WO2006095376A1

WO2006095376A1 - Foldable cardboard box for fruit and vegetables or drinks, equipped with reinforcement means

Info

Publication number: WO2006095376A1
Application number: PCT/IT2006/000137
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leonardo Cazzarolli
Original assignee: Cazzarolli S.A.S. Di Cazzarolli Dott. Leonardo & C.
Priority date: 2005-03-09
Filing date: 2006-03-08
Publication date: 2006-09-14
Also published as: EP1890942A1; ITVR20050031A1; WO2006095376A8

Abstract

A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general, in particular fruit and vegetable type products or similar, consists of a base portion (10) from which side walls (15, 18) defined by pre-cut lines (13, 14, 16, 17) can be folded upwards; at least two opposite sides of the box can be equipped with two cardboard portions (11, 12) which are fixed astride these two sides; these portions (11, 12) also comprise tabs (24) designed to be slotted into folded flaps (25) defined by cuts and pre-cut lines (26) in each side of the box adjacent to the sides in which the portions (11, 12) are present.

Description

"FOLDABLE CARDBOARD BOX FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLES OR DRINKS, EQUIPPED WITH REINFORCEMENT MEANS"

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TECHNICAL FIELD This invention concerns a box suitable for packaging, transporting and storing products in general, particularly fruit and vegetables or also drinks of various kinds, the box presenting advantageous features being resistant, stable and easy to stack. The box can also be easily assembled or folded in order to recycle or re-use it.

The means by which the box achieves the aims described above are represented by particular cuts and folds of the base form, made in such a way that on one hand it is possible to easily assemble and dismantle the box and on the other make the box particularly resistant to the loading stress caused by the products it contains.

This means that the invention is particularly suitable for use in the fruit and vegetable sector, but also for bottled drinks, the weight of which has always been problematic because of the need to use cardboard boxes.

This invention can thus be advantageously applied in the transport, storage and sale of fruit and vegetables and of drinks or containers in general, preferably but not exclusively of foodstuffs.

BACKGROUND ART

Boxes wholly made from corrugated or solid-fibre cardboard, suitable for holding fruit and vegetables, but also for packaged drinks or other similar products, are well known in the art. One of the problems encountered with boxes made from corrugated cardboard is that they are difficult to assemble, being normally supplied flat and open.

The large-scale users, such as for example fruit and vegetable suppliers or companies that distribute liquid or semi-liquid foodstuffs, bottled drinks or products that in any case are quite heavy, are normally obliged to use other firms or automatic machines to assemble the boxes before loading them. Similarly, once traditional cardboard boxes have been unloaded, they are difficult to dismantle, with considerable problems if one considers that the dismantling operations are in any case necessary so that the empty boxes, flattened to reduce their dimensions, can be stacked and subsequently re-used or disposed of.

According to other known embodiments, the boxes, especially those for fruit and vegetables, can be wholly made from solid-fibre cardboard, that is to say a material which, unlike corrugated cardboard, makes it possible to produce boxes with an extremely resistant and reliable bottom.

Boxes made from solid-fibre cardboard can easily be folded or dismantled, and take up little space both before being filled with products and after they have been unloaded.

However, boxes made from solid-fibre cardboard present a problem concerning the fact that this material has a much lower shearing stress resistance than corrugated cardboard, with the consequent problems when they are stacked on top of each other during transport and/or warehouse storage, where the stacks are not sufficiently stable and reliable. To solve this kind of problem, various solutions have been proposed, including for example providing a folded- over outer edge of the box to reinforce it when other boxes are stacked on top of it. Vertical reinforcements have also been applied to the four corners of the box to allow easier stacking, greater resistance once stacked, and thus greater shearing stress resistance, and more maneuvering space to allow rapid and easy loading of the boxes by the machinery designed to carry out this operation.

In spite of this, none of the solutions used so far has made it possible to definitively resolve the problems of assembly, dismantling and, at the same time, resistance to stress. This invention aims to provide such a solution.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention proposes to overcome the problems and disadvantages typical in background art, by providing a box, advantageously for fruit and vegetables, but also for drinks or liquid products in bottles or products of other kinds, that can be rapidly assembled with simple operations by personnel responsible for loading the box, and which can be equally quickly dismantled at the end of its use.

