ITRM20090297A1 - COVER FOR TRAYS AND RELATED CUTTERS. - Google Patents

Description

"COVER FOR TRAYS AND RELATIVE DIE CUT"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an element for covering and transporting trays, in particular cardboard trays of the pastry type.

It is known to all that, in confectionery, sweets and pastries are traditionally packaged in trays of various sizes made of cardboard, of a substantially rectangular and flat shape, slightly flared along the perimeter edge and with rounded corners.

The tray, once filled with sweets, is completed with cardboard strips to protect them and then packaged with paper and tied with a ribbon. This packaging method, however, has some notable drawbacks. First of all, it is undoubtedly expensive in terms of time required for its execution. In addition, it requires considerable counter space to spread out a sheet of paper of adequate size to wrap the tray.

Furthermore, although cardboard protection strips are used, it often happens that the paper of the packaging comes into contact with the sweets with the risk, in addition to a lack of hygiene, of deteriorating their appearance and shape.

There are also some confections for sweets which would like to replace the traditional confection. These are real boxes, with a bottom and a lid. In essence, the traditional pastry tray is replaced with the bottom of the box and then the package is completed with the lid which is anchored, according to various techniques, to the bottom itself.

This type of packaging partially solves some of the aforementioned problems, in particular those related to the convenience and speed of packaging.

However, it is clear that this is an alternative that replaces the traditional tray whose shapes, as is well known, have now become an identifying symbol of pastry.

Furthermore, it is evident that abandoning the traditional tray, however, implies that the inside of the bottom of the box must be treated in order to contain food products that could not of course be placed in direct contact with the cardboard.

Basically, these boxes can be considered as possible and convenient alternatives to the tray and its traditional packaging. However, they cannot be considered a valid alternative to packaging alone, as they cannot be used to complete the packaging of a traditional tray full of sweets and / or pastries.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an innovative solution to the packaging problems of a traditional type tray, still left open by the known art, by providing a covering element as defined in independent claim 1.

Secondary characteristics of the present invention are instead defined in the corresponding dependent claims.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a blank, as defined in claim 11.

As will be illustrated in the following of this description, the present invention has numerous advantages.

In particular, the present invention allows to maintain the habit and the custom of using the classic pastry trays unaltered, combining to this the practicality and convenience of a simple and fast packaging.

Furthermore, with respect to traditional paper packaging, the cover according to the present invention also provides an improved grip of the package, allowing it to be transported in a simpler and safer way, preventing the contents from being deteriorated.

These and further advantages, as well as the characteristics and methods of use of the present invention, will become evident from the following detailed description of one of its embodiments, presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the figures of the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for the construction of a cover for trays according to the present invention;

figure 2 is a view of a cover for trays according to the present invention, obtained by folding and fixing the blank of figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of the cover according to the present invention;

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate two possible variants of the detail shown in Figure 3;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a cover according to the present invention, in use combined with a tray;

Figures 5A and 5B illustrate the method of inserting the cover according to the present invention on a tray;

figure 6 is a perspective view of a cover according to the present invention coupled to a tray;

Figure 6A illustrates a possible variant of the detail shown in Figure 6; figure 7A is a perspective view of a cover according to the present invention, which highlights a tear-off and removal mechanism; And

Figures 7B and 7C illustrate a method of opening and removing the cover. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the figures indicated above.

Referring first to figure 1, this shows a blank 1 for making a cover for pastry trays, according to the present invention.

The blank 1 comprises a central panel 2, octagonal in shape. Opposite sides of the central panel 2 are preferably parallel to each other.

Furthermore, the blank 1 comprises two side panels 3 joined to the central panel 2 at two opposite sides. Advantageously, folding lines 4 are provided in correspondence with this union.

Two further extremal panels 5 are joined to the central panel 2 at two further opposite sides, through fold lines 6.

Each extremal panel 5 can advantageously provide a tear portion 7, defined inside the extremal panel 5 by corresponding facilitated breaking lines 8.

The blank 1 also comprises four corner closure portions 10. Said corner closure portions 10 can be joined, through fold lines 11 in two or more, between the lateral 3 and extremal panels 5. According to the preferred embodiment, the portions angular closing elements 10 are each joined to the side panels 3. It is also evident that these portions could be joined to the extremal panels.

Furthermore, the blank includes a plurality of fixing tabs 12, joined at the peripheral edges of one or more panels and / or corner portions, in such a way as to overlap and to be fixed, for example by gluing, to the central panel 2 and / or to one or more of the side panels and / or to one or more of the end panels and / or to one or more of the corner portions, when the blank is folded to form the cover.

The blank can advantageously provide means for assembling a transport grip. In particular, these means can comprise a pair of holes 13 for positioning a gripping handle, for example of the belt type.

