WO2017089379A1

WO2017089379A1 - A box with a gripping portion

Info

Publication number: WO2017089379A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/078528
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marc Laupie; Rebecca Lian Hwee Peng; Renee Tang
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2015-11-24
Filing date: 2016-11-23
Publication date: 2017-06-01

Abstract

The present invention provides a box (1) which has opposite pre-cut flaps (20) formed in opposite panels (10) of the box (1), where said pre-cut flaps (20) are adjacent to edges(12) of the box (1), and each of the pre-cut flaps is foldable under pressure into the box (1).The box (1) according to the present invention is easy to be produced and convenient to use by the consumer (i.e. holding, pouring, preparation, consumption...). The present invention also relates to a packaging assembly comprising the box (1) as secondary packaging and a pouch (5) as primary packaging of an edible product.

Description

A BOX WITH A GRIPPING PORTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the field of packaging technology. In particular, the invention relates to a box and a packaging assembly for containing product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Boxes are widely used for packaging various products, such as food. For the convenience of production and storage, most boxes are formed to have regular outer profile, such as parallelepiped or cylinder, without protruded portions such as handles. However, in the case that the box has contents and thus is of some weight, it may be difficult to hold such box for the user without squeezing the box. Further, if the box contains flowable product, squeezing the box could cause spillage of the product or other inconvenience.

Examples of packaging with easy-holding features are proposed for instance in JP 3147232 U, US 5584430 A, JP 2000-25744 A, CN 104909021 A, JP 2010-269835 A, or WO 2005/097606 A2.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a box or packaging assembly that can be easily held without being squeezed and requiring a protruded portion, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a box which has at least one pre-cut flap formed in at least one panel of the box, e.g. opposite pre-cut flaps formed in opposite panels of the box, where said at least one pre-cut flap or opposite pre-cut flaps is or are adjacent to an edge or edges of the box, and each of the pre-cut flap is foldable under pressure into the box. Thereby a room accessible to fingers of a user to hold the box can be created. Also, the box is provided with an annular tear-off band extending perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, which tear-off band is configured to remove a part of the box, e.g. the top of the box.

The box according to the invention allows the user to firmly hold or grip it with the fingers of one hand, without difficulty. In addition, before a consumer holds the package at the gripping portion, the pre-cut flaps are on the same level as the remainder of the outer surface of the panel. This ensures integrity and attractiveness of the package.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pre-cut flap consists of a creasing line and a cutting line which define together a closed area on said panel. The creasing line extends along the edge of the box. The cutting line is configured to allow the closed area to be separated from the panel of the box along the cutting line, so as to form a flap foldable into the box around the creasing line. The closed area defined by the creasing line together with the cutting line could be of any shape.

This embodiment is easy to be implemented. The creasing line and the cutting line can be made in existing packaging boxes, and the flaps thus produced can be shaped as an ergonomic member that conforms to the fingers of the user.

Preferably, the cutting line is produced by an incision that is cut into the material of the box along straight and/or curved line segments, and the incision is configured to connect the closed area with the rest of the panel of the box only via attachment points. Alternatively, the cutting line is produced by a series of discrete, through or non-through, holes in the material of the box along straight and/or curved line segments.

These embodiments provide optimal methods of producing the pre-cut flaps, which methods are cost effective.

In one embodiment of the invention, the creasing line is between the cutting line and the edge of the box. In another embodiment of the invention, the cutting line is between the creasing line and the edge of the box.

The creasing line may be parallel or form an angle of ±45° relative to the edge of the box. The edge of the box may be a lateral edge or a top/bottom edge of the box.

According to the above two embodiments, the pre-cut flap can be folded inward the box in different directions, thus allowing customization depending on product and/or consumers.

In particular, the volume of product contained in the box is less than the volume of the box itself, so as to allow the pre-cut flap to move inward the box.

Advantageously, the box may be smooth, but not restricted to, in its outer profile. The smooth outer profile means that there is no obvious protruded or recessed portion, such as grip, on the outer peripheral surface of the box, and thus the box has a regular shape, such as parallelepiped shape.

