KR20080107391A - Drawer-and-shell type package - Google Patents

Abstract

A package (10) comprising a belt (42) extending between a first end (37) and a second end (39) of a belt path; and first and second tab members (14, 16) attached to the belt (42) such that when the first tab member (14) is moved in a first direction, the second tab member (16) is driven by the belt (42) to move in a second direction different to the first direction. The tab members (14, 16) are attached to the belt (42) by respective bonds (45, 46), the movement of the tab members (14, 16) in either direction being delimited by at least one bond reaching an end of the belt path; and when at least one of the tab members is in a closed position, said bond is positioned inwardly from the ends of the belt path so that said tab member can move in both the first and second directions from the closed position before the bond reaches an end of the belt path to delimit said movement. ® KIPO & WIPO 2009

Description

Pull-out shell package {DRAWER-AND-SHELL TYPE PACKAGE}

The present invention relates to a packaging container such as a box that may be used for packaging any object. Examples include medicines, cell phones, mp3 players, portable computer game consoles, compact discs, digital video discs, chocolates, cosmetics, tobacco, samples and information cards.

Medicines, such as tablets and capsules, are often in blister packs. The blister pack includes a molded plastic base having a riser or blister for receiving tablets or capsules, the base being covered with foil. Blister packs are usually packaged in boxes with printed matter containing information about the drug.

Packaging is important when trading a product, as good packaging may result in improved sales of the product. Good packaging should not only firmly support the goods, but also should be easy and convenient for people of all levels of talent and skill to open. In addition to these functional properties, good packaging should have an attractive appearance and preferably have interesting properties.

Applicant's European Patent EP 1140639, the gist of which is hereby incorporated by reference, includes a generally tubular sleeve forming a through passage, a flat driver extending across the passage, a belt extending around the driver, the passage A box comprising an inboard tray member, the box further comprising a tab member extending into the passageway, wherein each of the tray member and the tab member is attached to the belt such that the tab member extends out of the passageway. When moving in a first direction, the tray member moves out of the passage in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the belt is in the form of a continuous ring, so that the tab member is moved into the passage. When moving in the direction, the box is disclosed, characterized in that the tray member moves into the passage in the one direction. All.

In the box of EP 1140639, when the box is first opened, the tray is automatically moved in the opposite direction when the tab member is pulled out and the user is surprised and interesting.

In addition, the applicant has devised an improved box or package disclosed in British patent application GB 0519581.3 published as British patent GB 2428236. The gist of the patent document is hereby incorporated by reference, and the improved box or package disclosed in the patent document includes a first tab and a second tab member substantially coplanar with each other, and one of these tab members. Means for driving movement, wherein the tab members cooperate with the driving means to move the first tab member in a first direction so that the second tab member moves in a direction opposite to the first direction, the tab member The movement of them is in a plane parallel to the plane in which the tab members are placed.

British Patent GB 0519581.3 also discloses a further improved package comprising an end opening sleeve, a tab member movable into the inner sleeve of the sleeve through the open end, and a lid movable in response to the movement of the tab member. The lid of the package is movable between a closed position in which the lid substantially covers the open end when the tab member is positioned in the sleeve, and an open position in which the lid protrudes from the sleeve through the open end, wherein the lid may It is a web with opposite ends, one end engaging the sleeve at the first hinge and the other end engaging the tab member at the second hinge, such that the relative movement of the second hinge relative to the first hinge performs the movement of the lid. .

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved package that is more interesting, more interesting and / or innovative than the prior art.

The present invention provides a belt extending between a first end and a second end of a belt path, and when the first tab member moves in the first direction, the second tab member is moved by the belt in a second direction different from the first direction. Providing a package comprising first and second tab members attached to the belt such that the tab members are attached to the belt by respective bonds, and movement in either direction of the tab members reaches one end of the belt path. And the tab member from the closed position before the bond reaches one end of the belt path to limit the movement when at least one of the tab members is in the closed position. The bond is located internally from the ends of the belt path so as to move in both directions.

This package is particularly suitable for packaging pharmaceuticals, but the invention is not limited to such use. For example, one or both tab members may comprise a blister pack containing a tablet or capsule. This blister pack may be attached directly to the belt with an adhesive to form a tab member. Information about the drug may be printed on one or both tab members. Thus, the information is always kept with the medication in a convenient way.

