GB2310846A - A carton for storage of giftware - Google Patents

Description

"A Carton" The invention relates to a carton of card material for storage of giftware such as crystal glass.

Heretofore, such cartons have been manufactured under a process which is relatively expensive because of the desirability to avoid cut edges of the card being exposed, to provide the necessary mechanical insulation and rigidity, and also so that the carton is aesthetically pleasing. For example, one approach has been to provide a box which is taped at the corners to cover cut edges of card and also to provide a good visual effect. In such a carton, it is generally necessary to insert additional liners or insulating foam.

The invention is therefore directed towards providing a carton which is of simple construction with both low material costs and simple assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton which provides a good deal of insulation for the products being stored within - to the extent that additional insulation is not required in many instances.

According to the invention, there is provided a carton comprising as an open-topped box covered by a lid, the box comprising: a base panel; opposed side walls, each comprising sections in the following sequence extending from the base panel: an outer panel; a top panel, an inner panel, and a side flap, wherein the inner panel is folded over and secured in place by attachment of the side flap to the base panel and is an inner leaf, the outer panel is an outer leaf, and the top panel is an interconnecting bridge having a planar top surface whereby the inner and outer walls are spaced apart; and opposed end walls, each comprising sections in the following sequence extending from the base panel: an outer panel; a top panel, an inner panel, and a lip, wherein the inner panel is folded over and secured in place by the lip being tucked under the inner panel and is an inner leaf, the outer panel is an outer leaf, and the top panel is an interconnecting bridge having a planar top surface whereby the inner and outer leaves are spaced apart; and wherein a top panel overlaps part of an adjoining top panel at a corner to cover cut card edges which would otherwise be exposed.

In one embodiment opposed side flaps abut each other and together cover the base panel.

Preferably, the box further comprises a bellows section at each corner extending between side and end wall outer panels, each bellows section being tucked into either an end wall or a side wall between the inner and outer leaves.

In another embodiment, the box further comprises a pair of end flaps extending from each side wall inner panel and being inserted into the adjoining end walls between the inner and outer leaves.

In a still further embodiment the lid comprises a cover panel and downwardly - extending side and end walls having outer and inner panels.

Possibly, the inner panels of opposed walls are partly cut away adjacent the corners, and the inner panels of the other walls have flaps which are fitted into the space where the adjoining inner panel is cut away whereby the flaps abut the edges of the adjoining inner panels so that they are flush.

In one embodiment, the lid further comprises a bellows section between outer panels of adjoining walls at each corner, the bellows section being folded into the adjoining wall which has flaps.

The invention also provides card blanks having sections for forming a carton as described above.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above of a carton of the invention comprising a open-topped box and a removable lid; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lid in the up turned position; Fig. 3(a) is a plan view showing a card blank for forming the lid, and Figs. 3(b) and 3(c) are perspective views showing assembly of the lid from the blank; Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) are more detailed perspective views showing the manner in which the lid is assembled at the corners; Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a card blank for forming the open-topped box of the carton; Figs. 6(a) to 6(c) are perspective views from above showing assembly of the box from the card blank; and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the carton.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a carton 1 comprising an open-topped box 2 and a removable lid 3.

The carton 1 is of corrugated cardboard material. One side of each of the blanks for forming the carton 1 has a high-quality outer skin for presentation purposes.

The box 1 comprises a pair of opposed side walls 4 and a pair of opposed end walls 5 to form a rectangular construction and further comprises a base 6.

Referring in particular to Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, the lid 3 is now described in more detail. The lid 3 comprises a cover panel 10, a pair of side walls 11, and a pair of end walls 12. An important aspect of the lid 3 is that it is formed from a single, unitary blank of card. It is therefore inexpensive to provide the raw material and to assemble the lid 3. Another important aspect of the lid 3 is that when assembled there are no exposed cut edges of card.

