EP4001142A1

EP4001142A1 - A packaging box for food products and a method for packing food products

Info

Publication number: EP4001142A1
Application number: EP20446502.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lars Chr. Faukland-Martinsen
Original assignee: Moltzau Packaging AS
Current assignee: Moltzau Packaging AS
Priority date: 2020-11-20
Filing date: 2020-12-14
Publication date: 2022-05-25
Also published as: NO347725B1; NO20201265A1

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a packaging box (10) for food products, fruits, berries and vegetables comprising: a bottom (11), and at least three or more side walls (12,13,14,15), forming an open end (18) enclosure for holding a content, wherein: at least one of the at least three or more side walls (12,13,14,15) have on its upper end an inward folded brim (21,22,23) comprising at least one receiving recess (19); and the packaging box (10) further comprising: a lid (16) having a form corresponding to the open end (18) of the enclosure and overlapping a portion of the inward folded brim (21,22,23), for closing the open end (18) and thus defining an interior space for holding a content, the lid (16) further comprises at least two non-connected sides (25,26,27), and on at least one of its non-connected sides (25,26,27) comprising at least one protruding lip (19'), the protruding lip (19') being arranged to be inserted into the at least one receiving recess (19) of the inward folded brim (21,22,23) on corresponding side wall (12,13,14,15), and thus defining a holding force of the lid (16). The disclosure further relates to a method for packing food products.

Description

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to a packaging box for food products and a method for packing food products in the packaging box. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a packaging box for food products and a method for packing food products as defined in the introductory parts of claim 1 and claim 21.

Background art

There are presently a huge challenge for the food industry to find packaging boxes for food, such as takeaway hot/cold food, and retail sales of fruit, berries and vegetables, which comprises no plastic products or parts. For many years the industry has developed and used plastic since this is a cheap product, easily formed and providing good food storage properties. BUT, the environment is damaged severely by the use of too much plastic and poly based products. Wild life, cities, and sea and oceans are suffering from huge garbage/plastic waste. A problem with the packaging boxes of the prior art is that the improved life standard and improved transport systems worldwide makes plastic waste an even bigger problem to solve, as do the challenge to decrease or stop plastic waste. Boxes and lids of plastics are easily connected by for example pressure formed click buttons which is not easily provided by alternative materials. The ability to open and close a lid is an important feature in many use scenarios. There is thus a need for improved storage and transport packaging products. One major problem area that is targeted by present invention is the plastic waste from food packaging for takeaway, fruit and vegetables in the retail /groceries sector. The challenge is to come up with durable and easy and safe to use packaging solutions able to be produced in sustainable and recyclable materials.