Preferably, the bond that limits the movement of one or each tab member is located substantially midway between the ends of the belt path when at least one of the tab members is in the closed position. This means that one or each tab member is located equidistant from the closed position until its movement is limited by at least one bond reaching the end of the belt path. By this arrangement, the tab member can move in the first direction and the second direction from the closed position.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when at least one of the tab members is in the closed position, the bonds may be offset from each other along the length of the belt path. This arrangement provides an asymmetric opening characteristic in the package so that one or each tab member can be moved by a different maximum size respectively in the first and second directions.

Preferably, when one of the tab members is in the closed position, the tab member is positioned above the belt path, and when both of the tab members are in the closed position, the belt path is located between the tab members. One or each tab member has a length or the same length of the belt path.

Preferably, the package comprises a sleeve having an opposing open end, positioned completely or substantially inside the sleeve when at least one of the tab members is in the closed position and moving in either of the first and second directions The lower surface may protrude from the sleeve through one or the other of the open ends. One or each tab member may be shorter or the same as the length of the sleeve. In some embodiments of the present invention, one or both of the tab members include an extension that protrudes from the sleeve when the tab member is in the closed position, allowing the user to easily pull this extension to open the package.

In a package including a sleeve, when both tab members are in the closed position, the tab member and the belt path are fitted between the upper wall and the lower wall of the sleeve.

Preferably, the first and second directions are in opposite directions in which the first and second tab members move from and toward each other and the belt is a continuous ring extending around a flat divider.

In this way, the tab member enclosed in the sleeve of the package when in the closed position can project from one or the other of the opening ends from the sleeve as it moves in the first and second directions. This has the advantage of accessing the tab member from both ends of the package.

If the tab member is a tray, this means that the contents of the tray can be accessed from both ends of the package. If the bond defining the movement when the tab member is in the closed position is located substantially midway between the ends of the belt path, further movement of the tray member is defined by at least one bond approaching one end of the belt path. As a maximum of only about half of the length of the tray member may protrude in either direction from the sleeve, the package configuration may be particularly suitable for supporting and storing heavy objects.

However, when the tray member is in the closed position, if the bonds are offset from each other, the first and second tabs may protrude from the sleeve, respectively, to a different maximum range when moving in the first and second directions, respectively. This arrangement is particularly suitable for packaging tablets or capsules. For example, if one or both tab members are blister packs, opening the package in one direction may provide access to less tablets or capsules in the blister pack compared to opening the package in the other direction. The package may be arranged to access tablets for daytime when opening the package in one direction and to access tablets for nighttime when opening the package in the other direction. This helps the user to distinguish different kinds of tablets and is also suitable for installations that require more than one type of tablet than other types of tablets.

In order to more easily understand the present invention, preferred embodiments will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A-1C show first and second tab members, dividers, and slits when the tab member is in the (a) closed position, (b) is opened in the first direction, (c) is opened in the second direction, and FIGS. Is a perspective view of a box in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention including a groove.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the box of FIG. 1 with the sleeve omitted for clarity;

3A is a perspective view of a sleeve of a box according to one embodiment of the present invention.

3B is a plan view of the top surface of a divider suitable for the box of the present invention.

3C is a perspective view of a tab member suitable for the box of the present invention.

4A-4C show the AA line of the box of FIG. 1A when the tab member is in (a) the closed position, (b) opens in the first direction, and (c) opens in the second direction. It is a schematic cross section.

Figures 5A-5C are similar to Figure 4 but are cross-sectional views of a variant embodiment of the present invention.

6A-6C are similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 but in cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a blank plan view of a box sleeve in accordance with any embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a blank plan view of a variant of the sleeve of FIG. 7.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a box 10 suitable for packaging and / or display purposes is shown. The box 10 includes a hollow rectangular body or sleeve 12 that forms a through passage for receiving the first tab member 14 and the second tab member 16. As best seen in FIG. 3A, the sleeve 12 includes an upper wall 18, a lower wall 20, two sidewalls 22, 24 and two open ends 26, 28. The box 10 also includes a flat divider 30 that extends across the passageway between the open ends 26, 28 of the sleeve 12 and divides the passageway into an upper passage and a lower passage. The tab members 14, 16 extend the length of the through passage, and in this embodiment are sized to be fully contained within the sleeve 12. The first tab member 14 is received in the lower passageway, and the second tab member 16 is received in the upper passageway. The tab members 14, 16 are movable back and forth with respect to the divider 30 and the sleeve 12.

