EP1855949A1 - Packing case of corrugated cardboard with space in the upper compartments for accessories, designed to provide protection against shocks even if overturned - Google Patents

Abstract

Packing case (10), parallelepiped in shape, of corrugated cardboard comprising a central part and an upper part for accessories and other components, separated by a transversal structure of corrugated cardboard, having means of protection (74) against shocks received from any direction and therefore even if the case (10) is overturned, said means of protection (74) also consisting of central pairs of superimposed orthogonal elements (126, 128) of considerable strength and rigidity, and of horizontal and vertical spacers (74) that .present a rectangular cross section.

Description

Packing case of corrugated cardboard with space in the upper compartments for accessories, designed to provide protection against shocks even if overturned

Difficulties are commonly encountered in transporting objects which though heavy are also fragile and bulky, are packed together with their accessories, partly because, during transport, the case may be repeatedly overturned and subjected to blows received from practically all sides. The above invention greatly reduces or avoids these negative occurrences, ensuring a high degree of protection for the packed objects against shocks received from any direction, the case may even being completely overturned, as will here be explained.

Subject of the invention is a packing case, parallelepiped in shape, of corrugated cardboard that comprises, in addition to the main central part, an upper part fitted up to carry accessories and other components. The upper part is separated from the main central part by a flat sheet of corrugated cardboard.

The case comprises means of protection against shocks from any direction, and therefore those received should it be overturned.

The above means are provided by the corrugations in the cardboard itself, by one layer being superimposed over another, and by spacers of a rectangular cross section obtained by repeatedly bending over the ends of strips of corrugated cardboard around lines prepared for bending. The bottom and side walls of the central part are protected by strips of corrugated cardboard which, when their ends are bent back on themselves at prepared bending lines, form horizontal and vertical spacers of a rectangular cross section. The upper part, to be used for accessories and other components, receives a structure as a single unit, consisting of a horizontal strip, placed diagonally, joined at its two sides to pairs of substantially identical and rectangular pieces to be superimposed and form elements, perpendicular to said strip, of double corrugated cardboard and therefore strong and rigid, said elements, when standing upright, reaching to the top edge of the case.

Other completing elements are situated at the ends of the above pairs, the shape and size of said completing elements being such that, when associated to the diagonal strips, form the flat base of the upper part, their dimensions in length and width corresponding to those of the case. Smaller flaps are provided at the end of said completing elements and at the end of the diagonal horizontal strip, said smaller flaps being bendable at approximately 90° in relation to said flat base, so that the whole structure can be placed inside the upper part of the case, the smaller flaps helping to strengthen its walls. The case preferably presents at its edges four large flaps one opposite the other, two being destined to create spacers and two, orthogonal to the first, to be used to close the case.

The spacers are formed by bending each flap over onto itself, the bends being made at parallel prepared lines in such a way that the spacers, when so formed, present a rectangular cross section.

The spacers stand on the base of the upper part, their dimensions being such that their width corresponds to the distance between the walls of the case and the superimposed pairs of considerably rigid elements, orthogonal to said base, while their height reaches the top edge of the case. Amplitude of the closing flaps is equivalent to about half the dimensions of the case, in length and in width. To close the case the flaps have tabs on their edges, said tabs fitting into slits made in the centre of the spacers on which the flaps rest.

The invention offers evident advantages.

Even if the overturned case were to fall, the internal structure would safeguard both the main object packed in the central part of the case, and also the accessories - even if fragile and delicate - placed in the upper part.

The accessories are protected both by the large spacers formed by the flaps, and by the pairs of superimposed orthogonal elements of corrugated cardboard standing approximately in the centre of the upper part. Said upper part is also strengthened by the presence, in the central part, of a number of spacers matching both with the bottom of the case and with its four corners.

Practically speaking the entire inner space of the case is divided up into various compartments: a central part protected by horizontal and vertical spacers, and an upper part, in which the room available for fragile objects is protected externally by two spacers and, internally, by the pairs of superimposed corrugated cardboard elements that provide good protection against shocks from the side, from below or from above.