Summary

It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. According to a first aspect there is provided a packaging box for food products, fruits, berries and vegetables comprising: a bottom, and at least three or more side walls, forming an open end enclosure for holding a content, wherein: at least one of the at least three or more side walls have on its upper end an inward folded brim comprising at least one receiving recess; and the packaging box further comprising: a lid having a form corresponding to the open end of the enclosure and overlapping a portion of the inward folded brim, for closing the open end and thus defining an interior space for holding a content, the lid further comprises at least two non-connected sides, and on at least one of its non-connected sides comprising at least one protruding lip, the protruding lip being arranged to be inserted into the at least one receiving recess of the inward folded brim on corresponding side wall, and thus providing a holding force of the lid.
The advantage is to be able to quickly and safely close the enclosure, by a simple one push operation, once the content is filled into the packaging box, and thereby prevent any contamination to fall into the content enclosure. At the same time it is easy and safe to open the lid and get access to the content when this is an intended action.
According to some embodiments, a first side of the lid is connected to the upper side of a first side wall of the packaging box.
The advantage is that the packaging box is made out of a single die cut production template, for example from a cardboard template, and when mounted before filling the content into the packaging box it may be stored as a flat template, taking up almost no space. Alternatively the packaging box may be pre-mounted (and glued) (not shown) for manual filling in a popup-style packaging box. A further alternative is to provide the lid as a standalone lid that may have protruding lips on all sides of the lid, and corresponding receiving recesses on all inward folded brim. The packaging box may have three or more sides, although four sides may be most convenient, also when it comes to storing and transporting filled packaging boxes.
According to some embodiments, the first side of the lid is connected to the upper side of a first side wall of the packaging box and a tear line may be provided by perforated pattern (semi-cut) in the folding line between side wall and lid.
When the lid is part of the die cut, it is connected to one of the side walls, it may be advantageous to make a tear line, by a perforated pattern in the folding line. This way is may be easier for a user to tear away the lid when accessing the content. If more than one side brim has a cooperating receiving recess and the corresponding lid sides having protruding lips, a user may still put the lid back, and it may stay firmly attached covering the opening.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box has four side walls, and the lid has four sides.
According to some embodiments, all non-connected sides of the lid comprise at least one protruding lip, and all corresponding side walls have on its upper end an inward folded brim comprising at least one receiving recess for receiving the corresponding protruding lip of the lid.
According to some embodiments, the lid further comprises on one or more of the non-connected sides one or more hold-back protrusions, the hold-back protrusions being arranged to stop towards the top of the inward folded brim and reach towards or over the top side of corresponding side wall and thus prevent the lid being pushed into the enclosure when the protruding lips of the lid is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses.
When the inward folded brim is free to pivot around a folding line in its connection to the side wall, the hold back protrusions ensures that the lid is not pushed into the enclosure when the protruding lips are pressed down and slips into the receiving recesses.
According to some embodiments, the inward folded brim is configured to be flexibly bending downwards when lid is pushed down on the open end such that the protruding lips of the lid is more easily inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses, and when protruding lips are brought in position and gliding into the receiving recesses, and the hold back protrusions, the protruding lips and receiving recesses form a click lock function and holding the lock firmly in place.
One advantage in this click lock feature is that when both lid and inward folded brim have flexible characteristics, the lid may easily be unfastened by simply lifting the lid via the hold back protrusions the lid may be bent and the protruding lips being pulled out of the receiving recesses, and such being able to open and lock the lid multiple times.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box comprises: one or more ventilation holes provided in one or more of the bottom, the side walls and the lid.
For content that need ventilation for being kept fresh, for example strawberries and the like, this is provided by the ventilation holes.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box comprises: one or more openings in the lid and/or side walls being covered with a transparent or semi-transparent material to allow a see-through feature for inspection of content.
Content may be displayed through such transparently covered openings. A feature very convenient for content being stocked in store shelves and the like.
According to some embodiments, when the opening starts in a portion of one of the sideside walls to which the lid is connected and over and into a portion of the lid, the lid connecting region is cut with a corner recess to allow the semi-transparent material covering the opening to bend more easily in the folding line between side wall and lid.
Thus avoiding the semi-transparent material to have folding edges or even break/tear in the fold line.
According to some embodiments, the bottom further comprises: at least one first set of ventilation holes.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box is formed from one piece of die cut material.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box is further provided as a pre-mounted packaging box for manual finishing assembly and filling.
Thus avoiding the requirement of a machine assembly device for folding and assemble the packaging box template.
According to some embodiments, the ventilation holes has an effective cross section area at least more than 0,5 cm², or more than 1,0 cm², or even more advantageously more than 1,5 cm², and thereby additionally facilitates for easy draining of rinsing fluid through the bottom when lid is opened and rinsing fluid is poured over the content.
According to some embodiments, the packaging box comprises: supporting legs and ventilation holes in the bottom, both being created by cut through lines in the die cut form associated with the bottom, such that when the bottom is folded the supporting legs will stand out in a protruding manner, and the ventilation holes are formed in the space where the supporting legs were originally before folding, the supporting legs further providing a ventilation passage between the inside of the packaging box and the surroundings.
According to some embodiments, the material used in the packaging box is a fiber based material.
According to some embodiments, the material used in the packaging box is cardboard.
According to some embodiments, the inside is impregnated by a coating with a low permeability to water penetration such that the packaging box can be continued to be used even after repeatedly rinsing the content with flow through water flow.
According to some embodiments, one or more of the sideside walls may be arranged at an oblique angle α relative the bottom.
According to a second aspect there is provided a method for packing food products, fruits, berries and vegetables, the method being defined by the following steps:

providing a packaging box according to the first aspect,
filling content into the packaging box, and
pushing the lid onto the box as far as the protruding lips of the lid is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses.