As most clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, the divider 30 has upper and lower surfaces 34, 36, two side edges 38, 40, and two ends 37, 39. Is rectangular. The divider 30 has a narrower band or belt 42 that extends around the divider 30 on the belt path (shown only in FIG. 3B) formed by the divider 30. The ends of the belts 42 are joined to form a continuous ring. The belt path is formed by a waist across both ends 37, 39 of the divider 30, which serves to inhibit lateral movement of the belt 42 with respect to the divider 30. The divider 30 is attached or glued to the sleeve 12 by an adhesive (not shown) disposed near the side edges 38, 40 of the divider 30 or at any other convenient location. As a variant, the divider 30 and the sleeve 12 may be integral.

Typically, the belt 42 is a strip of plastic film, such as a low friction sheet material such as Cellophane® or Treofan GND® or a low friction material such as PTFE. The material of the belt is selected so that the belt 42 can easily slide around the divider 30.

The first tab member 14 is bonded to the belt 42 by a first bond 45, the second tab member 16 is bonded to the belt 42 by a second bond 46, and the bonds 45, 46 is an adhesive strip. The first tab member 14 is in the form of a tray and contains in clothing, jewellery, mobile phones and related accessories, tobacco, compact discs, digital video discs, mini discs, electronic components, pharmaceuticals, confectionery, chocolate, cosmetics and trays. It may be used to accommodate things such as any other product that can. As shown in FIG. 3C, the first tab member 14 includes two compartments 48, each covered with an optional lid 50. In the first tab member 14 including the lid 50, information about the CD track, data on the CD, a mobile phone instruction manual or information about the medicine contained in the tray may be printed. As a variant, only the second tab member 16 may be in the form of a tray, or both tab members 14, 16 may be in the form of a tray. Both tab members 14 and 16 may be in the form of tabs containing information or flat objects. Since the tab members 14, 16 can receive print information or fabric swatches, the box 10 can be used as a display device and / or as a promotional means.

When the first tab member 14 is pushed or pulled in the direction of the arrow X from the fully closed position (shown in FIG. 1A), the tab member 14 rotates the belt 42 about the divider 30 The second tab member 16 moves from the first tab member 14 in the direction of the arrow Y toward the first open position as shown in FIG. 1B. Thereafter, pushing or pulling the first tab member 14 in the opposite direction (arrow Y direction) into the sleeve 12 causes the belt 42 to rotate again in the opposite direction about the divider 30, The second tab member 16 moves in the direction of the arrow X until the first and second tab members are in the fully closed position again. Continuous movement of the first tab member 14 in the direction of the arrow Y results in a second open position where the first tab member 14 extends completely in the Y direction and the second tab member 16 extends completely in the X direction ( The belt 42 continues to rotate about the divider until the tab members 14, 16 reach FIG. 1C).

The tab members 14 and 16 can be opened in both the X and Y directions by the starting positions of the bonds 45 and 46 which attach the tab members 14 and 16 to the belt 42. 1, 2 and 4, when in the fully closed position, the starting positions of the bonds 45, 46 are positioned or aligned with each other up and down, the length of the divider 30 and the tab member 14, It is located almost half along the length of 16). This means that the tab member 14, 16 can be pulled or pushed in the X or Y direction from the fully closed position to one of the two fully open positions shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. In the first fully open position shown in FIG. 1B, the first and second tab members 14, 16 extend completely out of the sleeve 12 in the X and Y directions from the sleeve 12, respectively, and in FIG. 1C. In the second fully open position shown, the first and second tab members 14, 16 extend completely out of the sleeve 12 in the Y and X directions, respectively. When the bonds 45, 46 reach the end of the belt path at the end of the divider 30, the tab members 14, 16 are in the fully open or extended position. The starting positions of the bonds 45, 46 maximize the storage / display space on the tab members 14, 16 while minimizing the maximum extension (protrusion) of the tab member from the body of the box. You will notice that this arrangement is very suitable for carrying heavy objects.

