WO2002079039A1

WO2002079039A1 - Shoe box and blank therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2002079039A1
Application number: PCT/EP2001/011821
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frediano Moretti
Original assignee: Frediano Moretti
Priority date: 2001-03-30
Filing date: 2001-10-12
Publication date: 2002-10-10
Also published as: ITPI20010026A1

Abstract

In a cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box, framed of a single series of variously shaped panels (11-15), the bottom surface is set up of parts (41-44) which are partially superimposale and joinable each other during a first phase of making up the box to form a two layers structure useful for storage and/or transport, the box being afterwards adjustable in its final shaping by simply opening out said two layers. The shoe-box comprises a longitudinal internal separating element (51, 52), and a box top central handle (53, 54).

Description

SHOE BOX AND BLANK THEREFOR

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TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns a cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box.

This invention also concerns the development on a plane of a cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box. STATE OF ART

Shoe-boxes in use at present are made, as known, of a sufficiently rigid cardboard container, prismatic shaped, open at the top and having a cover which can be detachable or bound to the container itself.

The container, variously shaped and dimensioned according to the land and the size of the footwears to be contained, reaches the shoe factory already composed in its final shape useful for the footwears housing and for later closing by adding the cover on. The goodness of this solution, with a view to the production lead- times, is evident: in laci the worker assigned to the shoes packing has just to put the same in the box, after, in some cases, wrapping them in law thickness sheets of paper to prevent contact between them which could take place during transport or handling before sale. Nevertheless it is as much evident that supplying pre-composed boxes is very expensive both as the manufacturing costs and, notably, as the transport costs because of the waste of space due to the box shape. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a shoe-box which, still keeping high practicality and immediateness of use during shoes packing, have technical features suited to avoid waste of space in handling and transport to the utilization place. Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe-box allowing, when wanted, the footwears to be separated each other, and/or providing means able to facilitate single transport of the shoe-box itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a development on a plane of the above shoe-box.

These and other objects and advantages are achieved by a cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box framed of a single series of variously shaped limbs joined each other by folding, first and last limbs of said series of limbs being joined each other by gluing, clamping or different means, wherein parts of said limbs intended to set up the bottom surface of the box are shaped in such a way to be partially superimposable and matchable each other during a first phase of manufacturing the box to form a two layers structure, useful lor storage and/or transport, said parts automatically filling to form the bottom surface of said box after simply opening out said two layers when final shaping of the box, in normal use configuration, takes place.

Parts of limbs of said single series of variously shaped limbs are intended to form an internal separating element longitudinally placed on the vertical middle plane of the box. Said separating element may be shaped in varidus ways.

Conveniently, the box of this invention provides a handle made out of parts of said limbs and centrally placed on the top closing surface. The above closing surface can be made or of two parts bound to opposite sides of the box, other of a single part bound to one side of the box. Suitable end parts, integral to said parts of limbs composing the closing surface, engage in slots made out in further parts of limbs placed just under said limbs composing said box closing surface. The development on a plane of the shoe-box according to the present invention provides a single series of variously shaped limbs joined each other by transverse folding lines, first and last of said series of limbs being joined by gluing, clamping or different means. Longitudinal folding lines divide the main limbs in parts intended to form the lateral, top and bottom surfaces of the box. It is clear that shaping the box of the invention according to the above- mentioned ways presents certain advantages both as the cheapness of production and as the functionality and practicalness of use. Making up the box in two separate phases allows to attain, in a first phase, a two layers structure, very useful for storage and transport of the box to the shoes packing area, while, in a second phase, final shaping of the box in normal use configuration takes place. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more clearly understood from the description and the attached drawing, which shows a non-restrictive practical example of the invention. In the drawings::

- figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shoe-box according to the present invention;

- figure 2 shows a bottom view of the box of fig. t ;

- figure 3 shows a top view of the box of fig.l in an open configuration;

- figure 4 shows a development on a plane of the box of fig.1 ;

- figure 5 shows a perspective view of the box according to the invention in a configuration of partial composition;;

- figure 6 shows another perspective view of the box of fig.l, in which some specific components are highlighted;

- figure 7 shows a perspective view of the shoe-box of the invention according to a specific embodiment;

- figure 8 shows another development of the box according to the invention referred in particular to the embodiment of fig.7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE

INVENTION

Referring now to fig.l, a shoe-box according to the invention is indicated as a whole with 10. In said figure, for the simplicity of the representation, just some elements relating to the upper and to the bottom surfaces of the box are shown with hatching; in particular, as regards the upper surface, the end parts, 61, 62, of the parts of limbs, 22, 24, which form the top closing elements of the box, are represented in hatched lines, and so also the parts of limbs, 21, 23, connected to the lateral top sides, 16, 18; while, as regards the bottom surface of the box, parts of limbs, 41, 43, also connected to the lateral top sides, 16, 18, are represented m ^" hatched lines. The above parts of limbs, 21 , 22, 23, 24, are, among other things, well highlighted, directed towards outside, in fig.3, which refers to the top view of the box 10 in total open configuration.

