GB2417026A

GB2417026A - Tubular boxes

Info

Publication number: GB2417026A
Application number: GB0417878A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Duschnitz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-08-11
Filing date: 2004-08-11
Publication date: 2006-02-15
Also published as: GB0417878D0

Abstract

A box is formed from a blank (10) folded to a tubular form, the blank (10) having a substrate, preferably of cardboard, to which is attached a decorative sheet (22). A preferably separately formed base (20) is retained by a ledge formed internally of the tube by folding sections (16a-16d) and (34a-34d) of the blank back on themselves or by routing the blank.

Description

24 1 7026 - 1 -

MANUFACTURE OF BOXES

The present invention relates to boxes, especially cardboard boxes, and to their method of manufacture.

It is known to produce cardboard boxes or cartons that can be folded flat. These cartons tend to be of relatively low quality and are used in packaging such items as breakfast cereals. More expensive boxes are made by using a 0 laminate comprising a paper sheet, often glossy, overlying a thicker cardboard substrate, the paper being applied to the cardboard substrate after the latter has been formed into a box. Such boxes are more rigid and also more attractive but they cannot currently be folded flat. Consequently, they are difficult to transport and to store.

With a view to providing a box having the appearance and quality of a rigid decorative paper covered box, with the convenience of being capable of folding flat, one aspect of the present invention provides a box formed of a laminated board, wherein the box has sides that are formed of an initially flat blank that is folded into a tube and a base which is retained within the tube and which, once positioned within the tube, prevents the tube from being collapsed, and wherein the flat blank comprises a decorative sheet adhered to a substrate having regions of reduced wall thickness which define a ledge for receiving the base and locating it within the tube.

To simplify manufacture, the base may be formed integrally with the blank, but it may alternatively be The regions of reduced thickness may be formed by folding selected areas of the blank back on itself in order to double its thickness in places or by routing a thick board to leave reduced wall thickness regions.

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The blank may have fold lines to prevent damage to the decorative sheet when the blank is folded along the lines.

These fold lines may be achieved by stamping, creasing or scoring.

In a further embodiment the base may have tabs or detents protruding from its edges which are received within the regions of reduced thickness.

lo According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cardboard box, which comprises providing an initially flat blank having a decorative sheet adhered to a substrate; folding the blank and securing the abutting ends of the blank to one another to form a tube having regions of reduced wall thickness; and locating a base of the box against ledges defined by the regions of reduced thickness.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for manufacturing a box, Figures 2 and 3 are similar views to Figure 2 showing alternative embodiments of the invention, Figure 4 is a section through a box made from the blank in Figure 1 taken along the line IV-IV in Figure 5, Figure 5 is a section through a box taken along the line V-V in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is similar view to Figures 1 to 3 showing a still further embodiment.

In Figure 1, a blank 10 is divided by various cut outs 24 and fold lines 26 into different areas that can be folded over and adhered to one another in the manner to be described below to form a hollow tube of rectangular section. The areas 12a to 12d form the four sides of the see e e e e e e e e ece tube, the areas 34a to 34d are folded down about fold lines 26 and the areas 16a to 16d area folded up about fold lines 26 and adhered to the sides 12a to 12d. The reference numerals 34, 16 and 12 will be used below without a suffix when referring to all four of the respective areas. The combined height of the areas 34 and 16 is less than the height of the areas 12 so that they do not quite meet when folded over. As a result, when folded in the manner described, the blank (and thus the box) becomes as tall as lo the sides 12 and has a single thickness of board at the cut outs 24 which correspond to the four vertical edges of the finished box. The blank also has another area of reduced thickness running the entire width of the blank defined by the gap between the edges of the areas 16 and 34 (when folded over) which runs parallel to the base of the box and is spaced from it by the height of the area 16.

The areas 34a and 16a attached to the side 12a have material removed from their edges 36 and 38 respectively, whereas the side 12d has additional flaps 14 and 18 which are of the same shape as the areas of single thickness of the side 12a after the areas 34a and 16a have been folded onto it. When the ends of the blank are folded onto each other the flap 14 can be adhered to the side 12 to form a tube of rectangular cross section and uniform thickness, as shown in Figure 5.

The base 20 in the embodiment of Figure 1 is formed as a separate board which is slid into the box and is held in place by resting on the ledge defined by the upper edges of the areas 16a to led, in the manner shown in Figure 4.

In the manufacture of a finished box, after the blank has been stamped and creased to form the cut outs 24 and the fold lines 26, an adhesive is applied to the areas 34 and 16 and they are folded over to form a lining for the sides 12. A decorative pre-printed paper cover of a width eee e c c e a e c c ece - 4 slightly exceeding the height of the finished box is adhered to the reverse side of the blank and its side edges are folded over and adhered to all four edges of the blank 10 so that no part of the blank should be visible in the finished box. The blank is next folded over to form the vertical edges of the box. Because of the vertical cut outs 24 and fold lines 26, the covered blank can safely be folded without the decorative outer cover being damaged by being stretched. The flaps 14 and 18 can now be adhered to the side 12a to form a finished tube that can be shipped in a flat configuration together with a separate base 20. The end user can now form the finished box by slightly deforming the base 20 and sliding it into the folded tube until it aligns with the gap/ledge between the areas 16 and 34. At this time, the base will spring back to its natural shape and be trapped within the tube. The base 20 cannot now readily be removed from the tube and while it is in place it prevents the tube from being deformed.

