with 8mm gaps in between. The long perforations ease the folding of the card, especially when using a thicker card, although the interface is still strong enough such that it will not tear easily when subjected to load. Other cut or crease designs can also be used.

The other side of the base section 134 is bordered by a double crease 131 to the rear section 136. The double crease again allows the easy folding of thicker card, but also, since this junction will form the top of the ramp and might be subject to greater loads depending on the products contained within the box, it does not create a weak line along the ramp / insert 130 which might start tearing. A single crease, however, can also work.

The border to the hooking section 138 is also a crease line 131.

A crease cut 135 might be used at the transition to the locking tab, such to allow a tight bend of the card into a retaining slot, or as shown back upon itself in a parallel plane -useful when locking the hooking mechanism in place in the preferred manner.

The method by which this latest embodiment of packaging is reconfigured to form a ramp is now described with reference to figures 13 to 15. This method can work for boxes made using either the blank of Figure 12 or the blanks of Figures 10 and 11.

Once the box and insert are assembled 140 (be it as one blank 142 as in figures 12 to 15 or a separate insert 130 fixed inside the box) the end of the insert not attached to the box and sitting flush to the inside of the rear wall 118 is drawn vertically up, possibly by the pulling of the locking section 137 of the insert 130. The insert thus hinges about its fixed point within the assembled box, usually at one end of the base section 134. The other end, however, rises and thereby forms a ramp.

The removal of the rear top flap of the box 150, e.g. with the lid and the part of the front wall, leaves at least one crenellation or groove on the top edge of the rear wall, as defined by perforations 186 in the blank. This can have a finger grip semi-circle 188 as shown. See Figure 14, where the groove is filled or blocked by the members 138 and 137, although the semi-circular finger grip 188 can be seen.

The hooking section 138 of the insert is folded over the crenellation such that it now sits on the outside of the rear wall 118. It has wings 180 that extend beyond the groove to hold it in that position. If the locking tab 137 is not provided, this may then be glued or taped or stapled in place using the wings (or without wings if the groove is omitted too). However, in this preferred arrangement the locking tab 137 is provided and it is folded back and tucked inside the rear wall through the base of the groove or crenellation so as to lock the raised ramp in its raised condition. The ramp is thus securely locked in position, and gripped there by the wings 180.

In this preferred embodiment the hooking section 138 is shaped such that it extends horizontally greater than the width of the crenellation, whereby it is hooked in position and any force acted upon the ramp is transferred to these points and therefore the rear wall.

Without the folding of the locking tab back 137 through the crenellation, the hooking section will sit much lower in the crenellation and therefore result in a ramp with a lesser gradient. The wings 180 define slots 184, or shoulders, that allow this alternative arrangement to be used if desired whereby the locking tab 137 again is non-essential.

Figure 15 shows another version of this embodiment, but instead made from paper or single thickness card. The top flaps, part of both of the sidewalls 146, the front top flap 154 and pad of the front wall 116 have all been removed, thereby reconfiguring the box ready for displaying products on a shelf. Again a front lip 132 remains to stop products from sliding out of the front of the box when the ramp is formed.

This embodiment of the invention also features thumb tabs 155 to ease the removal of the wall sections by providing a start point for making the tear. This is particularly useful with thicker card where it may be more difficult to tear the cut creases or perforations.

Where the insert 30, 130 is a different blank to the box, the insert may be made of a different thickness card, such as in the case where more strength is required. It may also be made from a different material, perhaps to encourage the sliding of the products when configured as a ramp, or to be less prone to indentation of heavy products upon the surface of the ramp and therefore preventing the easy sliding of the products down the ramp.

The present invention has therefore been described above by way of example. It provides a box (44) for displaying products on a shelf, wherein the box (44) comprises an insert (30) and the box is reconfigurable whilst containing products such that removal of the lid (46, 54) and front wall (16) allows access to products therein and the insert (30) can be re-orientated to form an internal ramp (36) rising toward the rear of the box to allow products to stack through gravity, the insert (30) being lockable in this position.

