WO1995013968A1

WO1995013968A1 - Crate made of sheet material and provided with a lockable lid, and blank for producing same

Info

Publication number: WO1995013968A1
Application number: PCT/FR1994/001355
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Claude Moreau; Guy Coalier
Original assignee: Otor
Priority date: 1993-11-19
Filing date: 1994-11-18
Publication date: 1995-05-26
Also published as: JP3654649B2; CA2176586A1; FR2712567A1; EP0729428A1; AU1111395A; DE69430319T2; FR2712567B1; DE69430319D1; PL314472A1; AU685886B2; NZ276733A; JPH09505018A; EP0729428B1; CZ144096A3

Abstract

A crate (31) made of a sheet material such as corrugated cardboard or the like, and comprising a lid with two opposite upper flaps (36) and two opposite lower flaps (37) therebelow. The lid includes two slots provided in the upper flaps on either side of the lid, and two tabs (41) cut out of the lower flaps on one side and pivotably mounted parallel to and above the fold lines of said lower flaps on the other side such that said tabs can be folded down over respective tabs of the upper flaps with their ends engaged in the corresponding slots (40) in the lid.

Description

SHEET MATERIAL CASE WITH LID LOCK AND BLANK FOR MAKING SUCH A CASE

The present invention relates to a box of material made of corrugated cardboard sheet or equivalent, having a polygonal section, of the type comprising lateral faces, a bottom and a cover comprising two opposite upper flaps and two opposite lower flaps situated below said upper flaps, said flaps being respectively connected to the lateral faces by fold lines, the cover comprising: two slots formed in the upper flaps, respectively on either side of the cover parallel and at a distance d. fold lines of the lower flaps, and two tabs cut respectively on one side in the lower flaps, and articulated respectively on the other side parallel to the fold lines of said lower flaps, covering said upper flaps respectively and arranged so that their ends penetrate respectively into the corresponding slots of the cover.

It also relates to a blank for the production of such a box. It finds a particularly important although not exclusive application in the field of polygonal boxes with more than four sides, for example with eight sides including four cut corners, which can present, when they are not completely filled, deformations in the event of lateral stresses. .

Locking systems are already known which make it possible to block a box cover, which then avoids these untimely deformations. These include locking by adhesive tape.

However, such systems have drawbacks. They indeed require an additional constituent element of the body, namely the adhesive strip, and therefore entail additional costs and operations during manufacture.

There is also known (US-A-3,302,853) a box of the type defined above, but which here again has drawbacks. The locking of the tabs is effected by hooking their enlarged end into the corresponding slots, which allows effective locking of the cover in the closed position, but makes reopening of the box difficult, for example for labeling the content or to add parts to the contents of the box, which has been closed for the first time. The present invention aims to provide a box and a blank meeting better than those previously known to the requirements of practice in particular in that it provides a lid locking system allowing a good squaring of the box when it is closed, simple and easy. to be implemented, without additional costs, and allowing successive locks and unlockings of the cover, easy, reliable and reproducible.

For this purpose, the invention proposes in particular a case of material made of corrugated cardboard sheet or equivalent having a polygonal section, said case being of the type mentioned above, characterized in that the end of each tab is in the shape of a point and is arranged to come into abutment from below with the edge peripheral of the corresponding slot located on the side opposite to the fold line of said tongue, over a distance h less than or equal to around 5mm. In advantageous embodiments, one and / or the other of the following arrangements are also used:

- h is less than or equal to around 2mm;

- Each slot consists of two half-slots respectively made opposite in the peripheral edges of the upper flaps, the tabs being centered laterally with respect to the corresponding lower flaps;

each half-slot is extended to its end portion situated on the side opposite the other half-slot opposite, by a line which can be cut or cut in the corresponding upper flap, said breakable or cut line being directed towards the fold line of the lower flap of the tongue corresponding to said half-slot over a determined distance, and being located in line with the corresponding edge of said tongue.

Such an arrangement allows proper operation of the system during successive locks and unlocks, by allowing greater elasticity of the hinge formed by the fold line of the tongue.

