EP1197435A1 - Container made of a flat blank and a film - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaging is made from a foldable blank (2) and a covering film (3). The film comprises a fixing part to the blank and to a flap (15) which can be folded down outside the packaging. The flap is folded down and held freely on the blank in a position of reduced size in which it extends entirely over the blank. Independent claims are included for a packaging unit and a method of packaging objects

Description

The present invention relates to a member of the type comprising a flat and foldable blank to form a package and at least a film of covering of objects placed in the packaging, the film comprising a part for fixing to the blank and at least one flap movable relative to the blank to be able be folded down on the outside of the packaging to allow it to be filled with objects and to be able to be folded down inside the packaging to cover objects.

Such an organ makes it possible to form a set of packaging comprising a packaging and a film attached to the packaging and intended to cover objects placed in the packaging.

The invention applies to the production of sets of packaging in which the films are heat shrinkable and heat sealable and include, for each package, at least two movable flaps intended on the one hand to cover overlapping objects placed in the packaging, and secondly to retract by application of heat to immobilize the objects in the packaging appreciably.

Such assemblies are used in particular for the packaging of items sold by correspondence, for example in the cosmetic field.

Thanks to such a packaging unit, it is possible achieve satisfactory maintenance of conditioned objects, even if they do not are not the same size or do not completely fill the volume inside of the package.

Due to the high mobility of the movable film flaps on the blanks, which can in particular extend freely beyond the contours blank blanks, automatic blanking to form packaging sets would be particularly complex or even impossible to implement.

An object of the invention is to solve this problem by providing a member of the aforementioned type which allows automatic volume setting relatively simple of its blank and thus facilitates the formation of sets of conditioning.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a member of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the or each flap is folded down and held so releasable on the blank in a compact position in which it extends substantially entirely over the blank.

• le ou chaque rabat est maintenu dans sa position d'encombrement réduit par adhérence,
• le ou chaque rabat est rabattu sur la partie de fixation et le film est formé en un matériau autoadhérent,
• le film constitue, lorsque le ou chaque rabat est dans sa position d'encombrement réduit, une gaine aplatie sur le flan et munie d'une fente ou d'une ligne de moindre résistance pour permettre son ouverture par déplacement du ou de chaque rabat,
• le flan présente un panneau de fond, destiné à former un fond de l'emballage, et au moins deux panneaux de parois latérales bordant le panneau de fond pour former deux parois latérales opposées de l'emballage, et la gaine possède des dimensions telles que lorsqu'elle est aplatie sur le flan, elle recouvre l'essentiel du panneau du fond et des deux panneaux de parois latérales,
• l'organe comprend au moins deux rabats de film disposés sur le flan pour recouvrir des objets placés dans l'emballage en se chevauchant,
• les deux rabats font partie du même film dont la partie de fixation est disposée entre les deux rabats, et
• le film est un film thermorétractable et thermoscellable destiné à se rétracter par application de chaleur, sur les objets qui sont placés dans l'emballage formé et qu'il recouvre, afin d'immobiliser les objets dans l'emballage.

According to particular embodiments, the member may include one or more of the following characteristics taken alone or in any technically possible combination:

• the or each flap is held in its position of reduced bulk by adhesion,
• the or each flap is folded over the fixing part and the film is formed from a self-adhesive material,
• the film constitutes, when the or each flap is in its position of reduced bulk, a sheath flattened on the blank and provided with a slit or a line of least resistance to allow its opening by displacement of the or each flap,
• the blank has a bottom panel, intended to form a bottom of the package, and at least two side wall panels bordering the bottom panel to form two opposite side walls of the package, and the sheath has dimensions such that when it is flattened on the blank, it covers most of the bottom panel and the two side wall panels,
• the member comprises at least two flaps of film arranged on the blank to cover objects placed in the packaging by overlapping,
• the two flaps are part of the same film, the fixing part of which is disposed between the two flaps, and
• the film is a heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable film intended to shrink by applying heat, on the objects which are placed in the formed packaging and which it covers, in order to immobilize the objects in the packaging.

The invention further relates to a set of packaging comprising a packaging and at least one film of covering of objects placed in the packaging, which film is fixed to the packaging, characterized in that it was formed from an organ such as defined above, one or each flap being folded down and held in place the packaging in a compact position, in which it extends substantially entirely in the packaging.

The invention also relates to a method of packaging of objects in a packaging assembly comprising a package and at least one film attached to the package to cover the objects, characterized in that a member as defined above is provided, in that sets up the blank to form the packaging, so that the flaps are released then we fold them outside of the formed packaging, so that we have the objects inside the package, and in that the or each flap is folded down inside the packaging to cover the objects.

