NZ575790A

NZ575790A - Erectable blank for a stack indexable container

Info

Publication number: NZ575790A
Application number: NZ57579010A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Gerhard Francis Lenting
Original assignee: Carter Holt Harvey Ltd
Priority date: 2010-03-18
Filing date: 2010-03-18
Publication date: 2011-10-28

Abstract

A sheet material blank 3 erectable to provide a stack indexable container with four walls, comprises a rectangular or square base 2 with stack indexing openings 2 and erection indexing openings, a flap sequence 3 of two indexing wall flaps extending from each of two opposed sides of the base 2, and a flap sequence of two non-indexing wall flaps extending from each of the other two sides of the base 2. The first wall flap 4 of each indexing flap sequence 3 is connected to the base 2 at a first fold line 13. The second wall flap 5 of each indexing flap sequence 3 is connected to its associated first wall flap 4 by a second fold line 6 parallel to the first fold line 13, and has at least one indexing region 7 derived from material beyond the second fold line 6. The wall flaps 4, 5 of each indexing flap sequence 3 have extension flaps 9, 10 at each end. The extension flaps 9, 10 are connected to the wall flaps 4, 5 by fold lines 11, 12 that extend substantially normally to the first and second fold lines. The first wall flap 16 of the non-indexing flap sequence 15 is connected to the base 2 at a fold line 14, and a second wall flap 17 of the sequence is foldable relative to the first flap 16 along one or more fold lines 19, 20 or a fold zone 18 between the non-indexing wall flaps 16, 17. When erected the indexing wall flap sequence 3 has the second indexing wall flap 5 inward of, but contiguous to the first indexing wall flap 4. The indexing region or regions will form one or more indexing projections 7, which are insertable into an opening of a base 2 of a like container. The extension flaps 9, 10 will be held between the non-indexing wall flaps 16, 17. All four walls will have doubled over sheet material of the blank 3 extending to the base 2.

Description

Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 575790 Date: 24 March 2009 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ERECTABLE BLANK We, CARTER HOLT HARVEY LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 173 Captain Springs Road, Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 The present invention relates to an erectable blank and related hand erectable containers.

There is sometimes a role for stacks of blanks each of which in turn can be erected without a need for machine assistance and/or adhesives to a form of a container capable of being stacked after filling.

We envisage all manner of different sheet materials being suitable for blank formulation eg, solid card to multi-material laminate.

We envisage such containers preferably being formed from a single blank cut from a sheet of a laminate which includes at least one corrugated core layer which defines a flute run direction. An example of such a material is a paperboard laminate which includes outer (usually kraft) paper liners having interposed adhesively therebetween a corrugated medium also of paper. Such corrugated medium can be of one or more contiguous layers.

Other forms of such materials may include two separated corrugated layers (each of one or more sheets of paper). For example a double cushion corrugated board is one having three substantially planar paper sheets, each adjacent pair of sheets having interposed therebetween a corrugated medium of one or more sheets of paper. Preferably such double cushion material has the flute run direction of each corrugated layer running parallel.

Such corrugated board materials with a flute run direction have a stacking strength capability greater where the flutes run vertically as opposed to horizontally. Various forms of machine erected container have been evolved to take advantage of such directionality of the material. Some make good use of the material in this respect such as our DEFOR™ product range or the P84™ product form of lberoAmericana. Others may make less effective use of such directionality.

In our New Zealand Patent Specifications Nos. 270912, 575006/520072, 531197 and 531751 we disclose a tray like product range machine erectable from a single piece blank which has given rise to the DEFOR™ product range.

The present invention relates to an improved container of a kind where a blank of such a material, or other sheet material, is to be erected, without a need for machinery, to a container form which is to have stack indexing capability.

The present invention also or instead recognises an advantage to be derived from indexing one container on top of another reliant on an upstand receivable from below. It is to deriving that advantage that the present invention has as an object.