The box of the invention may be made of foldable material. For example, the box is made of, but not limited to, paperboard, corrugated board or rigid plastic.

In an embodiment, the tear-off band is located at a predetermined height of the box, so as to act as a level indicator. As used herein, the term "annular" means that the tear-off band extends along the entire or part of the circumference of the box.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a packaging assembly, comprising the above-mentioned box as secondary packaging and a pouch as primary packaging of an edible product.

For example, today a ready-to-eat product is known, which comprises concentrated food received in a pouch, and the pouch is inside a box. When a consumer decides to eat the product, it is necessary to reveal the pouch from the box, then to open the pouch to add hot water to the concentrated food contained therein. However, when a consumer holds the box and adds hot water to the pouch, it is possible that the hot water spills due to squeezing. Moreover, the high temperature of the hot water could be uncomfortable for the consumer who grips the box with his hand.

The packaging assembly of the present invention has, in addition to those described in relation with the box, the following advantages: if the pouch is filled with hot liquid or the packaging assembly is put in a microwave to heat the product, the pre-cut flaps of the box protect the fingers of the consumer from heat by acting as insulation layer. In addition, the flaps of the box allow holding the box easily.

In an embodiment of the invention, the edible product is a flowable product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention will be further described in the following with reference to the accompanying figures, in which figures: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a box in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2A to 2B show two specific forms of the pre-cut flap;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the box in use;

Figure 4A to 4B show specific shapes of the pre-cut flap in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5A to 5B show perspective views of the box in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention which is in use; and

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a packaging assembly as another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present invention, definitions of terms are used as follows:

The "longitudinal direction" of the box is a direction oriented from a surface (typically parallel to the ground or the horizontal line) supporting the box when the box is normally placed upward or vice-versa, that is, the top-bottom direction of Fig.l. The "lateral direction" of the box refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, that is, the left-right direction of Fig.l.

The "height" of the box means a size of the box along its longitudinal direction, which is typically larger than the size of the box along its lateral direction. The latter represents the "width" of the box.

The term "smooth" implies that the concerned part, such as a surface or an outer profile, does not have any apparent or significant projections or recesses. In other words, when a consumer touches the surface of the concerned part, he does not feel significant projections or recesses with the tip of his fingers. Examples of recesses include openings or holes.

The invention is intended to provide a box that is capable of containing other packages. Alternatively, the box may contain directly a product to be consumed. At least one panel or surface of the box, in particular two opposite panels of the box, has a portion, particularly a portion adjacent to an edge of the box, that flushes with the rest of the associated panel before the box is used, such that the panel or surface is maintained smooth; while when the box is being used, the said portion may be displaced inward relative to the rest of the panel due to a pressure applied by fingers of the user, so as to allow the user to grip a part of the box with his fingers to hold the box firmly.

Examples of edible product include food powder, food particles or food pieces. For instance, the edible product may comprise ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, roller-dried cereal powder, extruded cereal particles, concentrated, dehydrated, frozen food product, ready to eat, liquid or soluble beverage powder. Other examples of edible product include pasty or semi-liquid food compositions, such as a sauce, a concentrate, a congee, a paste. In a preferred embodiment, the edible product is packaged in a primary packaging, such as a plastic pouch, and the latter is placed in a box according to the invention.

The invention is further described with reference to the following examples. It will be appreciated that the invention as claimed is not intended to be limited in any way by these examples. Example 1

Referring to Fig.l, in which a box 1 in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The front face (i.e. the surface normally towards the consumer) or panel 10 and the opposite rear face or panel (invisible in this figure) of the box 1 each have a die cut area, called "pre-cut flap" 20. The pre-cut flap 20 is a flat part of the respective panel, and is near a lateral edge 12 of the box 1. The pre-cut flaps 20 on the front panel 10 and the rear panel are configured to oppose to each other, and can be folded towards the inside of the box 1, i.e. towards each other, under pressure of fingers of the user, thus creating finger-receiving rooms recessed from these panels to the inside of the box, so as to allow the user to grip the box 1 with his hand.

