GB2567852A

GB2567852A - Packaging

Info

Publication number: GB2567852A
Application number: GB1717655.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mitchell Glenn
Original assignee: Smurfit Kappa UK Ltd
Current assignee: Smurfit Kappa UK Ltd
Priority date: 2017-10-26
Filing date: 2017-10-26
Publication date: 2019-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 2037-10-26
Also published as: EP3700825A1; WO2019081943A1; GB201717655D0; GB2567852B; EP3700825B1

Abstract

A packaging box 10 formed of a board material and comprising a base 11, a front panel 12, side panels 14, 15 and a rear panel 13. The side panels and the rear panel are each formed with a foldably connected flap 23a, 23b, 23c extending upwardly therefrom and the flaps of the side and rear panels are joined to form a continuous rim 23. The rear panel flap (23c, figure 2) includes a fold line or line of weakness extending away from each corner, perhaps at 45º. The side panel flaps 23a and 23b are folded inwardly towards each other and the rear panel flap (23c, figure 2) is outwardly folded and locked into the rear panel 13. The flaps may be between one fifth and one third of the width of the front and rear panels. Preferably, the front panel 12 is substantially open to provide an opening to the box with a wall to retain products within the packaging. The base 11 may be a crash-lock base.

Description

The present invention relates to packaging, in particular to point-of-sale packaging, more particularly to retail-ready packaging (RRP) and shelf-ready packaging (SRP) in which individual products to be sold in a retail store are displayed on store shelves in the packaging in which the products are shipped to the store, without the products being decanted from the shipping packaging to the shelves by store staff. Such packaging is typically in the form of six-sided carton which is substantially open to the front and to the top to allow easy removal of products from the carton.

Packaging of this type can be manufactured from a range of materials, generically referred to as cardboard, depending principally upon the size, number and/or weight of the products to be packaged. Typically, the packaging will be manufactured from a corrugated fibreboard, often having a high-quality outer sheet suitable for high quality printing. The present invention is equally suitable for all types of packaging material, including corrugated cardboard, solid board and carton board, for example, and including both materials made from paper or pulp and those manufactured from synthetic materials such as sheet polymeric plastics materials. For ease of description, we will refer hereinafter to all these materials generically using the terms board or cardboard.

Conventionally, such packaging comprises a base container, which serves to retain the individual products, and a lid, to provide additional rigidity to the packaging for transit. The lid is removed prior to placing the packaging on the shelf. The lid may be formed integrally with the packaging forming the base, with perforations allowing removal of the lid. However, such an arrangement leaves an untidy edge to the cardboard and, with less than careful removal of the lid can cause damage to the base, potentially affecting both the structural performance and the appearance of the container on the shelf.

An alternative construction, avoidingthe problemsofa perforated lid, isto provide an entirely separate lid formed, typically, of a sheet of cardboard having a central portion, which overlies the top of the base, with flaps which tuck into the front and rear panels of the base, to retain the lid in place, and optionally also having side flaps to tuck between the side walls of the

-2carton and the products within the carton. Whilst providing an excellent solution, the construction is somewhat costly, in that a product manufacturer must maintain stocks of both the base and of the lid, and it is rather time-consuming to fold the lid to the correct shape and insert it between the walls of the carton and the products.

Accordingly, there is a need for packaging which addresses these problems with current packaging designs.

In its broadest sense, the present invention provides packaging formed of a board material and comprising a base having a front panel, side panels and a rear panel extending therefrom. The packaging further comprises a generally U-shaped upper panel to the side and rear panels, the upper panel being formed or respective side and rear panel elements; wherein the rear panel element is provided with a fold line or line of weakness extending from each corner defined by the junction of the rear panel element and the rear panel; wherein the rear panel element is provided with a tab or tongue and the rear panel is provided with a slot adapted to receive the tab or tongue through an outer face of the rear panel.

Preferably, each fold line or line of weakness extends at an angle of substantially 45° to its respective corner.

Preferably, the front panel is substantially open and includes side and central portions providing a wall to retain, in use, products within the packaging.

Preferably, the base is formed as a crash-lock base, preferably as an automatic, glued crash lock base.

Preferably, the width of the front panel and the rear panel are substantially the same and wherein the width of each panel element is less than half the width of the front and rear panels.

Preferably, the width of each panel element is between about one fifth and one third of the width of the front and rear panels.

-3The above and other aspects 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 front perspective view of an embodiment of packaging in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the packaging of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of a blank for the packaging of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an embodiment of packaging 10 in accordance with the present invention. The packaging 10 is generally conventional in appearance, formed as a box or carton having a base 11, a front panel 12, a rear panel 13, side panels 14,15 and a top panel 16. Front panel 12 is substantially open such that products within the box can be seen by customers when the carton is on a shelf at a retail store whilst also being easily removable from the carton. The front panel 12 includes a front wall 20 to retain the products within the carton.

