WO2011148400A1

WO2011148400A1 - Foldable space saving container

Info

Publication number: WO2011148400A1
Application number: PCT/IT2011/000151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Diego Meuti
Original assignee: Iacobucci Hf Electronics S.P.A.
Priority date: 2010-05-18
Filing date: 2011-05-13
Publication date: 2011-12-01
Also published as: EP2571774A1; SI2571774T1; EP2571774B1; CN103068687A; ES2521593T3; IT1400148B1; CN103068687B; ITRM20100254A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substantially parallelepiped- shaped container with a closable top opening, which container is obtained from a one-piece flat blank, wherein the arrangement of the parts is such that the container which is obtained, once assembled, is of the foldable and collapsible type with a space-saving function. Two non - consecutive flaps (25, 27) forming the closable top opening have U-shaped edge notches (31), spaced from each other, and oppositely arranged inverted-L inner notches (32).

Description

FOLDABLE SPACE SAVING CONTAINER'

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a substantially parallelepiped-shaped container, preferably for trash, in particular for compactable trash, with a closable top opening, which container is obtained from a one- piece flat blank with a reinforcement in the lower part, wherein the arrangement of the parts is such that the container which is obtained once assembled is of the foldable and collapsible type with a space- saving function.

Prior Art

Within the scope of the present invention, the term "collapse'V'collapsible" is understood to mean the container of the invention folded up along a number of its folding lines so as to minimize its internal volume.

The term "crease" is understood to mean a pre-established folding line.

Containers produced from a one-piece flat blank have been known for some time, said blank usually being made of cardboard, plastic and the like, appropriately shaped and provided with prearranged folding lines and parts intended to be joined by gluing during assembly, in order to form a container among other things for food or for trash such as food waste or the like, preferably also suitable for ensuring liquid-tightness.

Containers of this kind often have the disadvantage of having a complicated assembly which includes gluing stages, and therefore these containers, once assembled, cannot be conveniently reduced in size, are particularly bulky and occupy a notable amount of space when empty and stored during production, transportation and distribution or at the end-user's premises. Containers for trash are known in the art from the documents DE 89 08 894 Ul and FR 2716436.

In particular, DE 89 08 894 Ul illustrates a box for aviation trash which provides a snap-shut system on the lid which however does not ensure characteristics of adequate stability and sealing during transportation when the box is full of compacted trash. Furthermore, this type of closure is prone to anomalous and damaging rips in the cardboard during handling of the box. In addition, such a closure system, formed simply by a tongue inserted into a slot, makes transportation of the box itself, once filled with trash, extremely difficult and neither does the possible addition of a handle solve the problem of deformation and consequent breakages or accidental opening during transportation.

Such a box is made impermeable to liquids by the addition of a plastic bag placed outside or inside it, but that complicates its use inside a trash compactor since the bag hinders the correct operation of the compaction plate. Furthermore, it is easily subject to breakages and rips caused by the compacted trash.

Patent application FR 2716436 describes a box which is impermeable to liquids, with a lid separated from the body. It cannot be used per se as a box for compacting trash, both owing to its bulk, since, even when folded, it is formed by two separate parts, and owing to the very limited strength when transported with compacted trash inside it.

Said box is furthermore provided with a reinforced handle, applied externally in order to lift it and arranged on its long sides. Such a handle forms a further hindrance for the use of the box inside compaction devices and it also makes impossible to extract the box by pulling it out of the said compaction device. The requirements of containers to be employed in compaction devices, in particular those of aviation type, are particularly strict since the compaction compartments are constructed with millimetric precision and even insignificant thicknesses of the containers could make them unusable inside said devices.

