GB2588897A

GB2588897A - A reusable box

Info

Publication number: GB2588897A
Application number: GB1916424.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Valentine James
Original assignee: Shopperbox Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Shopperbox Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-12
Filing date: 2019-11-12
Publication date: 2021-05-19
Also published as: GB201916424D0

Abstract

A foldable shopping container. The box comprises a front face (fig 1b 1) and a rear face 2. These are joined by a pair of sides 3 and a base 4 to define a space suitable for storing goods such as shopping. The front face comprises a lid for the box, it may also comprise an extending handle section. A handle may also be disposed on the rear face of the box. A pair of tabs 6 are disposed on the rear face, two corresponding slots 7 are disposed on the sides of the box. When the box is to be deployed the front face and sides are slid along the primary axis of the box until the tabs on the rear face can be inserted into the slots on the side. The rear face may comprise a front panel and rear panel 9 and the tabs a pair of sliding panels.

Description

A REUSABLE BOX

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reusable box, in particular a box means suitable for transporting groceries or other goods; more particularly but not exclusively the invention relates to an 'environmentally friendly' shopping box.

Background

Increasing awareness of environmental concerns is a factor in many societies, as is a growing rejection of single-use items.

This is particularly so with many of the inorganic plastics, and the prevalence of synthetic plastics in general day-to-day life.

Many consumers have already reduced their use of single-use plastic carriers or bags to transport their shopping, preferring reusable plastic bags or fabric bags.

However fabric bags utilise large amounts of water in production frequently, and plastic bags are still prone to polluting the environmental at the end of their life-cycle.

In addition or the alternative paper-based products are seen as desirable in many 25 circumstances, both for ease of recycling and preferable raw material usage.

Prior Art

FR 2 912 114 (PETITBERGH I EN) discloses a box that has four faces that form a strip of the box, and two transversal faces respectively forming a bottom face and a box closing face. One of the faces of the strip and one of the transversal faces have double thickness of a rigid material e.g. cardboard. A handle cuts the double thickness face of the strip, and is extended from the double thickness transversal face in a deployed position, where the handle has double thickness.

US 3 814 303 (SMITH) discloses an improved one-piece blank, composed of paperboard or other suitable material, is provided for the construction of a box having rectangular front, rear and side panels, and further having end and cover flaps, and a pair of additional flaps adapted to be folded over one another to provide an extended end for the rear wall of the box. This extended end forms an advertising panel, and it has a hang tag formed in its rear side whereby the box may be hanged from a rack, without obstructing the message on the extended end.

US 2 850 223 (STRAUSS) discloses a unitary carrying tray having a body section and a two-ply longitudinal partition member, the body section being comprised of horizontally disposed half bottom panels and laterally disposed end wall half panels respectively hingedly connected to the bottom and end margins of each partition member ply, each half bottom panel having a side wall forming flap hingedly connected thereto along its longitudinal side margin, each laterally disposed end wall half panel having a side wall reinforcing tab hingedly connected thereto along a vertical corner defining score and disposed longitudinally of the tray in flatwise contacting relation with the inner face of the upright side wall forming flap, and bottom reinforcing flaps foldably connected to the bottom edge of said end wall half panels and disposed horizontally inwardly in flatwise relation against the upper face of the half bottom panels, free inner end edges of each bottom reinforcing flap being disposed in parallel relation to the hinged connection of the end wall half panels and in aligned relationship with the opposite counterpart opposing bottom reinforcing The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing 25 devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a reusable box comprising: a front face and a rear face, the faces are joined one to another by sides and a base to define an internal volume, wherein the rear face and sides combine to define tabs for placement in slots; and a handle is provided on at least one face; the shopping box is adapted to be opened from a first substantially flat position to a second deployed position, characterised in that movement between the flat position to the deployed position is accomplished by sliding the front face and sides along a first axis and placing the tabs into the slots along a second axis that is orthogonal the first axis.

The internal volume is thereby enabled to be maintained if the tabs are in the slots.

In this way the tabs are fitted into the slots to prevent the sliding movement between 5 positions, and advantageously the internal volume is thereby robust, as the movement required to change its shape is not compromised by weight or other forces operable in use.

