US20190218010A1

US20190218010A1 - Packaging system and method

Info

Publication number: US20190218010A1
Application number: US16/312,861
Authority: US
Inventors: Colin COULES
Original assignee: Oakbridge Investments Ltd
Current assignee: Oakbridge Investments Ltd
Priority date: 2016-06-29
Filing date: 2017-06-23
Publication date: 2019-07-18
Also published as: EP3478590A1; CN109641678A; US20190233157A1; CN109641677A; WO2018002590A1; WO2018002591A1; EP3478591A1

Abstract

A packaging system for goods is provided, comprising a box (1) for holding the goods, the box having four side walls (11a-d), a front face (12) and a rear face (16). The front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps (13a-d) defining a front window (13). The packaging system further comprises either a plastic film (6) wrapped around the box, covering the front face and the rear face of the box and retaining the goods within the box; or at least one band (6) placed around the box, placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and retain the goods within the box. The front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging of goods, in particular consumer goods such as food, drink, toiletries, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known packaging systems use a box or a tray made of cardboard (corrugate), a plastic film, or a combination thereof. If combined, the box or tray usually supports the goods, while the plastic film is provided around the box or tray containing the goods.
One known technique uses a heat shrink film, which is provided around goods and a tray and then treated in a heat tunnel. The heat shrink film shrinks and tightens around the goods and the tray. However, the use of a heat tunnel is expensive, especially in terms of energy consumption. With certain types of goods (such as aerosols stored in pressurized containers) there is a substantial risk of explosion. With other types of goods such as food, there are food safety limitations, e.g. food safety risk of chilled or frozen foods passing through the heat tunnel, or Quality limitations, e.g. heat spoilage of foods or packaging.
An alternative approach is to pack goods inside a box. Such boxes are usually made of cardboard. To be sufficiently resilient, and to prevent failure of the box while the goods are held within the box, the cardboard of the boxes has to be sufficiently thick. The boxes usually have full walls, with no openings in order to protect the goods from damage and to protect them from falling out of the box. The boxes are glued and/or taped together to prevent them from disassembling or falling apart. Such packaging may consume a great deal of cardboard.
Unpacking such a conventional box usually requires the box to be opened by hand, which usually involves cutting the tape which holds the box shut. Then, the goods have to be taken out of the box and placed in freezer one by one. This makes the opening and unpacking process inefficient, especially in a case where many small items are to be placed in the freezer, because it takes a great deal of worker's time. This is disadvantageous, because apart from the time a worker needs to put the items into the freezer, it also increases the time the freezer has to be opened and the time the frozen goods are exposed to a temperature above zero, thus contributing to higher energy consumption and/or risk of spoiling the foods.
As mentioned above, trays are wrapped in heat shrink plastic film. Unpacking of a conventional tray covered in heat shrink plastic film is also time consuming and inefficient. A further drawback is the need to cut the film using a knife or a similar sharp instrument. This is dangerous from the health and safety point of view.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome at least some of the above identified problems, a packaging system for goods and a packaging method are provided.
The packaging system according to a first aspect comprises a box for holding the goods, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face; wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window; wherein the packaging system further comprises either

- (i) a plastic film wrapped around the box, the plastic film covering the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retaining the goods within the box; or
- (ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box;
  and wherein the front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards.

In second aspect, a packaging system for goods is provided, the packaging system comprising a box for holding the goods, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face; wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window; wherein the packaging system further comprises either

- (i) a plastic film wrapped around the box, the plastic film covering the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retaining the goods within the box; or
- (ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box;
  wherein the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps.

In the various embodiments of the invention, the packaging system according to the first aspect or the second aspect may use one or more of the following features:

- the front flaps may be configured to disengage under the weight of the goods;
- the front flaps may be configured to disengage when two of the front flaps are pulled apart;
- the front face of the box may be rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps comprising interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps, the interlock features being configured to disengage when the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N;
- the front flaps may be configured to disengage in a single action;
- the interlocking features may be configured to disengage simultaneously;
- the interlocking features may be configured to prevent ripping or tearing of the front flaps or the interlock features while the interlock features are disengaged;
- the interlock features provided on the longer front flaps may comprise outer tab parts, apertures, and an inner tab part; the interlock features provided on the shorter front flaps may comprise base parts and a tab; and the tabs provided on the shorter front flaps may be configured to pass into the apertures provided on the longer front flaps so that adjacent the corners of the box, the inner tab parts overlap the tabs, while the base part overlaps the outer tab parts;
- the apertures may comprise curved bottom parts, and a portion of the aperture close to the bottom part may be narrower than the portion further from the bottom part;
- the apertures may be less than 6 mm deep;
- the base part may comprise corner portions, and the corner portions may be curved;
- once the interlock features are engaged, the overlap of the interlock features may be less than 6 mm;
- once the interlock features are engaged, the overlap of the interlock features may be in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm;
- after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face may be configured to disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg;
- the front flaps may be 4 to 6 cm high;
- the front flaps may be 5 cm high;
- the overlap of the shorter front flaps over the longer front flaps may be less than 6 mm.

In a third aspect, a packaging method is provided. The packaging method uses a box and either a plastic film, or at least one band, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face, wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window; the method comprising: positioning the goods in the box through the front face; positioning shorter flaps of the front face over longer flaps of the front face; and either

- (i) wrapping the box in at least one layer of the plastic film so that the plastic film at least partially covers the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box, or
- (ii) placing the at least one band around the box so that the at least one band encircles the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box.