Summary of the Invention

One object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the disadvantages of containers of the known type by providing a container obtained using recyclable, flexible and moisture-resistant materials such as cardboard or card (retro-craft type), preferably corrugated and treated with waterproofing agents which are known per se, with anti- moisture and/or anti-mold treatment where necessary, or plasticization or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, which is obtained from an appropriately shaped one-piece flat blank, produced with appropriately arranged folding lines (creases) and parts intended to be joined by gluing during assembly, and which, once assembled, is designed such that it may be folded and collapsed for easy and convenient packing, storage and transport with notable space saving.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a container obtained from a flat blank which, once assembled, folded and collapsed, can be reverted to its shape ready for use by means of a simple operation involving compression of the side panels, obtaining a solid container, optionally liquid retaining, and provided with parts suitable for providing a closable lid/opening. Another object of the present invention is to produce a container which is simple to open, whose parts can be easily fixed to ensure its open state and can be closed in an efficient manner, and which is transportable.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container which is robust and liquid retaining, preferably achieved by means of a possible further component added to the bottom of the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container which has, integrated within the container, a closure system which is stable and robust, in the sense that its does not allow and prevents accidental opening of the said container.

Yet another object is to provide a closure system for the container which is robust and strong even during transportation with a full load without causing the said container to become deformed during handling.

According to the present invention, a container is provided for food or for trash, preferably for comp actable trash, such as food, food and drink leftovers, cans, bottles, tableware, containers for food and disposable cutlery, which must be transported preferably on transport means and collected in a reduced volume, i.e. compacted, such as for example trash in transport means such as aircraft, for civil aviation (for commercial and business/corporate uses), light aircraft, buses, caravans, trains, ships, etc.

Further objects will become clear from the following detailed description of the invention, with reference to preferred embodiments, although it is understood that variations may be applied without however departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims and with reference to the figures of the appended drawings. The container of the present invention is substantially parallelepiped- shaped and is obtained from a one-piece flat blank.

According to the present invention, a parallelepiped container with a closable opening is provided, said container being obtained from a one- piece flat blank having:

a central body divided by elongated creases into four panels delimited at the sides by first and, respectively, second lateral creases, both orthogonal to the elongated creases, the four panels being consecutively foldable along the elongated creases and glued at the ends by means of a joining flap to form the side surface of the container;

a first series of consecutive base flaps extending, respectively, from the four panels of the central body beyond said first lateral creases, the base flaps of the first series being foldable and gluable to form a first base of the parallelepiped container;

a second series of consecutive base flaps extending, respectively, from the four panels of the central body beyond said second lateral creases, the flaps being foldable to form a second openable and closable base of the parallelepiped container;

two first shaped flaps of the second series of non-consecutive flaps extending from the second lateral creases have U-shaped edge notches, spaced from each other, and inner notches;

two second tapered flaps of the second series of non-consecutive flaps extending from the second lateral creases have creases parallel to said second lateral creases and are able to be folded onto themselves in order to be inserted into the inner notches of the first shaped flaps of the second series of flaps when they are in an overlapping position of closure, the whole to function as an openable and closable lid of the container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to preferred embodiments, although it is understood that variations may be applied without however departing from its scope of protection and with reference to the figures of the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of a folded-out one-piece flat blank, relating to a parallelepiped-shaped container according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the container, obtained from the flat blank of Figure 1, being assembled with the flaps of the first series of flaps forming the bottom during closure;

Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the container being assembled with the flaps of the second series of flaps forming the second openable and closable base in the completely open condition;

Figure 4 shows a schematic perspective view of the assembled container with the flaps of the second series of flaps forming the second openable and closable base partly closed/opened;

Figure 5 shows a schematic perspective view of the assembled container with one of the flaps of the second series partly closed/opened and the others closed;

Figure 6 shows a schematic plan view of a folded-out one-piece flat blank, relating to the additional bottom part in one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 shows a schematic perspective view of the assembled additional bottom part, obtained from the flat blank of Figure 6;

Figure 8 shows a schematic perspective view of a handle which can be applied to the container of the present invention; Figure 9 shows a schematic perspective view of the container mounted and assembled, obtained from the blank of Figure 1 with the additional bottom part obtained from the blank of Figure 6 and the handle of Figure 8, with the flaps forming the lid completely closed;

Figure 10 shows a schematic perspective view of the mounted and assembled container of Figure 9, during folding and collapsing;

Figure 11 shows a schematic perspective view, from below, of the bottom part of the mounted and assembled container of Figure 10 during folding and collapsing.