Preferred features of the present invention have been described above purely by way of example. Modifications in detail may be made to the invention within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A tray for displaying products on a shelf, the tray comprising: a base for supporting one or more products to be displayed; a plurality of side panels; and an insert which lies on top of the base, the insert having a width and at least two ends, one end of the insert being connected to the tray; wherein the tray is reconfigurable, the reconfiguration comprising lifting the unconnected end of the insert to form a ramp.
2. The tray of claim 1, wherein the tray has a top panel or lid.
3. The tray of claim 1, wherein the box is formed from corrugated material or corrugated cardboard.
4. The tray of claim 3, wherein the corrugations extend along the length of the ramp.
5. The tray of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray is further reconfigured by removal of side panels or portions of side panels.
6. The tray of claim 5, wherein the portions are defined by continuous or discontinuous lines.
7. The tray of claim 6, wherein the lines are perforations or cuts or creases.
8. The tray of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein, when reconfigured, one side panel is mostly removed in comparison to the remaining side panels.
9. The tray of claim 8, wherein the removal of the one side panel leaves a lip, or a shortened panel.
10. The tray of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert is hinged at its first, fixed, connected or lower end.
11. The tray of claim 10, wherein the insert is creased, perforated or has a hinge line provided at the line of pivot.
12. The tray of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length of the insert is longer than the base.
13. The tray of claim 12, wherein the non-connected end of the insert is folded so as to allow the insert to fit inside the tray.
14. The tray of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, when reconfigured to form a ramp, the insert of the reconfigured packaging is held in a lifted state by constraining or retaining the other end thereof against one or more side panels.
15. The tray of claim 14, wherein the constraint or retention of the insert is provided by a hook mechanism.
16. The tray of claim 15, wherein the hook mechanism is shaped or cut into the insert and/or the side panels, such that a part of the insert can be slid, slotted, folded or otherwise hooked or locked in its lifted state.
17. The tray of claim 16, wherein the hooking or locking is achieved by an interaction against a side panel, which wall may have slots or cut outs, which correspond with the form of the non-connected end of the insert.
18. The tray of claim 17, wherein the hook mechanism is provided by the insert and side panel of the tray having at least one cut out or a crenellated edge, or both.
19. The tray of claim 18, wherein the slots are arranged such that the slots can be folded over the crenels so as to sit in, or grip, or intermesh with those crenels.
20. The tray of claim 16, wherein the hook mechanism comprises a slot or groove in a side panel, and at least one open slot in a panel edge where the insert is shaped such that it has a narrowed portion that can be fitted into this slot or groove and additionally having a more distal widened portion relative to that narrowed portion such that it can constrain the insert by preventing extraction of the narrowed portion from the groove or slot.
21. A tray substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of more of the attached drawings.
22. A blank for a tray, the blank comprising foldable panels for forming a base, sides and a top of the tray, where an insert lies on top of the base, the insert having a width and at least two ends, one end of the insert being connected to the tray; wherein the tray is reconfigurable, the reconfiguration comprising lifting the unconnected end of the insert to form a ramp.
23. The blank of claim 22, wherein the tray and insert is formed from a single blank.
24. The blank of claim 23, wherein the connected end of the insert is connected to a panel.
25. The blank of claim 22, wherein the insert is formed from a different blank to the tray.
26. The blank of claim 25, wherein the insert is formed from a different material to that of the tray.
27. The blank of claim 25 or 26, wherein the connected end of the insert is connected to the tray by adhesive tape or glue.
28. A method of assembling a tray having an internal deployable ramp and for placing that tray into a display configuration, the tray comprising an insert which is foldable within the tray to form the display configuration with the internal ramp, the method comprising: providing a blank for forming the base and at least parts of the side panels of the tray folding the blank to form the base and at least the parts of the side panels of the tray, with the insert being located on the base of the tray, between the at least parts of the side panels; and lifting a part of the insert to fold the insert to form the internal ramp above the base of the tray, the lifted part being retained in a lifted position by a hooking or catch mechanism of the tray or insert.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein one or more side panels or part of side panels are removed by tearing along a line of perforation.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein slots, cut-outs or crenellations for the hooking mechanism are formed by the removal of material during reconfiguration.
31. A method of assembling and reconfiguring a tray to form an internal ramp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of more of the attached drawings.