The method according to the third aspect may further comprise, when positioning the shorter flaps over the longer flaps, engaging interlock features provided on the front flaps of the box.
In a fourth aspect, a method of unpacking goods is provided. The method provides for unpacking goods from a package formed of a box and either a plastic film or at least one band, wherein the goods are positioned inside the box, the box having four side walls, a front face comprising front flaps defining a front window, and a rear face, the front window in the front face being configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box when the box turned so that the front face faces downwards, wherein either (i) the plastic film is wrapped around the box, and the plastic film comprises perforations along one of the side walls, the front face or the rear face, or (ii) the at least one band is placed around the box; the method comprising: locating the perforations and breaking the film by pulling the film apart along the perforations and removing the film from the box, or cutting the band; turning the box so that the front face faces downwards; unloading the goods.
In various embodiments of the invention, the packaging method according to the fourth aspect may use one or more of the following features:

- when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps may disengage under the weight of the goods and/or when two of the front flaps are pulled apart;
- after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face may disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg;
- the front face of the box may be rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps such that opening the longer front flaps pushes the shorter front flaps open;
- the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps may comprise interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps, wherein the interlock features may disengage when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards and the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c are perspective views of a box which forms part of a packaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a foldable blank which may be used to make the box of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a box wrapped in a plastic film according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are flow charts illustrating methods of packing and unpacking the goods; and