Detailed Description of the Invention

With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in plan view the general appearance of the blank, which preferably can be made of waterproof corrugated cardboard, from which a parallelepiped container with a closable opening according to the present invention is obtained. The one-piece flat blank 1 has a central body 2, divided into four panels 7, 8, 9, 10 and a joining flap 11, by means of elongated creases 3, 4, 5, 6. If the panels consist of identical pairs, as in the embodiment illustrated, the container will have rectangular bases. Alternatively, the abovementioned panels may all be identical, for example to form square bases, or bases with various polygonal shapes.

The panels 7 to 10 and the joining flap 11 are delimited laterally by first and second lateral creases, indicated as 12 and 13 respectively. The lateral creases 12 and 13 are both orthogonal to the elongated creases 3, 4, 5 and 6, and therefore the four panels 7 to 10 can be consecutively folded around the elongated creases 3 to 6 and glued to the opposite points through the joining flap 11 to form the side surface of the container.

A first and a second series of consecutive base flaps extend beyond the first and second creases 12 and 13 of the central body 2 of the blank 1, respectively. The base flaps 19 to 22 of the first series, of conventional type, are foldable and gluable to form a first bottom base 29 of the container as shown in Figure 2.

The second series of consecutive base flaps comprises the flaps 24, 25,

26 and 27 which extend, respectively, from the four panels 7 to 10 of the central body, beyond the second lateral creases 13. The flaps 24 to

27 are foldable to form a second openable and closable base 30 of the container as shown in particular in Figures 4 and 5.

According to the present invention, the first flaps 25 and 27 of the second series of flaps which extend from the second lateral creases 13 have U-shaped edge notches 31, spaced from each other, and oppositely arranged notches 32 with an inverted L shape, inside the aforementioned flaps. The flaps 25 and 27 have further pairs of pre- weakened inner notches 34, provided with points or areas for gluing the flaps 25 and 27 onto the outer surfaces of the panels 8 and 10 and inner eyelet-shaped notches 33 for receiving a possible handle 90, as shown in Figure 8.

The non-consecutive flap 27 of the said second series of flaps has an extension 36 which extends from a crease 35, provided on the part between the two U-shaped edge notches of the flap 27.

Furthermore, a receiving notch 37 is formed in a convenient position, preferably along the crease 13 of the flap 25, for inserting the extension 36 of the flap 27 for the closure of the lid of the container.

The non-consecutive flaps 24 and 26 preferably have a substantially tapered shape and preferably have the two creases 38 and 39 parallel to the second lateral creases 13.

The two non-consecutive panels 7 and 9 have, respectively, at least one crease 40 and one crease 41 with an inverted-V shape, the vertices of which are positioned, respectively, on the longitudinal creases 42 and 43 which extend over the whole of the length of the panels 7 and 9 and which also extend onto the flaps 19, 21, 24 and 26.

The ends of the inverted "V"s of the creases 40 and 41 originate from the first lateral creases 12 at the points of intersection, respectively, with the end 7' of the panel 7 and the elongated crease 3, in the case of the crease 40, and the elongated crease 4 and the elongated crease 5, in the case of the crease 41.

Preferably the container according to the present invention is provided with a series of identical and symmetrical creases with an inverted "V" shape, 40 and 41, each series having in common the origin of the "V"s.

With reference to Figure 6, a one-piece flat blank indicated in its entirety as 61 is provided, said blank comprising a central panel 62, intended to form the base of the additional bottom element 60 and delimited by pairs of creases 63, 64 and 69, 70, from which there extend pairs of panels, in identical pairs, 65-66 and 67-68 respectively, of substantially rectangular shape, intended to form the side walls of the additional bottom element 60, in turn joined by means of crease lines 76 and 77 to further substantially triangular panels 75 concertina-foldable along the middle crease line 78, suitable for connecting together the aforementioned panels 65 and 66 with the panels 67 and 68 forming the side walls of the additional bottom element 60, in such a way as to give rise to a continuous substantially rectangular surface. Furthermore, a crease line 79 which divides the central panel 62 and the sides 67 and 68 is provided. Lastly, the panels 67 and 68 are provided with at least one, preferably five, creases 80 and at least as many creases 81 with an inverted- V shape, the vertices of which are positioned on the crease 79, preferably at a distance from the free perimetral edge, and the ends of which originate from the intersections of the creases 76 with the creases 77. The creases 80 and 81 are of the same type as the creases 40 and 41 provided on the flat blank 2. The central panel 62 is provided with creases 63, 64, 79 parallel with each other and orthogonal to the creases 69, 70, in turn parallel with each other, and does not possess oblique or transverse creases, otherwise it could not form a solid base for the container of the invention.