The present invention recognises an advantage to accrue in providing an alternative to the machine erected and adhesive reliant container of the kind disclosed in its aforementioned Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 patent specifications yet nonetheless is robust when erect and provides a stable unit in a stack situation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand or readily erectable container or the blank and related capabilities that goes at least some way to providing the public with a useful choice.

It is an alternative or further object of the present invention in respect of some aspects of the invention to provide blanks and containers erectable from such blank having novel aspects over aforementioned tray or container forms.

In a first aspect the present invention is a blank (preferably hand) erectable to prov ide a stack indexable container having four walls, said blank defining from a sheet material (preferably having a flute run direction, eg, a sheet of a laminate which includes at least one corrugated core layer which defines a flute run direction): said blank defining a rectangular or square base having stack indexing openings and erection indexing openings, a flap sequence of two indexing wall flaps extending from each of two opposed sides of said base, the first indexing wall flap of each flap sequence being connected to the base at a first fold line, the second indexing wall of each flap sequence being connected to its associated first indexing wall flap at least by a second fold line parallel to said first fold line and having at least one indexing region derived from material beyond said second fold line, and one or each indexing wall flap of each flap sequence having an extension flap at each end thereof beyond a fold line (or curvature commencement) extending substantially normal to said first and second fold lines, and a flap sequence of a non indexing wall flaps extending from each of the other two sides of said base, the first non-indexing wall flap of the sequence being connected to the base at a fold line, and a second non-indexing wall flap of the sequence being foldable relative to the first flap of the sequence reliant on one or more fold lines or a fold zone between said non-indexing wall flaps; wherein, when erected, each said indexing wall flap sequence has the indexing wall flaps with the second indexing wall flap inwardly of, but contiguous to, its first indexing wall flap and the indexing region(s) upstanding as one or more indexing projection(s) to be insertable into openings of a base of a like container, and with the extension flaps captive between the non-indexing wall flaps; and wherein all four walls have doubled over sheet material of the blank to the base.

Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 Preferably the blank is of corrugat ed paperboard (eg, paper corrugated medium or multimedia sandwiched or each sandwiched by paper) optionally coated with any other suitable material.

Preferably in a preferred form there is a single projection from each said indexing wall.

Preferably each projection presents a transversely cut flute at its upper extremity (optionally precrushed).

Preferably the indexing projections are insertable into openings of the base of a like container without reliance on any inward incline of the indexing wall.

Preferably there is a hingeline between the first and second indexing flaps to immediate or substantially immediately flanking the indexing projection or projections and transversely cut flute there beyond. But preferably not cut all the way to the corner.

Preferably there is one indexing projection and that is central of the short side of a rectangular base.

The invention also is a stack indexable container hand erectable from a corrugated paperboard blank. It has (A) opposed indexing walls of (a) double material thickness with a vertical flute run (b) an indexing lug (c) hinges adjacent the indexing lug and (d) load bearing exposed transversely cut flute and (B) opposed non-indexing walls of double material thickness \ with horizontal flute run straddling flaps from the indexing walls.

In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of erecting a container which involves taking a blank in accordance with the present invention and erecting it to a stackable indexing container in accordance with the present invention.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a blank substantially as herein described when erected into the form of a container.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a container erected from a blank as previously defined.

In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a blank substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

I n another aspect the invention is a container substantially herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In another aspect the invention is, as a stack, blanks or containers of the present invention.

As used herein the term "and/or" means "and" or "or" or both where the circumstances allows.

As used herein the term "(s)" following a noun refers to both the plural and singular forms or either the plural or singular form of the noun.

Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 A preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a preferred blank in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a preferred container erected from the blank of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view from below, and Figure 4 is a side elevational view.

In the preferred form of the present invention the flute run direction is in the doubled arrowed direction shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1 there is a substantially rectangular base having indexing openings 2.