FIGS. 5a-c illustrate the unpacking of the goods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-5 depict one embodiment of a packaging system according to the present invention. The packaging system according to this embodiment comprises two parts: a box 1 and a plastic film 6.
The box 1, shown in FIGS. 1a to 1c , is preferably made of cardboard. Alternatively, the box 1 may be made of kraft paper, suitable plastic material, polystyrene, wood, carton board, folding box board, or any suitable case material (case material being the collective term for all layers making up a corrugated box). However, use of cardboard is preferred because of its low cost and good mechanical properties.
The box 1 has side walls 11 a-d, a front face 12 and a rear face 16.
The front face 12 of the box 1 has a front window 13. In the example shown in the Figures, there are four side walls 11 a-d, and the front window 13 is rectangular. However, the front window 13 may take any suitable shape, e.g. according to the shape of the box 1 (as explained below). In the illustrated embodiment, the front window 13 is at the centre of the front face 12, but the front window 13 may be provided at a non-central location.
The rear face 16 of the box 1 may have a rear window 15. Similarly to front window 13, the rear window 15 may be rectangular, or may take any other suitable shape, e.g. according to the shape of the box 1. The rear window 15 may be positioned at the centre of the rear face 16, or may be provided at a non-central location. In some embodiments, the rear window 15 is not provided, and the rear face 16 is fully closed.
The rear window 15 may be smaller and/or narrower than the front window 13. Such arrangement with the front window 13 longer and/or wider than the rear window 15 is beneficial because it facilitates easy removal of the goods out of the box 1 (as described below). In addition, the rear window 15 and the front window 13 provide strength to the box 1 and enhance its capability to hold and transport goods. It may also improve stability of the boxes 1 when a box is positioned on top of another box. As further detailed below, the boxes 1 are preferably oriented with the rear face 16 downwards during transport and handling. In such case, rear flaps 15 a-d provided on the rear face 16 of the top box engage front flaps 13 a-d provided on the front face 12 of the bottom box, and the boxes may be more stable. In case the boxes are not oriented with the rear face 16 downwards, the front and rear flaps 13 a-d, 15 a-d can prevent the adjacent side wall of the box from deforming (bending) inwardly, and therefore may reinforce the box.
In the below-described example, the four side walls 11 a-d are rectangular, with two opposing side walls 11 a, 11 c being longer, and the other two opposing side walls 11 b, 11 d being shorter. However, the side walls may be of any other shape and configuration, e.g. square. The side walls may be more or less than four, e.g. three or five. Therefore, any desired shape of the box (for example triangular box, hexagonal box etc.) may be obtained.
The box 1 may be formed by folding a foldable blank 10 along the lines shown in FIG. 2. A tab 14 a at one end of the blank 10 is glued or otherwise attached to the edge 14 b of the sidewall 11 c at the opposite end of the blank to form a partly assembled box 1. Once the tab 14 a is glued to the edge 14 b, the box 1 can be stored in a partly assembled but still flat state, without engaging front flaps 13 a-d (described below) and without fully forming the box. The box 1 can be formed into its fully assembled state immediately before use.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, the side walls 11 a-d are provided with front flaps 13 a-d and with rear flaps 15 a-d. The rear flaps 15 a-d are positioned opposite to the front flaps 13 a-d. In the example shown in the Figures, the front flaps 13 a-d comprise a pair of longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c, corresponding to the longer side walls 11 a, 11 c, and a pair of shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d, corresponding to the shorter side walls 11 b, 11 d.
The front flaps 13 a-d may comprise interlock features, or, alternatively, they can be unsecured. If the interlock features are not provided, the flaps 13 a-d are held closed during the transport and handling by the plastic film (as described below). Once the box 1 is filled and fully assembled, the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d are preferably positioned over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c, i.e. the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d overlap the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c when seen from the outside. The front flaps 13 a-d, even if unsecured, still provide reinforcement for the side walls 11 a-d during handling, stacking and transporting, as described above. Once the plastic film is removed, the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d can be pushed open by the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c when goods are to be unloaded from the box.
If the interlock features are provided, the interlock features are designed to be easily opened. To achieve this effect, the interlock features are designed so that they do not engage permanently.
In addition or alternatively, the front flaps 13 a-d may be narrow, e.g. between 4 to 6 cm high, preferably 4.5 cm to 5.5 cm high, as further detailed below.
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c comprises a pair of apertures 134 (described below). The apertures 134 are positioned approximately 4 cm from the shorter outer edge of the respective longer front flap 13 a, 13 c. The apertures 134 are provided in a form of inwardly tapering cut-outs. The apertures may be generally parallel with respect to the shorter outer edge of the respective longer front flap 13 a, 13 c. The apertures 134 divide the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c into a pair of outer tab parts 132, positioned adjacent to the outer edges of the front flaps 13 a-d, and a single inner tab part 136, positioned between the apertures 134. The outer tab parts 132, the apertures 134, and the inner tab part 136 together form interlock features provided on the longer front flaps 13 a, c. These interlock features cooperate with the interlock features provided on the shorter flaps 13 b, d (described below). The above value 4 cm is merely an example. In general, the distance between the apertures 134 and the shorter outer edges of the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c will depend upon the height of the front flaps 13 a-d (the apertures 134 are positioned such that they receive the shorter front flaps 131).
Each of the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d comprises a base part 131 and a tab 133. The tab 133 is narrower than the base part 131, and protrudes outwardly from the base part 131. The base part 131 comprises two corner portions 131 a. The tab 133 may be positioned centrally on the base part 131. The base 131 and the tab 133 together form interlock features provided on the shorter front flaps 13 b, d.
The interlock features 131-136 cooperate to form the front face 12 from the flaps 13 a-d. Longer front flaps 13 a, c are folded. The shorter front flaps 13 b, d are then folded over the longer front flaps 13 a, c. The corner portions 133 a of the tabs 133 pass into the apertures 134 so that adjacent the corners of the box, the inner tab parts 136 overlap the corner portions 133 a, while the base part 131 overlaps the outer tab parts 132. Thus, the front face 12 with the front window 13 is assembled.
The aperture 134, which is positioned between the outer tab part 132 and an inner tab part 136, is preferably not deeper than 6 mm. The minimum depth of the aperture 134 may be 3 mm. The aperture may be between 4 mm and 5 mm deep. Preferably, the aperture 134 is 5 mm deep. The aperture 134 is preferably tapered, with a bottom part 134 a of the aperture 134 curved. The bottom part 134 a of the aperture 134 is U-shaped, and a portion of the aperture 134 close to the bottom part 134 a narrower than the portion further from the bottom part 134 a. The bottom part 134 a is preferably a continuous, smooth curve.
The corner portion 131 a of the base part 131 is preferably also curved, i.e. the corner portion 131 a is not provided with a sharp corner. The corner portion 131 a is preferably a continuous smooth curve.
Once the interlock features are engaged, the overlap of the shorter front flaps 13 b, d over the longer front flaps 13 a, c may be less than 6 mm. Preferably, the overlap is in the range of 2-5 mm, more preferably 2-3 mm.
Such interlock features 131-136 provide a limited amount of friction, and therefore the interlock features 131-136 open once a relatively small force acts upon them. The force necessary to open the interlock features 131-136 may be less than 30 N. The force necessary to open the interlock features 131-136 may for example be around 20 N.