The invention also proposes to provide a box equipped with means that can ensure the stable stacking of boxes during transport and/or warehouse storage, and which is easily foldable in order to substantially reduce its overall dimensions when empty, for subsequent recycling or re-use. This is achieved thanks to the features disclosed in the main claim. - A -

The dependent claims disclose particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The box according to the invention consists of a structure that can be folded along preformed folding lines, wholly made from corrugated cardboard, and also comprising a pair of elements, also made from corrugated cardboard and approximately rectangular in shape and appropriately positioned astride two opposite sides of the structure.

The particularity of the invention is due to the presence of reinforcement elements that can be positioned at the four corners, and which allow the box to form a very stable rigid structure that is self-supporting and resistant in order to stand up to the loading strain of the products it contains. The solidity of the structure provided by the reinforcement means also allows the boxes, loaded with products that can also be heavy, to be stacked on top of each other, guaranteeing maximum resistance to stress.

According to the invention, the structure that forms the box comprises a base forming the bottom and the side walls of the box, and two reinforcement surfaces, also made from corrugated cardboard, positioned at the two short walls of the first structure, so that they are astride these short sides, each of the surfaces forming the box being provided with preferential folding lines.

According to the invention, the corrugated cardboard reinforcement surfaces are normally attached to each short side of the base structure by spot gluing, and each comprises two foldable portions that are positioned against a shaped and partially folded flap of the two longer sides of the box. According to another embodiment of the invention, the outer lateral surface of the box structure presents openings at the corners which allow the rapid opening and dismantling of the box at the end of its use. According to yet another embodiment of the invention, at least one flap on each side of the box is substantially curved, making it possible to further increase the resistance of compression and mechanical stress due to the loading strain of the products contained in the box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reading the following description of one embodiment, given as a non-binding example, with the help of the figures shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 shows a foldable box in corrugated cardboard in the open position and with the foldable portions of the short sides already assembled; - figure 2 shows the box of figure 1, but with the foldable portions detached laterally before assembly with the base portion; figure 3 shows a partial prospective view of a box according to the invention, in the partially assembled position and with only one of the foldable portions in the open position; and figure 4 shows a partial prospective view of a box according to the invention, in the fully assembled position.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT According to what is shown in figures 1 and 2, the reference number 10 generally indicates the base portion of a box made from corrugated cardboard designed mainly to contain foodstuffs such as natural or dried fruit, vegetables or drinks, or any products even with a high specific weight, the base portion being connectable to two corrugated cardboard portions 11 and 12 which will be fixed astride the two short sides of the box, as will be seen below. The base portion 10 presents a substantially quadrilateral shape, obtained by die cutting, provided with cuts and preferential folding lines that allow the box to be folded and assembled.

More specifically, as can be seen in figure 2, the base portion 10 presents cut and folding lines whose main directrixes are represented by the folding lines 13 and 14 which define the formation of the long sides 15, and folding lines 16 and 17 which define the formation of the short sides 18, in both the first and the second case these sides being opposite to each other with respect to the centre-line of the box.

Each of the four corners presents angular folds 19 defined by bisecting lines 20, positioned at 45°, and by the crossing of the directrixes 13, 14 and 16, 17. The particular feature of the invention is the presence of a pair of corrugated cardboard portions 11 and 12 which will be fixed astride the two short sides.

More specifically, the portions 11 and 12 present a first sector 21 which represents the part designed to be fixed to the outside of the short sides 18, for example by gluing or another similar system designed for this purpose, and a second sector 22 which is separated from the first sector by pre-cut lines 23.