Protection of the main object and of its accessories is therefore assured not only by the strong protective walls, but also by the many air cushions created in all directions inside the case

Characteristics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatically drawn figures. Plate 1, Fig. 1 Packing case of corrugated cardboard with open upper flaps made so as to form horizontal spacers, and to close the case, internal perspective.

Plate 2, Fig. 2 Box-shaped bottom for the case, spread out flat.

Fig. 3 Box-shaped bottom when folded up, perspective. Plate 3, Fig. 4 Double-column vertically standing spacer, spread out flat.

Fig. 5 Spacer in its operative form, perspective. Plate 4, Fig. 6 Upper structure with central parts to be bent up together to withstand shocks, and foldable sides, seen spread out flat.

Fig. 7 As in Fig. 6 with central sections pressed together, perspective.

Fig. 8 As above with longitudinal sides folded, perspective. Plate 5, Fig. 9 The packing case open, showing its box shape and the two sets of double spacers opposite each other, perspective.

Fig. 10 The packing case when the upper structure has been placed inside.

Plate 6, Fig. 11 The packing case when the flaps making horizontal spacers have been bent up inside it, perspective. Fig. 12 The packing case with one closing flap in the closed position, perspective.

Fig. 13 The packing case with both closing flaps in the closed position, perspective.

Plate 7 Fig. 14 The main components of the packing case, vertically aligned, perspective.

Fig. 15 The packing case of corrugated cardboard seen open, when the components have been put in, perspective.

The packing case 10 of corrugated cardboard (Figure 1) comprises the flaps

12, 14 designed to form the horizontal spacers, with bending lines 16, 18, 20 for forming initial strips 22 and terminal 24 strips, and the closing flaps 30 and 32 with lines 34, 36 prepared for bending, and terminal strips 35.

Tabs 38 created by the cuts 40 can be seen at the two ends of the strips 35, and the curved central area 42.

In the centre of the flaps, 12 14, used to make horizontal spacers, are orthogonal slits 26 ready to receive the tabs 38, cut in the closing flaps 30 and 32, inserted when the case is being closed, as will be explained later.

On the bottom of the case 10 is a box-shaped body 50, shown spread out flat in Figure 2, comprising the base 52 .and longitudinal sides, in which lengthwise lines 54, 56, 58, 60 have been prepared for bending so that, when each side has been bent over onto itself, spacers 74 for protection against shocks are formed at both longitudinal ends (Figure 3). The spacers are held in position by central tabs with lateral projections 64 that, after being pressed inside the slots 6ό, 68 on bending lines 54, resume their former shape. The side flaps 70 contribute to resisting shocks.

Two spacers 76, each with a double column 78, 80, shown laid out flat in Figure 4, are placed in position at the two longitudinal sides of the packing case 10 (Figure 9).

Said columns 78, 80 are formed by bending over their longitudinal ends along the prepared bending lines 84, 86, 88, 90. They are then fixed in position by locking projections 94 whose lateral tips 96 enter slits 98 cut in the lines prepared for bending 84.

After mounting, said spacers appear as shown in Figure 5 where, on the left, the locking projection 94 can be seen after passing through a slit 98, as already described.

For extra resistance to shocks, small flaps 100 are provided, close to the respectively opposing ends of the spacers, said flaps having extensions 102 which fit inside the slits 104 between bending lines 86 and 88.

The spacers 76 placed inside the case 10 along its lengthwise sides, support the structure 110.

Said structure 110 (Figures 6-8) presents a central diagonal strip 112 at both of whose ends are fixed bendable sections 114 and 116.

On either side of said central strip 112, elements 126 and 128 form a single unit, respectively comprising the pairs of elements 130-132 and 134-136.