According to a variant, the film is a heat-shrinkable film and heat sealable, and heat is applied to the film covering the objects so that it retracts and immobilizes the objects in the packaging appreciably.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'un organe selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue schématique en coupe transversale de l'organe de la figure 1, prise suivant la ligne II-II,
• la figure 3 est une vue schématique en perspective de l'ensemble de conditionnement formé à partir de l'organe de la figure 1,
• les figures 4 et 5 sont deux vues analogues à la figure 3, illustrant des étapes successives d'un procédé de conditionnement d'objets à l'aide d'un ensemble selon la figure 3.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example, and made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• FIG. 1 is a top view of a member according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the member of FIG. 1, taken along the line II-II,
• FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the packaging assembly formed from the member of FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 4 and 5 are two views similar to FIG. 3, illustrating successive stages of a method for packaging objects using an assembly according to FIG. 3.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a member 1 comprising a blank 2 rigid, flat and foldable, and a flexible sheath 3 surmounting the blank 2 and open to its two ends.

The blank 2 is for example a blank made of corrugated cardboard previously cut and fitted with grooves.

It includes in its center a rectangular bottom panel 4 extended at each of its short sides by wall panels lateral 5 rectangular.

The panels 5 are each connected to the bottom panel 4 by a vertical fold line 6 (as seen in Figure 1).

Each side wall panel 5 is extended upwards and down (as seen in Figure 1), i.e. along its short sides, by a substantially square flap 8. Each flap 8 is connected to panel 5 corresponding by a horizontal fold line 9 (as seen in the figure 1).

The bottom panel 4 is extended at the level of its large sides by 10 rectangular side wall panels. These panels 10 are each connected to the bottom panel 4 by a fold line 11 horizontal (as seen in Figure 1).

Il peut s'agir de polyéthylène basse densité tel que celui commercialisé sous la dénomination RIBLENE et la référence FF30 par la société ENICHEM.

The sheath 3 is made of a heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable film such as a polyethylene film. Its composition is as follows:

It may be low density polyethylene such as that sold under the name RIBLENE and the reference FF30 by the company ENICHEM.

This material has a higher dynamic coefficient of friction to 0.5 according to the ASTM-D1894 method.

The sheath 3 is split along a line 12 which extends over the entire the length of the sheath 3.

Such a sheath has for example been cut from a coil of the product marketed in France under the name GAINE FENDUE NON SLIPPING by DRAGON MOULIER.

The sheath 3 is flattened to form two rectangular sheets 13 of the same dimensions and superimposed.

The dimensions of the sheath 3 are such that it covers double thickness, via the two sheets 13, the bottom panel 4 and practically the two side wall panels 10, as illustrated particularly in Figure 2.

The lower sheet 13 is fixed for example by gluing its central part 14 over the entire contour of the bottom panel 4, and the line 12 split the top sheet 13 and the rest of the bottom sheet 13 in half flaps 15 of the same dimensions. The flaps 15 are therefore connected to the part of attachment 14 substantially along the fold lines 11.

Sheath 3 is oriented with its axis parallel to the long sides of the bottom panel 4. Line 12 therefore extends parallel to the large sides of the bottom panel 4 equidistant therefrom.

In Figure 2, the two sheets 13 have been shown spaced from each other to facilitate representation. In reality, these leaves 13 are joined and adhere to each other simply by the nature of their constituent material.

Indeed, the surfaces of the sheets 13 have particles called microspheres which have the property of providing a coefficient of high friction, i.e. high resistance to slip, but also to provide resistance to stress tending to separate two surfaces having such microspheres and placed in touch. Such resistance would be due to the trapping of microspheres of one of the surfaces between the microspheres of the other surface.

Thus, the material constituting the sheath 3 is self-adhesive so that the sheets 13 adhere to each other.

Thus, the flaps 15 are held releasably by adhesion to the blank 2 in a position of reduced bulk where these flaps 15, and the entire sheath 3, extend substantially entirely on the blank 2, without going beyond the outer outline of the blank 2.

Thanks to the adhesion between the sheets 13, the member 1 can be manipulated without the positions of the flaps 15 being changed.

To form the packaging assembly 16 of FIG. 3, we folds the side wall panels 10 along the long sides of the bottom panel 4. Then fold the side wall panels 5 the along the short sides of the bottom panel 4, then fold the flaps 8 at 90 ° side wall panels 5 against the side wall panels 10. The flaps 8 are then fixed, for example by gluing, to the panels 10.

Thus, a box 17 is obtained which includes a bottom 4, bordered by a belt 18 of side walls 5 and 10, and which is equipped with the sheath 3. The upper end of the box 17 is open.

To be able to condition objects in set 16, it is necessary open the sheath 3. To do this, pull the flaps 15 so as to separate them from the fixing part 14 then fold the flaps 15 outwards on the walls side 10. This frees access to the interior volume 19 of the body 17 by opening of the sheath 3, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

It will be noted that in FIG. 3, part of the sheath 3 has been torn off to allow the bottom to be seen 4.

