WO2007083151A1

WO2007083151A1 - Drawer-and-shell type package

Info

Publication number: WO2007083151A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/000203
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hamish Thain
Original assignee: Duff Design Limited
Priority date: 2006-01-23
Filing date: 2007-01-23
Publication date: 2007-07-26
Also published as: CN101395065B; BRPI0706953A2; JP2009523675A; EP1984264A1; ZA200807214B; IL192961A0; WO2007083156A1; RU2008134069A; CN101395065A; EP1984264B1; KR20080107391A; MX2008009433A; RU2390483C1

Abstract

A package (110) comprising a body defining an external surface; a belt (124) supported for movement within the body; first and second tab members (128, 130) attached to the belt (124) such that when the first tab member (128) is moved in a first direction, the second tab member (130) is driven by the belt (124) to move in a second direction different to the first direction; and a first grip member (150) fixed to the first tab member (128) for movement therewith, the grip member (150) being movable over the external surface of the body to move the first tab member.

Description

DRAWER-AND-SHELL TYPE PACKAGE

The present invention relates to packaging, such as a box, which may be used in the packaging of any item. Examples are the packaging of cigarettes, mobile telephones, mp3 players, portable computer games consoles, compact discs, digital video discs, chocolates, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, swatch samples and information cards.

Packaging is important when marketing a product as good packaging may result in increased sales of the product. Good packaging should hold items securely, but also be easy and convenient to open by people of all levels of ability and dexterity. In addition to these functional attributes, good packaging should also have an attractive appearance and, preferably, intriguing characteristics.

EPl 140639 of the Applicant, the subject matter of which is incorporated into this specification by reference, describes a box comprising a generally tubular sleeve defining a through passage, a planar divider extending across said passage, a belt extending around said divider, and a tray member extending into said passage, characterised in that the box further comprises a tab member extending into said passage, and wherein each of said tray member and said tab member are attached to said belt, such that when said tab member is moved out of said passage in a first direction said tray member moves out of said passage in a second direction opposite to said first direction, and said belt is in the form of a continuous loop such that when said tab member is moved into said passage in said second direction said tray member moves into said passage in said first direction.

The box of EPl 140639 is appealing as a user is surprised, upon first opening the box, that the tray moves automatically in the opposite direction when the tab member is pulled.

The Applicant has also devised an improved box or package, which is described in UK patent application number GB 0519581.3, published as GB 2428236, the subject matter of which is incorporated into this specification by reference, and which includes first and second tab members which lie substantially on the same plane as each other, and a means for driving the movement of one of the tab members, wherein the tab members are arranged to co-operate with the drive means such that moving the first tab member in a first direction causes the second tab member to move in a second direction opposite to said first direction, said movement of the tab members being in a plane parallel to the plane on which the tab members lie.

GB 0519581.3 also describes a further improved package comprising an open-ended sleeve, a tab member moveable in and out of the sleeve through the open end, and a lid moveable in response to said movement of the tab member, the lid being moveable between a closed position in which the lid substantially covers the open end when the tab member is within the sleeve and an open position in which the lid allows the tab member to protrude from the sleeve through the open end, wherein the lid is a web having opposed ends that at one end joins the sleeve at a first hinge and at another end joins the tab member at a second hinge such that relative movement of the second hinge with respect to the first hinge drives said movement of the Hd.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved packaging, which is even more interesting, attractive and/or surprising than the prior art.

The invention provides a package comprising a body defining an external surface; a belt supported for movement within the body; first and second tab members attached to the belt such that when the first tab member is moved in a first direction, the second tab member is driven by the belt to move in a second direction different to the first direction; and a first grip member fixed to the first tab member for movement therewith, the grip member being movable over the external surface of the body to move the first tab member.

Preferably, the first grip member encircles the body and receives an end of the body in the manner of a pocket. By virtue of the body being a sleeve having opposed open ends, the second tab member can protrude from the sleeve through one of the open ends. The first grip member may close the other of the open ends of the sleeve. The first grip member and the first tab member suitably sandwich a wall of the body that defines said external surface, and preferably lie in parallel planes. Optionally, the first tab member and the first grip member are integral. Alternatively, the first grip member may be attached to the first tab member by a connector which has, for example, a U-section defined by a first arm attached to the first tab member and a second arm attached to the first grip member.

