GB2124591A

GB2124591A - Cases formed from blanks

Info

Publication number: GB2124591A
Application number: GB08318732A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Nicol Steele
Original assignee: UEB IND Ltd
Current assignee: UEB IND Ltd
Priority date: 1982-07-09
Filing date: 1983-07-11
Publication date: 1984-02-22
Also published as: AR231953A1; GB8318732D0; AU1668183A

Abstract

A blank (1) for a case has fold lines dividing it into areas including a base (2), two sides (5) and two ends (3). Four corner areas (7) are provided with diagonal fold lines (8) to enable web corners to be formed Outer fold over areas (15) are provided so that in some embodiments a panel or panels (13) defining a lid is/are adhered in use to the outer fold over areas (15) and in other embodiments the outer fold over areas (15) are adhered to the case ends (3). In each embodiment the lid (13) is therefore secured substantially around the whole of the lid (13) either by adherence or direct connection of the lid (13) or outer fold over areas (15) to the remainder of the case. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to cases This invention relates to a case and/or a blank for a case.

It is frequently desired to transport materials over a substantial distance which materials may contain a substantial amount of liquid. An example is the meat industry where cuts of meat may be transported over substantial distances. Much of this transportation is effected with the meat in a frozen state and accordingly whilst frozen little or no leakage of the liquids from the meat will occur.

However in practice there is always a time delay between packaging of for example meat into a case and the conclusion of the freezing process.

During this time leakage of liquids can occur leading for example to discoloration of the case or box and also possibly a weakening of the material from which the case is made which is usually fibreboard or corrugated board. Such leakage leading to discoloration or weakening of the material of the box is clearly disadvantageous leading to an undesirable appearance of the box and also possibly to tearing or breaking of the case material leading to loss of the meat in an economic sense.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a case and/or a blank for a case which will go at least some distance towards obviating or minimising the foregoing disadvantages or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in a blank for a case, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that when erected said lid is able to be adhered to said outer fold over areas.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a blank for a case, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that when erected said outer fold over areas are able to be adhered to said corner areas and/or said end panels.

In a still further aspect the invention consists in a case erected from a blank, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, and one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that in the erected case a web corner is provided so that when erected said lid is able to be adhered to said outer fold over areas.

In a still further aspect the invention consists in a case erected from a blank, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, and one or more outer fold-over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that in the erected case a web corner is provided so that when erected said outer fold over areas are able to be adhered to said corner areas and/or said end panels.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Figures 1-8 are outlines of blanks for use in various embodiments of the invention, and Figure 9 is a perspective view of a case formed from the blank of Figure 8 shown in an erected but not closed and sealed condition.

Referring initially to Fig. 1 which shows a box or case having a web corner base, a web corner lid and an infold top, a blank 1 is provided which has a number of fold lines to delineate discrete areas.

These areas include the base 2 which is rectangular in shape, a pair of end areas 3 again substantially rectangular and connected to the shorter edges of base 2 through fold lines 4. Also provided are side areas connected through fold lines 6 to the longer edges of the base 2.

At the intersection of each side area 5 and end area 3 is provided a corner area 7 which carries a diagonal fold line 8 extending from the intersection 9 between the base area 2, an end area 3 and a side area 4 to substantially the opposite corner 10 of the corner area 7.

During erection the corner areas 7 are able to be folded up so that the two parts 7a and 7b lie substantially flat one against the other and preferably positioned on the outside of the then upturned end areas 3 to form a web corner thereby forming a case which has no aperture or hole below what is in effect the upper perimeter of the case.

Inner fold over panels 11 are desirably provided separate from the panels 3 through fold lines 12 so that the panels 11 extend from the opposite edge of the panels 3 from the edge formed at fold line 4. The provision of these panels aids leakproofing and also adds to the strength of the construction.

To this extent each embodiment of the invention that will be herein described is similar.

The construction also provides a lid area and also outer fold over areas as will be further described.

The lid and outer fold over areas are positioned so that the lid can be substantially closed around the perimeter of the case, being adhered to inner fold over panels 11 if desired.

Thus referring to Fig. 1 an infold top is provided.

To this end the lid is provided in two areas 1 3 one of which has a sealing tab 14 extending therefrom.

Outer fold over areas 15 are provided with diagonal fold lines 1 6 arranged substantially as for areas 7. Fold lines 17 and 18 separate the areas 15 from areas 7 and 13.

Fixing or securing extensions 1 9 are provided which extend the edge of the areas 1 5 opposite the fold line 18.

In Fig. 1 extensions 19 are labelled also 1 9a and during erection a tab 1 9a is secured to a tab 1 9b. The fold lines 1 6 do not enter the extension 19.