If the interlock features 131, 134 are not provided with curved parts as described above, or the overlap is more than 6 mm, the interlock features 131-136 may be too rigid to open, or too rigid to open simultaneously as desired (as described below). In other words, the force necessary to open the interlock features 131-136 may be higher than e.g. 30 N. Further, the interlock features 131-136 may be too rigid in the sense that the interlock features 131-136 or the flaps 13 a-d may rip or tear during the process of being pushed open and thus disengaging. Ripping or tearing of the interlock features 131-136 or the flaps 13 a-d negatively influences the process of disengaging the interlock features 131-136, because if some of the interlock features 131-136 tear or rip, these interlock features are slower to disengage. Thus, they do not open together with the rest of the interlock features. This negatively influences the way the goods are unpacked (as described below).
Some or all of the interlock features 131-136 may sometimes disengage during packing, transport and handling. Disengaging of an interlock feature 131-136 may for example occur due to forces exerted on the box 1 when goods are being put into the box, due to forces exerted when wrapping the box with film, or due to forces exerted during subsequent handling of the box. In the event that one or more interlock features 131-136 become disengaged, the integrity of the box 1 is maintained due to tension of the film wrapped around the box. As is explained elsewhere, the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d are folded over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c. That is, when the box is viewed from outside, the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d are outside of the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c. If both of the interlock features 131-136 at one end of the box disengage, then the disengaged shorter front flap 13 b, 13 d remains folded over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c. Initially the shorter front flap 13 b, 13 d is held in place by the film. However, even when the film is removed, the fact that the shorter front flap 13 b, 13 d has been creased and folded over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c causes the shorter front flap to remain in place. Thus, the shorter front flap 13 b, 13 d remains in place and continues to retain goods in the box 1 even if it has become disengaged. The shorter front flap 13 b, 13 d remains in place until it is pushed open by opening movement of the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c. As the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c are moved to the open configuration they push open the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d. Thus, the front flaps 13 a-d open at the same time, allowing goods to fall out of the box 1 together such that they keep the arrangement that they had inside the box. The front flaps 13 a-d will open at the same time if all of the interlock features 131-136 are engaged, if only some of the interlock features are engaged, or if none of the interlock features are engaged (or if no interlock features are provided).
It should be noted that in a conventional box, the longer front flaps are arranged over the shorter front flaps, i.e. the arrangement is opposite to the above described arrangement. The rear flaps 15 a-d can be arranged in the conventional way, i.e. with longer rear flaps 15 a, c overlapping shorter rear flaps 15 b, d. This arrangement is shown on FIG. 1 c.
Providing the interlock features is preferable, because once engaged, they reinforce the box 1, help to keep the rectangular shape of the box 1, and together with the plastic film 6 (described below) help to prevent the goods from falling out of the box 1.
The rear flaps 15 a-d may comprise interlock features (although these are not present in the embodiment of FIG. 2). The interlock features provided on the rear flaps 15 a-d are conventional interlock features, designed to be engaged more strongly than the front flaps 13 a-d. In some embodiments, the interlock features provided on the rear flaps 15 a-d may be engaged permanently. In other embodiments, the interlock features provided on the rear flaps 15 a-d are conventional features which are designed not to disengage under the weight of the goods positioned in the box 1, but to disengage when they are pulled apart with sufficient force, e.g. by hands. The force required to open the rear flaps 15 a-d is preferably greater than 30 N. For example, the force may typically be 40 N or more.
For example, the interlock features provided on the rear flaps 15 a-d may be as follows. Two of the rear flaps 15 a, c comprise a pair of openings, which are positioned close to the corners of the rear flaps 15 a, c. The openings are positioned in approx. 45 degree angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rear flaps 15 a, c. Two of the rear flaps 15 b, d consist each of a tab with corner portions. When the box is assembled, the corner portions engage the openings, and are put through these openings. The corners of the rear flaps 15 a, c are then positioned under the main part of the rear flaps 15 b, d, while the corner portions of the rear flaps 15 b, d are positioned under the main part of the rear flaps 15 a, c. Other conventional designs of the interlock features provided on the rear flaps 15 a-d are possible.
In one embodiment of the invention, no glue is used to hold the front flaps 13 a-d and the rear flaps 15 a-d together. Instead, the front flaps 13 a-d are either left loose, or held together only by the interlocking nature of the interlock features, and similarly the rear flaps 15 a-d are held together only by the interlocking nature of the interlock features. In particular, the rear flaps 15 a-d are held together by the overlapping portions of the interlock features, which would require significant deformation of the box 1 to disengage. During handling and transport, such deformation of the box 1 is prevented by the plastic film 6 (described below).
The embodiment wherein flaps 13 a-d are not provided with the interlock features, and are left unsecured, may be particularly beneficial for boxes containing goods weighing less than 1 kg, more particularly less than 0.5 kg. However, this embodiment may be also used with boxes containing heavier goods (e.g. more than 1 kg or more than 5 kg).
Avoiding use of glue to hold the front flaps 13 a-d and the rear flaps 15 a-d together allows the box 1 to be disassembled and disposed of in a quicker, more efficient manner. In an alternative embodiment, the rear flaps 15 a-d are glued or taped together instead of, or in addition to, using interlock features as described above.
In a preferred embodiment, use of glue to hold the front flaps 13 a-d together is avoided. This allows the goods to be unpacked in an easier, more efficient manner. In particular, the front flaps 13 a-d are designed to open under specific circumstances, as described below, and if no glue is used, opening of the front flaps 13 a-d is easier to achieve.
As mentioned above, the front face 12 has a front window 13. The rear face 16 may have a rear window 15. In the embodiment seen in the Figures, this is achieved by providing the front flaps 13 a-d and the rear flaps 15 a-d in a form which is not high enough to form a full wall when the box is assembled. In an embodiment, the height of the front flaps 13 a-d may be between 4 cm and 6 cm. Preferably, the height of the flaps 13 a-d is between 4.5 cm and 5.5 cm, or between 4.8 cm and 5.3 cm. For example, the height of the flaps 13 a-d may be 5 cm. The height of the rear flaps 15 a-d may be at least 8 cm, preferably at least 8.5 cm. For example, the rear flaps may be 8.9 cm high.
Such flap sizes provide enough space for cutting out the interlock features described above, and also provides sufficient support for another box which would be positioned on top of the box 1 in case the boxes are stored or transported positioned on top of each other. It also reinforces the side walls 11 a-d adjacent to the front flaps 13 a-d and the rear flaps 15 a-d, and allows only minimal bending of the side walls 11 a-d. In addition, such flap size is also beneficial during manufacture of the box blank, because it allows a single pass production through a standard case maker. In case of the height of any of the front flaps 13 a-d and/or the rear flaps 15 a-d being less than 4 cm, the blank would need to be die cut and glued, using two separate processes. Using two separate processes would increase the cost of production.
As described in more detail below, the final steps of unpacking the box 1 comprise turning the box 1 so that its front face 12 faces downwards, and either pulling the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c apart, or allowing them to open under the weight of the goods. It is beneficial if the front flaps 13 a-d all open in a single action, for the reason explained further below.
