GB2208642A

GB2208642A - Boxes

Info

Publication number: GB2208642A
Application number: GB8818966A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Anthony Evans
Original assignee: S H W CONTAINERS
Current assignee: S H W CONTAINERS
Priority date: 1987-08-14
Filing date: 1988-08-10
Publication date: 1989-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-10
Also published as: GB8818966D0; GB8719275D0; GB2208642B

Abstract

A box (10) for vegetable or fruit produce has a base panel (11), side and end wall panels (12 and 13), two inturned flanges (14) connected to the upper edges of the side walls (12), and support posts (16) in the corners of the box (10) beneath the flanges (14) which enable a greater number of boxes to be stacked one on top of another than in the case where the support posts (16) are missing. Each end wall (13) is provided with a large ventilation opening (15) extending from its upper edge to provide sufficient ventilation for the produce ventilation when the boxes are stacked. The opening (15) may be replaced by at least one ventilation opening below a continuous straight upper edge of each end wall. The box (10) may be assembled from a unitary blank of sheet material subdivided into panelling by cuts and by lines of weakness or hinge-lines. <IMAGE>

Description

BOXES This invention relates to boxes which are formed from sheet material of the kind which can be bent or folded along hinge lines or lines of weakness. The term box is used herein in a general sense so as to include within its scope such articles as cartons or containers.

The invention has been developed principally in relation to boxes intended for containing vegetable produce of various kinds such as cauliflowers, lettuces and tomatoes as well as fruit. It must be understood, however, that the invention is also applicable to boxes used and intended for use for other purposes.

A known design of box used for vegetable produce is made from corrugated board and is of generally rectangular shape in plan, side elevation and end elevation, having a rectangular base, two opposed rectangular side walls and two opposed rectangular end walls, each of uniform height and connected to a respective edge of the base. The box also includes two inturned flanges each of which is connected to the upper edge of a respective one of the two opposed side walls of the box and extends a short way across the mouth of the box. The flanges serve to stiffen the box. An aperture is commonly provided substantially at the centre of each end wall to make the box easier to carry.A box of this known design may be made from a unitary blank of corrugated cardboard which is subdivided into various panels by cuts and by lines of weakness which form hinge-lines along which the blank is bent during assembly of the box.

The presence of the flanges in boxes of this known design enables several boxes to be stacked one on top of another for transportation and storage, but such stacking gives rise to certain problems. Cauliflowers, for instance, are conventionally stored in a single layer in boxes having typical dimensions of 600mm x 490mm x 165mm. Such a box can contain a dozen cauliflowers which typically weigh between 13.6 and 15.9 kg (30 and 35 lbs). Tomatoes on the other hand are conventionally stored in two layers in boxes having typical dimensions of 385mm x 300mm x 140mm. Nevertheless such a box filled with tomatoes may weigh in the order of 5.44 kg (12 lbs). The loading on the bottom box in a stack of boxes is therefore quite considerable.When boxes are stacked on a pallet it is commonly desired to stack them ten high but the boxes of the known design are hardly strong enough for this purpose.

Also, it is a requirement for the produce within the boxes to be well-ventilated to prolong its storage life, but in practice it often happens that only the produce in the uppermost box generally receives sufficient ventilation. Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing small openings in the side walls and or the end walls, but these have not been wholly satisfactory as they tend to be blocked by produce in the box and they weaken the structure of the box.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved design of box enabling these disadvantages to be overcome or at least reduced.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a box made of sheet material of the kind which can be bent or folded along hinge-lines or lines of weakness, the box having a base, opposed side walls and opposed end walls each connected to a respective edge of the base and inturned strengthening flanges connected one to each of the upper edges of the opposed side walls, and support posts formed from the sheet material being provided within the box underneath the flanges.

There is preferably at least one ventilation opening in each end wall. When two or more boxes in accordance with the invention are stacked one on top of another, the ventilation openings in the end walls have been found to improve the circulation of air to vegetable produce within the boxes. Normally, however, the removal of material from the end walls would weaken the structure of the box excessively; However, the support posts beneath the flanges can more than compensate for this and can provide sufficient support to enable a greater number of boxes to be stacked one on top of another than was previously possible with the known design of box described above.

In one preferred embodiment there is at least one large ventilation opening extending from the upper edge of each end wall. Each end wall may also have an opening or indentation below the ventilation opening in order to provide a hand hold for carrying the box.

