SE511885C2 - Outer packaging for packaging containers - Google Patents

Abstract

An exterior package for packaging containers, the exterior package (1) have wall sections (4) which wholly or partly surround a number of packaging containers, and also having an upper portion (9). Packaging containers (15) of the type which are provided with projecting opening arrangements (14) are protected by the exterior package (1) on handling and storage in that its upper portion (9) has upper and lower planes (19, 20) between which the opening arrangements (14) are located, and also support portions (17) of which at least two are disposed in spaced apart relationship in order to form support surfaces (21) located in the upper plane <IMAGE>

Description

To reduce the load is to minimize the height of the individual opening devices, which may be possible with opening devices of the type which comprise relatively flat snap-type lids, but which is difficult to provide when the opening device is of the screw cap type. Even in the case of collective packaging of another type, i.e. assembly packages which not only comprise a trough and a shrink film wrapped around a trough and packaging container but also include side walls and a top part, the problem caused by the projecting opening devices remains. The reason for this is that in this type of collective packaging the distance between the bottom surface of the collective packaging and the upper part of the collective packaging is determined by the height of the packaging container, which means that the packaging container with projecting opening devices does not fit in the normal type of collective packaging. If the height of the collection package is increased to enable placement of packaging containers provided with projecting opening devices in the collection package, when stacking the filled collection packages, the entire weight must be taken up by the vertical sides of the collection packages, as the support from the upper surfaces of the packaging containers is lost. The load leads to deformation of the sides of the collection package and will therefore to a very large extent be transferred to the projecting opening devices abutting the upper wall of the collection package, whereby these are pushed down and damaged or cause damage to the individual packaging containers.

No advantageous solution to the above-mentioned problem has yet been disclosed, and a general desire is therefore to provide an outer package or a collection package which is specially designed to enable packaging of packaging containers provided with projecting opening devices and stacking of filled collection packages in such a way that the load is distributed. over as large an area as possible and damage to the opening devices and / or packaging containers is avoided.

An object of the present invention is to provide an outer packaging for packaging containers with projecting opening devices, which packaging has a construction which is specially adapted to enable protective packaging of packaging containers which are provided with projecting opening devices.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outer package with an upper part, which is designed to accommodate the height of the opening devices 10 15 20 25 30 511 885 and to distribute the pressure load in as even a manner as possible over the entire area of the packaged packaging containers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outer packaging for packaging containers provided with projecting opening devices, which outer packaging comprises supporting and reinforcing parts for absorbing the load when stacking even a very large number of outer packages filled with packaging containers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outer package, the material of which is shaped to form support portions with high resistance to bending and buckling stress.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outer packaging, which cooperates with the packaged packaging containers together to enable a large load and avoid damage.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an outer packaging which, in an optimal manner, at low cost and with simple construction protects the packaged packaging containers and their contents from handling damage during transport and storage.

The above and other objects have been achieved according to the invention by giving an outer package of the kind mentioned in the introduction that the support surface is centrally located in a lower plane and is surrounded by support portions which form a frame extending around the support surface with a support surface located in an upper plane , which abuts the opening devices.

Preferred embodiments of the package according to the invention have furthermore been given the features appearing from the subclaims.

By providing the outer packaging preferably made of corrugated cardboard with support portions, which are distributed over the area of the upper part and preferably form a frame extending around the upper part, the opening devices are relieved so that a large number of filled collection packages or outer packaging can be stacked without risk of damage to the opening devices and / or packaging containers. . The design with a stiffening beam construction creates a particularly resistant collecting container, and the interaction obtained by the construction of the outer packaging between the opening devices / packaging containers and the upper part of the outer packaging ensures a stable unit that is well suited for handling and stacking and very resistant to damage. A preferred embodiment of the outer packaging according to the invention will now be described in more detail with particular reference to the accompanying drawing, which only shows the details which are indispensable for understanding the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a blank for an outer packaging according to the invention in an extended state.

Fig. 2 shows an outer packaging according to the invention filled with packaging containers in perspective.