Providing the front flaps 13 a-d with their height in the above-given ranges, and in particular close to 50 mm, makes unpacking of the box 1 easier. If the front flaps 13 a-d are taller than 6 cm, they may impede the release and drop of the product into the freezer. In particular, if higher than the above given ranges, the corners between the flaps 13 a-d may not open simultaneously, thus affecting the way the goods are discharged from the box. On the other hand, if the front flaps 13 a-d are narrower than 4 cm, they may not fold down flat on the face front 12, and may stand proud even once wrapped by the plastic film 6.
In general, a box is cheaper if the material consumption is reduced. Providing the rear face 16 with a window, i.e. the rear flaps 15 a-d do not cover the whole rear face 16, contributes to reduction of consumption of the material. Further, providing the rear face 16 with the window 15 may be beneficial for visually identifying the contents of the box 1.
One example of the dimensions of the box 1 may be as follows. The height of the box 1 from its front face 12 to its rear face 16 is 334 mm. The height of the front flaps 13 a-d is 50 mm. The height of the rear flaps 15 a-d is 89 mm. The length of the side wall 11 a is 473 mm. The length of the side wall 11 c is 468 mm. The length of the side walls 11 b and 11 d is 183 mm. The length of the front flaps 13 a-d as well as the rear flaps 15 a-d may be 3 mm less than the length of the respective side walls 11 a-d to which the front and rear flaps are attached. The width of the tab 14 a is 25 mm. The box 1 with these dimensions forms a rectangular cuboid. While the side walls 11 a and 11 c are not of the same length, the overlap of the side wall 11 c with the tab 14 a provides sufficient length to form a 473 mm side wall when the box 1 is assembled.
The boxes 1 may come in various sizes, depending on the size and weight of the goods stored inside the box 1. In practice, the maximum size of the box 1 may be determined by the size of an average supermarket freezer (e.g. 60 cm from the front face 12 to the rear face 16, and e.g. 50 cm between the side walls 11 b, d). More particularly, the box length corresponds to the length of the customer freezer well. The box width may correspond to the width of the product facing in the customer fixture (this usually varies according to the customer, the number of product widths in the facing, and the individual product unit widths). The box height may correspond to the available depth of the customer freezer well.
The packaging further comprises a plastic film 6. The plastic film 6 may be made of pre-stretch film, for example pre-stretch LDPE, and in particular pre-stretch LLDPE. Pre-stretch film is a film which is pre-stretched during manufacture, and can be stretched further by e.g. approx. 15% at the time it is being applied to a load (e.g. the box 1). This allows a precise tension to be applied during application of the film, and thus allows controlled retention of the goods within the box 1. The retraction force applied by the pre-stretch film prevents or inhibits movement (deformation) of the box 1 and the goods. In other words, when applied to the box 1, the film maintains its tension, fastens around the box 1, and retains the box 1 without deforming it.
The thickness of the pre-stretch LDPE film may be between 5 μm and 9 μm, preferably around 7 μm, for example 7 μm. The pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness between 5 μm and 9 μm shows the best properties, in particular in terms of ability to stretch. In particular, pre-stretch LDPE film which is thicker than 9 μm may show greater stretch ability and therefore may not provide enough tension to large, heavy boxes to retain the goods (where heavy boxes may mean e.g. heavier than 30 kg). On the other hand, pre-stretch LDPE film which is thinner than 5 μm may show minimal stretch and reduced strength under tension. Film which is thinner than 5 μm may therefore be suitable only for light boxes (where light boxes may mean e.g. lighter than 100 g). Thus, film with a thickness up to 9 μm may be used and film with a thickness of at least 5 μm may be preferred.
Using the pre-stretch film as described above is beneficial for the following reasons. The pre-stretch film is quick and easy to apply and remove, cheap, and fully recyclable. The pre-stretch film is about 10 times cheaper than the cardboard (corrugate) of which the box 1 is made (and more than 10 times cheaper than other materials that could be used to make the box 1). It also provides protection for the box 1 and/or the goods stored in the box, because the film itself is waterproof and therefore prevents water (humidity) or dirt from entering the box 1 and damaging the goods and/or water ingress into the material of the box 1. This is particularly beneficial if the box 1 is made of cardboard. Further, water ingress into the material of the box 1 is a particular issue with boxes 1 used to transport and store frozen goods, as frozen goods attract environmental moisture more than goods which are only chilled or do not need to be cooled at all. If the box 1 is provided with the plastic film as described above, there is no need to coat the material of the box 1 with plastic. Such coating is usually provided on the inside and/or outside of the box in order to prevent water ingress. The coating is not necessary when the plastic film is provided, because the water ingress is slower when the box 1 is protected by the film. This reduces costs of the material needed to make the box 1.
In an alternative embodiment, the film may be made of any other suitable plastic material with similar properties.
As a further alternative, the pre-stretch film may be replaced with one or more bands. The bands may be made e.g. from plastic, or from suitable elastic material such as rubber. In some embodiments, the bands may take form of straps or any other suitable retention means. Such retention means may be cheaper than the plastic film, but may not provide the environmental protection and structural integrity of the pre-stretched film as described above. Further, the goods are not enclosed by such retention means and this may allow the goods to be tampered with. Therefore, due to water ingress into the box 1, the bands are not particularly suitable for use with frozen food. Also, due to the possibility of tampering, the bands are not particularly suitable for food in general or other items which should be held in tamper-proof packaging.
Referring to FIG. 4a , to package the goods, the goods are inserted into the box 1, so that the front (upper) side of the goods faces the rear wall 16 (step S1 a). Assuming the goods have been loaded through the front face 12, the front flaps 13 a-d are then positioned so that the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d are positioned over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c (step S2 a). The interlock features 131 to 136, if provided, are then engaged (step S3 a). Subsequently, the plastic film 6 is wrapped around the box 1 (step S4 a), as described below. The front flaps 13 a-d thus form the front window 13. The procedure would work in a similar way if the goods were loaded through the rear face 16. In such case, the front flaps 13 a-d are positioned so that the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d are positioned over the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c before the goods are positioned in the box 1.
The back (lower) side of the goods, which displays the barcode and/or other identification of the goods, faces the opening 13. This is beneficial during transport and handling of the boxes 1. The content of the box 1 and the barcodes or other identification can be seen through the front window 13, and the front (upper) side of the goods can be seen through the rear window 15 (if provided). Therefore, there is no need for printing on the box 1 or putting any kind of labels on the box 1. This simplifies handling of the boxes, avoids labelling mistakes, and saves costs.
Once the goods are positioned in the box 1, the plastic film 6 is wrapped around the box 1 (step S4 a). The process of wrapping the box 1 in the plastic film 6 may be conventional, e.g. as described in patent applications published under WO9009316, WO2006051281, WO2011004157, WO2015025142 or WO2015067940. In particular, the box 1 may be wrapped helically with the plastic film 6. As the box 1 is wrapped, more than one layer of the film may cover the wrapped areas of the box 1. With the helically wrapped box, successive layers of the film overlap. The number of layers of the overlapping film in case the box 1 is wrapped helically may depend on the material and/or thickness of the plastic film 6 and on the size and weight of the goods which are stored in the box 1. The number of layers could be determined based on the known properties (such as strength) of the plastic film 6.