Such a box is particularly suitable for containing cauliflowers or lettuces accommodated in the box in a single layer.

Alternatively, the ventilation opening extending from the upper edge of each end wall may be replaced by at least one ventilation opening in the end wall below a continuous straight upper edge. Such a box is suitable for containing tomatoes or similar produce stacked in two or more layers in the box. This is because tomato boxes conventionally have a self-adhesive cover, usually in the form of a card, affixed over the upper surface of the box, and such a cover could interfere with ventilation openings extending from the upper edges of the end walls.

Preferably, the ventilation opening or each ventilation opening is so disposed as to provide ventilation between the two or more layers of tomatoes or other produce in the box.

In a preferred construction, the base, the side walls and the end walls of the box are all generally rectangular in shape and the support posts are provided within the box at its corners between adjacent side and end walls. The support posts may be of any convenient shape but preferably they are substantially triangular in cross-section. The ends of the inturned flanges are preferably anchored to the end walls to strengthen the structure of the box.

The sheet material from which the box is made may conveniently comprise corrugated board such as corrugated cardboard, but alternatively it may comprise some other type of material such as a known type of panelling made as a unitary extrusion from a plastics material and comprising two parallel laminae held apart by parallel strips which extend between the laminae and are at right angles to the laminae.

The box may be assembled from a blank which is formed as a unitary whole and which is bent or folded along hinge-lines or lines of weakness during assembly of the box.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a blank for assembly of a box in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the blank comprising panelling subdivided by cuts and by lines of weakness or hinge-lines along which the panelling can be bent, said cuts and lines defining a plurality of panels, the blank including a central rectangular base panel, two rectangular end wall panels each of which is connected along one edge to a respective one of two opposed edges of the base panel, two rectangular side wall panels each of which is connected along one edge to a respective one of the other two opposed edges of the base panel and along its opposite edge to a flange-forming panel, the arrangement being such that in assembly of the blank to form a box the blank can be bent along the edges between the base panel and the side and end wall panels and along the edges between the side wall panels and the flange-forming panels so that there are a pair of opposed side wall panels and a pair of opposed end wall panels upstanding from the base and a pair of inturned flanges defining an incomplete upper surface spaced above the base, the blank including a plurality of support post panels which are adapted to be bent to form support posts within the box. beneath the flanges.

Preferably, the blank includes two pairs of end wall outer and inner panels, the outer and inner panels of each pair being connected together and having complementary openings the arrangement being such that the inner and outer panels of each pair can be bent with respect to each other into a position in which they lie parallel to each other with at least one common ventilation opening formed by the openings in the panels.

Conveniently, each of the support post panels is connected to a panel which is folded within the walls of the box in its assembled state. In a preferred embodiment of the blank in accordance with the second aspect of the invention the support post panels are connected to lateral edges of end wall inner panels.

Each support post panel is preferably divided by lines of weakness into at least three individual sub-panels which may be bent to form a support post that is at least three-sided.

Embodiments of present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view, from above, of a box for cauliflowers, lettuces or other produce embodying the first aspect of the present invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the box of Figure 1 stacked on top of another similar box; Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of a corner of the box shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a blank embodying the second aspect of the present invention from which the box shown in Figure 1 is formed, Figures 5 to 7 are plan, side elevation and end elevation views respectively of a box for tomatoes or other produce similar to the box of Figures 1 to 3, Figure 8 is an end elevation of a modified box;; and Figure 9 is a plan view of a blank similar to the blank of Figure 4 from which the box shown in Figures 5 to 7 is formed.

The box 10 shown in Figure 1 is made from corrugated cardboard and is of generally rectangular shape in plan, side elevation and end elevation. It is intended for containing vegetable produce such as cauliflowers, cabbages or lettuces. The box 10 has a rectangular lower surface or base panel 11, two opposed side wall panels 12, two opposed end walls 13 and an incomplete upper surface spaced above the base 11 and formed by two upper flanges 14. Each of the flanges 14 is connected to the upper edge of a respective one of the opposed side wall. panels 12 and the ends of the flanges 14 are anchored to the end walls 13. Each flange 14 extends across the upper surface of the box for less than half of the width of the box 10. The upper flanges 14 stiffen the side wall panels 12 and also enable two or more boxes 10,10' to be stacked one on top of another as shown in Figure 2.