This way, a box gripping solution that is easy to implement and convenient to use is offered by the invention. It does not cause any negative effect to the appearance of the box before the box is used, and is adapted to any age of population. The user only needs to gently press the pre-cut flaps on the panels of the box so as to firmly hold the latter, without any great efforts or continuous movements of his fingers.

Still referring to Fig.l, and in conjunction with Figs.2A to 2B, the pre-cut flap 20 may be made up of a creasing line 21 and a cutting line 22. The creasing line 21 may extend along the lateral edge 12 of the box 1. The cutting line 22 approaches or connects with two ends of the creasing line 21. Thus, the cutting line 22 and the creasing line 21 define a closed area. The cutting line 22 is configured to allow the closed area to be separated from the rest of the panel 10 of the box 1 under pressure, so as to form a flap foldable into the box 1 around the creasing line 21, as can be seen from Fig.3.

Thus, the flap resulting from the pre-cut flap 20 may function as a support of fingers of the user to allow the user to firmly hold the box 1, on the one hand, and act as an insulator to protect fingers of the user from the content in the box 1 that may be hot, on the other hand.

As shown in Fig.l, the cutting line 22 may be produced by an, especially relatively deep, incision that is cut into the material of the box 1 along straight and/or curved line segments. The incision is configured to connect the closed area with the rest of the panel 10 of the box 1 only via attachment points.

Alternatively, the cutting line 22 may be produced by a series of discrete holes that are perforated in the material of the box 1 along straight and/or curved line segments. In other words, the cutting line 22 may be formed by dot line segments.

The creasing line 21 may be formed by a relatively shallow indentation on the panel 10 of the box 1 as shown in Fig.l, or alternatively, it is just formed by a part corresponding to the location of the cutting line 22 on the panel 10 that has not undergone any machining.

As can be seen from Figs.2A to 2B, the pre-cut flap 20 may be positioned near the bottom or top edge of the box 1. Optionally, the pre-cut flap 20 may also be positioned at about mid- height of the box 1.

In the example shown in Fig.l to Fig.3, the cutting line 22 of the pre-cut flap 20 is closer to the corresponding lateral edge 12 of the box 1 than the creasing line 21 of the pre-cut flap 20. Thus, when being pressed by fingers of the user, the flap formed by the pre-cut flap 20 will be folded into the box 1 from the proximal side of hand of the user.

Still referring to Fig.l, the box 1 is provided with an annular tear-off band 30 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box 1. The tear-off band 30 may extend along part or the whole of the peripheral profile of the box 1 in the lateral direction, so as to allow a part of the box to be removed, and thus reveal the interior of the box 1. Preferably, the tear-off band extends along the whole of the peripheral profile of the box. This makes it easier to handle once the box is open, by allowing to remove the top of the box easily.

Example 2

Figs.4A to 4B and Figs.5A to 5B illustrate another example of the box according to the invention, in which parts or elements that are same or similar to those in the example illustrated in Fig. 1 to Fig.3 will be assigned same reference numbers.

It would be appreciated that Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that, the cutting line 22 of the pre-cut flap 20 is farther from the corresponding lateral edge 12 of the box 1 tha n the creasing line 21 of the pre-cut flap 20. Thus, when pressed with the fingers of the user, the flap formed by the pre-cut flap 20 will be folded into the box 1 from the distal side of hand of the user.

This configuration of pre-cut flap is adapted to operating demands of different users, a nd can be applied to contain product having properties different from those of the product received by the box in the example shown in Fig.l to Fig.3.

Example 3

Reference is now made to Fig.6, which illustrates another embodiment of the invention, i.e. a packaging assembly comprising the box 1 and a pouch 5. The pouch 5 is intended to contain edible product, in particular flowable product, such as congee. The box 1 envelops the pouch 5.

The box 1 may have a ny features that have been described in the above examples. The volume of the pouch 5 (it contains the edible product) is lower than the volume of the box 1, so as to allow the pre-cut flap 20 of the box 1 to move inward the box.