- Each tongue has a substantially T-shaped whose crossbar is connected to the fold line of the tongue relative to the corresponding face; each tongue has a rectangular or isosceles trapezoidal shape ending in a triangular end part with an obtuse angle at the top. the bottom consists of flaps connected respectively to the lateral faces by fold lines, namely two opposite inner flaps and two opposite outer flaps and comprises two recessed parts in said outer flaps, of shape complementary to that of the tongues.

The invention also relates to a blank of material of corrugated cardboard sheet or equivalent intended to form a box with polygonal section, comprising: lateral flaps connected to each other by means of first parallel fold lines,

a first set of flaps connected to one side of said lateral flaps by second fold lines orthogonal to said first fold lines, suitable for forming the bottom of the box, and

- A second set of flaps connected to the other side of said side flaps by third fold lines orthogonal to said first fold lines, suitable for forming the cover of the box, said set consisting of two so-called upper side flaps interposed with two so-called lower side flaps, the lower flaps each comprising a tongue cut out on one side in said flap, and connected on the other side to the adjacent flap by a fold line substantially coincident with the third fold line of said flap, the peripheral edges upper flaps opposite to the third fold lines comprising respectively two portions of slots situated on either side of said upper flaps, at a determined distance d. lateral edges of said corresponding flaps, characterized in that the end of the tongues is in the form of a point and the length of said tongues, between the end of the point and the fold line of the tongue with the flap to which it is connected, is slightly greater than said distance d _. .

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of embodiments given by way of nonlimiting example. It refers to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show the steps for forming and locking the lid of a box formed from a blank of the type described with reference to FIG. 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of a blank according to the invention.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a blank according to another embodiment of the invention. - Figure 8 shows two partial perspective views of the locking tab of the cover obtained with the blank of Figure 7, in the locked position, and when it is released elastically by simple pressure on the cover. Figure 1 shows a blank 1 comprising a series of eight side flaps, namely four main flaps including two large flaps 2 and 3 interspersed with two small flaps 4 and 5, and four intermediate flaps 6 suitable for forming the cut corners of the body , said intermediate flaps being respectively between a large flap and a small flap when the body is formed.

The series of shutters is completed on one side, in the embodiment more particularly described here, by a tab 7 suitable for being fixed on the intermediate flap 6 attached to the main flap 2 located on the other side of the series of flaps relative to said tongue. The flaps are connected to each other by first parallel fold lines 8.

The blank comprises a first set of flaps 9 located on one side of the flaps and intended to form the bottom of the box, and a second set 10 of flaps located on the other side of the flaps and intended to form the cover of the box .

More specifically, the first assembly 9 comprises four substantially rectangular flaps connected to the lateral sides of the four main flaps by fold lines 11, perpendicular to the first fold lines, namely two large flaps 12 and 13, connected to the large flaps 2 and 3 , and two small flaps 14 and 15, connected to small flaps 4 and 5.

The intermediate flaps 6 are in turn devoid of flaps.

In the embodiment more particularly described here, the two large flaps 12 and 13 have a width, in the transverse direction, equal to or substantially equal to half the width of the box formed.

The large flaps 12 and 13 are identical. Each large flap has three sides 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3, (13.1, 13.2 and 13.3), namely two lateral sides 12.1 and 12.3 (13.1 and 13.3) located on either side of said flap and one side 12.2 (13.2) parallel and opposite the second fold line 11 of the flap with the corresponding flap.

Each lateral side of the large flap comprises a first part at an angle of 45 ° towards the outside of the flap from the second fold lines, arranged to cover the adjacent intermediate flap when the body is formed, said first part being extended by a second part perpendicular to said second fold lines, said lateral side ending at the angle with the peripheral edge by a 16 ^" notch having a first recess 17, towards the inside of the flap, for example rounded, and a second recess 18, always directed towards the inside of the flap, for example at right angles, the length of the peripheral edge 12.2; 13.2 on the parallel side between upper ends 16 'of the notches being -