The sides and end walls 12 and 13 of the box are of uniform height except that an opening 15 of generally trapezoidal shape is provided midway along the upper edge 17 of each of the end walls 13. The openings 15 serve as ventilation openings when two or more boxes 10,10' are stacked one on top of another.

Midway along the lower edge of each of the end walls 13 a rectangular indentation 18 is provided which serves as a hand hold for a carrier when the box is to be lifted or carried.

Inside the box, a support post 16 also formed from corrugated cardboard is provided at each corner between adjacent side and end walls 12 and 13. The support posts 16 extend for the whole of the height of the side and end walls 12 and 13 so that they provide additional support for the upper surface flanges 14 which would normally be supported only by the upper edges 17 of the end walls 13. The support posts 16 therefore strengthen the structure of the box 10 and enable more boxes to be stacked one on top of another than would otherwise be the case in the absence of the support posts 16.

The box shown in Figure I may be assembled from the generally rectangular blank illustrated in Figure 4 which is made as a unitary whole from corrugated cardboard. The blank is subdivided into a plurality of panels by cuts and by lines of weakness constituting hinge-lines along which the blank can be bent. The blank essentially comprises a central rectangular base panel 11, two rectangular side wall panels 12, two end wall outer panels 21, two end wall inner panels 22, two flange-forming panels 14 and four support post panels 23.

Each of the two side wall panels 12 is connected by a hinge-line 24 along one edge to a respective side edge of the base panel 11 and by another hinge-line 25 along an opposite edge to a respective one of the flange-forming panels 14. Inner end flaps 26 are connected by hinge-lines 27 along each of the other two opposite edges of each of the side wall panels 12, and outer end flaps 28 are connected by hinge-lines 29 to the inner end flaps 26 and by hinge-lines 30 to respective triangular locking portions 31 each of which is in turn connected by another hinge-line 32 to an adjacent end edge of a respective one of the flange-forming panels.

The opposite end edges of the base panel 11 are also connected by hinge-lines 33 to adjacent edges of the end wall outer panels 21, each of which is in turn connected by two thin intermediate strips 34 on its opposite edge to a respective one of the end wall inner panels 22. Each support post panel 23, divided by hinge-lines into sub-panels 43, 44, 45 and 46, is connected by a hinge-line 35 to each of the side edges of each end wall inner panel 22. Between the intermediate strips 34 and the end wall outer and inner panel members 21 and 22 there is a generally six-sided opening or cut-out portion 36 in the blank.

It will be appreciated that the blank could be formed from a single rectangular sheet of corrugated cardboard initially without any cut-outs or hinge-lines. The rectangular sheet could then be cut to the outline shown in Figure 4 with appropriate cuts and creases being made to divide the blank into panels. Besides the generally six-sided openings or cut-outs 36, there are smaller cut-outs 37 at the corners of each end wall outer panel 21 and cuts are also made between the end wall outer panels 21 and the inner end flaps 26, and between the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 and the support post panels 23. Two small cuts 38 are also made at right angles to the hinge-line 33 between the base panel 11 and each end wall outer panel 21 and the ends of these cuts are joined by hinge-lines 39 to define two small rectangular panels 40 and 41.Instead of creasing the cardboard, some or all of the lines of weakness defining the hinge-lines may be formed by cutting a row of longitudinally aligned slits in the cardboard in a known manner. The broken lines in Figure 4 indicate the hinge-lines which are formed by rows of slits, and the other hinge-lines, indicated by unbroken lines, are formed by creases.

The box as shown in Figure 1 may be assembled from the blank illustrated in Figure 4 in the manner which will be described below.

First, the side wall panels 12, the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 and the flange-forming panels 14 are bent upwards so that they extend at right angles to the base panel 11, and the flange-forming panels 14 together with the outer end flaps 28 and the triangular portions 31 are bent over at right angles to the side wall panels 12 and the inner end flaps 26. The flange-forming panels 14 are then in their correct position to form the inturned flanges that constitute the incomplete upper surface of the box. The next step is to fold the inner end flaps 26 inwards whilst folding the outer end flaps 28 up and the triangular portions 31 back over on themselves so that they occupy the position shown in broken lines in Figure 2 in which the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 and the triangular portions 31 are perpendicular with respect to both the base 11 and the side walls 12 of the box.

The triangular locking portions 31 in this position serve to anchor the ends of the inturned flanges 14 to the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28.