The film may be for example 250 mm wide, 125 mm wide, or of any other suitable width. A single layer of the pre-stretch film with minimal overlap is sufficient for light to medium weights, i.e. for boxes weighing less than 10 kg. Typically the film overlaps are between 20-100 mm, depending on the weight of the box. At any single point on the wrapped box 1, there may be one or two layers of the film. Due to the above-described features of the box, in particular the front flaps 13 a-d and the rear flaps 15 a-d, two layers of the film are sufficient even for boxes weighing more than 15 kg, for example between 15 kg to 25 kg. This does not exclude providing three layers of the film, e.g. if extra strength is required. Therefore, boxes weighing between 100 g-25 kg can be wrapped. For example, if 7 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film is used, 1-3 layers are sufficient to hold the goods weighing up to approx. 20 kg in the box 1, even if the box 1 is turned with its front face 12 facing downwards. In practice, due to legislative limitations, the weight of the boxes 1 may be limited to e.g. 15 kg or 9 kg. As mentioned, 1-2 layers of the pre-stretch film are sufficient for such boxes.
Before the film is wrapped around the box 1, the film is pre-stretched, i.e. tension is created in the film by stretching it in a longitudinal direction. When the film is wrapped around the box 1, it un-stretches (shrinks) and tightens around the box 1.
During the process of wrapping the box 1 in the plastic film 6, the film may be perforated on at least one side of the box 1, on the front face 12 or the rear face 16. The perforations 6 a are created during packaging process, when the stretched (tensioned) film passes over a fixed perforation wheel (not shown) when the box 1 is being wrapped in the plastic film 6. The perforation wheel may have a shark-tooth design. A heated bar is used to melt and thereby cut the film after the box has been wrapped. Melting which occurs at the end of the film provides a lip which extends across an end of the perforations and inhibits tearing along the perforations (thereby minimising the chances of the perforations tearing spontaneously.
The perforations 6 a form a preferred line of opening the plastic film 6. The perforations 6 a are preferably provided along the whole length of one of the sidewalls 11 a-d, or the front face 12, or the rear face 16. As the forces created from film tensioning at wrapping are at 90° to the line of perforation, the plastic film 6 does not break open prematurely. Minimal effort from a worker is required to tear along the line of perforation in store (the melted lip of film can be torn easily). As the film tears easily along the perforations 6 a under force exerted by the worker, the perforations 6 a simplify the unwrapping process, thus making it quicker and more efficient. The perforations 6 a also eliminate the need for any tools such as knives, therefore reducing risk of injury and further reducing costs.
The film used for wrapping the box 1 may be e.g. the pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 5 μm to 9 μm as described above. Use of such pre-stretch LDPE film is beneficial because such film shows advantageous stretch properties. Pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 7 μm is particularly beneficial because of its optimal stretch properties. The pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-described thickness, i.e. 5 μm to 9 μm, and more particularly 7 μm, provides the box 1 with increased structural integrity without the need to use a heat tunnel to make the film shrink. The pre-stretch LDPE film exerts force (pressure) on the edges of the box 1, thus holding it together and preventing it from collapsing (as described below). LDPE is also advantageous because it is fully recyclable.
With thickness of the pre-stretch LDPE film as described above, the force exerted by the film is sufficient to hold the box 1 together during handling and transport. In particular, pressure can be applied to a pair of opposite edges or corners of the box 1 during transport and handling due to improper positioning, rough handling, etc. In the absence of the plastic film 6, this pressure would bring the edges or corners of the box 1 closer together, while the other pair of edges or corners would move further apart from each other. The front flaps 13 a-d and/or the rear flaps 15 a-d, and the interlock features 131 to 136 and/or 151, 152 could be deformed enough to disengage. In such a case, the box 1 would disassemble. The plastic film 6, and in particular the pre-stretch LDPE film as described above, exerts similar or equal forces to all edges or corners. The film strengthens the box 1. The film increases the structural rigidity of the box 1. Therefore, the adjacent walls forming the respective edge or corner are prevented from accidentally moving too far from their normal interlocked position. (Too far means so far that the interlock features 131 to 136 and/or 151, 152 to disengage.) The interlock features 131 to 136 and/or 151, 152 therefore do not disengage, and the box 1 does not disassemble. This applies to a box 1 with weight up to 25 kg. Therefore, there is no need to use glue to attach the front flaps 13 a-d together to prevent the box 1 from disassembling. In this way, the costs of glue are saved, and the box 1 is easier and quicker to disassemble and dispose of. Further, the LDPE film is fully recyclable, which is beneficial from an environmental point of view.
Apart from the above described effect of providing the box 1 with rigidity, the plastic film 6 also covers the openings of the box 1, and thus helps to retain the product within the case. At the same time, the goods stored in the box 1 according to the present invention are more visible (compared to a conventional enclosed box where the product is only identifiable via a label containing text or barcode). The box 1 wrapped in the plastic film 6 allows an easy visual verification of the contents of the box 1 to take place. Picking errors can be reduced regardless of whether the picker has the ability or proximity to read the text. Additionally, the plastic film 6 helps to protect the box 1 and/or the goods from the environment.
Any equivalent material to the pre-stretch LDPE film may be used, provided it has similar properties to that of the pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-given thickness. In particular, if the film stretches less than a 5 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, or more than a 9 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, it may be unsuitable for some applications.
The plastic film 6 may be wrapped around the box 1 in only one direction, so as to completely cover the front face 12, two opposing side walls 11 a, 11 c and the rear face 16. In this way, two of the side walls 11 b, 11 d stay uncovered or substantially uncovered by the plastic film 6. If the pre-stretch film (e.g. LDPE film) is used, it may also cover the edges and the corners of the side walls 11 b. Parts of the side walls 11 b may be covered by untensioned, loose film 6 b. Such untensioned portions 6 b are preferably less than 5 cm wide. In case the box 1 is as shown in the Figures, i.e. two of the four sides are larger than the other two sides, it is beneficial to cover the box 1 in the plastic film 6 so that at least the larger sides ( sides 11 a, 11 c in FIGS. 1a-c ) are covered with the plastic film 6.
As mentioned above, the plastic film 6 may protect the cardboard from environment, and in particular from moisture. This is particularly relevant for frozen and chilled goods. As a consequence, the cardboard could be made less thick and therefore cheaper.
The plastic film 6 may be wrapped around the box 1 in two different directions, thus covering all four walls 11 a-d, the front face 12 and the rear face 16. Enclosing the whole box 1 with the plastic film 6 provides the box 1 with extra structural integrity, and it provides extra protection of the box 1 against environment, e.g. rain, humidity etc. Enclosing the whole box 1 with plastic film 6 also increases security. With the box 1 completely covered in the plastic film 6, it is easier to detect tampering. However, it also increases the amount of the film used.
During unpacking of the goods (see FIG. 4b ), a worker positions the box 1 on its side wall 11 a, 11 c (step S1 b). The worker then locates the perforations 6 a in the plastic film 6 on the side of the pack or on the front face or the rear face (step S2 b). The film is then gripped and broken by pulling it apart along the perforations 6 a (step S3 b). The film is removed from the box (step S4 b). The worker then places his hand over the front face 12 in order to support the front face 12 and prevent the goods from unloading prematurely (step S5 b), and turns the box 1 so that the front face 12 faces downwards, towards the space into which the goods are to be unloaded (step S6 b). The worker removes his hand and allows the goods to unload from the box (step S7 b). The unloading of the goods happens when the worker removes his hand, at which point the interlock features 131-136 on the front flaps 13 a-d, if provided, are pushed open under the weight of the goods, the front flaps 13 a-d open, and the goods fall down out of the box 1 into the space provided (e.g. freezer).
