GB2616974A

GB2616974A - Safety closure for cardboard box

Info

Publication number: GB2616974A
Application number: GB2303098.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Perea Romero Daniel; Almena Alburerne Sergio
Original assignee: Hinojosa Packaging Group SL
Current assignee: Hinojosa Packaging Group SL
Priority date: 2022-03-23
Filing date: 2023-03-02
Publication date: 2023-09-27
Also published as: IE20230053U1; GB202303098D0; FR3133843B3; ES1289149U; PT12210Y; FR3133843A3; PT12210U; IES87417Y1; ES1289149Y

Abstract

A safety closure for a cardboard box, in which the box is made from a flat die-cut laminar body (1) that is subsequently assembled by folding along folding lines (2), comprising two end sides arranged opposite each other, and a glued fastening element therebetween that projects from one of said end sides, and in which the box comprises a top closure formed at least by a lid (4) with a closing tongue (5) at a free end that projects from a first side (6) such that, in a closed position, the lid (4) can be arranged on the box with the closing tongue (5) fitted therein, adjacent to a second side (7) opposite to the first side (6), with a first surface (5.1) thereof oriented towards said second side (7), comprising a first tab (10) projecting from the free end of the closing tongue (5) that is designed to be folded via a folding line (2) onto the first surface (5.1) of the closing tongue (5), means for locking the first tab (10) in the closed position comprising a second tab (11) designed to be fastened by gluing to the inner surface of the second side (7), in which the second tab (11) comprises an opening (12) dimensioned to fit the first tab (10), and in which, when the box is in the closed position, the first tab (10) is held or engaged inside the opening (12), and unlocking means, formed by at least one release tongue (14) of the first tab (10), with a portion of the contour thereof die-cut, located on the second side (7) and coinciding with the opening (12) of the second tab (11).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Safety closure for cardboard box

Technical field of the invention

The present invention pertains to the technical field of cardboard boxes for containing products, specifically to the safety closures thereof used to control the opening thereof, in which these boxes are made from a flat die-cut laminar body that is subsequently assembled by folding along folding lines.

Background to the invention

There are currently many types and embodiments of cardboard containment boxes, most of which are made from a flat die-cut laminar body with folding lines that facilitate subsequent assembly by folding.

Some of these boxes have an open top base, without any type of closure, while those boxes that do have a closure may be formed by a lid independent of the laminar body or by flaps and a lid joined to the sides of the box by means of folding lines.

Depending on the intended uses or functions of the boxes, the type of closure may be of greater importance, and a safety closure that ensures the integrity of the inside of the box may be required in some cases.

In some cases, the boxes may be intended to contain elements that may be dangerous for children to handle, such as water-soluble detergent capsules, cleaning products and medicines, for example, and therefore the box must be provided with a closure that prevents the box from being opened by children.

However, said safety closure should not be limited to a single initial opening that renders the closure unusable, but that enables the box to be opened when necessary by a responsible person, without this precluding the possibility of re-closing the box, so that the box can continue to be used in a safe manner.

Reference documents ES0284258 and ES2256630 are examples of the prior art.

Reference document ES0284258 discloses an improved folding box with a lid including a slot through which handles are passed to close the box. In said document, the box has a closure that ensures that the box cannot be opened accidentally during transport, but the closure is not constitute a safety closure, since the box can be opened at any time if so desired.

Reference document ES2256630 discloses a re-closable folding box that has a separable safety surface on a front or rear side wall that can be torn off by means of a perforation, a tongue that is joined to a closing flap, and a suspension flap comprising two layers joined together, comprising a suspension device.

This type of closure provides safety conditions indicating the untimely opening of the box, an anti-dust closure, and a suspension tab enabling the box to be hung perfectly.

In this case, the first opening of the box requires a tear-off surface to be removed, making the box tamper-proof, but the box cannot be safely re-closed. The box can be re-closed, but not under the original safety conditions.

There are no known safety closures for cardboard boxes in the prior art that provide, without using external elements, a continuous or multiple-use safety closure, i.e. that enables the box to be re-used and re-closed under the original safety conditions after the first opening.