Effects and features of the second aspect are to a large extent analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second aspect.
The present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. The detailed description and specific examples disclose preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of illustration only. Those skilled in the art understand from guidance in the detailed description that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.
Hence, it is to be understood that the herein disclosed disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described since such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps.
The term "cardboard" is to be interpreted as any type of cartoon, cardboard, cartonboard, paperboard, fibreboard and other material usable for production of containers folded from templates, and usable for packaging products.
The term " non-permeable coating " is to be interpreted as any type of coating, pre or post production, applied to the box material of present invention, the coating may be one of, but not limited to: Poly Propylene (PP), Poly Ethylene (PE), paint/varnish coating of chemical and/or organic compounds, aluminum foil, plastic foil, or other.

Brief descriptions of the drawings

The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows the packaging box in one example embodiment with an open connected lid and a detail of folded brim corner
Figure 2 shows the packaging box in figure 1 with the lid closed
Figure 3 shows the packaging box in figure 2 seen from below.
Figure 4 shows the packaging box in a further example embodiment with an open connected lid with a transparent window and a detail of the transparent window.
Figure 5 shows the packaging box in figure 4 seen from below.
Figure 6A and 6B shows two example embodiments of the packaging box template
Figure 6C to 6G shows various stages of the assembly of the packaging box templates in figure 6A and 6B
Figure 7A shows packaging box in a partly pre-mounted version
Figure 7B shows packaging boxes from figure 7A stacked
Figure 8A to 8C shows an alternative folding principle of the base of the packaging and a foldable area provided between the side walls.