Referring in particular to Fig. 3(a), a blank 3B for forming the lid 3 is shown. The blank 3B comprises various sections defined by cut lines and fold lines, the fold lines being indicated by interrupted lines in the drawing. In sequence outwardly from the cover panel 10, the blank 3B comprises a side wall outer panel 20 and a side wall inner panel 21 for each of the side walls 11.

Extending outwardly from the cover panel 10 in the other orthogonal direction, the blank 3B comprises an end wall outer panel 25 and an end wall inner panel 26. The outer panels 20 and 25 are interconnected by a bellows section 30. In addition, there is a pair of triangular flaps 31 extending from the inner panel 26 - one on each side of each inner panel 26. The flaps 31 are of triangular shape and include an abutment surface 32. The purpose of the abutment surface 32 is explained in more detail below.

Assembly of the lid 3 from the blank 3B is achieved by folding over the inner panels 21 as shown in Fig. 3(b) and adhering them with adhesive to the inner surfaces of the outer panels 20. Further,- the inner panels 26 are lifted upwardly and folded around so that the bellows sections 30 collapse inwardly and extend inwardly from the corners into the lid 3. As the inner panel 26 is folded over, it envelopes the bellows sections 30 so that they effectively become part of the end walls 12. When completely folded over, the inner panels 26 are retained in position by pressing the flaps 31 into the spaces where the inner panels 21 of the side walls 11 are cut-away adjacent the corners.This is shown most clearly in Figs. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b) in which it is shown how the abutment surface 32 abuts the side edge of the side wall inner panel 21 to retain the end wall inner panel 26 in position. As is clear from 4(b), in this position the flap 31 and the side wall inner panel 21 are flush together. It will also be appreciated that because the outer panels 20 and 25 are interconnected by the bellows sections 30 at the corners, there are no exposed cnt edges at the corners, or indeed in any other part of the lid 3. It will also be appreciated that the end walls 12 are particularly strong because they have a double thickness provided by the inner and outer panels, and at the corners they are particularly strong because of insertion of the bellows sections 30 between the inner and outer panels. Further, the side walls 11 are quite rigid because they include two panels, 20 and 21 which are adhered together. It could be said that bonding of the side wall inner panels 21 to the outer panels 20 provide a foundation for support of the end walls 12 via the flaps 31.

It will thus be appreciated that the lid 3 has a very strong and rigid construction and is very simple to assemble. It will also be appreciated that the material costs are very low as a single, unitary blank is used.

Further, the lid provides a very good aesthetic effect and is easy to handle as there are no exposed cut edges.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, construction of the open-topped box 2 is now described in detail. As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the box 2 is formed from a blank 2B which has a central base panel 40, about which the blank 2B is symmetrical. In sequence outwardly from the base panel 40 in one orthogonal direction the sections of the blank 2B include: a side wall outer panel 41, a relatively narrow side wall top panel 42, a side wall inner panel 43, and a side flap 44.

In addition, there is a pair of end flaps 45 extending in the other orthogonal direction from the inner panel 43.

In sequence outwardly from the base panel 40 in the other orthogonal direction, the sections are: an end wall outer panel 50, a relatively narrow end wall top panel 51, an end wall inner panel 52, and a lip 53.

In addition, the blank 2B comprises a bellows section 46 at each corner extending between adjoining outer panels 41 and 50.

Assembly of the box 2 from the blank 2B is now described with reference to Figs. 6(a) to 6(c) inclusive.

Initially, the side wall inner panels 42 are lifted upwardly and turned in until a stage is reached as shown in Fig. 6(b) when the side flaps 44 overlie the base panel 40 and the top panels 42 form a planar top surface.

