IES68872B2 - A carton lid - Google Patents

Abstract

A carton lid (3) has a cover panel (10) with double thickness side walls (11). Each end wall (12) has an inner panel (26) which surrounds bellows sections (30) so that it forms an inner leaf spaced-apart by the bellows sections (30) from the outer panel (25), which forms an outer leaf.

Description

A Carton Lid The invention relates to a lid for a carton of card material formed from a blank.

An object of the invention is to provide a lid which is of 5 strong construction and yet which requires relatively little material.

Another object is that the lid be simple to assemble from a unitary blank.

A further object is that the laid does not present cut 10 edges of the blank when assembled.

According to the invention, there is provided a lid of card material for an open-topped box, the lid comprising: a cover panel; opposed side walls each comprising, in sequence extending 15 from the cover panel, an outer panel and an inner panel, wherein:the inner panel is folded over and adhered to the outer panel, and the inner panel is cut-away at each end adjacent a corner; and opposed end walls each comprising, in sequence extending from the cover panel, an outer panel and an inner panel, wherein:~ the outer panel is connected to the outer panels of adjoining side- walls at corners by a bellows section, the inner panel is connected to a flap at each side at a corner, and the inner panel is folded over the bellows sections whereby it forms an inner leaf and the outer panel forms an outer leaf spaced-apart by the bellows sections, and the flaps abut against side edges of the inner panels of the adjoining side walls to retain the end wall in position.

In one embodiment, the flaps are triangular in shape and the side wall inner panels are correspondingly cut away to provide an abutment surface extending from the cover panel to the adjacent corner.

Preferably, the side walls are longer then the end walls.

The invention also provides a unitary blank to form a carton as described above.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above showing an open-topped box and a lid of the invention for the box; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lid in the upturned position; - 3 Fig. 3(a) is a plan view showing a card blank for forming the lid, and Figs. 3(b) and 3(c) are perspective views showing assembly of the lid from the blank; and Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) are more detailed perspective views showing the manner in which the lid is assembled at the corners .

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a carton 1 comprising an open-topped box 2 and a removable lid 3. The box 3 is of the framed type with double side walls 4 and end walls 5, and a double-thickness base 6.

Referring in particular to Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, the lid 3 is described in more detail. The lid 3 comprises a cover panel 10, a pair of side walls 11, and a pair of end walls 12. An important aspect of the lid 3 is that it is formed from a single, unitary blank of card. It is therefore inexpensive to provide the raw material and to assemble. Another important aspect is the fact that there are no exposed cut edges of card. How this is achieved is described below.

Referring in particular to Fig. 3(a), a blank 33 for forming the lid 3 is shown. The blank 33 comprises various sections defined by cut lines and fold lines, the fold lines being indicated by interrupted lines in the drawing. In sequence outwardly from the cover panel 10, the blank 3B comprises a side wall outer panel 20 and a side wall inner panel 21 for each of the side walls 11. The side wall inner panels are partly cut-away at their ends, adjacent the corners.

Extending outwardly from the cover panel 10 in the other orthogonal direction, the blank 3B comprises an end wall outer panel 25 and an end wall inner panel 26. The outer panels 20 and 25 are interconnected by a bellows section 30.

In addition, there is a pair of flaps 31 extending from the inner panel 26 - one on each side of each inner panel 26. The flaps 21 are of triangular shape and are tapered and include an abutment surface 32. The purpose of the abutment surface 32 is explained in more detail below.

Assembly of the lid 3 from the blank 3B is achieved by folding over the inner panels 21 as shown in Fig. 3(b) and adhering them with adhesive to the inner surfaces of the outer panels 20. Further, the end wall inner panels 26 are lifted upwardly and folded around so that the bellows sections 30 collapse and extend inwardly from the corners into the lid 3. As each inner panel 26 is folded over, it envelopes the bellows sections 30 so that they effectively become part of the end wall 12. When completely folded over, each inner panel 26 is retained in position by pressing the flaps 31 into a space left where the inner panels 21 of the side walls 11 are cut-away adjacent the corners. This is shown most clearly in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) in which it is shown how the abutment surface 32 abuts the side edge of the side wall inner panel 21 to retain the end wall inner panel 26 in position. As is clear from 4(b), in this position the flap 31 and the side wall inner panel 21 are flush together. Further, the inner panel 26 forms an inner leaf and the outer panel 25 forms an outer leaf spaced-apart by the bellows sections 30.

Because the flaps 31 are flush with the inner panels 21 and because the outer panels 20 and 25 are interconnected by the bellows sections 30 at the corners, there are no exposed cut edges at the corners, or indeed in any other - 5 part of the lid 3. Further, the end walls 12 are particularly strong because they have a double thickness provided by the inner and outer panels. The walls are particularly strong at the corners because of insertion of the bellows sections 30 between the inner and outer panels. Further, the side walls 11 are quite rigid because they include two panels, 20 and 21 which are adhered together. It could be said that bonding of the side wall inner panels 21 to the outer panels 20 provides a foundation for support of the end walls 12 via the flaps 31.

It will thus be appreciated that the lid 3 has a very strong and rigid construction and is very simple to assemble. It will also be appreciated that the material costs are very low as a single, unitary blank is used. Further, the lid provides a very good aesthetic effect and is easy to handle as there are no exposed cut edges.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described and may be varied in construction and detail. For example, the side walls may be shorter than the end walls, or indeed the lid could be squareshaped in plan. Further, the side flaps need not necessarily be triangular.

Claims (5)

1. A lid of card material for an open-topped box, the lid comprising:a cover panel; opposed side walls each comprising, in sequence extending from the cover panel, an outer panel and an inner panel, wherein:the inner panel is folded. over and adhered to the outer panel, and the inner panel is cut-away at each end adjacent a corner; and opposed end walls each comprising, in sequence extending from the cover panel, an outer panel and an inner panel, wherein :the outer panel is connected to the outer panels of the adjoining side walls at corners by a bellows section, the inner panel is connected to a flap at each side at a corner, and the inner panel is folded over the bellows sections whereby it forms an inner leaf and the outer panel forms an outer leaf spaced-apart by the bellows sections, and the flaps abut against side edges of the inner panels of the adjoining side walls to retain the end wall in position.

2. A lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flaps are triangular in shape and the sidewall inner panels are correspondingly cut away to provide an abutment surface extending from the cover panel to 5 the adjacent corner.

3. A lid as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein the side walls are longer than the end walls.

4. . A lid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to an as illustrated in the accompanying 10 drawings.

5. A blank for forming a lid as claimed in any preceding claim.