Furthermore, the blank can advantageously provide means for affixing inserts, for example an advertising ticket. According to the preferred embodiment, these means for affixing inserts are made in the form of two diagonal cuts 14 positioned in such a way as to be able to insert corresponding corners of a ticket. Alternatively, the diagonal cuts can be replaced by "U" cuts, thus facilitating the subsequent operation of inserting the corners of a ticket. Each of the corner portions 10 comprises anchoring means 20, 21 at a corresponding corner of a pastry tray.

These anchoring means comprise a windowed portion made through one or more horizontal cuts 20, parallel to a base line 19 and a plurality of transverse cuts forming corresponding flexible tabs 21.

The functioning and operation of such anchoring means will be made clear in the following of this description.

The blank 1 is preferably made of paper material, for example cardboard.

Advantageously, one or both sides of the blank can be treated according to use. For example, a print or other decoration may be provided for the face intended to compose the external part of the roof and / or a polythene treatment, with materials suitable for food use for the face intended to compose the internal part of the roof.

The following figure 2 is a view of a cover 100 for trays according to the present invention, obtained by folding and fixing the blank of figure 1 described up to now.

Figure 3 shows how the cover 100 according to the present invention can be used to package a tray 200 of the pastry type.

It is to be understood that the cover 100 can be made in different sizes, in such a way as to adapt to the now standardized dimensions of the pastry trays.

It is important to point out that the correct functioning of the cover according to the present invention substantially depends on its dimensions which must be compatible with those of the tray with which it must cooperate. This need will be better explained below.

Figure 3 also shows how the cover 100 according to the present invention can be advantageously provided with means for affixing inserts, for example an advertising ticket.

According to the preferred embodiment, these means for affixing inserts are made in the form of two diagonal cuts 14 positioned in such a way as to be able to insert corresponding corners of a ticket 15.

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate two possible alternatives for the realization of the means for affixing inserts.

As shown in figure 3A, the diagonal cuts can be replaced by "U" cuts, thus facilitating the subsequent operation of inserting the corners of a card 15.

Still alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 3B, the means for affixing the inserts can comprise two plastic corners 16, fixed on the cardboard of the cover, into which a ticket 15 can be inserted.

Still alternatively, the means for affixing the inserts can comprise a transparent pocket, fixed on the cardboard of the cover, into which a ticket 15 can be inserted.

It is to be understood that other alternatives may be provided for the means for affixing inserts, all of which fall within the same inventive concept.

Referring now to the following figure 4, this is a top view of a cover 100 already coupled with a tray 200.

As can be seen, the corners 201 of the tray protrude from the surface profile of the cover, when this is coupled to the tray itself.

As already mentioned, the dimensions of the cover are essential for its correct functioning. In fact, from figure 4 it is evident that the cover 100 must have a plan shape similar to that of the tray. According to the embodiment illustrated here, the shape is quadrangular, with rounded corners.

The shape delimited by the outer perimeter 101 of the cover 100 must be substantially such as to contain the outer perimeter shape of the tray 200. In other words, the shape of the cover 100 must be such as to completely hide that of the tray 200 when they overlap, but not coupled.

The side panels 3 and extremal panels 5, as well as the angular closing portions 10, are inclined with respect to the vertical, once the covering has been made starting from the blank described above. In the present description, vertical is defined as an orthogonal direction to a support plane of the tray, which is therefore defined as horizontal. Overall, once assembled, the roof assumes a substantially truncated pyramid shape, with an octagonal base.

Therefore, by forcing the cover 100 onto the tray 200, each corner 201 of the tray will interfere with the corresponding cuts 20 made in the corner closure portions 10.

The anchoring means can advantageously comprise in addition to the cuts 20 parallel to the horizontal plane, a plurality of transverse cuts forming corresponding flexible tabs 21. These tabs 21 deform outwards during the insertion of the corner 201.

In any case, the lower portion 202 of each tray corner 201 ends up resting stably on a respective resting portion 102 of the cover 100.

The insertion of the corners 201 in the anchoring windows of the roof determines a stable and solid coupling. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a package made according to the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment, on each corner portion 10, the cuts 20 and the tabs 21 form an open windowed portion, into which the edge of the corner 201 is inserted. According to this embodiment, when the cover is inserted on the corners of the tray, these remain easily visible and protrude from the corner openings, thus making the effective coupling of the cover on the tray more evident, as shown in figure 6.

Alternatively, only one horizontal cut 20 can be made, for each corner closure portion, as shown in the detail of figure 6A.

In this case, the glazed portion is not completely open and, even when the cover is inserted on the corners of the tray, these remain substantially covered by the tabs 21.

In any case, the supporting portions 102 can be advantageously reinforced to improve the resistance to stress, for example through respective reinforcing elements made of plastic or other.