Description of the invention

The safety closure for cardboard boxes disclosed herein relates to boxes made from a flat die-cut laminar body that is subsequently assembled by folding along folding lines, comprising two end sides that are opposite each other, and a fastening element glued between said end sides that projects from one of the said end sides.

These boxes comprise a top closure formed by at least one lid with a closing tongue at a free end that projects from a first side.

Thus, in a closed position, the lid can be arranged on the box with the closing tongue engaged therein, adjacent to a second side opposite the first side, with a first surface of said tongue facing said second side.

The safety closure comprises a first tab projecting from the free end of the closing tongue via a folding line, such as to enable said tab to be folded onto a first surface of the closing tongue, and optionally includes glue fastening means on said first surface in this folded position.

Similarly, the safety closure comprises means for locking the first tab in the closed position and unlocking means.

The locking means comprise a second tab and means for fastening said tab by gluing to the inner surface of the second side. This second tab comprises an opening that is dimensioned to fit the first tab and is arranged to coincide with said first tab in the closed position.

The unlocking means are formed by at least one release tongue of the first tab, with a portion of the contour thereof die-cut, located on the second side and coinciding with the opening of the second tab.

The safety closure disclosed herein represents a significant improvement on the prior art.

This is because the box obtained has a closure that enables the product to be safely contained, in particular by preventing children from accessing said product.

Moreover, the closure can be easily unlocked by an adult, if desired, to access the inside, and is not unusable once opened, so the box can be re-used without affecting the safety of the closure.

The closure is very easy to use, both when closing the box and when unlocking the first tab from the closed position.

This results in a very efficient safety closure, which provides cardboard boxes with an adequate level of safety without the need for external elements in addition to the box and by means of an easy-to-use closure.

Short description of the figures

To help better understand the features of the invention according to a preferred practical example embodiment of the invention, an illustrative and non-limiting set of figures is included as an integral part of said description, showing the following: Figure 1 is a plan view of the flat laminar body of a box with a safety closure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the flat laminar body of a box with the first and second tabs, in the folded position and fastened by gluing, of a safety closure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figures 3.1 and 3.2 are perspective views of a box with a safety closure in an intermediate open position and a closed position of the box, according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the flat laminar body of a box with a safety closure according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the flat laminar body of a box with a safety closure according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figures 6.1 and 6.2 are perspective views of a box with a safety closure in an intermediate open position and a closed position of the box, according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the flat laminar body of a box with a safety closure according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention The figures show how, according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the safety closure for cardboard boxes disclosed herein relates to boxes made from a flat die-cut laminar body (1) that is subsequently assembled by folding along folding lines (2), comprising two end sides that are opposite each other, and a fastening element glued between said end sides that projects from one of the said end sides.

The cardboard box comprises a top closure formed by at least one lid (4) with a closing tongue (5) at a free end that projects from a first side (6).

Thus, Figure 3.1 shows a box with the top closure partially open and Figure 3.2 shows the box in a closed position, showing that the lid (4) can be arranged on the box with the closing tongue (5) engaged therein, adjacent to a second side (7) opposite to the first side (6), with a first surface (5.1) thereof facing said second side (7).

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3.1 and 3.2, in this first preferred embodiment, the top closure further comprises two flaps (8) projecting from two opposing third sides (9) of the box. In other embodiments, these flaps (8) may be omitted, or the number, arrangement or design thereof may be different.

This safety closure comprises a first tab (10) projecting from the free end of the closing tongue (5) via a folding line (2), as shown in Figure 1, such as to allow said first tab (10) to be folded onto the first surface (5.1) of the closing tongue (5), as shown in Figure 2. In an alternative embodiment, this tab (10) has glue fastening means on said first surface (5.1) Furthermore and as shown in Figure 1, this safety closure comprises means for locking the first tab (10) in the closed position comprising a second tab (11) and means for fastening said tab by gluing to the inner surface of the second side (7), as shown in Figure 2.