Fig. 3 is a section through the upper part of an outer package according to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows in perspective and partly in section and on a larger scale a part of the outer packaging according to Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows in perspective how the outer packaging according to the invention can be provided with handles for convenient handling.

The outer packaging or collection package according to the invention is intended to hold together and protect a group of preferably parallelepipedic packaging containers of a type known per se during transport and handling, e.g. Tetra Brik® packaging container for milk or juice. When distributing this or other types of disposable packaging containers, outer packaging or collective packaging is used, which in its simplest form consists of a corrugated cardboard tray provided with low edges in which a number (eg 2x3 or 3x6) packaging containers are placed in a tight grouping, . Another embodiment of outer packaging or collective packaging comprises a corrugated cardboard tray with high edges and possibly also an upper part or a lid, which provides better protection for the packaging containers when these are to be transported longer distances or when the risk of damage is greater for various reasons. In the case of packaging containers of the parallelepiped type without protruding details, this type of collective packaging is easy to adjust in dimensions so that it tightly encloses the group of individual packaging containers. However, since the packaging containers are provided with projecting details such as opening devices or the like, these come into conflict with the upper part or the lid, which makes this type of outer packaging hitherto less suitable for use with packaging containers with projecting opening devices.

An outer packaging 1, which is specially intended for e.g. parallelepipedic packaging containers with projecting opening device, manufactured according to the invention from a "sweep" or blank 2 of fibrous material, e.g. corrugated cardboard or laminate comprising different layers of paper as well as any plastic and outer decorative layer. The blank 10 15 20 25 30 511 885 2 comprises a large number of folding lines 3, which make it possible to fold the blank into a substantially parallelepipedic shape. The folding lines 3 thus delimit four successively arranged wall parts 4 from each other at the same time as they delimit a projecting sealing flap 5 from a wall part 4 located at one end of the blank 2. Further folding lines 3 divide sealing flaps 5 at the two opposite sides of the wall parts. The four wall parts thus in turn form a first side 6, a lower part 7, a second side 8 and an upper part 9, at the free end of which the previously mentioned sealing flap 5 is located. The other sealing tabs 5 located on opposite sides of the blank are intended to together form the two opposite ends 10 of the outer package 1. The wall part 4 of the outer package 1 of the blank 2 is provided with transverse, mutually parallel folding lines 3 and a 1-shaped section located between them. 11, the central part of which has recesses 12, the function of which will be described in more detail in the following.

When the blank 2 according to the invention is to be transformed into a finished outer package 1, a number of parallelepiped packaging containers 15 are placed on its lower part 7.

The packaging containers, such as can be six in number, placed with their upper wall surfaces 13 and thereon existing opening devices 14 upwards and in dense formation, preferably 2x3. Thereafter, the blank 2 is folded along the folding lines 3 located between the lower part 7 and adjacent sides 6, 8 so that the sides 6, 8 assume a vertical position and connect to the outer wall surfaces of the group of packaging containers 15.

Thereafter, the opposite sealing tabs 5 are provided at their end portions with some suitable adhesive, e.g. hot-melt, after which they are folded in to form the ends 10 of the outer package 1. It can be seen from Fig. 2 that the wall parts 4 are provided with windows 16, which either as in the sides 6, 8 have the shape of cut-out portions centrally in the wall parts 4 or, as is the case with the ends 10, is formed automatically due to the fact that the sealing flaps 5 have a width which together is smaller than the width of the packaged packaging containers 15.