The small flaps 14 and 15 are themselves identical and rectangular, in the embodiment more particularly described here. Their lateral sides are also located at a distance from the lateral sides of the corresponding large flaps, for example a few millimeters. The second set 10 of flaps is connected to the four main flaps by third fold lines 19, 20 and 21 perpendicular to the first fold lines 8. More precisely, the second set comprises two large flaps 22 and 23 connected respectively to the large flaps by the fold lines 19, and two small flaps 24 and 25 respectively connected to the small flaps by fold lines 20 and 21, as will be described more precisely below. The large flaps 22 and 23 each have three sides respectively 22.1, 22.2 and 22.3 and

23.1, 23.2 and 23.3, namely two lateral sides

[22.1 and 22.3; 23.1 and 23.3] and a side parallel and opposite to the third fold lines [22.2 and 23.2]. Each lateral side includes a first part at an angle of 45 ° outwards from the third fold lines arranged to cover the corresponding intermediate flaps when the body is formed, a second part perpendicular to the third lines and an end part. 26 beveled towards the inside of the flap.

The peripheral edges of the sides 22.2 and 23.2, furthermore comprise respectively two identical rectangular or substantially rectangular slots 27 and 28, perpendicular to said edges, located on either side of the flap at a determined distance d. lateral edges 22.1 and 22.3 on the one hand, 23.1 and 23.3 on the other hand, of length x / 2 and of width e, for example from 3 to 5 mm.

The width 1 of the flaps 22 and 23, between the fold lines 19 and the peripheral edges 22.2 and 23.2, is equal to half the width of the cover of the box, so that, when the latter is formed, said edges are joined, the slots 27 and 28 of the flap 22 facing the corresponding slots 27 and 28 of the flap 23, to form two identical parallel slots straddling the junction between flaps. The small flaps 24 and 25 are rectangular, for example of the same width 1 as the large flaps 22 and 23. They each have a tongue 29 cut on one side in the flap and connected on the other side to the flap 4 or 5 by a fold line 21 slightly offset towards the inside of the flap, for example by 1 or 2 mm relative to the fold line 20, which is distributed on either side of said tongue centered relative to the flap.

The tongue has a tip-shaped end 30, for example forming an angle at the top obtuse of the order of 160 or 170 °, the distance between the fold line 21 and the end of the tip 30 being!, with d_ slightly greater than d for example greater by two to three millimeters than d. The tongue also has a T shape complementary to that of two symmetrically joined notches 16.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show the formation of a box 31 with cut corners 32, formed with a blank of the type of that shown in FIG. 1.

The box 31 has main lateral faces 33, a bottom 34 and a cover 35, comprising two identical opposite upper flaps 36 and two identical opposite lower flaps 37, connected respectively to the lateral faces by fold lines 38 and 39.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show more precisely the cover of the box which comprises two slots 40 formed in the upper flaps respectively, on either side of the cover, parallel to and at the distance d from the fold lines 39 of the lower flaps 37, with the faces to which they are connected.

The cover also comprises two tongues 41, cut on one side in said lower flaps 37, and articulated on the other side respectively with respect to the lateral face corresponding to said flap 37, around fold lines 42 parallel and slightly above the fold lines 39 of lower flaps 37.

The tongues cover the upper flaps, which themselves cover the complementary part of the cutout of the tabs of the lower flap, the end 43 of said tongues snapping into the slots 40. The bottom of the box comprises two small internal flaps 44 and two large external flaps 45 connected respectively to the corresponding lateral faces by fold lines 46 and 47.

The bottom comprises two recesses 48, of a shape complementary to that of the tongues, so that when the boxes are stacked on top of each other, the tongues fit into the recesses of an upper case, which allows blocking lateral of the boxes relative to each other.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a blank 50 according to the invention. The blank 50 here comprises only four flaps 51, and an end bonding tongue 52, to form a parallelepiped box.

The flaps 53 forming the cover are here of the same width, two of said flaps include tabs 54, of substantially rectangular shape whose end is adapted to cooperate with the half-slots 55 which, when joined, form the slots of the cover as described above. The flaps 56 forming the bottom of the box are, for example, devoid of notches here, and are of conventional type, for American box.

