It is also desirable to have a cardboard box that after the contents of the articles have been consumed can be used to return the empty items to a point of recycling. The present invention seeks to provide means for displaying the articles or a portion of the articles in combination with access means for the removal of the articles wherein the access means leave the cardboard box with sufficient integrity for the replacement of articles for the purpose of return to a point of recycling.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention, a two-piece cardboard box is described for containing a group of similar items such as bottles, the two-piece carton comprising a tray and a cover, in wherein the tray comprises panels to provide a bottom wall and end walls opposite the carton forming a first U-shaped structure wherein the cover comprises panels to provide an upper wall and opposite side walls extending downward from the cardboard box forming a second ü-shaped structure complementary to the first U-shaped structure, in which the upper wall is placed at a lower elevation than the upper edges of the end walls, the first and second ü-shaped structures provide a substantially fully closed cardboard box. Preferably, the top panel is disposed at an elevation below an upper end of either the end wall of the carton and / or the side wall of the carton. Additionally, the U-shaped structure comprises fins that provide support to the side walls of the other ü-shaped structure and additionally a surface to which the side walls of the other ü-shaped structure can be secured. Preferably, the upper panel of the carton comprises openings for receiving the articles or portions thereof, wherein each opening has a frangible connection with at least one other opening to facilitate the removal of the articles. Preferably, it further comprises at least one reinforced handle opening which is formed from one of the side walls and the end of the carton. Preferably, the frangible connection is arranged in such a way that after the removal of the articles, the cardboard box retains sufficient structural integrity to be reused to return empty items. According to a second aspect of the invention, a two-part preform is described for forming a two-piece carton to hold a group of similar items, such as bottles, the preform comprises first and second parts, the first part for forming a band comprises a lower panel and opposite end walls to form a first U-shaped structure, the second part to form a cover comprises a top panel and opposite side walls to form a U-shaped structure which is complementary to the First U-shaped structure, the first and second U-shaped structures are arranged in an opposite relationship when the carton is in a mounted condition and wherein the second U-shaped structure comprises side walls extending downwardly and the top panel is disposed at an elevation below that of the upper periphery of the end walls. Preferably, the first part comprises fins to provide support to the side walls of the second part and additionally a surface to which the side walls of the second part can be secured. Preferably, the upper panel of the second part is at an elevation below an upper end of the end walls of the first part when the carton is in a mounted condition. Additionally, the upper panel of the second part comprises openings for receiving the articles or portions thereof, wherein each opening has a frangible connection with at least one other opening to facilitate the removal of the articles. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is described a cardboard box containing opposite side walls, opposite end walls and upper and lower panels, wherein a plane of the top panel is lower than an upper edge of either an or another end wall and where the cardboard box - further comprises handle openings formed from the end walls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Figure 1A illustrates a first part for forming a cage-like cardboard box according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure IB illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cage-style cardboard box according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 1C shows a first step in the process of erecting the cage-like cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures 1A and IB; Figure ID shows a second step in the process of erecting the cage-like cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures 1A and IB; Figure 1E shows a third stage in the process of erecting the cage-like cardboard cage formed from the preforms of Figures 1A and 13; Figure 1F shows the cage-like cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures 1A and IB; Figure 2? illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cage-like cardboard box according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 2B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cage-like cardboard box according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 2C illustrates a step in the process for erecting a cage-like cardboard box from the preforms of Figures 2A and 2B; Figure 2D shows the cage-like cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures -2A and 2B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 1A-1F. Figures 1A and IB show a first and a second part, respectively, of a two-part preform to form a cage-type cardboard box, 30 made from cardboard or similar foldable sheet material. In the first embodiment of the invention, two preforms 10 and 20 of FIGS. 1A and IB are formed into a "tray and a cover respectively." Together, the tray and cover form a cage-like cardboard box 30 which is shown in FIG. Figure 1F The invention is designed to receive similar articles, such as bottles / but it is contemplated that the present invention could be used to contain other articles, without deviating from the scope of the invention Returning to Figure 1A, the preform 10 of The band comprises a first end wall 16, a lower panel 24 and a second end wall 18, hingedly joined, one to the next in series, along fold lines 44 and 48 respectively. starting from the first and second end walls 16, 18 and gripping tongues 58 with