Before this stage is reached, however, adhesive is applied to the top surface of the side flaps 44 as viewed in the drawings so that when they overlie the base panel 40 they are bonded to the base panel. As shown in the drawings, the side flaps 44 abut against each other to completely cover the base panel 40 to provide a double card thickness for the base 6 of the box 2. Another feature which arises from bonding the side flaps 44 to the base panel 40 is that a foundation is provided for support of the end walls 5. In the position shown in Fig. 6(b), the end flaps 45 are interleaved across the ends of the carton 2 and as the end wall inner panel 52 is lifted and turned the bellows sections 44 collapse inwardly. Therefore, when the end wall inner panel 52 is turned down it, together with the outer panel 50, envelopes the two bellows sections 46 and the two end flaps 45.The end wall inner panel 52 is then retained in position by tucking the lip 53 underneath the panel 52, the flaps 45 and the bellows sections 46. As stated above, support for each end wall 5 arises from the fact that the end flaps 45 are secured in position because the flaps 44 to which they are indirectly connected are bonded to the base panel 40.

When the end walls 5 are formed, the top panels 51 provide a planar top surface and bridge the inner and outer panels of the end wall, so that they form spaced-apart inner and outer leaves. In addition, the top panels 51 cover over the extremities of the top panels 42 of the side walls in order to cover any exposed edges. This is also aesthetically pleasing.

Referring now to Fig. 7, the carton 1 is shown in crosssectional view in which it is clear how the lid 3 fits over the box 2 to complete the carton. It is very clear from this drawing that the walls are quite substantial because all walls have spaced-apart inner and outer leaves and the end walls additionally include the bellows sections 46 and the end flaps 45. This provides a large degree of mechanical insulation for the contents of the carton and indeed it is envisaged that in many instances very little padding or lining will be required for the giftware to be stored in the carton. It will also be appreciated that the carton 1 is simple to manufacture because the raw materials include only two blanks and the adhesive, and further, assembly is simple and may be easily carried out be hand. Another important feature of the invention is the fact that other than the rounded corners formed by the side wall top panels 51 there are no exposed cut edges of card. This provides safety for handling of the cartons and also provides a very attractive appearance, which is particularly important for storage of giftware.

To complete the carton 1, it is envisaged that various indicia could be applied by a printing technique such as hot foil stamping on a dark background for example.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described, but may be varied in construction and detail.

Claims (9)

1. A carton comprising an open-topped box covered by a lid, the box comprising: a base panel; opposed side walls, each comprising sections in the following sequence extending from the base panel: an outer panel; a top panel, an inner panel, and a side flap, wherein the inner panel is folded over and secured in place by attachment of the side flap to the base panel and is an inner leaf, the outer panel is an outer leaf, and the top panel is an interconnecting bridge having a planar top surface; opposed end walls, each comprising sections in the following sequence extending from the base panel:: an outer panel; a top panel, an inner panel, and a lip, wherein the inner panel is folded over and secured in place by the lip being tucked under the inner panel and is an inner leaf, the outer panel is an outer leaf, and the top panel is an interconnecting bridge having a planar top surface whereby the inner and outer leaves are spaced-apart; and wherein a top panel overlaps part of an adjoining top panel at a corner to cover cut card edges which would otherwise be exposed.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1, wherein opposed side flaps abut each other and together cover the base panel.

3. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the box further comprises a bellows section at each corner extending between side and end wall outer panels, each bellows section being tucked into either an end wall or a side wall between the inner and outer leaves.

4. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the box further comprises a pair of end flaps extending from each side wall inner panel and being inserted into the adjoining end walls between the inner and outer leaves.

5. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lid comprises a cover panel and downwardly extending side and end walls having outer and inner panels.

6. A carton as claimed in claim 5, wherein the inner panels of opposed walls are partly cut away adjacent the corners, and the inner panels of the other walls have flaps which are fitted into the space where the adjoining inner panel is cut away whereby the flaps abut the edges of the adjoining inner panels so that they are flush.

7. A carton as claimed in claim 6 wherein the lid further comprises a bellows section between outer panels of adjoining walls at each corner, each bellows section being folded into the adjoining wall which has flaps.

8. A carton substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. Card blanks for forming a carton as claimed in any preceding claim.