In addition to other already known slot-in elements which allow the box to be assembled and held together in the working configuration, consisting of tabs and respective slots, the second sector 22 of each of the portions 11 and 12, presents two tabs 24 which are designed to lock the box in the working configuration and give it stability. The tabs 24 positioned at the sides of each of the second sectors 22 of the portions 11 and 12 are in fact designed to be slotted under folded flaps 25 defined by cuts and precut lines 26 on each of the two longer sides 15 of the box. The flaps 25, which are folded towards the inside of the box, define gripping zones indicated by A, consisting of protruding steps, in which the tabs 24 are inserted in order to stably lock the assembled box.

As clearly shown in figures 3 and 4, the box is assembled by first folding the long 15 and short sides 18 upwards with respect to the base, while the corner sectors remain facing inwards and are glued into position.

The box is then closed by folding the second sectors 22 of the portions 11 and 12 inwards, so that the tabs 24 slot into the steps of zone A defined by the inward folding of the flaps 25.

Advantageously it is also foreseen that the flaps 25, as well as being narrower so as to take up only half of the height of the inner edge 15, can also be deeper so as to cover the entire height of the inner edge 15 of the box, coming into contact with the bottom. In this case it will no longer be necessary to glue the corner sectors, as the box will be totally self- supporting.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, each of the four corners of the box can also be provided with openings 27, for example circular in shape or another more appropriate shape, which make it possible to exert slight pressure on the tabs 24 from the outside towards the inside, so as to raise them from the gripping position inside the step at zone A defined by the flap 25.

In this way the box can be easily dismantled and repositioned on a horizontal plane suitable for the reciprocal stacking of the flattened empty boxes with reduced dimensions, to allow subsequent storage, re-use or disposal.

According to another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is also foreseen that at least some of the pre-cut lines that define the side walls of the box can be slightly curved, rather than straight, thus making the sides more resistant to compression, above all if the boxes have to be stacked while full of products.

As visible in the figures, the box is equipped with side openings 28 which allow them to be lifted by hand when assembled, and vertical tabs 29 on the upper edges of the short sides, designed to act as restraints for the stacked boxes.

From the above description it can be understood that the box according to this invention is much sturdier and more resistant to stress than common cardboard boxes, and can thus be used to transport fruit and vegetables that are even fairly heavy, such as for example pineapples or coconuts .

The invention is described with reference to some particular embodiments.

It is nevertheless clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments but comprises numerous variations, within the framework of mechanical equivalents.

Claims

1. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general, in particular fruit and vegetable type products or similar, the box consisting of a base portion (10) from which side walls (15, 18) defined by pre-cut lines (13, 14, 16, 17) can be folded upwards, characterised in that at least two opposite sides of the box can be equipped with two cardboard portions (11, 12) which are fixed astride these two sides and in that these portions (11, 12) comprise tabs (24) designed to be slotted into folded flaps (25) defined by cuts and pre-cut lines (26) in each side of the box adjacent to the sides in which the portions (11, 12) are present.

2. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general according to the foregoing claim, characterised in that the portions (11, 12) present a first sector (21) which represents the part designed to be fixed to the outside of the short sides (18), and a second sector (22) separated from the first sector by pre-cut lines (23), the second sector presenting, in addition to other slot- in elements which allow the box to be assembled and held together in the working configuration, consisting of tabs and respective slots, at least two tabs (24) in reciprocally opposite positions.

3. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general according to either of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the tabs (24) positioned at the sides of each of the second sectors (22) of the portions (11, 12) are designed to be slotted under folded flaps (25) defined by cuts and pre-cut lines (26) on each of the two longer sides (15) of the box.

4. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the flaps (25), folded towards the inside of the box, define gripping zones (A), consisting of protruding steps, in which the tabs (24) are inserted in order to stably lock the assembled box.

5. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that each of the four corner sectors of the box is equipped with openings (27), for example circular in shape or another more appropriate shape, which make it possible to exert slight pressure on the tabs (24) from the outside towards the inside, so as to raise them from the gripping position inside the step at zone (A) defined by the flap (25).

6. A box for the packaging, transport and storage of products in general according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that at least some of the pre-cut lines that define the side walls of the box can be slightly curved, rather than straight, thus making the sides more resistant to compression, above all if the boxes have to be stacked while full of products.