We will now describe the formation of the bottom and the lid of a box according to the invention with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

The side walls of the box are formed by winding around a mandrel, the inner flaps of the bottom being first folded. Then the outer flaps are in turn folded over the inner flaps, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. The box is then filled from above. Then fold the lower flaps of the cover. Due to the offset between fold lines 20 and 21, the lines 20 being also and for example more pronounced than the fold lines 21, the tongues remain straight or vertical (see FIG. 3).

Then the upper flaps of the cover are folded back, the peripheral edges of said flaps becoming contiguous (see FIGS. 4).

Finally, the tabs are folded, the end of which snaps into the slots.

FIG. 7 shows a blank 60 of double-sided corrugated cardboard, for example very thick (greater than 5 mm) according to another embodiment of the invention, comprising four rectangular lateral flaps 61, 62, 63 and 64 connected in pairs by fold lines 65 parallel to each other. The blank is finished laterally, on one side, by a bonding tab 66 and comprises, in the transverse direction, on one side, a first set 67 of four flaps connected respectively to one side of each lateral flap by second lines folding 68 perpendicular to the first and intended to form the bottom of the box, and, on the other side, a second set 69 of four flaps connected to the opposite side of said flaps by third folding lines 70, and intended to form the box cover. The assembly 69 consists of two rectangular side flaps 71 and 72, called upper flaps, interspersed with two side flaps 73 and 74, called lower flaps. The lower flaps are for example trapezoidal, isosceles, with an angle at the base α of between around 88 ° and around 70 °.

They are for example of the same height as the upper flaps and each have a tongue

75 cut from the flap and connected to the corresponding flap (62 or 64), for example as we have seen with reference to FIG. 1.

Each tongue comprises a lower part in the form of an isosceles trapezium advantageously of height d. _Δ and angle at the base β (long side of the trapezoid), said base being coincident or substantially coincident with the fold line 70. The angle β is for example between about 85 ° and order of 60 °, for example equal to 80 °.

The tongue is terminated by a triangular end portion 76, with an obtuse apex angle for example equal to around 160 ° and of small height ±, for example equal to 2mm. The height of the tongue (distance d_ = _.ώ + i) is for example equal to half the width H of the flap.

The upper flaps 71 and 72 comprise, for their part, and starting from their peripheral edge 77 opposite the fold lines 70, a rectangular half-slot 78, perpendicular to said peripheral edge 77 and whose internal edge 79

(directed towards the center of the flap) is located at a distance equal to or substantially equal to d. ^ from the nearest adjacent lateral edge 79 of the flap, perpendicular to the peripheral edge 77 of said flap.

Each half-slot 78 ends in a cut or breakable line 80, directed at an angle towards the adjacent edge 79 and the fold line 70, on a determined length 1 for example equal to of the order of 1 to 2 cm.

The assembly 67 intended to form the bottom of the body comprises two flaps 81 and 82 substantially rectangular, inserted two by two with two isosceles trapezoidal flaps 83 and 84.

The flaps 81 and 82 each have an outer peripheral edge 85 in two for example equal parts, parallel to the second fold lines 68, said edge being provided with a recess between its two parts.

Each end of the flaps 81 and 82 also comprises a recessed part 87 or 88 of shape complementary to that of a half-tab, as one has seen previously.

The operation of the lid locking / unlocking is now specified with reference to FIG. 8.

To do this, the presence of the cut lines 80 facilitates successive openings and closings of the box 89.

The tongue 75 is unlocked by pressing on the upper flaps 71 and 72 adjacent to the tongue, or by pushing in the middle of the body cover, which allows the tongue, the end of which is not very engaged under the flaps. upper beyond the slot 90 formed by the two half-slots 78, to be released automatically with good elasticity, the internal part 91 of the upper flaps, delimited by the lines 80, playing a role of return spring.