In Figure 7 said pairs of elements 130-132 and 134-136 are seen when bent one against the other to form an orthogonal element 126, 128 consisting of double corrugated cardboard sheets standing vertically on the central base

1 12, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

To permit introduction of said structure 110 inside the case 10, the sections

114 and 122, 116 and 124 are turned up at substantially 90° in relation to the base 112 (Figure 8). In Figures 6 - 8 the recesses 138 and 148 are clearly visible, their presence serving, as will be explained below, to stabilize the closing flaps 30 and 32 on top of the case 10. In Figure 9, on the bottom of the box-shaped body 50 and against each side, the case 10 presents two spacers 74 each consisting of two columns 78, 80, upon which the upper protective structure 110 (Figure 10) is laid. It will be clear that the elements 126 and 128 occupy practically the entire height from the base 112 of the structure 110 to the top of the case 10.

The object to be transported is then placed inside the case 10 between the double-column spacers (Figure 9).

Accessories, even if very fragile, are placed in protected positions in the structure 110 (Figure 10) well guarded from shocks between the rigid upright elements 126 and 128.

The case 10 having been filled, further protection is given by bending over the flaps 12 and 14 so forming two horizontal spacers as seen in Figure 11. The end sections 24 of the flaps 12 and 14 (Figure 1) then match up with the structure 110 between the elements 126 and 128, while the initial strips 22 lie flush with the edges of the case 10.

Figure 12 shows the slits 26 in the horizontal spacers 12 and 14, that allow the closing flaps 30 and 32 to be bent over, the tabs 38 on said flaps penetrating inside said slits 26, while the end strips 35 of flaps 30 and 32 fit into the recessed ends 138 and 140, already mentioned, in the elements 126 and 128.

Figure 13 shows the second flap 32 also closed.

For greater clarity Figure 14 illustrates the various protective components 50, 76, 1 10, while Figure 15 shows how they fit into the case 10 which is then ready to be closed by flaps 30 and 32.

Claims

1. Packing case 10, parallelepiped in shape, made of corrugated cardboard, characterized in that it comprises a central part, and an upper part for accessories and other components, separated from the central part by an upper structure of corrugated cardboard, and comprises means of protection against shocks that may arrive from any direction and therefore also giving protection should the case become overturned, means consisting of the corrugations in the cardboard itself, of superimposed internal pieces of cardboard and of horizontal and vertical spacers of a rectangular cross section formed by repeated bends being made in strips of corrugated cardboard along prepared bending lines.

2. Case 10 as in claim 1, characterized in that the bottom and side walls of the central part are protected by strips of corrugated cardboard and by horizontal and vertical spacers of a rectangular cross section formed by bending over the ends of said strips onto themselves along prepared bending lines.

3. Case 10 as in claim 1, characterized in that in the upper area is a structure that comprises, in a single unit, a horizontal diagonal strip joined at its two sides to pairs of substantially identical rectangular elements made to stand one against the other to create elements, orthogonal to said strips, consisting of double corrugated cardboard of considerable strength and rigidity the tops of which coincide with the upper edge of the case, there being placed at the ends of said pairs of rectangular elements, other completing elements the shape and size of which are such that, on being associated to the diagonal strip, they form a flat floor of corrugated cardboard for the upper part, their length and width corresponding to those of the case, there being placed, both at the ends of said completing elements and at the ends of the diagonal strip, small flaps bendable at substantially 90° in relation to said flat surface so as to permit introduction of said structure inside the upper part of the case, while said small flaps assist in strengthening the sides of said upper part.

4. Case 10 as in claims 1 and 3, characterized in that it presents four flaps on the four upper edges, a first opposing pair used to create spacers, and a second opposing pair, orthogonal to the first pair, for closing the case, the spacers being formed by each of the two flaps being bent over onto itself along parallel lines prepared for bending so placed that the spacers present a rectangular cross section, said spacers standing on the flat floor of the upper part and being of dimensions such that their width corresponds to the distance between the walls of the case and the pairs of superimposed orthogonal elements of considerable rigidity, and their height corresponds to the level of the edge of the case, amplitude of the closing flaps corresponding substantially to half the length and width of the case, said flaps being fixed in position by inserting tabs cut in their edges into slits made for them in the centre of the spacers.