At each end of the base 2 there is an indexing flap sequence 3 comprised of a first indexing wall flap 4 (in each case) and a second indexing wall flap 5 (in each case). Defined between the multiple hinge 6 defined fold line 6 is an indexing wall projection 7 cut from material that would otherwise form part of the panel of a first indexing wall flap 4.

On the fold line defined by the hinges 6 (preferably two of the hinges 6 flanking immediately the indexing projection 7), are cuts 8 which are to provide an exposed flute support 8 as shown in Figure 2.

Each indexing wall flap 4 and 5 has an extension 9 and 10 respectively adapted to be folded about fold lines 11 and 12 respectively. These fold lines 11 and 12 are at, or substantially at, right angles to the fold line defined by the hinges 6. Likewise with respect to the hinge line 13 between the base 2 and the first indexing wall flap 4.

Hinged by a hinge line 14 in each instance is the non-indexing wall flap sequence 15 which defines a first non-indexing wall flap 16 and a second non-indexing wall flap 17. The panels or flaps 16 and 17 are integrally connected via a transitioning region 18 defined by a spaced pair of fold lines 19 and 20. This double articulation and the material between the foldlines reduces springback that might be experienced by a bent zone or a single hinge axis.

Provided in the base 2 are openings 21 to allow some retention by the base of the small projections 22 of the flaps 17.

In the erected form therefore, as shown, the container takes the form as shown in Figures 2 to 4.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate how an erected container as described can be stack indexable with like containers.

The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications, cited above and below, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference.

Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A blank erectable to provide a stack indexable container having four walls, said blank defining from a sheet material: said blank defining a rectangular or square base having stack indexing openings and erection indexing openings, a flap sequence of two indexing wall flaps extending from each of two opposed sides of said base, the first indexing wall flap of each flap sequence being connected to the base at a first fold line, the second indexing wall of each flap sequence being connected to its associated first indexing wall flap at least by a second fold line parallel to said first fold line and having at least one indexing region derived from material beyond said second fold line, and one or each indexing wall flap of each flap sequence having an extension flap at each end thereof beyond a fold line or curvature commencement extending substantially normal to said first and second fold lines, and a flap sequence of a non indexing wall flaps extending from each of the other two sides of said base, the first non-indexing wall flap of the sequence being connected to the base at a fold line, and a second non-indexing wall flap of the sequence being foldable relative to the first flap of the sequence reliant on one or more fold lines or a fold zone between said non-indexing wall flaps; wherein, when erected, each said indexing wall flap sequence has the indexing wall flaps with the second indexing wall flap inwardly of, but contiguous to, its first indexing wall flap and the indexing region or regions upstanding as one or more indexing projection, or projections, to be insertable, or each to be insertable, into an opening of a base of a like container, and with the extension flaps captive between the non-indexing wall flaps; and wherein all four walls have doubled over sheet material of the blank to the base.

2. A blank of claim 1 being a laminate with a flute run direction.

3. A blank of claim 1 or 2 of corrugated paperboard coated with any other suitable material.

4. A blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein there is a single projection from each said indexing wall.

5. A blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein each projection presents a transversely cut flute at its upper extremity. Received at IPONZ on 12 September 2011 . 8-

6. A blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein the indexing projections are insertable into openings of the base of a like container without reliance on any inward incline of the indexing wall.

7. A blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein there is a hingeline between the first and second indexing flaps to immediate or substantially immediately flanking the indexing projection or projections and transversely cut flute there beyond.

8. A blank of claim 7 wherein the flute is not cut all the way to the corner.

9. A blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein there is one indexing projection at each of the two indexing wall flap sequences and each projection is central of the short side of a rectangular base.

10. A blank substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A blank substantially as herein described when erected into the form of a container.

12. A method of erecting a container which involves taking a blank in accordance with any one of the preceding claims and erecting it to a stackable indexing container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A container erected from a blank as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. As a stack, containers of claim 13 or 14. DATED THIS ttl^ DAY OF AGENTS FOR THj/ APPLICANT