Detailed description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.
Figure 1 shows the packaging box in one example embodiment wherein the first aspect of this disclosure shows a packaging box 10 for food products, fruits, berries and vegetables is enabled. The packaging box comprising: a bottom 11, and at least three or more side walls 12,13,14,15, forming an open end 18 enclosure for holding a content, wherein: at least one of the at least three or more side walls 12,13,14,15 have on its upper end an inward folded brim 21,22,23 comprising at least one receiving recess 19; and the packaging box 10 further comprising: a lid 16 having a form corresponding to the open end 18 of the enclosure and overlapping a portion of the inward folded brim 21,22,23, for closing the open end 18 and thus defining an interior space for holding a content, the lid 16 further comprises at least two non-connected sides 25,26,27, and on at least one of its non-connected sides 25,26,27 comprising at least one protruding lip 19', the protruding lip 19' being arranged to be inserted into the at least one receiving recess 19 of the inward folded brim 21,22,23 on corresponding side wall 12,13,14,15, and thus providing a holding force of the lid 16.
The advantage is to be able to quickly and safely close the enclosure, after the content has been filled into the packaging box, by a simple one push operation. Thus an easy to use and safe to handle packaging box is provided where any contamination is prevented from falling into the enclosure holding a content. At the same time it is extremely easy and safe to open the lid and get access to the content when this is a willed action. The aim is to provide a packaging box that can replace most plastic boxes used in consumer fresh food industries and takeaway industries, and which has many further area of use.
In the magnified portion of the inward folded brim 21, 22, 23, it is shown that the brims may be pivotally and resiliently connected along a folding line to the corresponding side wall, and pivot easily inwardly and back . This is an advantage for easily attachment of the lid that can simply be pushed down on top of the brim area. Then, the brim will give away at some degree, and the receiving recess 19 will be able to easily be penetrated by the protruding lip 19' of the lid 16. The resilient behavior will let the brim flex back once the protruding lip 19' enters the receiving recess 19.
As seen in the first figure a first side 24 of the lid 16 is connected to the upper side of a first side wall 12 of the packaging box 10.
The advantage is that the packaging box may be provided as a single production die cut template, for example from a cardboard template, and when mounted before filling the content into the packaging box may be stored as a flat template, taking up almost no space. Alternatively the packaging box may be partly pre-assembled (and glued) (not shown), optionally in a popup configuration, for manual filling.
The present invention may also be provided in a two part configuration (not shown) wherein the packaging box and lid 16 is two separate items. The packaging box 10 may then be provided in a semi assembled box being easily stacked, and with lids 16 being flat packed. When filling, then it will be simply to fill content, fold inward the brim areas, and click on the lid.
Figure 1 illustrates an advantageous embodiment of the present invention wherein the first side 24 of the lid 16 is connected to the upper side of a first side wall 12 of the packaging box 10 and a tear line 24' may be provided by a perforated pattern (semi-cut) in the folding line between side wall 12 and lid 16.
When the lid is part of the die cut 100, 110, it is connected to one of the side walls, it may be advantageous to make a tear line 24', by for example a perforated pattern in the folding line. This way it may be easier for a user to tear away the lid when accessing the content. If more than one side brim has a cooperating receiving recess 19 and the corresponding lid sides having protruding lips 19', a user may still put the lid back, and it will stay firmly attached covering the opening. As seen in the figures exemplifying the invention were the packaging box 10 has four side walls 12,13,14,15, and the lid has four sides 24,25,26,27, by tearing the lid after opening, it will still be possible to provide a locking of potential three sides when lid is put back, and provide a proper closing of the interior space.
Most advantageously is it when all non-connected sides 25,26,27 of the lid 16 comprise at least one protruding lip 19', and all corresponding side walls 12,13,14,15 have on its upper end an inward folded brim 21,22,23 comprising at least one receiving recess 19 for receiving the corresponding protruding lip of the lid 16. This imply that for the embodiments having four sides as seen in the figures, protruding lips 19' and corresponding receiving recesses 19 is present on 3 sides of the packaging box and lid.
If, as seen in the figures, the lid 16 comprises on one or more of the non-connected sides 25,26,27 one or more hold-back protrusions 17, the hold-back protrusions 17 being arranged to stop towards the top of the inward folded brim 21, 22, 23 and reach towards or over the top side of corresponding side wall 12,13,14,15, and thus prevent the lid 16 from being pushed into the enclosure when the protruding lips 19' of the lid 16 is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses 19'.
The hold-back protrusions 17 further increase the stabling strength of the packaging box, such that more packaging boxes may be stabled/stacked upon each other before the bottom packaging box cave in, in the meaning of that the lid 16 is pushed into the interior space of the packaging box.
The configuration in the figures show such hold back protrusions 17 on all non-connected sides of the lid 16. Some is shown to reach as wide as almost to the peripheral end of the inward folded brim 21, 22, 23, and some reach out pass the side wall as seen in figure 3. The latter is additionally provided to form a better grip on the lid for opening up when access to the content is required. The size of the lid and the hold-back protrusions are preferably reaching at least as far out to each side that it spans at least half the width of the corresponding inward folded brim 21, 22, 23.
The protruding height ph of the protruding lips 19 are at least as long as it reach well past the outer end of the receiving recess 19' when the lid is arranged to close the interior space of the packaging box 10.