The interlock features 131-136 disengage simultaneously, and the front flaps 13 a-d pop open. The front flaps 13 a-d open in a single action, meaning that as soon as the force is applied to the longer front flaps 13 a, c, the longer front flaps 13 a, c start opening, thus opening also the shorter front flaps 13 b, d. Both the longer front flaps 13 a, c are opened at the same time, and the shorter front flaps 13 b, d open under the influence of the longer front flaps 13 a, c. Both the shorter front flaps 13 b, d are opened at the same time by the longer front flaps 13 a, c. The goods then fall out together, keeping the arrangement they had in the box. References to the front flaps 13 a-d opening at the same time, simultaneously, or in a single action may be interpreted as meaning that opening of the front flaps 13 a-d is sufficiently coordinated that goods will fall out of the box 1 together, keeping the arrangement that they had in the box.
If the longer front flaps 13 a, c and/or the shorter front flaps 13 b, d do not open as described above (in other words, if one or more corners between the front flaps 13 a-d opens significantly later than the rest, or do not open at all), the goods cannot keep the arrangement they had in the box. The goods positioned closer to the corners of the box which open earlier start falling out of the box first, followed by the goods further from the corners, and the goods therefore do not keep as organized. Therefore, the goods require to be positioned or tidied by the worker. This takes the worker's time and affects efficiency of the process. In the worst case scenario, the goods fall out of the box in a completely disorganized manner, requiring the worker to put them into the freezer manually.
A similar situation occurs when the front flaps 13 a-d are too difficult to open and do not open as soon as the force acts on them, or do not open at all. In that case, the goods may start falling out of the front window 13. This prevents them from keeping the arrangement they had in the box, and subsequent positioning or tidying by a worker is needed.
The above described design of the front flaps 13 a-d helps in the above described process of unpacking the goods in the described way.
If the flaps 13 a-d are not designed to open under the weight of the goods, an alternative method of unpacking (see FIG. 4c ) may be used. The first four steps S1 c to S4 c of the alternative method are the same as the above-described steps S1 b to S4 b. After removing the film 6 from the box 1 (step S4 c), the worker places his hands over the longer front flaps 13 a, c of the box 1 (step S5 c). The box 1 is turned so that the front face 12 faces downwards, towards the space into which the goods are to be unloaded (step S6 c). The worker then pulls the longer front flaps 13 a, 13 c away from each other (step S7 c). The interlock features 131-136, if provided, disengage, the shorter front flaps 13 b, 13 d pop open, and the front face 13 opens. The goods can thus be unloaded.
In both the above-described methods, once the front flaps 13 a-d open, the side walls 11 a-d are no longer reinforced by the corners between the front flaps 13 a-d and the side walls 11 a-d. Therefore, the side walls 11 a-d become more flexible. This flexibility helps to remove the goods from the box 1.
The box 1 is then disassembled and flattened by pressing on a pair of the opposing edges, and can be easily and quickly disposed of.
Once the box 1 is turned so that the front face 13 faces downwards and is ready to be unloaded (steps S6 b, S7 b), the four sets of the interlock features 131-136 provided on the front flaps 13 a-d all open in a single action. This is made possible by providing the interlock features 131-136 as described above, i.e. with the curved corner portions 131 a of the base part 131 and the curved bottom part 134 a of the aperture 134, together with the overlap of the shorter front flaps 13 b, d over the longer front flaps 13 a, c being less than 6 mm. The interlock features 131-136 may be symmetric (i.e. there are the same interlock features on opposite front flaps 13 a, c and 13 b, d). Opening the front flaps 13 a-d in a single action is beneficial because the goods fall together and straight down out of the box 1. The goods keep the arrangement as packed. The goods therefore do not slide out of the box 1 or fall out of the box 1 in an asymmetric manner, and it is easier to keep them in the desired final position during the whole unloading process.
In this way, all the goods stored in the box 1 may be positioned directly in the freezer. There is no need for unpacking the goods one by one and arranging them. The goods are unloaded out of the box 1, pulled by gravity. The box 1 has side walls 11 a-d which restrict movement of the goods during unloading, and therefore the goods are unloaded quickly and into a neat stack, ready to be displayed or stored in the freezer, without the need for stacking or any further processing.
As mentioned above, providing the film 6 is beneficial because it prevents water ingress which weakens the box 1. Even if the film 6 is provided, the box 1 usually attracts some moisture, especially on its inside, but the amount of the moisture is small. This small amount of moisture helps in unloading the goods from the box 1 (the process of which described below) because it reduces friction between the goods and the inner side of the side walls 11 a-d.
Alternatively, the box 1 could be used to unpack the goods onto a shelf rather than into a freezer. In such case, the above-described box features and method steps would work in substantially the same manner.
This is particularly beneficial when the box 1 is used to unpack frozen goods into a freezer. The box 1 may then have similar dimensions as a typical freezer compartment. For example, a supermarket freezer may be used to store frozen vegetables. The freezer may have compartments configured to accommodate several layers of bags or boxes of frozen vegetables, with two bags or boxes side by side in one layer. The bags or boxes are put into the box 1 exactly as they would be displayed, i.e. in several layers, with two bags or boxes per layer. The box 1 is transported to the supermarket, and unloaded into the freezer compartment in the configuration described above. There is no need to subsequently arrange the bags or boxes of vegetables individually, as they fall out of the box 1 with the right arrangement.
Further, the packaging according to the present invention allows the retailer to take the box 1 completely away from the goods when the goods are put in the freezer. This increases the visual appeal of the goods, in particular in case of chilled and frozen foods, because the box 1 could become soggy or mouldy.
The more efficient process of unpacking and disposing of the box means that this process is less expensive. It requires less time of a worker to unpack the goods into the freezer, arrange them in a required way (e.g. attractive for the customers), and dispose of the used box. If frozen goods are carried in the box, saving time also reduces the need for having freezer open for sufficient time to arrange the goods, which saves energy.
The above described example of the box 1, i.e. the box 1 which has a rear face 16 with 8.9 cm high rear flaps 15 a-d, and a front face 12 with 5 cm high front flaps 13 a-d, is the most cost-effective configuration of the box 1. Such box, together with the plastic film 6, provides sufficient resilience to hold and protect the goods inserted into the box 1, while also using minimum possible amount of cardboard. As explained above, the plastic film is cheaper than cardboard per metre. Therefore, replacing a conventional, fully enclosed cardboard box with a partly open box 1, reinforced by plastic film 6, is beneficial from a cost perspective.
The box 1 as described above, with pre-stretch LDPE film wrapping, is beneficial also from environmental point of view. Pre-stretch LDPE film is 100% recyclable. The packaging is light and its volume is small; this saves transportation costs and fuel.
In this document the terms “shorter front flaps” and “longer front flaps” are intended to indicate lengths of respective front flaps in relative terms. They are not intended to imply that particular absolute lengths of flaps are required. Instead, they should be interpreted as meaning merely that the shorter front flaps are shorter than the longer front flaps, and that the longer front flaps are longer than the shorter front flaps.