Claims

1. Box (31, 89) of corrugated cardboard sheet material or equivalent, having a polygonal section, comprising lateral faces (33), a bottom (34) and a cover (35) comprising two opposite upper flaps (36) and two opposite lower flaps (37) located below said upper flaps, said flaps being connected respectively to the lateral faces by fold lines (38, 39), the cover (35) comprising: two slots (40, 90) formed in the upper flaps (36, 71, 72), respectively on either side of the cover, parallel and at a distance d. _ώ fold lines (39) of the lower flaps (37), and

- two tongues (41, 75) cut respectively on one side in the lower flaps, and articulated respectively on the other side parallel to the fold lines (39) of said lower flaps, respectively covering said upper flaps and arranged so that their ends (43) respectively penetrate into the corresponding slots in the cover, characterized in that the end (43) of each tab is in the shape of a point and is arranged to abut from below with the peripheral edge of the corresponding slot located in the side opposite to the fold line of the tongue over a distance h less than or equal to around 5mm.

2. Box according to claim 1, characterized in that h is less than or equal to around 2mm.

3. Box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each slot (40) consists of two half-slots respectively made opposite in the peripheral edges of the upper flaps (36), the tongues (41) being centered laterally with respect to the corresponding lower flaps (37).

4. Box according to claim 3 characterized in that each half-slot is extended to its end portion located on the side opposite to the other half-slot opposite, by a breakable line or cut (80) in the corresponding upper flap, said line being directed towards the fold line of the lower flap of the tongue (75) corresponding to said half-slots over a determined distance and being located in line with the corresponding edge of said tongue.

5. Box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each tongue (41) has substantially a T-shape whose transverse bar is connected to the fold line (39) of the tongue relative to the corresponding face .

6. Box according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that each tongue (75) has substantially a rectangular or isosceles trapezoidal shape ending in a triangular corner part at the obtuse apex.

7. Box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom (34) consisting of flaps (44, 45) connected respectively to the lateral faces by fold lines (46, 47), namely two flaps inner (44) opposite and two opposite outer flaps (45), said bottom comprises two recessed portions (48) in said outer flaps, of shape complementary to that of the tongues (41).

8. Blank (1, 50, 60) of corrugated cardboard sheet material or equivalent intended to form a box with polygonal section, comprising:

- side flaps (2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 51; 61, 62, 63, 64) interconnected by means of first parallel fold lines,

a first set (9, 56, 67) of flaps connected to one side of said lateral flaps by second fold lines orthogonal to said first fold lines, suitable for forming the bottom of the box, and

- A second set (10, 53, 69) of flaps connected to the other side of said side flaps by third fold lines orthogonal to said first fold lines, suitable for forming the cover of the box, said set consisting of two so-called upper side flaps (22, 23; 71, 72) interspersed with two so-called lower side flaps (24, 25; 73, 74), said lower flaps each comprising a tongue (29, 54, 75) cut from one side in said flap, and connected on the other side to the adjacent flap by a fold line substantially coincident with the third fold line of said flap, the peripheral edges (22.2, 23.2; 77) of the upper flaps opposite to the third fold lines respectively comprising two slit portions (27, 28; 55; 78) located on either side of said upper flaps, at a determined distance (d., do _. ) from the lateral edges of said corresponding flaps, characterized in that e the end of the tabs is pointed and the length of said tabs. between the end of the tip and the fold line of the tongue with the flap on which it is fixed, is a little more than said distance (, do ⁾ -

9. Blank according to claim 8, characterized in that each half-slot (78) is extended to its end portion located on the side opposite to the outer peripheral edge (77) of the corresponding upper flap (71, 72) by a line breakable or cut in said upper flap over a determined distance, said breakable or cut line being biased towards the fold line (70) of the upper flap and towards the lateral peripheral edge

(79) of said upper flap closest to said half-slot, and being arranged to be located at the right of the corresponding edge of the tongue when the body is formed.

10. Blank according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that each tongue (29) has substantially a T-shape whose bar is connected in the central part of, parallel and slightly offset inwardly flap with respect to the corresponding third fold lines (20).

11. Blank according to any one of claims 8 and 9 characterized in that each tongue (54, 75) has substantially a rectangular or isosceles trapezoidal shape ending in a triangular part with an angle at the obtuse apex.

12. A blank according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the lateral sides of the bottom flaps corresponding to the lateral faces provided on the other side with the upper flaps, include notches (16; 87, 88) of shape complementary to that of a half-tab.