This second tab (11) comprises an opening (12) that is dimensioned to fit the first tab (10) and is arranged to coincide with said first tab (10) in the closed position, as shown in Figure 3.3. These matching dimensions ensure that, when assembled, the tab (10) is inserted and engaged in the opening (12) when the tongue (5.1) is pressed.

In this first preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figure 1, said second tab (11) is joined to the top end of the second side (7) by means of a folding line (2) that enables said tab to be folded onto the inner surface of the second side (7), as shown in Figure 2. In an alternative embodiment, not shown in the figures, this second tab (11) could be an independent part of the flat die-cut laminar body (1), which is simply fastened by gluing to the inner surface of the second side (7).

The connection element between the end sides (6, 9) of the laminar body (1) is formed by a third tab (13), as shown in Figures 1 and 2, which projects from one of said sides by means of a folding line (2). In the example shown in the figures, the third tab (13) projects from the side (9), but obviously said tab could project from the other end side (6) and fulfil the same technical function.

In other preferred embodiments of the invention, one of the end sides of the laminar body (1) is the second side (7). In this case, as in a second preferred embodiment shown in Figure 4, the connection element between said second side (7) and the end side opposite said side is formed by the second tab (11), which projects via a folding line (2) from said end side (9), and which is adjacent to the second side (7) when assembled.

Moreover, the safety closure also has unlocking means, formed by at least one release tongue (14) of the first tab (10), with a portion of the contour thereof die-cut, located on the second side (7) and coinciding with the opening (12) of the second tab (11).

In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the unlocking means are formed by two release tongues (14) that are large enough to insert at least two fingers. In other embodiments, such as the second proposed embodiment shown in Figure 4, there may be a single release tongue (14).

Therefore, to unlock the safety closure, the release tongue or tongues (14) are pressed inward, thereby pushing the first tab (10) that is engaged or locked in the opening (12) of the second tab (11), thereby unlocking said tab and allowing the lid (4) of the box to be opened.

As mentioned above, this operation is reversible, in that, to re-close the box safely, the first tab (10) need simply be re-engaged in the opening (12) of the second tab (11), in this case pressing in the opposite direction (from the inside of the box outwards).

According to a third preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in Figures 5, 6.1 and 6.2, the die-cut portion of the contour of the release tongue (14) is discontinuous so as to form two die-cut contour segments (16) that are symmetrical about an intermediate joining zone (15) between the release tongue (14) and the second side (7).

This layout prevents said release tongue (14) from remaining in a recessed position after being pushed inwards to release the safety closure, since this would cause the problem of the closing tongue (5) interfering with the release tongue (14) when re-closing the box, as shown in Figure 6.2. The intermediate joining zone (15) provides a connection point for both die-cut contour segments (16), preventing said segments from being folded inwards.

Moreover, in this third preferred embodiment, the opening (12) of the second tab (11) has projections (17) on the contour thereof located furthest away from the top closure of the box in the glue-fastening position of said second tab (11). Said projections (17) are oriented towards the inside of the opening (12), as shown in Figures 5, 6.1 and 6.2, and perform the same function as the intermediate joining zone (15), preventing the release tongue (14) from being folded towards the inside of the box and creating an obstacle when re-closing the box.

Although in this third embodiment the box includes both the intermediate joining zone (15) on the die-cut contour of the release tongue (14) and the projections (17) on the opening (12), other embodiments may include just one of these elements, and not both.

According to another aspect, as shown in Figure 5, in this third preferred embodiment of the invention, the first tab (10) comprises a recess (18) at the end thereof opposite the free end of the closing tongue (5).

Furthermore, said closing tongue (5) has an intermediate folding line (2.1) parallel to the free end thereof and located closer to said free end than to the lid (4), so as to form a first portion (19.1) of the closing tongue (5) that can be folded in relation to a second portion (19.2) adjacent to the lid (4).

This layout with the recess (18) and the intermediate folding line (2.1) improves the closing of 25 the box when closed by an automatic machine.