The inward folded brim 21,22,23 is configured to be flexibly bending 30 downwards when lid is pushed down 31 on the open end 18 such that the protruding lips 19' of the lid 16 is more easily inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses 19, and when protruding lips 19' are brought in position and gliding into the receiving recesses 19, the protruding lips 19' and recess 19 form a click lock function holding the lock 16 firmly in place.
The hold-back protrusions 17 ensures that the lid 16 will not be pushed into the interior space, and pressure may be applied to the protruding lips 19' to force the inward folded brim downwards, and the peripheral end of the protruding lip 19' will enter the receiving recess 19. When this happens, the inward folding brim will spring back and the protruding lip 19' will be locked in the receiving recess 19. The hold-back protrusions 17 will provide a biased force to the protruding lips 19' such that these together will lift the inward folded brim 21, 22, 23 portions up towards the underside of the lid 16. The lid 16 and the inward folded brims 21, 22, 23 therefore provide a tight locked combined "sealing" of the interior of the packaging box. If cold or warm content is packed, the heat or cold environment may be preserved for a considerable time. For example hot takeaway food, such as hamburger and fries, or cold takeaway, such as sushi.
Even content that uses the ventilated version of the packaging box as seen in figure 4 and figure 5, have advantages of a tight fitting between lid and inward folded brims, as this may provide a controllable exposure to the environment.
In these times when viruses and contamination is all around, there is a more and more acute requirement to not expose content to any unwanted elements present in the ambient environment.
In figure 4 and figure 5 it is shown an embodiment comprising one or more ventilation holes 41,42,45 provided in one or more of the bottom 11, the side walls 12,13,14,15 and the lid 16. These ventilation holes improve the interior environment for keeping fruit, berries, vegetables, and the like fresh.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the packaging box comprise one or more openings 46 in the lid 16 and/or side walls 12,13,14,15 being covered with a transparent or semi-transparent material 46' to allow a see-through feature for inspection of content. Thus, in this embodiment it is provided a packaging box ideal for use where the content is to be protected, but at the same time exposed visually. The customer may easily inspect the content without physically accessing the interior. The window may be only in the lid, only on any one of the side walls, or a combination of the two.
It is also provided an embodiment wherein where the opening 46 starts in a portion of one of the sideside wall to which the lid 16 is connected and the opening 46 reaches over and into a portion of the lid 16, and the lid connecting region may be cut with a corner recess 48 to allow the semi-transparent material 46' covering the opening 46 to bend more easily in the folding line 47 between side wall and lid.
The semi-transparent material may be of a brittle material, and the latter corner recess is provided to prevent the semi-transparent material to develop folding edges or break/tears in the folding line 47 area. The bending of the semi-transparent material is thus provided with a more soft bend distributed across the width of the corner recess.
It is in some embodiments advantageous to provide the packaging box where the bottom 11 further comprises at least one first set of ventilation holes 45.
It is in some embodiments advantageous to provide the packaging box 10 formed from one piece of die cut 100, 110 material.
It is in some embodiments advantageous to further provide the packaging box 10 as a semi-finished packaging box for manual finishing assembly and filling, or the packaging box may even be pre-mounted as a flat pack popup version.
See figure 7A and figure 7B for an example of such pre-mounted version of the packaging box. In figure 7A it is shown that the side walls are glued and together with the floor forming a tray with an erect lid 16 standing up. The same is the brim 21, 22, 23 portions of the side walls. In order to be able to stack one packaging box into another it is necessary to leave the inward folding operation of the brim 21, 22, 23 portions. When these parts are left unfolded it will be able to stack many packaging boxes into each other, and occupied space of non-filled packaging boxes are kept to a minimum. The embodiment with oblique angled sidewalls improve stacking ability. When the packaging box is to be filled, one packaging box may be retrieved from the stack, the brim 21, 22, 23 portions folded inward and content filled into the interior space, in preferred order, before lid is pushed in place.
It is also a target of the present invention that when in the embodiment that has ventilation holes, that the ventilation holes 41,42,45 has an effective cross section area at least more than 0,5 cm², or more than 1,0 cm², or even more advantageously more than 1,5 cm², and thereby additionally facilitates for easy draining of rinsing fluid through the bottom 11 when lid is opened and rinsing fluid is poured over the content.
In an even further embodiment of the present invention the packaging box comprises: supporting legs 44 and ventilation holes 45 in the bottom 11, both being created by cut through lines 51 in the die cut 100, 110 form associated with the bottom 11, such that when the bottom is folded the supporting legs 44 will stand out in a protruding manner, and the ventilation holes 45 are formed in the space where the supporting legs were originally before folding, the supporting legs further providing a ventilation passage 61 between the inside of the packaging box and the surroundings. When placed on a surface the bottom 11 thus is arranged at a raised level from the surface the packaging box is standing, and air may freely flow into the space below the bottom 11, and enter through the ventilation passages 61 formed by the ventilation holes 45. The legs 44 also provides a better ventilation of the interior of the packaging box when these are stacked upon each other. Inflow of air through the ventilation passage and outflow of air through the ventilation holes 41 in the lid 16 is promoted by the raised level caused by the above stacked packaging box.