the fingers protrude inwardly from the upper edges of the handle openings 54. The gripping tabs with the d This allows the erected cage-like cardboard box 30 to be easily held and lifted by the handle openings 54. The tray preform 10 comprises, in addition, corner flaps 66a / 66b and 68a / 68b hingedly attached to the first and second walls of the container. end 16 and 18 respectively. In this embodiment of the invention, the corner flaps 66a / 66b and 68a / 68b provide additional protection to some of the bottles contained within the carton. In other embodiments of the invention, it is contemplated that a greater or lesser number of corner flaps could be used in order to provide a cage-like cardboard box with a specific shape, to accommodate the different types of articles that may be contained within it. of a cardboard box type classroom. In this embodiment of the invention, corner flaps 66a / 66b and 68a / 68b are hingedly attached to side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b along fold lines 86a / 86b and 88a / 88b respectively, as shown in figure 1 ?. The side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b provide means for securing the tray formed from the preform 10 to the cover formed from the preform 20 to erect the cage-like cardboard box 30. In this modality of 'the invention, the tray preform 10 further comprises lower end flaps 74a and 74b hingedly attached to the lower panel 24, along fold lines 64a and 64b. The lower end flaps 74a, 74b provide additional means for securing the tray and cover together. The web preform 10 also comprises inner-handle panels 26 foldably attached to the first and second end walls 16, 18 around fold lines 40 and 42. The inner handle panels 26 comprise gripping tabs 58 with the same. fingers and are formed in such a way that after the folding of the internal handle panels 26, 180 ° around the fold lines 40 and 42, a reinforced two-layer handle structure is created. In this embodiment of the invention, the inner handle panels 26 are additionally provided with gluing fins 70a / 70b and 72a / 72b, which can be secured to the inner faces of the corner panels 66a / 66b and 68a / 68b, respectively. In this way, some additional protection of the items held within the corners of the cage-type carton 30 can be provided. In other embodiments of the invention, it is contemplated that the gluing flaps 70a / 70b and 72a / 72b may not be required or may in fact be secured to the inner faces of the side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b, respectively. A second preform, cover preform 20 is shown in figure IB. The cover preform 20 is used to form a cover for the tray formed from the preform 10 of FIG. 1 ?. The preform 20 comprises a top panel 22 which is attached obliquely to the first and second side walls 12, 14 along fold lines 32a and 32b. The first and second side walls 12, 14 comprise fold lines 32a and 32b. A series of openings 56 are formed from the upper panel 22 and are structured to receive an upper portion of the articles to be contained within the cage-type carton. In this embodiment of the invention, the cage-like cardboard box 30 is suitable for containing bottles and the openings 56 are designed to receive the bottle necks. In this embodiment, the openings 56 are circular and further comprise prominent tabs towards the center of each of the openings 56. The prominent fins can help to provide a narrow fit of the bottlenecks within the openings 56. This can help prevent bottles from being subjected to damage, which can occur if the bottles collide. In other embodiments of the invention, the openings 56 may not be circular and may or may not contain additional tabs. The upper panel 22 further comprises a series of weakened lines or notches 37 connecting each opening 56 to at least another opening 56. In the first embodiment, the notches 37 extend between the openings · 56 in lines perpendicular to the first and second side walls 12, 14. In other embodiments of the invention, it is contemplated that the configurations of the notches 37 may differ from those described, for example the notches 37 may not fully extend to the neighboring openings 56, may intersect each other or the notches 37 may extend to the edges of the upper panel 22. The upper panel '22 further comprises a series of gluing flaps 36a / -36b and 38a / 38b, which are used to secure the upper panel 22 to the tray of the preform 10. Returning to the construction of the cage-type carton 30 of the preform 10 'of tray and' cover preform 20, a series of sequencing and gluing operations are required. ales Preferably, these can be carried out in a straight line machine, of. such way: that the preforms 10, 20 are not required to be rotated - or inverted to complete the construction. The folding process is not limited to that described below and can be altered, according to particular manufacturing requirements. The first stage is to secure the panels. inner handle 26 to the inner faces of the end wall panels 16, 18 and securing the gluing flaps 70a / 70b and 72a / 72b to the inner faces of the corner panels 66a / 66b and 68a / 68b. Then the end wall panels 16, 18 '· are folded around fold lines 44 and | 48,' out of the plane of the lower panel 24 to produce a tray. Then the tray is loaded with bottles as shown in Figure 1C and the corner panels | '66a / 66b and 68a / 68b and side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b are folded around crease lines 96a / 96b, 98a / 98b, 86a / 86b and 88a / 88b. The lower end flaps 74a, 74b are also folded inwardly of the tray. In preparation for the folding and gluing operations, final to complete the erection of the cage-like cardboard box 30, the cover preform 20 is folded around fold lines 34a, 34b, 32a and 32b, as shown in the figure ID. The side walls 12, 14 are folded 90 ° around fold lines 34a and 34b out of the plane of the top panel 22. Then the second side walls 12, 14 are folded around fold lines 32a and 32b to bring the lower portions of the fold. the first and second side walls 12, 14 return to the plane of the top panel 22 as shown in Figure ID. Then the cover preform 20 is brought in register with the