According to another aspect, in both the first and second preferred embodiments of the invention, as set out herein, the base of the box is formed by four bottom flaps (3), as shown in Figures 1 and 2 for the first embodiment, and in Figure 4 for the second embodiment.

These lower flaps (3) project from the bottom end of the first, second and third sides (6, 7, 9) of the box and overlap to form the bottom base. In other embodiments, this bottom base may be formed in other ways known in the prior art, and not necessarily with four flaps.

In the third embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the base also comprises four bottom flaps (3), while in a fourth embodiment, shown in Figure 7 and representing a manually assembled box, the base also has four bottom flaps (3), but in this case the two bottom flaps projecting from the opposing first and second sides (6, 7) are larger than the other two bottom flaps (3) projecting from the third sides (9).

In this fourth embodiment, the box also has the recess (18) in the first tab (10) and the intermediate folding line (2.1) of the closing tongue (5) to improve the closing of the box even where done manually, and an intermediate joining zone (15) of the release tongue (14) as well as projections (17) on the contour of the opening (12) of the second tab (11), to prevent the closing tongue (5) from interfering with the release tongue ( 1 4) .

Claims

CLAIMS1-Safety closure for a cardboard box, in which the box is made from a flat die-cut laminar body (1) that is subsequently assembled by folding along folding lines (2), comprising two end sides arranged opposite each other, and a glued fastening element therebetween that projects from one of said end sides, and in which the box comprises a top closure formed at least by a lid (4) with a closing tongue (5) at a free end that projects from a first side (6) such that, in a closed position, the lid (4) can be arranged on the box with the closing tongue (5) fitted therein, adjacent to a second side (7) opposite to the first side (6), with a first surface (5.1) thereof oriented towards said second side (7), comprising - a first tab (10) projecting from the free end of the closing tongue (5) that is designed to be folded via a folding line (2) onto the first surface (5.1) of the closing tongue (5), - means for locking the first tab (10) in the closed position comprising a second tab (11) designed to be fastened by gluing to the inner surface of the second side (7), in which the second tab (11) comprises an opening (12) dimensioned to fit the first tab (10), and in which, when the box is in the closed position, the first tab (10) is held or engaged inside the opening (12), - unlocking means, formed by at least one release tongue (14) of the first tab (10), with a portion of the contour thereof die-cut, located on the second side (7) and coinciding with the opening (12) of the second tab (11).

2-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to Claim 1, in which the second tab (11) is joined to the top end of the second side (7) by means of a folding line (2), and the connection element between the end sides of the laminar body (1) is formed by a third tab (13) projecting from one of said sides by means of a folding line (2).

3-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to Claim 1, in which one of the end sides of the laminar body (1) is the second side (7), and the connection element between said second side (7) and the opposing end side is formed by the second tab (11), which projects via a folding line (2) from said end side (9), and which is adjacent to the second side (7) when assembled.

4-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to Claim 1, in which the second tab (11) is a part independent of the flat die-cut laminar body (1), which is fastened by gluing to the inner surface of the second side (7).

5-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to any of the preceding claims, in which the die-cut portion of the contour of the release tongue (14) is discontinuous so as to form two die-cut contour segments (16) that are symmetrical about an intermediate joining zone (15) between the release tongue (14) and the second side (7).

6-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the opening (12) of the second tab (11) has projections (17) on the contour thereof located furthest away from the top closure of the box in the glue-fastening position of said second tab (11), in which said projections (17) are oriented towards the inside of the opening (12).

7-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first tab (10) comprises a recess (18) at the end thereof opposite the free end of the closing tongue (5), and said closing tongue (5) has an intermediate folding line (2.1) parallel to the free end thereof and located closer to said free end than to the lid (4), so as to form a first portion (19.1) of the closing tongue (5) that can be folded in relation to a second portion (19.2) adjacent to the lid (4).

8-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first tab (10) projecting from the free end of the closing tongue (5) is fastened by gluing to the first surface (5.1) of the closing tongue (5).

9-Safety closure for a cardboard box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the unlocking means are formed by two release tongues (14) that are large enough to insert at least two fingers.