In an alternative construction, illustrated in Figure 9, cuts 29' are formed in place of the hinge-lines 29 and the hinge-lines 30 are omitted. In this manner the triangular portion 31 and the outer end flap 28 near each corner of the blank become a single locking flap 28' which is folded over the inner end flap 26 so as to extend vertically downwards from the end of the associated flange 14 to anchor the end of that flange in place.

The end wall inner and outer panels 22 and 21 and the support post panels 23 are then bent about the hinge-line 33 into a vertical plane perpendicular to the base 11 and, at the same time, the small rectangular panels 40 and 41 are pushed inwards to form indentations 18 at the bottom edges of the end wall outer panels 21. The next step is to bend the support post panels 23 outwards at right angles to the end wall inner panels 22 so that the end wall inner panels 22 can be folded over the upper edges of the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 into a position in which the end wall inner panel 22 is within the box and extends parallel to the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 and the support post panels 23 extend perpendicularly with respect to the base 11 and end walls 13 of the box.

In this position, the triangular locking portions 31 (or, in the alternative construction, the locking flaps 28') are trapped between the adjacent inner end flaps 26 and the end wall outer panels 21, and the inner end flaps 26 are sandwiched between the end wall outer and inner panels 21 and 22 with the strips 34 constituting the upper end edges 17 of the box. The top surfaces of those upper edges 17 ae flush with the top surfaces of the flanges 14.

Finally, the individual sub-panels 43, 44, 45 and 46 of the support post panels 23 are folded inwards on themselves to form support posts 16 of triangular cross-section at the corners of the box 10 beneath the flanges 14 as shown in broken lines in Figure 3. The support posts 16 help to lock the box 10 in its fully assembled condition and provide additional support for the flanges 14 which would otherwise be supported only by the upper edges of the inner and outer end flaps 26 and 28 which form part of the end walls 13 of the box.

The box shown in Figures 5 to 7 is of similar construction to the box illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, having a base 11, two side walls 12, two end walls 13, two upper flanges 14 and four support posts 16 in the corners of the box.

The box may be formed from the blank of cardboard material shown in Figure 9 which is similar to the blank illustrated in Figure 4. The box of Figures 5 to 7 differs from the box of Figures 1 to 3 in that the upper edges 17 of the end walls 13 are straight and continuous and two ventilation openings 15' of substantially circular shape are provided in each end wall 13. The ventilation openings 15' not only replace the ventilation recesses 15 of the box described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 but also may serve as finger holds eliminating the need for the rectangular indentations provided in the lower edges of the end walls in the box.

It will be appreciated from Figure 9 that the ventilation openings 15' shown in Figure 7 have been formed by providing two circular openings 36' in the end wall inner panel and a single opening 36" of elongated oval shape in the end wall outer panel 21 of the blank shown in Figure 9.

In a modification, the two circular openings 15' in each end wall may be replaced by a single oblong ventilation opening which can also serve as a hand hold. The oblong openings may, for instance, be disposed centrally in the end walls and formed by replacing the circular openings 36' in the end wall inner panels 22 with a cut-out of elongated oval shape corresponding to opening 36" in Figure 9.

Alternatively, in a modified construction the ventilation openings may be in the form of trapezoidal openings 15" provided in the lower edges of the end walls 13, as shown in Figure 8. In a further modification a flap integrally hinged to the inner and outer panel may be provided instead of the circular openings 15' in each end wall. In use the flap would be pressed inwards to form the ventilation opening.

Figures 5 and 6 also illustrate other slight modifications which are particularly applicable to boxes for tomatoes. Figure 5 shows eight ventilation holes 19, each of 18mm diameter, provided in the base 11 of the box and Figure 6 shows two ventilation holes 20, each of 35mm diameter, provided in the side walls 12 of the box.

It will be appreciated that various other modifications may be made to the boxes illustrated in the drawings without departing from the scope of the invention. The dimensions of the box may be varied to suit different fruit or vegetable produce. It is even possible that a similar box may be formed with ends longer than the sides. Such a box could be used for beans or spring onions where it is desired to conceal the ends of the produce underneath the inturned flanges.

Claims

1. A box made of sheet material of the kind which can be bent or folded along hinge-lines or lines of weakness, the box having a base, opposed side walls and opposed end walls each connected to a respective edge of the base and inturned strengthening flanges connected one to each of the upper edges of the opposed side walls, and support posts formed from the sheet material being provided within the box underneath the flanges.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which there is at least one ventilation opening in each end wall.