When the upper part 9 of the outer packaging 1 is to be formed, a Z-folding takes place first along the mutually parallel folding lines 3 so that in each pair of these materials it is first folded 90 ° in one direction (vertically) and then 90 ° in the other direction (horizontally), which results in the design shown in Figs. 3 and 4 with support portions 17 which form stiffening, U-beam-like constructions. Preferably, the support portions 17 as shown in Fig. 2 extend around the upper part so that they form a frame 18 extending around it, but the support portions 17 can of course also consist exclusively of the two mutually parallel parts, emerging from Figs. 3 and 4. However, the support portions must be so distributed over the area of the upper part that they together form a functioning support surface 21, which forms a substrate which enables stacking of additional collection packages on top of the relevant collection package. The support surfaces 21 are thus all located in the same plane, hereinafter referred to as the upper plane 19, which is parallel to a lower plane 20, which coincides with the upper wall surface of the packed packaging containers. The opening devices 14 projecting from this are accommodated partly in the beam-like construction of one support portion 17, and partly by the gap formed in the upper part 9 (at the section 1 1) after the folding along the mutually parallel folding lines 3. The recesses 12 located along the section 11 are adapted here. to enclose the individual opening devices 14 located in the space so that the upper part 9 and the packaging containers are further fixed in relation to each other. The distance between the lower and the upper plane 20, 19 coincides mainly with the height of the individual opening devices, i.e. the height of the opening devices, which means that the portions 9 of the upper part 9 in the upper plane 19 abut against the upper sides of the opening devices 14 at the same time as the portions of the upper part 9 in the lower plane 20 abut against the upper wall surfaces 13 of the packaging containers, which gives an extremely stable construction. It is of course also possible to design the upper part 9 in another way, e.g. by placing the different support portions 17 with a different orientation or placement. This can of course also be adapted to the location of the opening devices 14 of the packaging containers 15, but in practice it has proved suitable that at least one support portion 17 U-beam-like construction encloses a row of opening devices while another row of opening devices engages formally with the upper part 9, t .ex. in the form of recesses 12. The U-beams are for strength reasons oriented with the flanges at a 90 ° angle to both the upper and the lower plane 19, 20 (ie vertically) and in the case where the support portions 17 form a continuous frame around the upper part 9 an extremely strong construction is created which also makes it possible to provide the collection packaging with a carrier device 22, e.g. in the form of a strap extending between two opposite sides of the frame 18 (Fig. 5).

The outer packaging 1 is, as previously mentioned, made of e.g. corrugated cardboard and formed by folding and sealing with hot-melt, which is a known technique that does not need to be described in more detail in this context. It should be noted, however, that the frame-like structure of the upper part 9 along most of its circumference is either directly connected to adjacent wall part or provided with the sealing tabs 5, which overlap adjacent wall parts 4 and are sealed thereto so that a stable, resistant construction is obtained. . By cooperating with both the upper wall surfaces 13 of the packaging containers and the upper sides of the opening devices 14, the construction with support portions 17 provides a very rigid and resistant upper part 9, which makes it possible to stack a large number of packaging packages filled with packaging containers 15 at high height without risk of damage to the opening words. or the packaging containers in general. The outer packaging or manifold package according to the invention also otherwise provides the packaging containers with good protection against handling damage and thus enables a rational distribution and storage of packaging containers which are provided with projecting opening devices.

Claims (8)

10 15 20 25 30 511885 8 PATENT REQUIREMENTS Outer packaging for packaging containers (15) provided with opening devices (14), which packaging (1) has wall parts (4) which completely or partially enclose a group of parallelepiped packaging containers and which abut and support both a lower wall surface and lateral wall surfaces on packaging container group, and an upper part (9) with a support surface abutting the upper wall surface of the packaging container group, characterized in that the support surface is centrally located in a lower plane (20) and is surrounded by support portions (17) which form a frame extending around the support surface. (18) with a support surface (21) located in an upper plane (19), which abuts against the opening devices (14). Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the support portions (17) form a stiffening beam structure with U-beams, which are oriented with the flanges at a 90 ° angle to said upper and lower planes (19, 20) and with the web located in the upper plane (19). Packaging according to Claim 2, characterized in that the U-beams enclose one or more opening devices (14). Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the upper part (9) engages in a form-fitting manner with the opening device of the packaging container (15). Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the central support surface of the upper part (9) located in the lower plane (20) has recesses (12) for mechanical interaction with the opening devices (14). Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the distance between the upper (19) and the lower (20) plane substantially coincides with the height of the opening devices (14). 9 511 885 Packaging according to one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it is at least partly made of folded and glued fibrous material. Packaging according to one or more of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a support device (22) is connected to two oppositely located support portions (17) belonging to the frame.