WO2022258557A1

WO2022258557A1 - A box

Info

Publication number: WO2022258557A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/065303
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fabio BALDAN; Laura NOZZA; Valeria PASSONI
Original assignee: Reckitt Benckiser Vanish B.V.
Priority date: 2021-06-07
Filing date: 2022-06-06
Publication date: 2022-12-15
Also published as: GB2607600A; GB202108122D0

Abstract

A box (2) for storing at least one compressed tablet (4); the compressed tablet comprises a major surface (18) and a minor surface (20), wherein the major surface of the tablet has a larger surface area than the minor surface of the tablet; the box comprises at least one side, a lid (8) and a bottom (9) defining a storage portion (14) for the at least one compressed tablet; the box further comprises at least one air column (6) located adjacent a side of the box; the air column comprises a hollow section that separates the side of the box from the contents of the box; wherein the at least one compressed tablet is located in the storage portion of the box with at least one minor surface adjacent to the top and/or bottom of the box and at least one major surface adjacent the at least one air column.

Description

A box

The present invention relates to a box, in particular a box for storing compressed tablets.

Compressed tablets are used to as a convenient method of to provide cleaning compositions to a dishwasher or washing machine.

Increasingly, consumers are now making their grocery purchases online as opposed to in a supermarket. A compressed tablet can be fragile and crack during transport to when being shipped to a consumer. There is therefore a need to provide a more secure packaging to ship compressed tablets to a consumer.

According to the present invention, there is provided a box according to claim 1.

Aspects of the disclosure are also described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a box for compressed tablets;

Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of an example of a compressed tablet; and

Figure 3 shows compressed tablets arranged in the box of Figure 1.

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the Figures.

Figure 1 shows a box 2 having an edge 12, a bottom 9 and a lid 8. In the example shown in Figure 1 the box 2 comprises four edges 12. The edges 12 define a storage portion 14 configured to store at least one compressed tablet 4. In the example illustrated the storage portion 14 further comprises dividers 10 configured to separate compressed tablets 4 in the storage portion. The dividers 10 reduce the movement of the tablets 4 within the storage portion 14 and therefore prevents the tablets from colliding with one another during transit.

The box 2 comprises at least one air column 6 located adjacent an edge of the box. The air column 6 is configured to provide cushioning for the box 2. In the example illustrated, the air column 6 has a hollow interior that is configured to absorb the force from impact on the box 2 and inhibit the transfer of the impact to the tablets 4.

In the example illustrated, each air column is sized to correspond to the edge of the box 2 and has a width of 4% to 14% of the width of the storage portion 14, for example 5% to 12%, for example 6% to 10%, for example 8%. In the example illustrated in Figure 1 , the dividers 10 are arranged in the storage portion so that the compressed tablets 4 are located in three columns. The dividers may also be arranged so that the compressed tablets are located in two columns, four column or five columns.

Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of a compressed tablet 4. The tablet 4 comprises a major surface 18 and a minor surface 20 where the major surface 18 has a larger surface area than the minor surface 20. In the example illustrated, the tablet 4 is a rectangular cuboid and comprises two minor surfaces 20 and a major surface 18 with the two minor surfaces having different surface areas.

Figure 3 shows the tablets 4 located in the box 2. The tablets are arranged with the minor surface 20 adjacent to the edge of the box and a major surface 18 adjacent the at least one air column 6. As discussed above, the air cushion is configured to protect the contents of the box my inhibiting the transfer of the impact on the box 2 to the contents of the box 2. Arranging the tablets 4 with the major surface 18 adjacent the at least one air column 6 reduces breakages of the tablet 4 during transit. The force on the tablet from impact of the box is reduced by the air column 6 and having a larger surface area of the tablet in contact with the air column 6 reduces the force imparted on tablet 4 during transit.

The arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 shows the tablets 2 separated by dividers 10 into three columns. The tablets 2 are located with the major surface of the tablet 2 adjacent the neighbouring tablet. This arrangement provides a larger surface area of contact between the tablets 2 and therefore leads to the force of the impact between the tablets being transferred over a larger area resulting in reduced breakages.

In the example illustrated, the compressed tablets 4 have a dimension of 37mm by 26 mm by 15 mm. The surface area of the minor surface 20 ranges from 40% to 58% of the surface area of the major surface 18. The minor surface 20 may be 20% to 70%, for example 30% to 60%, for example 40%, for example 58% of the surface area of the major surface 18.

In the example shown, the storage portion of the box is 193mm by 210mm and the air column 6 have a width of 13mm. In this arrangement, the tablets 4 are arranged in three columns with each column having 10 rows of tablets 4.

Further modifications and developments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A box for storing at least one compressed tablet; the compressed tablet comprises a major surface and a minor surface, wherein the major surface of the tablet has a larger surface area than the minor surface of the tablet; the box comprises at least one side, a lid and a bottom defining a storage portion for the at least one compressed tablet; the box further comprises at least one air column located adjacent a side of the box; the air column comprises a hollow section that separates the side of the box from the contents of the box; wherein the at least one compressed tablet is located in the storage portion of the box with at least one minor surface adjacent to the top and/or bottom of the box and at least one major surface adjacent the at least one air column.

2. The box of claim 1 , wherein the box comprises four air columns located adjacent four sides of the box.

3. The box of any proceeding claim, wherein the compressed tablet comprises two major surfaces and four minor surfaces.

4. The box of any proceeding claim, wherein the box comprises compressed tablets located in columns in at least one layer and the major surfaces of the tablets in contact with one another.

5. The box of claim 4, wherein the box further comprises at least one divider and the tablets are arranged in two or more columns with each column of tablets separated by one of the at least one divider.

6. The box of claim 4 or 5, wherein the compressed tablets are located in more than one layer with the tablets of one layer in contact with the tablets of an adjacent layer via a minor surface of the tablet.

7. The box of any proceeding claim, wherein the at least one air column is sized to correspond to the edge of the box and has a width of 4% to 14% of the width of the storage portion.