To erect the construction of Fig. 1 the base part of the box is folded as above described.

The tabs 1 9a are then secureci to their respective tabs 1 9b for example by gluing and the wall thus formed is pushed inwardly so that the parts 13 fold downwardly to form a lid.

The tab 14 can be inserted into a slot not shown which forms between the other lid part 1 3 and the adjacent triangular half corner parts of the corner areas 1 5 during the erection process.

By suitably positioning glued areas the lid can be secured to the joined outer fold over areas 1 5 which are folded over inner fold over areas 11 during erection so that the lid is substantially sealed to the remainder of the case. The ends of the case so erected have inner and outer flaps formed by panels or areas 11 and 1 5 reducing fluid leakage paths substantially to corner areas 20 which abut corner areas 21.

The inner fold over panels 11 are folded inwardly or are pushed inwardly when the parts 1 5 are pushed inwardly.

The edges 22 of the tab 10 are cut at an angle to facilitate entry of the box into the slot above described.

Referring now to Fig. 2 the construction is substantially similar except that end tab 25 is intended to be glued to the outside of the other lid part 26 and the edges 27 are cut at an angle to facilitate erection of the box.

Referring now to the construction of Fig. 3 this has a web corner base, an overlap slotted case and lid full end flaps, the flaps being glued in a suitable erector.

In this construction the base part of the box operates as before but outer fold over panels 30 do not have the diagonal fold line but are separated from lid panels 13 by a cut slot 31.

The corner panels 30 on the edges opposite slot 31 have an extension at the perimeter indicated at 32. The length of outer fold over panels 30 can be increased at 33 if desired During erection edges 32a and 32b are secured together for example by gluing and the panel thus formed can be folded inwardly and the lid panels 13 can then be folded inwardly to be secured by gluing tabe or extension 34.

The construction of Fig. 4 shows a web corner base with a web corner lid and incorporates a tuck-in closure.

The web corner lid is provided by angled fold lines 40 and lid corner panels 1 5 again do not carry any fold lines.

The base part is erected as before and the corner panels 1 5 which can be joined by means of extensions 41 a and 41 b are folded to lie substantially flat on the lid.

The lid parts 42 are then folded downwardly and tab tab 43 inserted under the part 44 on the opposite lid part 42.

In the construction of Fig. 5 the lid part 45 is in substantially one piece and therefore the lid part 45 is provided only on one side of the base part 2.

The outer fold over panels 46 are separated from corner panels 1 5 by slots 47. In the erected case the outer fold over panels are therefore placed outside and preferably secured to the end panels 3.

The base part of the box is erected as before and the three flap lid formed by lid panel 45, outer fold over panels 45 and flap 48 is closed over and secured for example by gluing of panels 46 and 48 to the adjacent parts of the exterior of the box.

The construction of Fig. 6 is substantially similar except that the gluing flap 48 is removed and replaced with a gluing flap 49 oppositely positioned but the erection is substantially as before.

In Fig. 7 which is similar to Fig. 3 the base part of the box is substantially as before but the box has a centre fold lid.

Slots 50 are provided between corner panels 1 5 and outer fold over panels 51 and in outer fold over panels 51 are folded downwardly over end panels 3 as for the constructions of figs 5 and 6 and secured for example by gluing and the opposite lid parts and lid securing parts can be secured by edge areas 52 which can be adhered one to the other for example by gluing. If glue lines are placed as shown at 53 on each flap 7 then it will be found that in the erected carton a cross pattern of glue lines is produced extending close to the top edge of the erected case. The cut out 54 allows the tab 55 to be adhered to the end panel 3 in the erected case rather than the other part of the web corner panel.

in the construction of Fig. 8 the outer fold over panels 60 are connected to the corner panels 7 preferably through a double fold line 61 and are separated from the lid panels 1 3a and 1 3b by a slot 62 which extends to fold line 61 but has a wider part 63, that is to say a part of the material from which the case is constructed is removed.

The case to be erected has a length L and width W and depth D.

The lid part 1 3a has a width one half W and the lid part 1 3b has a width of half W plus an extra amount which is sufficient to provide a gluing strip and is indicated as width A.

The width of the inner fold over panels 11 is also indicated as A but the distances A could differ if desired.

One pair of outer fold over panels 60 is extended as at 63 so as to extend so that the edge 64 is substantially level with the edge 65 of the inner fold over panel 11.

To erect the construction the side walls 5 and end walls 3 are folded upwardly and the corner panels 7 folded about fold lines 8. The inner fold over panels 11 are folded downwardly and the adjacent pairs of outer fold over panels can be glued one to the other in an overlapped fashion as shown in Figure 9. These can then also be folded inwardly usually after contents have been inserted into the case so formed and then lid part 1 3a is folded downwardly.