The box may be envisaged to be used for shopping purposes, or other repeated activity 10 where the box may be required to be easily stored and easily deployed.

In addition or the alternative in line with modern day box manufacturing box manufacturers can provide a full recycling facility, such that the boxes of the present invention may be distributed and then collected (after use) for recycling.

In some embodiments the rear face may extend to provide an extension providing the handle.

In some embodiments the internal volume may comprise a lid. In some embodiments 20 the lid may comprise a part, or extension of the front face.

In some embodiments the rear face may be formed of more than one panel, so as to provide a stronger handle, with doubling of material. The panels of the rear face may provide a double-walled rear face, such that the void between the panels may be used 25 for other panels, for example connected to the front face to support the internal volume.

The box may be envisaged to be formed of paperboard, fibreboard or cardboard, material so as to lower environmental impact and permit disposal after the device's lifecycle. The panels of the box may be envisaged to provide effective advertising opportunities for easy and cheap printing processes, so as to provide cost-effective and environmental advertising.

The material may be envisaged to be substantially rigid so as to lend structural strength to the device. In some embodiments the material may comprise a waterproof or water-35 resistant coating.

The box may therefore be formed from a number of rectangular substantially rigid panels, which panels are connected by living hinges or folds. In some embodiments two panels may be connected with adhesive so as to form a permanent bond, and allow the first position to be stable.

This bond may act to strengthen the panel on which it occurs, consequently may be envisaged to be arranged to the rear face.

The rear face additionally or alternatively may be doubled to enhance its structural 10 strength.

In some embodiments the base may be formed as a part of the rear face.

In some embodiments the base may be formed as a part of the front face.

In some embodiments the base may be formed as a part of a side.

The tabs may be envisaged to extend from the rear face, for placement into slots in the sides or vice versa. In this way the rear face may be locked into the sides so as to lock the corner joints between the rear face and sides, and accordingly all corner joints of the internal volume. In addition or the alternative the tabs in the slots prevent the rear face move longitudinally with reference to the sides, base and front face. In this way the shape of the internal volume is held in the second position.

It may be envisaged that displacement of the tabs from the slots enables the box to move to the first position.

In some embodiments the panels of the box are not adhered to one another anywhere. In such embodiments it may be envisaged that the box may move easier into the first 30 position, for example when the tabs are removed from the slots the box may be envisaged to tend towards the first position.

In some embodiments the box may be arranged to a move from a first position where the box is substantially flat, into the second position defining the internal volume, 35 substantially in a single movement; into a third locked position. To move into the third position it may be envisaged that the tabs are engaged into the sides from the rear face and the lid is engaged over the top of the internal volume.

In addition or the alternative in some embodiments the lid may be arranged to push 5 against the rear face when in place, so as to form a snug fit. It may be envisaged also that a rear flap may be located on the lid, so as to fold up or down against the rear face to further improve fit.

In some embodiments the rear flap comprises a perforation for the handle. In this way 10 the flap may fold upwards against the rear face handle, so as to form a second layer, whereby the use of the perforation for the handle urges the flap and lid down into and over the internal volume.

In addition or the alternative therefore the lid may be urged into the internal volume 15 and the lid may therefore serve to strengthen the sides and face corner joints.

The perforation may match a handle hole in the rear face, which is included in an upwards extension of the rear face. This upwards extension may simply comprise a direct extension thereof, whereby the rear face is longer than the front face.

The rear face may comprise holes for handles. These holes may be curved or straight slot holes.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only 25 and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figure la shows a sketch of an isometric view of a first embodiment of the shopping box according to the present invention in a flattened first position; Figure 1b shows an isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure la, in the second position; Figure 2 shows a reverse isometric view of a second embodiment of the box according to the present invention between positions; Figure 3 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 in the 5 second position; Figure 4 shows a sketch isometric view of an embodiment of the box according to the present invention; Figures 5 show isometric views of the second embodiment of the box as shown in Figure 2, as a template; Figure 6a shows sketches of detail plan views of embodiments of handles; Figure 6b a detail isometric view of the handle for the shopping box according to the 15 present invention; Figures 7 show front and side views of the first and second embodiment of the shopping box according to the present invention; Figure 8 shows an isometric reverse view of the first embodiment of the shopping box according to the present invention; Figure 9 shows an isometric reverse view of the second embodiment of the device according to the present invention; and Figures 10 show a manufacturing template and a sectional view of materials for manufacture of the embodiments of the device shown in the preceding Figures.