This way, when the packaging assembly containing edible product is put entirely into a microwave oven or when the pouch is filled with hot water to heat the edible product, the pre- cut flap 20 of the box 1 will not only form a handle for holding the package assembly, but also act as an insulation layer to protect the user's fingers from the heat.

I n this example, the gap between the box 1 and the pouch 5 inside the box 1 can be used as storage space. This storage space may receive accessories, such as a spring onion sachet, or a spoon. Since the storage space in the box 1 extends along the whole height of the box 1, this packaging assembly can receive more or larger accessories, e.g. a longer spoon.

Referring back to Fig.l, in this example, the box 1 is provided with an annular tear-off band 30 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box 1. The tear-off band 30 may extend along part or the whole of the peripheral profile of the box 1 in the lateral direction, so as to allow a part of the box to be removed, and thus reveal the pouch 5 and accessories in the box 1.

Preferably, the tear-off band 30 is located at a predetermined height of the box 1, so as to act as an indicator to indicate e.g. level of hot water that should be filled into the pouch 5.

The box 1 of the invention may be made of foldable material, such as paperboard, corrugated board or rigid plastic.

In an example that is not shown, the box may be generally made from rigid material, while the part of this box that is intended to form the pre-cut flap may be made of flexible or elastic material. In this way, when the user presses the pre-cut flap, this pre-cut flap will recess into the box to create a finger-receiving room due to deformation; whereas, when at the end of use, the user release his fingers, this pre-cut flap will return to its original position, to allow the box to be re-used. In this example, the pre-cut flap may be configured to not separate from the rest of panel of the box.

At last, it should be pointed out that, as can be seen from Fig.3, the box 1 may directly receive product, such as an edible product. As used in this specification, the words "comprises (comprising)", "includes (including)", and similar words, are not to be interpreted in an exclusive or exhaustive sense. In other words, they are intended to mean "including, but not limited to".

Although the invention has been described by way of example, it should be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, where known equivalents exist to specific features, such equivalents are incorporated as if specifically referred in this specification.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

I. box

10. panel of the box

II. lateral edge of the box

12. lateral edge of the box

20. pre-cut flap

21. creasing line

22. cutting line

30. tear-off band

5. pouch

Claims

1. A box (1) which has at least one pre-cut flap (20) formed in at least one panel (10) of the box (1), where said at least one pre-cut flap (20) is adjacent to an edge (12) of the box (1), and each pre-cut flap (20) is foldable under pressure into the box (1), wherein the box (1) is provided with an annular tear-off band (30) extending perpendicular to its longitudinal direction.

2. The box (1) as claimed in claim 1, which has opposite pre-cut flaps (20) formed in opposite panels (10) of the box (1), where said pre-cut flaps (20) are adjacent to edges (12) of the box (1).

3. The box (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each pre-cut flap (20) has a creasing line (21) and a cutting line (22) which define together a closed area on said panel (10); the creasing line (21) extends along said edge (12) of the box (1); the cutting line (22) is configured to allow the closed area to be separated from said panel (10) of the box (1) along the cutting line (22) so as to form a flap foldable into the box (1) around the creasing line (21).

4. The box (l) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cutting line (22) is produced by an incision that is cut into the material of the box (1) along straight and/or curved line segments, and the incision is configured to connect the closed area with the rest of the panel (10) of the box (1) only via attachment points.

5. The box (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cutting line (22) is produced by a series of discrete holes in the material of the box (1) along straight and/or curved line segments.

6. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the creasing line (21) is between the cutting line (22) and said edge (12) of the box (1).

7. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cutting line (22) is between the creasing line (21) and said edge (12) of the box (1).

8. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said edge (12) is a lateral edge of the box (1) or a top edge of the box (1).

9. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the box (1) is made of foldable material.

10. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the tear-off band (30) is located at a predetermined height of the box (1), so as to act as a level indicator.

11. The box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the box (1) is intended to contain edible product.

12. A packaging assembly, comprising the box (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 as secondary packaging, and a pouch (5) as primary packaging of an edible product.

13. The packaging assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the edible product is a flowable product.