If the case is formed so the dimensions as shown in Figure 8 it will be found that edge 65 of lid flap 1 3a will butt against edge 66 as shown in Figure 9 thereby the outer fold over panels 60 and the lid part 1 3a form a substantially flat surface and the other lid panel 1 3b can then be folded over and adhered to the panel 1 3a and also to the outer fold over panel 60 having the edge 66 if desired. Adherence can take place without folds or creases occurring in the panel part 1 3b. The construction of Fig. 8 allows the ends and lid parts to be glued in a substantially simple manner and it is desirable also to provide glue between the webs 7a and 7b which hold the erected case in the desired position.Because of the particular shape of the slots 22 that and the fact that the outer fold over flaps 60 are forced over the inner fold over flaps 11 it is found that any gaps at the corner of the case are to at least some degree closed.

In each embodiment except those of Figs. 5 and 6 the construction is such that a full width outer fold over panel is formed from two overlapped and secured half width panels. In the construction of Figs. 5 and 6 the outer fold over panels are cut to substantially the full width of the case.

The inner fold over panels 11 are preferably adhered to the outer fold over panels 60 and this can be achieved by extending glue lines 67 onto panel 60 as shown in Fig. 8. Glue lines 68 allow the joining of adjacent overlapping panels 60 during erection. This increase the strength of the construction.

The case as described can be formed of any suitable material such as for example solid fibreboard or possibly corrugated board and are preferably coated with plastic for example polythene film or any acrylic coating.

During closing the outer facing faces of outer fold over panels 60 can be provided with glue lines so that the lid parts will adhere thereto. The extension of panel 1 3b also carries glue, or the relevant part of panel 1 3a for adherence of the lid parts. Alternatively tape could be used.

In use the boxes or cases are made of a suitable size to receive for example products of the food industry such as meat parts or cuts of fish or otherwise and are then closed and when closed they form a substantially leak proof container in that there are no holes or slots below the top of the box in the erected case. Also the lid can be substantially sealed or connected to the case all the way around either through a fold line or by adherence of the lid to the outer fold over panels as in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 or by adherence of the flaps extending from the lid to the lower parts of the box as in Figs 5 and 6.

The thus filled cases may then be trans-shipped or more desirably the materials therein can be frozen before trans-shipping.

Thus it can be seen that a case is provided which at least in the preferred form of the invention has the advantage that at least during the time between packing and freezing a substantially leak proof case is provided so that there is a reduced chance and quantity of leakage occurring which thereby reduces the chances of discoloration of the box or weakening of the box during trans-shipment of materials therein. The constructions also allow a relatively iarge case to be provided. Also the positioning of the web corners on the outside of the case reduces the required board content and also presents a clean inner end face of the case.

Claims

1. A blank for a case, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that when erected said lid is able to be adhered to said outer fold over areas.

2. A blank as claimed in Claim 1 wherein four outer fold over panels are provided said outer fold over panels being shaped so that during erection said outer fold over panels or parts thereof overlap one another to enable engagement thereof one with the other.

3. A blank for a case, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that when erected said outer fold over areas are able to be adhered to said corner areas and/or said end panels.

4. A blank as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each end panel has an inner fold over panel extending therefrom, said inner fold over panel being opposite said base area relative to said end area.

5. A blank as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said case is formed from solid fibreboard or corrugated board.

6. A blank as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the material from which said case is formed is plastic coated.

7. A blank substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

8. A case erected from a blank, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, and one or more outer fold over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that in the erected case a web is provided so that when erected said lid is able to be adhered to said outer fold over areas.

9. A case as claimed in Claim 8 wherein four outer fold over panels are provided said outer fold over panels being shaped so that during erection said outer fold over panels or parts thereof overlap one another to enable engagement thereof one with the other.

10. A case erected from a blank, said blank having fold lines delineating discrete areas including a base area bounded by two end areas and two side areas, four corner areas between adjacent side and end areas, one or more lid areas, and one or more outer fold-over areas, each said corner area having a diagonal fold line from the position of substantially the intersection of adjacent said base, end and side areas diagonally across said corner area so that in the erected case a web corner is provided so that when erected said outer fold over areas are able to be adhered to said corner areas and/or said end panels.

11. A case as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein each said end panel has an inner fold over panel extending therefrom, said inner fold over panel being opposite said base area relative to said end area.

12. A case as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein said lid or lid parts and said outer fold over panels are able to be positioned in such a manner that said lid may be adhered to other parts of the erected case substantially around said lid.

13. A case as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12 wherein said case is formed from solid fibreboard or corrugated board.

14. A case as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13 wherein the material from which said case is formed is plastic coated.

1 5. A case substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.