Detailed Description of Figures

With reference to the Figures there are shown embodiments of a device comprising a reusable box 99 comprising a front face 1 and a rear face 2, the faces joined by sides 3 and a base 4 to define an internal volume A, wherein the rear face 2 and sides 3 combine to provide tabs 6 for placement in slots 7, and the front face 1 comprises a lid 5 for the internal volume A, and the rear face 2 comprises a handle 8; and wherein the device 99 is arranged to move from a first substantially flat position as shown in Figure 9 to a second position as shown in Figure lb defining the internal volume A, wherein movement between positions comprises a sliding movement and wherein the tabs interact along a second axis with the slots orthogonal to this first axis of movement.

The embodiments are both made from corrugated cardboard, and have multiple panels which are not adhered together so as to allow for easy movement to the first position.

As shown in Figures 5 the rear face 2 comprises two rectangular rear panels a rear panel 2 which provides the visible rear face, and an internal front rear panel 23, with 10 an intermediate living hinge 82 and two corresponding handle holes 8 proximate the hinge.

Extending outwards from the front rear panel 23, outermost on the template is a small rectangular base top panel 41.

The rear panel 2 is provided with two laterally extending tabs 6. These tabs 6 extend from the perimeter of the rear panel 2, and the sides of the tabs 6 comprise slots 7 that extend into the rear panel 2 to allow greater movement of the tabs in use.

The front rear panel 23 is hinged to a rectangular laterally arranged bottom base 4 panel, which in turn is hinged to a square front panel 1.

The front panel 1 is hinged sideways to two rectangular sides 3, which are outermost hinged to two square rear panels 21.

The front panel 1 is also hinged to a small rectangular lid 5 mirroring the base panel, and outermost a handle panel 58, with a hole corresponding to the handle hole on the rear panels.

In this way the device is formed in use by folding the front rear panel 23 over the rear panel 2, and internally placing the top base panel 41 against the bottom base panel 4. The front panel 1 is hinged up to be parallel the rear panels 2, 23 and the side panels 3 hinged towards the rear panels 2, 23.

The two square rear panels 21 are subsequently slotted behind the front rear panel 23, so as to be sandwiched between the front rear 23 and rear 2 panels.

The tabs 6 are manoeuvred into the slots 7, such that the tabs 6 extend from the rear panel 2 along the sides 3, through the slots 7 and behind the front panel 1. This creates the internal volume A. The lid panel 5 is then hinged down over the internal volume and the handle panel 58 placed against and extending upwards to an extension 9 of the rear panel that provides the handle.

The square rear panels 21 are arranged to slide upwards when the tabs 6 are removed from the slots 7, so as to allow the first position as shown in Figure la.

As shown in Figure 6 the handle may comprise variant formations in different embodiments, for example wherein the handle holes 8 may have curved or straight 15 holes, and/or the handle panel 58 may comprise a lip 18 to fold under and into the hole 8 so as to strengthen the hole 8.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing 20 from the scope of invention as defined by the claims, in particular but not solely combination of features of described embodiments.

Claims

Claims 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.A reusable box comprising: a front face and a rear face, the faces are joined one to another by sides and a base to define an internal volume, wherein the rear face and sides combine to define tabs for placement in slots; and a handle is provided on at least one face; the shopping box is adapted to be opened from a first substantially flat position to a second deployed position, characterised in that movement between the flat position to the deployed position is accomplished by sliding the front face and sides along a first axis and placing the tabs into the slots along a second axis that is orthogonal the first axis.A box according to claim 1 formed from a single, continuous sheet of cardboard with living hinges defining the faces, sides and the base.A box according to claim 1 or 2 wherein an extension of the rear face provides a handle.A box according to any preceding claim wherein the lid comprises an extending handle tab arranged to strengthen and secure the lid.A box according to any preceding claim wherein the rear face comprises a rear panel, a front panel and two sliding panels.