Preferably, the additional bottom element 60, also referred to as a reinforcing base, is provided with a continuous reinforcing element, for example a tape, strip or band 60a which can preferably be applied on two non-adjacent sides of the perimeter of the blank 61 inside the additional bottom element 60 (Figure 7). Advantageously, said reinforcing tape 60a, preferably made of a material different from that of the additional bottom element, for example plasticized tape or braided or woven strip, serves to prevent breakages during use of the assembly composed of "container obtained from the blank 1/additional bottom element 60", in particular when the assembly is being removed from its usage compartment. Preferably, the reinforcing tape 60a is applied along the free perimetral edges of the additional bottom element 60, and more preferably the edges of the panels 67 and 68 and partly (over a few centimeters) of the panels 65 and 66, before the panels 75 are concertina-folded. Said reinforcing element 60a forms an easy gripping point for extraction and pulling out of the compaction compartment of trash compactors.

Advantageously, the one-piece flat blank 61 is made of glossy plasticized cardboard.

If the panels 65-66 and 67-68 consist of identical pairs, as in the embodiment illustrated, the container will have rectangular bases. Alternatively, the abovementioned panels may all be identical, for example to form square bases, or bases with various polygonal shapes.

During the container forming and assembly operation, after the side panels 7 to 10 have been folded and the end part of the panel 7 has been joined to the side joining flap 11 using adhesive substance, the first base 29 and the second openable and closable base 30 are formed.

The first base 29 is formed by folding the flaps 19 to 22 towards the inside of the container and gluing them to each other, after applying the adhesive substance to the areas provided for this purpose (not shown).

The second openable and closable base 30 is formed by folding the flap 25 towards the inside of the container and, over that, the flap 27, in such a way that the U-shaped edge notches 31 are situated alongside the oppositely arranged inverted-L inner notches 32 (without overlapping). The extension 36 is then folded around the crease 35 inserting it into the cut 37.

The flaps 24 and 26 are folded around the creases 38 and 39 in order to be slotted into the oppositely arranged inverted-L inner notches 32, as shown in Figure 5, forming a stable, but reopenable, closure of the container.

The flaps 25 and 27 also have pairs of pre-weakened inner notches 34, provided with glue points or areas for gluing the said flaps onto the outer surfaces of the panels 8 and 10 in order to secure the flaps 25 and 27 against the said panels, thus ensuring normal use of the box in the open state. Upon closing the box, the flaps 25 and 27 are raised causing detachment along the pre-weakened notches 34 in such a way that parts 34' of these flaps remain glued to the side panels 8 and 10 thus forming locating elements 34' which in turn forming retaining points for the aforementioned flaps 25 and 27 whenever the box is to be closed as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

With reference to Figures 6 and 7, the operation of forming and assembling the additional bottom element 60 is achieved by first folding the panels 65-66 and 67-68, acting along the crease lines 63-64 and 69-70 respectively, in such a way that the triangular panels 75 arranged in the spaces between the adjacent sides of the panels 65-66 and 67-68 are concertina-folded, acting along the respective middle crease lines 78.

The triangular panels 75 are then folded around the crease lines 76 and 77 in such a way that they are completely folded over in order to be brought into contact against the surface, preferably towards the inner surface, of the two panels 65 and 66.

The concertina-folded triangular panels 75, forming a joining element between the bottom panel 62 and the side panels 65, 66 and 67, 68, which are situated alongside each other once the container is assembled, give rise to a continuous blank without cut corners and thus prevent the leakage of liquid between the various corners and/or their points of intersection, without moreover running the risk that, owing to the presence of parts which are cut and glued to the bottom and laterally, loss of liquid can arise during handling and use of the containers, as a result of gluing damage or defects.

