GB2025370A - Moulded containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum and/or pressure formed container, for example a container for packaging eggs, has a series of spacing means to allow two containers when nested together to be mechanically denested. Each spacing means is a denesting pin (22) comprising two hollow projections (23) joined by a solid web (24). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Containers This invention relates to containers and more particularly, but not exclusively, to containers suitable for packing eggs, fruit or other such articles.

In the specification of British Patent Application No. 9028/78 there is described a container comprising a one-piece moulding of plastics material, the moulding having a base defining a plurality of article containing pockets, a hinged lid and interengaging fastening means integral with the lid and base respectively for releasably retaining the lid in a closed position. Such containers are formed by vacuum and/or pressure as a tray, i.e. with the lid in the same general plane as the base, and are stored if this open condition prior to being used for packaging articles.

During storage, the containers are nested together and are thus provided with specially designed pins or spacing means which allow the containers to be mechanically denested. These denesting pins also act as spacers between the lid and the base when the container is in its closed condition. One known form of denesting pin comprises a hollow protrusion extending upwardly from the container when the container is in its open condition, each protrusion having an outwardly extending projection which is capable of preventing a protrusion of one container nesting with a respective protrusion of another container.

Such denesting pins are effective when formed correctly but involve the use of moulding means which are movable relative to the mould and which thus riecessitate maintenance to achieve a consistent height of protrusion. Moreover, the toggles provided to produce the projections tend to break off.

In another known arrangement containers are provided with one of a variety of different spacing means each of which is such that it will not nest with any of the other spacing means. However, two such containers having identical spacing means will nest together without the required spacing to allow the upper container to be mechanically denested.

According to the invention there is provided a vacuum and/or pressure formed container having a series of spacing means to allow two containers when nested together to be mechanically denested, characterised in that each spacing means comprises two hollow projections joined by a solid web. Two such spacing means, even if identical, cannot nest further than is determined by the web joining the projections.

Preferably each spacing means is formed by two pins upstanding from the surface of the mould and fixed relative thereto, the pins being spaced apart by a distance which causes the material being moulded to form a solid web therebetween.

It is also preferred that the adjacent surfaces of said pins are vertical.

The material from which the container is formed is preferably a plastics material.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the container comprises a one-piece moulding having a base defining a plurality of article containing pockets, a hinged lid and interengaging fastening means integral with the lid and base respectively for releasablv retaining the lid in a closed position, both the base and the lid having said spacing means projecting upwardly therefrom when the container is in its open condition for nesting with other identical containers and arranged so that the or each spacing means on the lid overlies an associated spacing means on the base when the container is closed to form a pair of said spacing means, the web of each spacing means of the or each said pair being inclined to the peripheral rim of the lid or base at.the same angle, e.g. at 45 .

Preferably the container is for packaging eggs.

By way of example, specific embodiments in accordance with the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container for packaging eggs, the container being in a partially open condition; Figure 2 is a section through 'one of the denesting pins of the container of Figure 1 to show the moulding pins therefor; Figure 3 is a section along line 111-Ill in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the container of Figure 1 in its closed condition; and Figure 5 is an elevation of alternative moulding pins for forming each denesting pin of the container of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, a container 10 for eggs comprises a one-piece moulding of high impact polystyrene. The container has a base 11 and a lid 12 both of which are hinged to an intermediate web member 1 3 constituting a double hinge. The base 11 has six egg containing pockets 14 which are of conventional design.

To releasably retain the lid in its fully closed position, there is provided a pair of interengaging pins 1 7 and sockets 18, the pins 17, in this embodiment, depending from the lid adjacent its edges which is opposite the lid hinge and the respective sockets 18 comprising upwardly open recesses in the base 11.

The lid 12 has a flat upper surface 15 having a peripheral rim 1 6 and is supported by posts 21 upstanding from the base 11. Further interengaging bars 1 9 and grooves 20 are also provided to align the lid both transversely and laterally relative to the base during closure of the lid. They thus act to correct any misalignment of the lid 12 relative to the base 11 which may occur during initial closure of the lid. They also act to provide greater transverse rigidity to the container, i.e. normal to the hinge, when the lid is closed.