At this point, the package is ready and can be transported using the gripping means provided on it. For example, a gripping handle 300 of the tape type. Figures 7A to 7C illustrate how to remove the cover to open the package.

It should be noted that, once the cover has been coupled to a tray, the dimensions are such that it would be particularly difficult to uncouple them without jeopardizing the integrity of the contents, precisely because the corners 201 of the tray are firmly and deeply inserted in the anchoring windows.

Therefore, the cover 100 according to the present invention can advantageously comprise one or more tear portions 7.

According to the preferred embodiment, the cover provides two tear portions 7, each defined inside an extremal panel 5, by means of corresponding facilitated breaking lines 8.

To proceed with opening the package, it will therefore be possible to remove one or both of the tear-off portions 7, as illustrated in Figure 7A. Figure 7B is a side view of the package during opening.

At this point, it will be possible and sufficient to lift the two cover portions 104, 105, as indicated by the arrows F1 and F2, to free at the same time the four corners 201 and therefore uncouple the cover from the tray, without any risk and difficulty.

The present invention has been described up to now with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood that other embodiments may exist which pertain to the same inventive nucleus, all falling within the scope of the protection of the claims set forth below.

Claims (18)

CLAIMS 1. Cover element (100) of a pastry tray (200), said tray having a quadrangular shape, comprising a central panel (2), two side panels (3), two extremal panels (5) and four closing portions angular (10), the arrangement being such that the roof has a substantially truncated pyramidal shape, with an octagonal base, in which each of the corner portions (10) comprises anchoring means (20, 21) at a corresponding angle (201) of called pastry tray (200). Cover element (100) according to claim 1, further comprising mounting means (13) for a transport socket (300). Cover element (100) according to claim 2, wherein said mounting means comprise a pair of holes (13) for positioning a grip handle (300). Cover element (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising means for affixing an insert (15). 5. Cover element (100) according to claim 4, in which said insert (15) is an advertising ticket and said means of affixing means comprise two cuts (14) positioned in such a way as to be able to insert corresponding corners of a ticket (15). Cover element (100) according to claim 5, wherein said cuts (14) are diagonal cuts. Cover element (100) according to claim 5, wherein said cuts (14) are "U" cuts. 8. Cover element (100) according to claim 4, in which said insert (15) is an advertising ticket and said affixing means comprise one or more plastic elements (16), fixed on the cover (100), within which at least a portion of the ticket can be inserted (15). Cover element (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which said anchoring means comprise a windowed portion, made by means of at least one horizontal cut (20), and a plurality of transverse cuts forming corresponding flexible tabs (21). 10. E l e m e n t o d i c o p e r t u r a (100) s e c o n d o u n a d e l l e r i v e n dications, also comprising one or more tear-off portions (7), to facilitate the removal of the cover (100) from the tray (200). 11. Blank (1) for the realization of a covering element (100) of a pastry tray (200), said tray having a quadrangular shape, comprising a central panel (2) of substantially octagonal shape, two side panels (3 ) joined to the central panel (2) in correspondence of two opposite sides in correspondence with fold lines (4), two extremal panels (5) joined to the central panel (2) in correspondence of further two opposite sides, through fold lines ( 6) and four corner closure portions (10) joined, through folding lines (11) to two or more, between the side (3) and extremal panels (5), the arrangement being such that the cover presents, when assembled, a substantially truncated pyramid shape, with an octagonal base, in which each of the corner portions (10) comprises anchoring means (20, 21) to a corresponding corner (201) of said pastry tray (200). 12. Blank (1) according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of fixing tabs (12), joined at the peripheral edges of one or more panels and / or corner portions, in such a way as to overlap and to be fixed to the central panel (2) and / or to one or more of the side panels (3) and / or to one or more of the extremal panels (5) and / or to one or more of the corner portions (10), when the blank is folded to form the cover (100). Blank (1) according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising mounting means (13) for a transport grip (300). 14. Blank (1) according to claim 13, wherein said mounting means comprise a pair of holes (13) for positioning a grip handle (300). Blank (1) according to one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising means for affixing an insert (15). 16. Blank (1) according to claim 15, wherein said insert (15) is an advertising ticket and said means of affixing means comprise two cuts (14) positioned in such a way as to be able to insert corresponding corners of a ticket (15) therein. ). 17. Blank (1) according to one of claims 11 to 16, wherein said anchoring means comprise a windowed portion, made through at least one horizontal cut (20), and a plurality of transverse cuts forming corresponding flexible tabs (21). 18. Blank (1) according to one of claims 11 to 17, further comprising one or more tear-off portions (7), each defined in a corresponding side panel (2) and / or extremal panel (5) by means of corresponding facilitated breaking lines (8).