Referring now to Figures 9 to 11, it will be illustrated how the assembled container obtained from the flat blank of Figure 1 is assembled together with the mounted additional bottom element 60, obtained from the flat blank of Figure 6. The container and the additional bottom element 60, assembled together, cooperate to form a liquid retaining container. Furthermore, the abovementioned assembly makes the container particularly strong during handling of the said container with a full load, preventing it from becoming deformed.

According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention (not shown), which enables savings in the amount of material used, the additional bottom element 60 can be replaced by adhesive strips which can be applied onto the joining and overlapping areas of the first series of base flaps 19, 20, 21, 22 and are suitable for preventing leakage of any liquids present in the container. The container according to the present invention, once assembled, and if necessary combined with the additional bottom element 60, can be conveniently collapsed or reduced in size to occupy the least possible space when empty or in storage. This collapsing operation is carried out by moving towards each other the inner surfaces of the two panels 8 and 10 so as to cause the panels 7 and 9 to fold along the longitudinal creases 42 and 43 and along the inverted-V creases 40 and 41, which allow the bottom part 29 to fold inwards. When the container is assembled together with the additional bottom element 60, the latter is also folded together with the container along the crease 79 and the inverted-V creases 80 and 81, arranged opposite the inverted-V creases 40 and 41 of the container.

The inverted-V creases 40 and 41 and 80 and 81 produce folds all in the same direction and cooperate with the creases 42, 43 and 79 respectively to allow a gradual and decreasing folding of the parts during the container folding and collapsing operations, thus facilitating an elasticity of movement of the base 29 and 62 towards the inside of container.

Said inverted-V creases are particularly advantageous for restoring the final shape for use of the collapsed container. The container can therefore advantageously be employed in all those situations in which it is necessary to have a container which has a minimum volume when collapsed and can be easily restored into the shape for use.

This aspect is confirmed by the container of the present invention, since with a simple operation involving manual pressing of the panels 7 and 9, it is easily restored to its shape for use, the pressing action being made particularly easy by the presence of the inverted-V creases.

Advantageously, the closure of the container of the present invention, achieved by engaging the U-shaped edge notches 31 together with the corresponding, oppositely arranged and symmetrical, inverted-L inner notches 32, produces a stable and robust closure system which makes the container particularly resistant to any type of deformation due to the load placed inside it during extraction from the compaction compartment and during handling of said fully loaded container.

Furthermore, the container is particularly suitable for being used as a trash container, in particular in trash compactors which can be used in stationary environments such as for example homes, offices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, canteens and in transport means such as aircraft, light aircraft, buses, caravans, trains, ships and the like, since in these means a quantity of containers, according to the present invention, can be stored for use, folded and collapsed so as to occupy the minimum volume possible but at the same time be able to be easily returned to their shape for use. In particular, the compactors which use the container according to the present invention are aviation-type compactors, such as for example that described in US patent 7089852.

It will be understood that the shape and dimensions of the blank, as well as the shape and dimensions of individual faces of the latter, and its characteristic parts, can be modified without departing from the scope of the present invention, as described and illustrated in the appended drawings.

The same inventive principle illustrated previously can be used substantially to produce other container shapes with the same innovative features, for example having a parallelepiped shape with square or polygonal bases.

Claims

1. A one-piece flat blank (1) comprising:

a central body (2) divided by elongated creases (3, 4, 5 and 6) into four panels (7, 8, 9 and 10) delimited at the sides by first lateral creases (12) and second lateral creases (13), both orthogonal to the elongated creases, the four panels being consecutively foldable around the elongated creases, and glued at the ends by means of a joining flap (11) to form the side surface of the container;

a first series of consecutive base flaps (19, 20, 21 and 22) extending, respectively, from the four panels of the central body beyond said first lateral creases (12), the base flaps of the first series being foldable and gluable to form a first base of the parallelepiped container; a second series of consecutive flaps (24, 25, 26 and 27) extending, respectively, from the four panels of the central body (2) beyond said second lateral creases (13), the flaps of the second series being foldable to form a second openable and closable base of the parallelepiped container; and