Moreover, by such top view it is possible to see the parts, 42, 44, which, together with parts 41, 43, form the bottom surface of the box. All said parts of limbs, and some more, are included in the development shown in fig.4.

This one exactly comprises a series of four main limbs, 11, 12, 13, 14, and an auxiliary limb, 15, each of said limbs being identified and divided from the others by folding lines transverse with respect to the development itself.

The four main limbs are subdivided, by longitudinal folding lines, in top. 21, 22, 23, 24, central, 31, 32, 33, 34, and bottom, 41, 42, 43, 44, parts, where, central parts form the lateral surfaces of the box, while bottom and top parts constitute respectively, as previously said, the bottom and the top surfaces of the box itself. Referring to the top parts, it may be noted that two of thern, 22, 24, present end parts, 61, 62, suitable to keep them in closing position when they fit in notches, 63, 64, existing on the two other top parts 21, 23.

As regards the bottom surface, it may be noticed that parts 41, 42, 43, 44, are two by two identical and, furthermore, they present a feature allowing to simplify final shaping in use configuration. In fact we can see that parls 42, 44, comprise sub-parts, 45, 46, bendable around folding lines, 47, 8. Said sub-parts precisely fit to specified regions of the adjacent parts, 41 , 43, as shown in fig.5, where in hatched lines parts 42, 43, and in dot lines parts 41, 44, are represented. It must be noted that such figure shows the configuration achievable as a result of first turning the bottom parls over their respective central parts and then turning the main external limbs, 1 1 , 14, over the central limbs 12, 13; limb 15, not shown in fig.5 for simplicity of representation, get placed, during said action, under limb 11 to be afterwards glued; sub-parts 45, 46, arc as well glued to adjacent parts 41, 43, after they perform a 180° rotation around their respective folding lines 47, 48.

The structure achieved by the above operations is just shown in fig.5; it is a two layers structure, with low thickness and suitable for the box's storage and transport, while, at the moment of its use in the shoe production line, shaping of the box's bottom surface comes automatically, just applying moderate pull strengths on points 71 and 72 of said structure to separate the two above layers. It has to be noted that configuration of fig.5 does not include sub- parts, 53, 54, shown in fig.4 with hatched lines, which refer to the handle that box 10 may have. Said handle, when existing, exactly fits centrally on the top surface, as shown in fig.6. Sub-parts 53, 54, arc continuations of parts 51, 52, which, in their turn, are bound to bottom parts, 42, 44. Said parts, 51, 52 form, as we can see in fig.6, a longitudinal separating element dividing the box's internal volume, useful to keep the two footwears separate, so avoiding possible damage.

After arranging the shoes inside the two areas created by the separating element, the two top lateral parts, 21, 23 are rotated towards inside, locking in this way the handle in notches 63, 64, existing on said lop lateral parts; full closing of the box is then obtained rotating towards inside the other two top parts 22, 24, until respective end parts, 61, 62 fit in the same notches 63, 64. Opening of the box comes lifting first said parts 22, 24, and then parts 21, 23. Convenient semi-circular notches, 65, 66, are on the boundary of said top parts 22, 24, to make handling during an opening action easier.

Advantages about practicalness of use and cheapness of transfer and handling of the shoe-box according to the invention are clear from what has been above described.

Obviously the advantages are kept safe modifying what above described as, for example, in embodiment of fig.7. In this case, as we can also see looking at the relating development of fig.8, the feature that allows setting the box up in two different phases is ensured by that bottom parts 41 ', 42', 43', 44', 45', 46', are identical to equivalent parts of the development of fig.4, while top closing parts, which have no influence on this feature, come different. Among these latter parts there is, as we can see in fig.7, a single part, 22', assigned to be the top closing element of the box, said part 22', having dimensions doubled with respect to the ones of parts 22, 24, of the previous case. Also said single part 22' has got. an end part, 61 ', which is able to fit in the slot which takes shape, when the box is closed, among top lateral parts, 21 '. 23' and lateral surface 34', thanks to convenient shaped notches 63', 64', existing on said top lateral parts 21 ', 23 \

A different embodiment with respect to the ones in fig.l and fig.6 takes place when parts 51', 52', composing the central separating element, modify, as shown in fig.7, in a semi-circular or similar shape. Obviously said separating element can have some more different shapes, and its highness may change with the kind of the shoes to be housed.