A more detailed view of the relative movement between the tab members 14, 16 and the divider 30 is shown in FIG. 4. When the user pulls or pushes the first tab member 14 in the direction of the arrow X, the first tab member 14 moves the belt 42 relative to the divider 30. Passing of the belt 42 moves the second tab member 16 in the direction of the arrow Y. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when the bonds 45 and 46 reach the ends of the divider 30, the first tab member 14 can not be pulled or pushed further in the direction of the arrow X, and the second tab member ( 16 is located in one of the fully open positions (FIG. 4B). In other words, when the first tab member 14 is pulled out of the sleeve 12, the belt around the divider 30 when the bond 45 reaches the end of the belt path at the end of the divider 30. 30) stops moving.

When the user pushes the first tab member 14 in the direction of arrow Y, the first tab member 14 moves the belt 42 in the opposite direction so that the second tab member 16 moves in the direction of the arrow X. Go to. As shown in FIG. 4C, when the bonds 45, 46 reach the ends of the divider 30, the first tab member 14 can not move further in the direction of the arrow Y. In other words, when the tab member 14 is pushed back into the sleeve 12, the movement of the belt 42 stops when the bond 45 reaches the end of the belt path at the end of the divider 30. If necessary, the user can push the second tab member 16 in the direction of the arrow Y to the fully open position. The effect is the same in that the first and second tab members 14, 16 will return to the fully closed position.

In this embodiment, the distance between opposite ends of the belt path of the divider 30 defines the maximum movement of each of the first and second tab members 14, 16. Movement of the first and second tab members 14, 16 with respect to the lower and upper surfaces 36, 34 of the divider 30 reaches the end of the belt path at either end of the divider 30. It is defined by (45, 46). Thus, the length of the belt path should be chosen so that the movement of the tab members 14, 16 when in the fully open position is sufficient to access the contents of the tab members 14, 16.

5 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the bonds 45, 46 are offset from each other when the tab members 14, 16 are in the closed position (FIG. 5A), respectively. The bonds 45, 46 are offset such that they are substantially equidistant from the plane Z orthogonal to the divider 30 at a substantially intermediate position between the ends 37, 39 of the belt path. As shown in FIG. 5B, before the first tab member 14 moves in the direction of the arrow X, before each bond 45, 46 reaches each opposing end 39, 37 of the belt path, The second tab member 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow Y by the first maximum amount to prevent further movement of the tab members 14 and 16 in the above-described direction. The box 10 in FIG. 5B is in the fully open position and the tab members 14, 16 protrude from the opposite end of the sleeve 12 by a first maximum length, as indicated by the bidirectional arrow 47.

Referring now to FIG. 5C, the first tab member 14 can move in the direction of the arrow Y, so that each bond 45, 46 approaches each opposing end 37, 39 of the belt path. The second tab member 16 is moved by the second maximum amount in the direction of arrow X to prevent further movement of the tab member 14 in the above-described direction. The box 10 in FIG. 5C is in a second fully open state where the tab members 14, 16 protrude by a second maximum length from opposite ends of the sleeve 12, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 49.

Comparing FIG. 5B with FIG. 5C, the first tab member 14 can move larger in the arrow direction X than in the direction of the arrow Y, while the second tab member 16 is larger than the arrow X direction. It is shown that it can move larger in the direction of the arrow Y. In other words, the first maximum amount is greater than the second maximum amount. This asymmetry is due to the offset of the bonds 45, 46 as shown in FIG. 4A, where the box 10 is in the first full open position rather than when the box 10 is in the second full open position (FIG. 5C). When in FIG. 5B, the tab members 14, 16 can protrude from the sleeve 12 by a greater length.

In Fig. 6 another embodiment is shown in which the bonds 45 and 46 are not equidistant from the plane Z but offset from each other. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the movement of the first tab member 14 in the direction of the arrow X and the movement of the second tab member 16 in the direction of the arrow Y are determined as follows. Although one bond 45 does not approach the other end 39 of the belt path, it is defined by a second bond 46 that reaches the end 37 of the belt path. At this point, the box 10 is in the first fully open position so that the tab members 14, 16 protrude from the sleeve 12 to the first maximum length, as indicated by the double arrow 47.