3. A box as claimed in claim 2 in which each end wall has at least one ventilation opening extending from its upper edge.

4. A box as claimed in claim 3 in which each end wall has an opening or indentation below said ventilation opening, which provides a hand hold for carrying the box.

5. A box as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 in which each each end wall has a continuous straight upper edge and at least one ventilation opening in the end wall, spaced below the continuous straight upper edge.

6. A box as claimed in claim 5 in which a single ventilation opening of oblong shape is provided in each end wall, said opening also serving as a hand hold.

7. A box as claimed in claim 5 in which at least two substantially circular openings are provided in each end wall, said openings also serving as finger holds.

8. A box as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the base, the side walls and the end walls are generally rectangular in shape and the support posts are provided within the box at its corners between adjacent side and end walls.

9. A box as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the support posts are substantially triangular in cross-section.

10. A box as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ends of the inturned flanges are anchored to the end walls.

11. A box as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is made from corrugated cardboard.

12. A box as claimed in any one of the preceding claims assembled from a unitary blank of sheet material bent or folded along hinge-lines or lines of weakness to form the box-shape.

13. A unitary blank for assembly of a box in accordance with claim 12, the blank comprising panelling subdivided by cuts and by lines of weakness or hinge-lines along which the panelling can be bent, said cuts and lines defining a plurality of panels, the blank including a central rectangular base panel, two rectangular end wall panels each of which is connected along one edge to a respective one of two opposed edges of the base panel, two rectangular side wall panels each of which is connected along one edge to a respective one of the other two opposed edges of the base panel and along its opposite edge to a flange-forming panel, the arrangement being such that in assembly of the blank to form a box the blank can be bent along the edges between the base panel and the side and end wall panels and along the edges between the side wall panels and the flange-forming panels so that there are a pair of opposed side wall panels and a pair of opposed end wall panels upstanding from the base and a pair of inturned flanges defining an incomplete upper surface spaced above the base, the blank including a plurality of support post panels which are adapted to be bent to form support posts within the box beneath the flanges.

14. A blank according to claim 13 in which there is at least one ventilation opening in each end wall panel.

15. A blank as claimed in either of claims 13 and 14 which has a pair of first end wall panels joined to opposite sides of the base panel, and at least two other end wall-forming panels comprising a pair of second end wall panels each joined to a respective one of the first end wall panels and arranged to be folded to extend parallel to an adjacent first end wall panel and/or at least two end flaps each joined to an end of a respective side wall panel and arranged to be folded to extend parallel to one of the first end wall panels.

16. A blank as claimed in claim 15 as dependant on claim 14 in which each of the pair of first end wall panels has at least one opening -and each of the other end wall-forming panels has at least one corresponding opening, the arrangement being such that the openings or cut-out portions are able to form ventilation openings in the end walls of a box assembled from the blank.

17. A blank as claimed in either of claims 15 and 16 which has locking flaps each joined to a respective end of an associated flange-forming panel, each locking flap being arranged to be folded to extend alongside an end-wall forming panel and to be anchored between said end wall-forming panel and another end wall-forming panel to anchor the respective end of the associated flange in an assembled box.

18. A blank as claimed in claim 17 in which each locking flap comprises an outer end flap joined to an adjacent inner end flap by a hinge-line or line of weakness and a triangular locking portion joined to its associated flange-forming panel and to the outer end flap by hinge-lines or lines of weakness.

19. A blank as claimed in claim 17 in which each locking flap comprises a single locking flap joined only to the end of its associated flange-forming panel.

20. A blank as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19 in which each support post panel is joined to an end wall-forming panel which is arranged to be folded within the box to form an end wall inner panel in its assembled state.

21. A box assembled from a blank according to any one of claims 15 to 20 in which each end wall comprises a pair of end flaps each joined to the ends of respective side walls and sandwiched between a first outer end wall panel and a second inner end wall panel.

22. A box as claimed in claim 21 and assembled from a blank as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19 in which each locking flap is anchored between a respective end flap and a respective one of the end wall outer panels.

23. A box as claimed in claim 21 and assembled from a blank as claimed in claim 20 in which each support post panel is joined to a respective lateral edge of a second inner end wall panel.

24. A box substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

25. A unitary blank of sheet material for forming a box in accordance with claim 24 and substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

26. A box substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

27. A box as claimed in claim 26 modified in the manner substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.

28. A unitary blank of sheet material for forming a box in accordance with claim 26 substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.