at least one crease (40) and one crease (41) with an inverted-V shape, the vertices of which are positioned, respectively, on the longitudinal creases (42 and 43) which extend over the whole length of the panels (7 and 9) and respective flaps (19, 21, 24, 26), and the ends of which originate from the first lateral creases (12) at the points of intersection, respectively, with the end (7') of the panel (7) and the elongated crease (3), in the case of the crease (40), and the elongated creases (4) and (5), in the case of the crease (41);

said container being characterized in that the two first flaps (25 and 27) of the second series of flaps, shaped and non-consecutive, extending from the second lateral creases, have U-shaped edge notches (31), spaced from each another, and oppositely arranged inverted-L inner notches (32).

2. The blank according to Claim 1, wherein the two first flaps (25 and 27) of the second series of flaps are furthermore provided with eyelet-shaped inner notches (33) for receiving a possible handle (90) and, optionally, with pairs of pre-weakened inner notches (34).

3. The blank according to Claims 1-2, wherein two second tapered flaps (24 and 26) of the second series of non-consecutive flaps, extending from the second lateral creases (13), have at least one crease parallel to said second lateral creases (13) and are able to be folded onto themselves in order to be inserted into the oppositely arranged inverted-L inner notches (32) of the first shaped flaps of the second series of flaps when they are in an overlapped closing position for forming the second openable and closable base of the container.

4. The blank according to Claims 1 to 3, wherein the non- consecutive flap (27) of the second series of flaps has an extension (36) which extends from a crease (35) provided on the part between the two U-shaped edge notches (31) of the flap (27) and which is able to be inserted into a receiving notch (37) made along the crease (13) of the flap (25) for closing the container.

5. The blank according to Claims 1 to 4, further provided with a series of identical and symmetrical creases (40 and 41) with an inverted "V" shape, each series having the vertex positioned, respectively, on the longitudinal creases (42 and 43) and having the origin of the "V"s in common.

6. A foldable parallelepiped container with closable opening obtained from the blank of Claims 1 to 5.

7. A one-piece flat blank (61), comprising a central panel (62), intended to form the base of the additional bottom element (60) and delimited by pairs of creases (63, 64 and 69, 70), from which there extend pairs of panels, consisting of identical pairs, (65-66 and 67-68) respectively, intended to form the side walls of the additional bottom element (60), in turn joined by means of crease lines (76 and 77) to further substantially triangular panels (75) concertina-foldable along the middle crease line (78) and suitable for connecting together the aforementioned panels (65-66) and (67-68) forming the side walls of the additional bottom element (60), in such a way as to give rise to a continuous surface, their being further provided a crease line (79) which divides the central panel (62) and the side panels (67) and (68), said blank (61) being provided with reinforcing elements (60a) applied along the free perimetral edges of the additional bottom element (60).

8. The blank according to Claim 7, wherein the panels (67) and (68) are provided with at least one crease (80) and at least one crease (81) with an inverted-V shape, the vertices of which are positioned on the crease (79) and the ends of which originate from the intersections of the creases (76) with the creases (77).

9. An additional bottom element (60) obtained from the blank according to Claims 7 and 8, preferably further provided with reinforcing elements (60a) applied along the free perimetral edges of the additional bottom element (60).

10. The container according to Claim 6 assembled with the additional bottom element according to Claim 9.

11. The container according to Claim 10 assembled together with the additional bottom element (60) and collapsed after moving towards each other the inner surfaces of the two panels (8) and (10) and folding the panels (7) and (9) along the longitudinal creases (42) and (43) and along the inverted-V creases (40) and (41) and folding the bottom part (29) inwards, wherein the additional bottom element (60) is folded together with the container along the crease (79) and the inverted-V creases (80) and (81) arranged opposite the inverted-V creases (40) and (41) of the container.

12. Use of the container according to Claims 6 and 9 to 11 as a trash container, in particular for trash compactors which can be employed in stationary environments such as homes, offices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, canteens and in transport means such as aircraft, light aircraft, buses, caravans, trains, ships and the like, preferably in aviation-type compactors.