An advantage of this construction is that the base need not be formed as a rectangle but may be formed as a rhombus having sides of length equal to the width of sides 12. The same tube may therefore be used to form either a rectangular box or a diamond shaped box. 2s

The embodiment of Figure 2 is essentially the same as that of Figure 1 and to avoid repetition like parts have been allocated like reference numerals. The embodiment differs from that of Figure 1 in that the base 20' is attached to the area 16b. In the manufacture of the tube, the area 34b is first adhered to the side 12b and thereafter the area 16b is adhered to the side 12b leaving the base 20' resting inside the tube against the side 12b. On receipt of the blank, the end user is merely required to fold down the as base 20' until it locks in position in the gap between the areas 16 and 34.

cc c c c.: c; C. C e c ecc - 5 - The embodiment of Figure 3 demonstrates the fact that the base 20" need not be engaged in a groove around its entire periphery but may have tabs 32' received in regions of reduced thickness in the walls of the tube. In the illustrated embodiment, these regions are formed by triangular cut outs 30' formed near the vertical edges of the box. Once again, like reference numerals have been used to designate like components but a prime has been added to indicate slight modification.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the manufacture of four sided boxes. Any symmetrical box with an even number of sides can be shipped flat with the tube pre-assembled and should it be desired to form a box of an uneven number of sides or of an asymmetrical construction, then it can still be shipped flat if one of the ends of the blank is coated with an adhesive to allow the end user to fold the blank into a tube. Of course this does not prevent a box having an odd number of sides from being pre constructed, but the resulting flattening will create a potentially unsightly fold at some point along one of its faces. Though not preferable, such a solution is still possible.

It should also be mentioned that described embodiments of the invention produce walls with regions of reduced thickness by folding a blank onto itself to double its thickness in only some areas. There are however other ways of achieving a blank of uneven thickness, for example by routing out channels in a thicker board. An embodiment formed in this way is shown in Figure 6. Here, reference numerals showing features common to other embodiments are marked ".

The areas of reduced thickness crucial to the invention are formed in this embodiment by means of routing. This means that no horizontal fold lines are required as the ! .... .. . i ., - 6 - board or substrate need not be doubled over. For the substrate to be structurally sound once routed, it needs to be of sufficient thickness for example 1.7 to 2.0 millimetres.

The lightly shaded areas 40 and 42 represent regions which have been routed on the side of the sheet facing the reader. The darker shaded areas 14" and 18" represent regions where the routing has been carried out on the other lo side of the sheet.

When folded over flaps 14" and 18" may be adhered to the visible face of flap 42, again creating a tube. Dotted fold lines 26" lie within routed region 40 so that the box is again of reduced thickness along its vertical edges, again preventing the substrate from stretching and cracking, or deforming the decorative cover.

The shape of flaps 14" and 18" are such that when adhered to the inside of flap 42, they line up with the horizontal routed lightly shaded region 40 producing an upper and lower ledge running the entire inner circumference of the tube. In an identical way to that described above, the base 20" may then be deformed slightly and slid into the tube until it seats inside region 40, where it "springs" back out to abut against the ledges trapping it in place.

In order to reduce complexity and cost still further it would be entirely possible to stamp a blank which has no flap 14" nor 18". With such a construction there would also be no need for routing of side 12a" to form flap 42. The vertical edges of sides 12a" and 12d" can simply be adhered to one another by means of a strip of adhesive tape located on either the outside or the inside of the box for improved appearance.

:e All. I :e - 7 - The advantage offered by the invention is that it allows production of a box which has an expensive appearance by virtue of being formed of a stiff substrate of substantial thickness and having an attractive covering that totally conceals the substrate. The box can nevertheless be manufactured, stored and transported inexpensively.

An alternative though less expensive solution would be to print any decoration directly onto the surface of the lo board or substrate. This would enable the box to be constructed with almost the same quality of appearance but without the added cost and complexity of providing and securing a decorative cover.

Claims

I: c; I- : e: : ace:: ::e 6. - 8 - CLAIMS

1. A box formed of a laminated board, wherein the box has sides that are formed of an initially flat blank that is folded into a tube and a base which is retained within the tube and which, once positioned within the tube, prevents the tube from being collapsed, and wherein the flat blank comprises a decorative sheet adhered to a substrate having regions of reduced wall thickness which define a ledge for lo receiving the base and locating it within the tube.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base is formed from a board separate from the flat blank.

3. A box as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the regions of reduced thickness are formed by folding sections of the board back on itself in order to double its wall thickness in given locations.

4. A box as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the substrate is cardboard.

5. A box as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the blank has fold lines of reduced thickness to prevent damage to the decorative sheet when the blank is folded along the lines.

6. A box as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base has tabs along its edges which are received within regions of reduced thickness.

7. A method of manufacturing a cardboard box, comprising: providing an initially flat blank having a decorative sheet adhered to a substrate; ;' e. : -: : an' . : 9 - folding the blank onto itself and securing the abutting ends of the blank to one another to form a tube having regions of reduced wall thickness; and locating the base of the box against ledges defined by the regions of reduced wall thickness.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein locating the base of the box is achieved by folding over a face of the blank.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein locating the base of the box is achieved by inserting a separate board into the tube.

IS

10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the regions of reduced thickness are formed by folding over regions of the blank in order to double the wall thickness of the tube is specific locations.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 to 9, wherein the regions of reduced wall thickness are formed by routing a flat blank.

12. A method as claimed in claims 7 to 11, wherein the abutting edges of the blank are secured to one another with adhesive.

13. A method as claimed in claims 7 to 12, wherein the blank is further provided with fold lines having reduced thickness in order to prevent damage to the decorative sheet when the blank is folded.

14. A box substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

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15. A method of making a box substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.