At each corner of the container 10 there is provided means for spacing the lid the required distance from the base when the lid is closed, to prevent the lid damaging the eggs in the container. In this embodiment the spacing means at two of the corners are a pair of denesting pins 22, each pin comprising two hollow projections 23 (see Figure 4) upstanding or depending from the rim of the base 11 and the lid 12 and joined by a solid web 24. The web 24 of each pin 22 is inclined to the edge of the rim of the lid or the base at the same angle, in this embodiment at 450, so that when the lid is closed the web of each pin 22 depending from the lid will rest on the web of the corresponding pin upstanding from the base.

However, the main purpose of the denesting pins 22 is to maintain a plurality of identical containers 10 in spaced apart relation when they are nested together in their open condition for storage purposes so that they may be mechanically denested. In this respect it will be appreciated that when two or more containers are nested together the solid web 24 of each denesting pin 22 of the lower container will prevent the pin from nesting with the respective pin of the upper container.

Moreover, although Figure 1 shows a container having only six egg containing pockets 14, the container, in practice, is moulded by vacuum and/or pressure in conventional manner as a double container with twelve egg containing pockets and is only split into two separate containers along the perforated edge 25 after the double container has been packed with eggs.

Thus, each double container is moulded with a denesting pin 22 in each corner of its base 11 and lid 12 and a further denesting pin substantially centrally along the free edge of the base and the lid which is opposite the hinge 13. In this embodiment, these further pins are adjacent the perforated edge 25 but on the other half of the double container which is not shown in Figure 1.

Each denesting pin 22 is formed during moulding of the container 10 O by a respective pair of pins projecting from the surface of the lower half of the mould in the case of the base of the container and projecting from the surface of the upper half of the mould in the case of the lid of the container, in fixed relation thereto.

Figures 2 and 3 show one arrangement in which a pair of pins 30 are fixed in one half of the mould for the formation of a denesting pin 22.

Each pin 30 has a generally circular cross-section but is machined so that its edge 31 remote from the other pin is tapered towards its free end whilst the adjacent edges 32 of the pins 30 remain vertical. During moulding of the container, the plastics material folds over the pins 30 to produce the hollow projections 23 and and intermediate web 24, and because thematerial is hot the fold forming the web 24 fuses to form a solid wall.

Figure 5 shows another arrangement in which each moulding pin 33 has a preformed conical end portion 34. The pair of pins 33 are first mounted in the respective half of the mould and their conical end portions are then bent towards each other until the adjacent edges 35 of the pins are vertical.

In each arrangement described above, the distance between the moulding pins 30 or 33 is selected so that the web 24 formed therebetween has both an acceptable length and height to allow the denesting pin to perform its function as spacing means both when the container is nested with other identical containers in its open condition, or when the lid of the container is closed.

The invention is not restricted to the specific details of the embodiments described above. For example, the container may be a tray for packaging eggs or may be a box or tray for packaging other articles besides eggs, for example fruit. Indeed the spacing means of the invention may be provided on any container on which it is desired to provide a denesting pin.

Claims (6)

1. A vacuum and/or pressure formed container having a series of spacing means to allow two containers when nested together to be mechanically denested, characterised in that each spacing means comprises two hollow projections joined by a solid web.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein each spacing means is formed by two pins upstanding from the surface of the mould and fixed relative thereto, the pins being spaced apart by a distance which causes the material being moulded to form a solid web therebetween.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the material from which the container is formed is a plastics material.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the container comprises a one-piece moulding having a base defining a plurality of article containi~ng pockets, a hinged lid and interengaging fastening means integral with the lid andfbase respectively for releasably retaining the lid in a closed position, both the base and the lid having said spacing means projecting upwardly therefrom when the container is in its open condition for nesting with other identical containers and arranged so that the or each spacing means on the lid overlies an associated spacing means on the base when the container is closed to form a pair of said spacing means, the web of each spacing means of the or each said pair being inclined to the peripheral rim of the lid or base at the same angle.

5. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container is for packaging eggs.

6. A vacuum and/or pressure formed container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.