bottles that have been loaded, to the tray. The upper portions of the first and second side walls are placed with flat face contact with the inner faces of the side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b, respectively and can be secured together by adhesive or other means known in the art. The lower portions of the first and second side walls 12, 14 are further folded around fold lines 32a and 32b such that the lower portions of the first and second side walls are in flat face contact with the upper portions of the first and second side walls 12, 14 and the outer faces of the side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b respectively. In this way, the fold lines 32a and 32b form upper edges of the side walls of the cage-like cardboard box 30. Again, glue or other means may be used to secure the lower portions of the first and second side walls 12, 14 to the outer faces of the side flaps 76a / 76b and 78a / 78b and the outer faces of the bottom end flaps 74a and 74b, as shown in Figure 1E. In this way, an upper portion of two layers of the side walls of the cage-like cardboard box is formed. In other embodiments of the invention, it is contemplated that the first and second side walls 12, 14 could additionally be provided with handle openings 54 formed from the first and second side walls 12, 14. This would provide two-layer handle structures in each wall of the carton box '30 type cage erected, in other modalities, without deviating from the scope of the present invention. The cage-like cardboard box formed from the preforms 10 and 20 is shown in Figure 1F. It can be seen that the bottles are secured inside the cardboard box, once the cover manufactured from the preform 20 has been secured to the interior of the tray, erected from the preform 10. The access to the bottles is When separating the notches 37, this can be obtained by lifting a bottle from the cage-type carton 30 or in other embodiments, it is contemplated that start means can be provided to assist in the separation of the notches 37. The use of the Notches 37 allow access to each bottle individually, while maintaining the structural integrity of the carton. There is no access to the bottles that are held in position by the openings 56 in the cover. Therefore, the carton provides an adaptable carrying vessel, the structural integrity of which is not described when the bottles are accessed. This allows the cardboard box to be reused for the convenient return of empty bottles. It can be appreciated that various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention, for example the shape and size of the panels and openings can be adjusted to accommodate articles of different size or shape. Figures 2A-2D illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention, which will now be described by way of example only. This is to illustrate some of the changes that may be made, without deviating from the scope of the present invention.- In subsequent figures, similar reference numbers have been used to denote similar elements, the reference numbers in the second embodiment of the invention they are incremented by "200" to show that they represent elements of the second modality. Since the second modality has elements common to the first modality, only differences in the second modality will be highlighted. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the first and second side walls 12, 14 are not provided with fold lines and can be dimensioned in such a way that when the cover of the preform 220 is inserted into the tray formed from the preform 210, the position of the upper wall panel 222 is adjustable. To accommodate this element, the side flaps 276a / 276b and 278a / 278b are also sized to allow the top panel 222 to have an adjustable lift once the tray and cover have been formed to the cage-type carton 230. The box Cage-type cardboard 230 is erected by carrying out a similar arrangement of folding and gluing operations as previously described, however, the folding operation of the first and second side walls 12, 14 around the fold line 32a and 32b is not required in this mode. The second embodiment can be considered as a special case of the first embodiment, wherein the fold lines 232a, 232b are placed along fold lines 234a / 234b. An intermediate stage in the erection process is shown in Figure 2C. The present invention is designed in such a way that a cage-like cardboard box can be formed from two preforms, wherein the elevation of the upper panel 22, 222 is adjustable by altering the depth of the lower portion of the first and second walls side 12, 212, 14 and 214. The depth of the lower portion of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214 is defined by the position of the fold lines 32a, 32b, 232a and 232b and the size of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214. The present invention also allows the height of the top edge of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214 to be adjustable in relation to the height of the walls from the end 16, 18, 216 and 218. The upper edge of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214 can also be considered as defined by the position of the fold lines 32a, 32b, 232a, 232b. It is contemplated that elements of the various embodiments described herein could be altered without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in other embodiments of the invention, the openings formed within the top panel may not be circular and may also be provided with additional tabs that protrude into the opening, to assist in retaining bottlenecks or other contained articles. It will be recognized that as used herein, directional references such as "upper", "lower", "frontal", "posterior", "extreme", "lateral", "internal", " external "," upper ", and" lower "do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but only serve to distinguish these panels from each other. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line; of course, it is contemplated that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of the following, a slagging line, a frangible line or a crease line without deviating from the scope of the invention.