In summary, the bonds 44 and 46 need not be exactly aligned with each other. In other words, only one of the bonds associated with the tab / tray member may reach the fully open position when approaching the end of the divider 30. In this way, offsetting the bonds 45, 46 from one another along the length of the belt path allows the tab members 14, 16 to move up to different maximum lengths in the first and second directions, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sleeve 12 can be manufactured by folding and sealing a single flat blank made by cutting and creasing from sheet material such as plastic, corrugated cardboard or folded cardboard as shown in FIG. 5. have. The blank comprises three panels 76, 78, 80, with tick marks along the four lines 82, 84, 86, 88. Panel 76 is folded over and attached to the underside of panel 80 to form the bottom wall of the sleeve. The portions between the inscribed lines 82, 84 and 86, 88 form the side walls 22, 24 of the sleeve 12.

By means of a corresponding cut-out at the ends of the panels 76, 80, the bottom wall of the sleeve 12 has a rectangular cutout 90 at one end. This cutout 90 allows the user of the box 10 to hold one end of one of the first or second tab members 14, 16 by grasping the tab member from both sides and pulling it in the direction of the arrow X. Make it possible. It will be appreciated that other shapes are possible. In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, the top wall 18 of the sleeve 12 has a semicircular cutout 92 at the same end as the cutout 90. This facilitates the gripping of the tab members 14, 16.

The sleeve 12 may be finished with foil blocking and embossing. The box / packaging container may be wipe-cleaned by finishing varnishing or film lamination on the printing surface. Preferably, since there is no forced locking device on the packaging container, the product can be easily loaded or unloaded, making the package suitable for spherical and unstable applications.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential features as defined in the appended claims and other descriptions of the invention herein. For example, the belt need not be a continuous ring and may be associated with the tab member and arranged to cooperate with each other such that movement of one tab member moves the other tab member. The sleeve may be any other kind of frame. The tab / tray members 14, 16 do not necessarily need to be completely contained within the sleeve 12, and the tab / tray members 14, 16 may have a portion (s) of these tab / tray members 14, 16 in the sleeve. Its shape and size may be determined to remain outside of (12). The shape of the first tab member may be different from that shown in FIG. 3C, for example, may have one compartment, or may have one or more compartments of subdivision or other form. The tab / tray members 14, 16 may have any shape and need not necessarily be the one shown in FIG. 3C. Packaging containers may be made of many different shapes and sizes and a variety of different materials, and are not limited to the shapes shown in the figures.

Claims (19)

A belt extending between the first and second ends of the belt path; And When the first tab member moves in the first direction, the second tab member includes first and second tab members attached to the belt to be driven by the belt to move in a second direction different from the first direction, The tab members are attached to the belt by respective bonds, the movement of the tab members in either direction is limited by at least one bond reaching one end of the belt path, When at least one of the tab members is in the closed position, the tab member may move in both the first and second directions from the closed position before the bond reaches one end of the belt path to define the range of movement. A package in which an associated bond is located internally from the ends of the belt path. The method according to claim 1, A package defining a range of movement of the tab member or each tab member when the at least one of the tab members is in the closed position is substantially intermediate between the ends of the belt path. The method according to claim 1, When each of the tab members is in a closed position, each bond is offset from each other. The method according to claim 3, And the bonds are substantially equidistant from the plane perpendicular to the divider at a substantially intermediate position between the ends of the belt path. The method according to claim 3, Wherein the bonds are offset by a different distance from a plane that intersects the divider at right angles at a substantially intermediate position between the ends of the belt path. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, And the tab members are arranged to be movable by different maximum distances in the first and second directions, respectively. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And when one of the tab members is in the closed position, the tab member is positioned above the belt path. The method according to claim 7, And a belt path fits between the tab members when both of the tab members are in the closed position. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The tab member or each tab member is longer or equal to the length of the belt path. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, Further comprising a sleeve having opposing open ends, wherein at least one of the tab members is located completely or substantially within the sleeve when in the closed position and of the open ends when moving in either of the first and second directions. A package capable of protruding from the sleeve through one or the other. The method according to claim 10, The tab member or each tab member is shorter or equal to the length of the sleeve. The method according to claim 11, The tab member or each tab member includes an extension that projects from the sleeve when in the closed position. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, A package in which the tab members and the belt path fit between the top and bottom walls of the sleeve when both tab members are in the closed position. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, Wherein the first and second directions are opposite to each other such that the first and second tab members move away from each other and towards each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, Wherein the belt is a continuous loop extending around a planar divider. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, And the first tab member is a tray. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, And the second tab member is a tray. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, A package wherein at least one tab member consists of a blister pack or comprises a blister pack. A package substantially as described above with reference to the accompanying drawings or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

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