Further, depending on the kind of shoes, the global shape of the box may change, but still being made of a single development of limbs and still having the features that allows setting the box up, in different shapes, in. two different phases.

These and other modifications may be carried out, always within the limits of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

C LAI M S

1- Cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box of the type that it is framed of a single series of limbs (11), (12), (13), (14), (15) variously shaped, joined each other by folding, the first and the last of said series of limbs being joined by gluing, clamping, embedding or different means, characterized in that parts (41), (42), (43), (44), (45), (46) of said limbs intended to set up the bottom surface of the box are shaped in such a way to be partially superimposable and matchable each other during a first phase of making up the box to form a two layers structure, useful for storage and/or transport, said parts automatically fitting to form the bottom surface of said box after simply opening out said two layers when final shaping of the box, in normal use configuration, lakes place.

2- Shoe-box as claimed in the preceding claim characterized in that it comprises an internal separating element placed on the longitudinal middle plane of the box, said separating element being composed of at least one part, (51), (52), of said single series of limbs.

3- Shoe-box as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises a top closing element made of two opposite parts, (22), (24) of said series of limbs, said parts providing end parts (61), (62) intended to fit, along the longitudinal top axis of the box, in notches (63), (64), made out in further two parts (21), (23), placed in correspondence of the top surface of said box.

4- Shoe-box as claimed in the preceding claim characterized in that it comprises a handle centrally placed on said lop surface of the box, said handle being obtained by at least one part (53), (54) of limbs joined to said at least one part (51), (52) of said series of limbs forming said separating element.

5- Shoe-box as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises a top closing element made up of one part (22') of said series of limbs, said part (22') providing at least one end part (61') intended to fit in slots got between the lateral surface (34') opposite to the surface binding said top part (22') and two olhers parts (21 '), (23') of said limbs placed in correspondence of the top surface of said box.

6- Development on a plane of a cardboard, plastic material or similar semirigid material shoe-box (10) characterized in that it comprises variously shaped limbs (1 1), (12), (13), (14), (15), joined each other in series, said limbs being defined by transversal folding lines of said development, some of said limbs being also divided, by longitudinal folding lines, in parts made to form respectively the top surface (21 ), (22), (23), (24), the lateral surfaces (31), (32), (33), (34), and the bottom surface (41), (42), (43), (44), (45), (46), of said box (10), the bottom parts (42), (44), of two limbs (12), (14) relating to two opposite sides of the box comprising two lateral sub-parts (45), (46) bcndable on the respective main parts (42), (44), and joinable, by gluing or different means, to the adjacent bottom parts (41), (43) of the limbs (11), (13) relating to the two others opposite sides of the box, said gluing coming after folding all bottom parts (41), (42), (43), (44) upon respective central parts (31), (32), (33), (34) and later II

folding the lateral limbs (11 ), (14) upon the central limbs (12), (13), in such a way to firstly form a two layers structure useful for storage and/or transport of the box, then adjusting the bottom surface of said box in the final shaping by opening out said two layers.

7- Development of a shoe-box according to claim 6 characterized in that the limbs composing the opposite sides of the box are identical, both as regards their lop part and their central part and their bottom part.

8- Development of a shoe-box as claimed in claim 6 or 7 characterized in that two limbs composing two opposite sides of the box comprise parts (51), (52), (53), (54) intended to form in the box an internal separating element and a handle.

9- Development of a shoe-box according to claim 7 or 8 characterized in that top parts (22), (24) of two limbs (12), (14), composing two opposite sides of the box are shaped in a way to form the closing surface of said box.

10- Development of a shoe-box according to claim 6 characterized in that the limbs composing the opposite sides of said shoe-box are identical as regards their central parts and their bottom parts.

11- Development of a shoe-box according to the preceding claim characterized in that one top part (22') of one limb (12') of said series of limbs is intended to form the closing surface of said box.

12- Development of a shoe-box according to the preceding claim characterized in that said top part (22') provides at least one end part (61 '), lop parls (21 '), (23') of the two limbs (11 '), (13') adjacent to said limb (12') providing notches (63'), (64") shaped lo foπn slots among said lateral lop pails, (21'), (23') and the lateral surface (34') opposite to the surface binding said top part (22^>), said al least one end part (61') fitting in said slots.