As shown, preferably, the front wall 20 includes a side portion 21 to each side of a central portion 22, which side portions 21 extend upwardly from the base to a greater degree than does the central portion. This arrangement provides addition support to products within the carton whilst minimising the obscuring impact of the front wall 20, allowing product labels to be more visible.

The carton is of a generally conventional construction, as shown in Figure 3 which shows the cardboard blank 21 from which the carton is formed. The lines shown between adjacent portions of the carton are all fold lines. The present invention is particularly concerned with the top panel 16 of the carton. The blank 21 has the front panel 12, side panels 14,15 and rear panel 13 aligned adjacently and a side flap or glue lap 22 is provided to the rear panel 13 to be coupled by gluing to the adjacent side panel 15 in an entirely conventional manner. The base 11 is formed, in the embodiment shown, by four base flaps 11a, lib, 11c, lid, each

-4formed as a flap with an adjacent front, side or rear panel. The base 11 of the carton can be of any suitable construction such as, in the embodiment shown, as an automatic glued crash lock base, in which the four base flaps automatically come together as the flattened packaging supplied to the product manufacturer is formed into its carton configuration, and lock in place to secure the base.

The top of the carton, with which the present invention is particularly concerned, with now be described in further detail. As will be appreciated from Figure 3, in the assembled carton, the top of the carton is formed with ledge flaps 23a, 23b, 23c extending from, and thereby associated respectively with, upper edges of the side 14,15 and rear 13 panels and, following gluing of side flap 22 to side panel 15, forming a U-shape about the upper edge of the carton around the sides and rear.

Rear ledge flap 23c is formed with a central tongue 24 projecting therefrom, either by extending tongue or tab 24 outwardly from the body of rear ledge flap 23c or, as shown, by recessing adjacent portions of the edge of rear ledge flap 23c.

Rear ledge flap 23c, associated with the rear panel 13 of the carton, is provided with a line of weakness or fold line 25 extending at 45° into rear ledge flap 23c from each corner defined by the junction between rear ledge flap 23c and rear panel 13. Counterintuitively, fold lines 25 allow the rear ledge flap 23c to be folded outwardly (with respect to the interior of the carton). In assembling the carton from its flattened configuration as supplied by the carton manufacturer to its assembled configuration for use by the product manufacturer, rear ledge flap 23c is folded outwardly and over until tongue 24 engages a corresponding elongate cut or slot 30 formed in the rear panel 13.

By this construction and its counterintuitive folding direction, side ledge flaps 23a, 23b form side ledges to the carton which provide additional rigidity to the carton and provide ledges on which a subsequent carton can be placed, both for transit and store display purposes.

In the embodiment shown, the packaging further includes an aperture 31 formed at each of the two corners formed at the junction between rear ledge flap 23c and rear panel 13. The

-5apertures have the effect of making folding of rear ledge flap 23c easier, due to removal of carton material. As shown, slot 30 is generally curved in form with upturns at each end thereof to enhance the ease with which tongue 24 can be quickly pushed into slot 30, especially with thicker grades of board material.

The ledge flaps 23 are typically relatively narrow in width compared with the dimensions of the panels 12,13,14,15 of the carton such that, whilst forming, in use, a ledge to the sides of the upper face of the carton, they do not project so far into the upper face of the carton that they interfere with a consumer removing products from the carton.

Thus the present invention provides packaging suitable both for transit and store display purposes, which is quickly assembly, avoids the need both for a separate lid or a perforated removable lid portion, and therefore results in cost savings and time savings for both the product manufacturer and the store, together with less waste.

The packaging of the present invention will find application with a wide range of products, but particularly with those which have a single face - such as pre-packaged meat or fish, sweets, biscuits, crisps and so on.

Claims

1. Packaging (10) formed of a board material and comprising a base (11) having a front panel (12), side panels (14,15) and a rear panel (13) extending therefrom, the packaging further comprising a generally U-shaped upper panel (23) to the side and rear panels, the upper panel (23) being formed or respective side (23a, 23b) and rear (23c) panel elements; wherein the rear panel element (23c) is provided with a fold line or line of weakness (25) extending from each corner defined by the junction of the rear panel element (23c) and the rear panel (13); wherein the rear panel element (23c) is provided with a tab or tongue (24) and the rear panel (13) is provided with a slot (30) adapted to receive the tab or tongue (24) through an outer face of the rear panel (13).

2. Packaging as claimed in claim 1 wherein each fold line or line of weakness extends at an angle of substantially 45° to its respective corner.

3. Packaging as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the front panel is substantially open and includes side and central portions providing a wall to retain, in use, products within the packaging.

4. Packaging as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base (11) is formed as a crash-lock base, preferably as an automatic, glued crash lock base.

5. Packaging as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the width of the front panel (12) and the rear panel (13) are substantially the same and wherein the width of each panel element (23a, 23b, 23c) is less than half the width of the front and rear panels.

6. Packaging as claimed in claim 5 wherein the width of each panel element is between about one fifth and one third of the width of the front and rear panels.