Claims

1-25. (canceled)

26. A packaging system for goods, comprising:

a box for holding the goods, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face;

wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window;

wherein the packaging system further comprises either

(i) a plastic film wrapped around the box, the plastic film covering the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retaining the goods within the box; or

(ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box;

and wherein the front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards.

27. The packaging system as in claim 26, wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage under the weight of the goods.

28. The packaging system as in claim 26, wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage when two of the front flaps are pulled apart.

29. The packaging system as in claim 26, wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage in a single action.

30. The packaging system as in claim 26, wherein:

the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps,

the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps comprise interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps,

the interlock features are configured to disengage when the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N.

31. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein the interlocking features are configured to disengage simultaneously.

32. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein the interlocking features are configured to prevent ripping or tearing of the front flaps or the interlock features while the interlock features are disengaged.

33. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein

the interlock features provided on the longer front flaps comprise outer tab parts, apertures, and an inner tab part;

the interlock features provided on the shorter front flaps comprise base parts and a tab; and

wherein the tabs provided on the shorter front flaps are configured to pass into the apertures provided on the longer front flaps so that adjacent the corners of the box, the inner tab parts overlap the tabs, while the base part overlaps the outer tab parts.

34. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein the apertures comprise curved bottom parts, and wherein a portion of the aperture close to the bottom part is narrower than the portion further from the bottom part.

35. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein the base part comprises corner portions and wherein the corner portions are curved.

36. The packaging system as in claim 30, wherein the overlap of the shorter front flaps over the longer front flaps is less than 6 mm.

37. The packaging system as in claim 26, wherein, after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg.

38. A packaging system for goods, comprising:

wherein the packaging system further comprises either

(ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box; wherein

the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps.

39. A packaging method using a box and either a plastic film, or at least one band, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face, wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window;

the method comprising:

positioning the goods in the box through the front face;

positioning shorter flaps of the front face over longer flaps of the front face;

and either

(i) wrapping the box in at least one layer of the plastic film so that the plastic film at least partially covers the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box, or

(ii) placing the at least one band around the box so that the at least one band encircles the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box.

40. The method as in claim 39, further comprising, when positioning the shorter flaps over the longer flaps, engaging interlock features provided on the front flaps of the box.

41. A method of unpacking goods from a package formed of a box and either a plastic film or at least one band,

wherein the goods are positioned inside the box, the box having four side walls, a front face comprising front flaps defining a front window, and a rear face, the front window in the front face being configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box when the box turned so that the front face faces downwards,

wherein either (i) the plastic film is wrapped around the box, and the plastic film comprises perforations along one of the side walls, the front face or the rear face, or (ii) the at least one band is placed around the box;

the method comprising:

locating the perforations and breaking the film by pulling the film apart along the perforations and removing the film from the box, or cutting the band,

turning the box so that the front face faces downwards,

unloading the goods.

42. The method as in claim 41, wherein when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps disengage under the weight of the goods and/or when two of the front flaps are pulled apart.

43. The method as in claim 42, wherein after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg.

44. The method as in claim 42, wherein the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps such that opening the longer front flaps pushes the shorter front flaps open.

45. The method as in claim 42, wherein the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps comprise interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps, and wherein the interlock features disengage when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards and the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N.