Once the interior volume 19 is accessible, there are objects 20 to be packaged, as shown in FIG. 4, then fold the flaps 15 of the sheath 3 open towards the inside of the box 17 while covering objects 20.

Due to the dimensions of the sheath 3, the free edges 21 of the flaps 15 overlap in a central area 22, even if the volume inside the box 17 is completely filled with the objects 20.

Then, it is heated, for example conventionally using hot air supply nozzles, flaps 15 of duct 3 open for on the one hand cause the sealing of the flaps 15 in the area of overlap 22 in order to close the sheath 3 on the objects 20, and on the other hand the shrinkage of the sheath 3 on the objects 20 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The sheath 3 closed then continuously covers the objects 20, the plates against each other and against the bottom panel 4, and the thus immobilizes substantially in the body 17.

Finally, the box 17 can be closed using a cover 24.

The fixing of the sheath 3 to the blank 2, in its future position of use within the assembly 16, being carried out during the manufacture of organ 1 before supply to a user, this user does not have to provide this fixation.

So his packaging facility does not have to understand of device for fixing the sheath 3 on the package 17 and the cost of this installation is therefore reduced.

Furthermore, the member 1 makes it possible to simplify the problem of inventory management of blanks 2 and heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable film of such a user, since each blank 2 is provided with the film necessary for form a packaging unit 16.

In addition, the flaps 15 being held in their positions reduced size on the blank 2, the member 1 allows a volume relatively simple automatic since the sheath 3 does not extend beyond the blank 2 and therefore does not interfere with the operation of a volume installation automatic.

The above principles can be applied to sets of packaging comprising other types of packaging, for example so-called American cases or cases without means of closure.

These principles can also apply to the realization packaging units in which the films are not heat-shrinkable but only perform a protective function. he can then be for example sheets of paper.

Furthermore, maintaining the flaps 15 in their positions reduced dimensions can be ensured for example using an adhesive deposited locally on the flaps 15 or using welds connecting locally the flaps 15 at the central part 14 of the sheath 3.

In addition, the central part 14 can be replaced for example by two parts spaced from each other, each being fixed for example on one side of the bottom panel 4 to connect a respective flap 15 to the blank 2.

Claims (13)

Organ (1) of the type comprising a flat and foldable blank (2) to form a package (17) and at least one film (3) for covering objects (20) placed in the package, the film comprising a part ( 14) for attachment to the blank (2) and at least one flap (15) movable relative to the blank to be able to be folded down outside the packaging to allow it to be filled with objects and to be able to be folded down inside of the packaging (17) for covering the objects, characterized in that the or each flap (15) is folded down and releasably held on the blank (2) in a position of reduced bulk in which it extends substantially entirely on the blank (2). Body according to claim 1, characterized in that the or each flap (15) is releasably held in its position of reduced bulk by adhesion. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the or each flap (15) is folded over the fixing part (14) and the film is formed from a self-adhesive material. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the or each flap (15) is releasably held in its position of reduced bulk by at least one weld. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the weld connects the flap (15) corresponding to the fixing part (14). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the film (3) constitutes, when the or each flap (15) is in its position of reduced bulk, a sheath flattened on the blank and provided with a slot ( 12) or a line of least resistance to allow its opening by displacement of the or each flap (15). Body according to claim 6, characterized in that the blank has a bottom panel (4), intended to form a bottom of the package (17), and at least two side wall panels (10) bordering the bottom panel to form two opposite side walls of the package, and in that the sheath (3) has dimensions such that when it is flattened on the blank, it covers most of the bottom panel and of the two side wall panels (10). Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least two flaps (15) of film arranged on the blank to cover objects (20) placed in the packaging (17) overlapping each other. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the two flaps (15) are part of the same film (3), the fixing part (14) of which is disposed between the two flaps (15). Body according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the film is a heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable film intended to shrink by application of heat, on the objects (20) which are placed in the packaging (17) formed and that it covers, in order to immobilize the objects in the packaging. Packaging assembly (16) comprising a packaging (17) and at least one film (3) for covering objects (20) placed in the packaging, which film is fixed to the packaging (17), characterized in that '' It was formed from a member according to one of the preceding claims, one or each flap (15) being folded down and releasably held in the packaging in a position of reduced bulk, in which it extends substantially entirely into the package. Method for packaging objects (20) in a packaging assembly (16) comprising a packaging (17) and at least one film (3) fixed to the packaging for covering the objects (20), characterized in that provides a member according to one of claims 1 to 10, in that the blank (2) is set in volume to form the package (17), in that the flaps (15) are released and then they are folded outside of the package (17) formed, in that the objects (20) are placed inside the package, and in that the or each flap (15) is folded down inside of the package to cover the objects (20). Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the film is a heat-shrinkable and heat-sealable film (3) and in that heat is applied to the film (3) covering the objects (20) so that it shrinks and substantially immobilizes the objects (20) in the packaging.

Images