It is in some embodiments advantageous that the material used in the packaging box 10 is a fiber based material. Such materials are more easily recycled than for example plastic and other poly based materials. The specific design of present invention comprise unparalleled characteristics when using fiber based material, and the characteristics are equally maintained when the material used in the packaging box 10 is cardboard which is a best in class when it comes to recycling and decomposing.
Obviously, although the packaging box is advantageously produced in a recyclable or decomposable material, the packaging box may also be produced in any suitable material, including plastic or polymer based material.
In some embodiments the inside of any or all of the sides, bottom and lid may be impregnated by a coating with a non- permeability, or low permeability, to water penetration such that the packaging box can be continued to be used even after repeatedly rinsing the content with flow through water flow. This is specifically usable when for example fruits and berries are packed in the packaging box.
It is even a possibility to use such impregnation on the outside of the packaging box to provide better enduring packaging for use in damp environments.
The packaging box may be provided in many variations and forms, and one such is that where one or more of the sideside walls 12,13,14,15 may be arranged at an oblique angle α relative the bottom 11, as illustrated in figure 1 and the second magnified area. 90 degree angles are also an option in present invention. There are more than one feature of the packaging box related to such oblique side wall, a first is that the circumference of the inside of the inward folded brims 21, 22, 23 may be substantially equal to the circumference of the bottom 11. Such that content laying on the bottom 11 is easily reached through the opening 18. A second feature is that any substance in the ambient environment will no easily cling to the outside of the side walls. For example if the packaging box are on display in a shop, any virus falling down from passing persons will only stick to the outside of the lid which can easily be teared away before access to the content is provided.
In figure 6C - 6G it is shown how one embodiment of the packaging box 10 is assembled and folded prior to filling. The version shown where the side walls may be provided with connecting portions 61 may be either provided for manual mounting or a machine packing version. The connecting portions 61 will be brought in adhesive connection with the adjacent side wall to form a tight and durable connection when being assembled for filing and packaging. Adhesive glue, double sided tape or adhesive warm/pressure coating may be used on the connecting portions 61 and/or the portion of the side wall the connecting portions 61 is to be connected to. It is also foreseen that a type of insertion portion with barbs (not shown) may be provided on the periphery portion of the connecting portion 61 for being inserted into a corresponding slot (not shown) in the adjacent side wall.
In an even further embodiment of present invention the inside of the packaging box may be coated for providing a fluid non-permeable container. A combination of adhesive methods may then be envisaged in that an adhesive method is used for a foldable area 28 provided between the side walls, as seen in figure 8A-C, as highlighted by the dotted circles. The figures 8A-C shows a prototype product of a different product than present invention, but the corner folding principle may be used in present invention as well. The figures 8A-C is included to demonstrate the concept of providing a non-permeable base of the packaging box.
Coating may be non-permeable for holding liquid and damp (gas). Coating may be one or more of, but not limited to: Poly Propylen (PP), Poly Ethylen (PE), paint/warnish coating of chemical and/or organic compound, comprising also water based lacquers as used in the blister lacquer industry.
In a further embodiment of present invention the cardboard box is provided by a single piece of a production template of the cardboard box.
In a further embodiment of present invention the cardboard comprises: a foldable area 28 between the side walls for being folded outwards and being arranged at the outside of a side wall, such that when folded the cardboard box provides a smooth inner container space.
In a further embodiment of present invention the adhesive component is one or more of: fast curing non-toxic glue, heat/pressure activatable adhesive component, or any other sufficiently durable and environmentally accepted adhesive. Using any other form of adhesive is to be considered to fall within the protective scope of the invention. As more work is done to certify variations of adhesives and materials for pre-treating packaging items for carrying food and sensitive products, these materials may well be used in present invention to provide either fastening or non-permeability without deviating from the inventive concept.
In a further embodiment of present invention the adhesive component is arranged on the full width of an upper region of one half of one of the inside foldable area 28 between the side walls 12,13,14,15, and on the upper region of the outside of the half of the foldable area 28 that is to be facing towards the side wall when folded 28'.
The foldable area is one of the areas wherein leakages more easily may appear. The present invention provides thus a solution wherein a tight non-permeable fold is provided by applying a glue/adhesive field covering the hole breadth of the foldable area inside the fold. Thus, when folded, any material being hold by the cardboard box cannot escape/be spilled through the foldable area.
Both inward and outward folding of the foldable area may be used.
As discussed above present invention also encompass future and present coating compounds, either new or newly certified for use in combination with packaged goods.
The folding itself may thus be reinforced, either by applied glue/adhesive or heat/pressure adhesive as result of a process of heating/pressurizing an area having a coating that also comprise adhesive characteristics when heated/pressurized. Typically the heating/pressurizing is part of the machine folding apparatus normally used for providing the containers from templates.
In a further embodiment of present invention the liquid and gas non-permeable coating is applied to one or both of the inside and the outside of the cardboard box before or after the folding the cardboard box.
The second aspect of this disclosure shows a method for packing food products, fruits, berries and vegetables, the method being defined by the following steps:

providing a packaging box according to the first aspect,
filling content into the packaging box, and
pushing the lid onto the box as far as the protruding lips 19' of the lid 16 is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses 19.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.
Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

Claims

A packaging box (10) for food products, fruits, berries and vegetables comprising:
a bottom (11), and at least three or more side walls (12, 13, 14, 15), forming an open end (18) enclosure for holding a content, wherein:
at least one of the at least three or more side walls (12, 13, 14, 15) have on its upper end an inward folded brim (21, 22, 23) comprising at least one receiving recess (19); and

the packaging box (10) further comprising:
a lid (16) having a form corresponding to the open end (18) of the enclosure and overlapping a portion of the inward folded brim (21, 22, 23), for closing the open end (18) and thus defining an interior space for holding a content,

the lid (16) further comprises at least two non-connected sides (25, 26, 27), and on at least one of its non-connected sides (25, 26, 27) comprising at least one protruding lip (19'), the protruding lip (19') being arranged to be inserted into the at least one receiving recess (19) of the inward folded brim (21, 22, 23) on corresponding side wall (12, 13, 14, 15), and thus defining a holding force of the lid (16).
The packaging box (10) according to claim 1, wherein a first side (24) of the lid (16) is connected to the upper side of a first side wall (12) of the packaging box (10).
The packaging box (10) according to claim 2, further comprising and a tear line (24') is provided by a perforated pattern in the folding line between side wall (12) and lid (16).
The packaging box (10) according to any one of previous claims, wherein all non-connected sides (25, 26, 27) of the lid (16) comprise at least one protruding lip (19'), and all corresponding side walls (12, 13, 14, 15) have on its upper end an inward folded brim (21, 22, 23) comprising at least one receiving recess (19) for receiving the corresponding protruding lip of the lid (16).
The packaging box (10) according to any one of previous claims, the lid (16) further comprising on one or more of the non-connected sides (25, 26, 27) one or more hold-back protrusions (17), the hold-back protrusions (17) being arranged to stop towards the top of the inward folded brim (21, 22, 23) and reach towards or over the top side of corresponding side wall (12, 13, 14, 15) and thus prevent the lid (16) being pushed into the enclosure when the protruding lips (19') of the lid (16) is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses (19').
The packaging box (10) according to any one of previous claims, wherein the inward folded brim (21, 22, 23) is configured to be flexibly bending (30) downwards when lid is pushed down (31) on the open end (18) such that the protruding lips (19') of the lid (16) is more easily inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses (19), and when protruding lips (19') are brought in position and gliding into the receiving recesses (19), the protruding lips (19') and recess (19) form a click lock function holding the lock (16) firmly in place.
The packaging box (10) according to any one of the previous claims, further comprising:
one or more ventilation holes (41, 42, 45) provided in one or more of the bottom (11), the side walls (12, 13, 14, 15) and the lid (16).
The packaging box (10) according to any one of the previous claims, further comprising:
one or more openings (46) in the lid and/or side walls being covered with a transparent or semi-transparent material (46') to allow a see-through feature for inspection of content.
The packaging box (10) according to claim 8, wherein when the opening (46) starts in a portion of one of the side wall to which the lid (16) is connected and the opening (46) reaches over and into a portion of the lid (16), and the lid connecting region is cut with a corner recess (48) to allow the semi-transparent material (46') covering the opening (46) to bend more easily in the folding line (47) between side wall and lid.
The packaging box (10) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the packaging box (10) is formed from one piece of die cut (100, 110) material.
The packaging box (10) according to any one of the previous claims, further comprising:
supporting legs (44) and ventilation holes (45) in the bottom (11), both being created by cut through lines (51) in the die cut (100, 110) form associated with the bottom (11), such that when the bottom is folded the supporting legs (44) will stand out in a protruding manner, and the ventilation holes (45) are formed in the space where the supporting legs were originally before folding, the supporting legs further providing a ventilation passage (61) between the inside of the packaging box and the surroundings.
The packaging box (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the material used in the packaging box (10) is a fiber based material, such as cardboard.
The packaging box (10) according to any of the previous claims, wherein one or more of the side walls (12, 13, 14, 15) are arranged at an oblique angle α relative the bottom (11).
The cardboard box according to any of the previous claims, further comprising:
a foldable area (28) between the sidewalls for being folded outwards and being arranged at the outside of a side wall, such that when folded the cardboard box provides a smooth inner container space (20).
The cardboard box according to claim 14, further comprising an adhesive component arranged on one or both sides of the foldable area between the sidewalls, for fastening and holding in place the outward folded foldable area when the cardboard box is folded.
The cardboard box of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a layer of non-permeable coating, the non-permeable coating is one of Poly Propylen, PP, Poly Ethylen, PE, paint/varnish coating of chemical and/or organic compounds, blister varnish/coating, alu foil, or plastic foil.
A method for packing food products, fruits, berries and vegetables, the method being defined by the following steps:
- providing a packaging box according to any one of claim 1 to 16,

- filling content into the packaging box, and

- pushing the lid onto the box as far as the protruding lips (19') of the lid (16) is inserted into the corresponding receiving recesses (19').