Advantageously, the body defines faces and the first grip member extends over at least two faces of the body which, preferably, are mutually adjoining. The body may, for example, be cuboidal and said faces may be mutually orthogonal.

Preferably, the first grip member has at least four faces that together encircle the body, and a fifth face mutually orthogonal to each of said four faces, the faces together defining a pocket that receives an end of the body.

Optionally, the package may further comprise a second grip member at an end of the body opposed to the first grip member. The second grip member may be a collar fixed to the body and may have an edge against which an edge of the first grip member abuts when the tab members are in a closed position within the body. The second grip member may be integral with the body.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood, currently preferred embodiments will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 (a) and 1 (b) are perspective views of an embodiment of a box of the present invention, including an outer sleeve, a tray member and a lid, when the box is in a closed position and an open position, respectively;

Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are schematic cross-sections on line A-A of the box of Figure l(a), when the box is in the closed and open positions, respectively;

Figures 3 (a) to 3(e) are side views of a box that is functionally to that of Figures l(a) and l(b), with the outer sleeve of the box omitted for clarity, showing the box in three successive positions (Figures 3(b), 3(c) and 3(d)) between the closed and the open positions (Figures 3(a) and 3(e) respectively);

Figures 4(a) to 4(g) are detailed longitudinal sections of a box that is functionally similar to that of Figures l(a) and l(b), with parts of the box omitted for clarity, in successive positions (Figures 4(b) to 4(f)) between the closed and the open positions (Figures 4(a) and 4(g) respectively);

Figures 5(a) to 5(g) are perspective views of a blank of the box of Figures 3(a) to 3(e), without the outer sleeve, during assembly;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank of a part of the outer sleeve; and

Figure 7 is a schematic longitudinal section of an alternative embodiment of the box of Figures l(a) and l(b). Figure l(a) shows a box 110 suitable for packaging and/or for display purposes. The box 110 has a lid 136 at one end and comprises an outer sleeve 150 which is formed in two sections: a first section 152 which is fixed to a hollow rectangular body or inner sleeve 112, and a second section 156 which is moveable over the inner sleeve 112 relative to the first section 152. As best seen in Figure l(b), and as described in more detail later, moving the first and second sections 152, 156 of the outer sleeve 150 apart causes the lid 136 to open and a tray member 128 to slide out from the end of the box 110. When the two sections 152, 156 of the outer sleeve 150 are moved back together, the tray member 128 is caused to slide back into the box 110, and the lid 136 closes.

As best seen in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the inner sleeve 112 comprises an upper wall 114, a lower wall 116 and two side walls 118, 120. The inner sleeve 112 defines a through passage for housing the tray member 128 and a tab member 130 (Figure 2). The box 110 includes a planar divider 122 extending across the passage and dividing the passage into upper and lower passages. The tray member 128 is housed within the lower passage, and the tab member 130 is housed within the upper passage. The tray member 128 and the tab member 130 are movable back and forth, relative to the divider 122 and the inner sleeve 112, towards and away from one another, and are each dimensioned so that they can be accommodated wholly within the inner sleeve 112.

A belt 124 extends around the divider 122 on a belt path 126 (Figure 5(b)). The belt 124 is typically a strip of a low-friction sheet material such as plastics film, e.g. Cellophane (TM) or Treofan GND (TM), or a material with a low-friction coating such as PTFE, whose ends are joined to each other to form a continuous loop. The belt material is selected so that it can slide easily about the divider 122 and against the tray member 128 and the tab member 130. The belt path 126 is defined by a waist across one or both ends of the divider 122 and serves to restrain the belt 124 against lateral movement with respect to the divider 122. As best seen in Figure 2, the tray member and the tab member are each attached to the belt 124 by bonds 129, 127, respectively, which are strips of adhesive.

Figures l(a) and 2(a) show the box 110 in a closed position which is when the tray member 128 is fully enclosed within, or surrounded by, the inner sleeve 112. When the tab member 130 is moved out of the upper passage in a first direction (indicated by the arrow X in Figures 1 and 2) the belt 124 is caused to turn about the divider 122 which in turn causes the tray member 128 to move out of the lower passage in a second direction opposite to the first direction (indicated by the arrow Y in Figures 1 and 2). When the bonds 127, 129 reach their respective ends of the divider 122, the tab member 130 can be moved no further in the direction of the arrow X, and the tray member 128 is then in the fully open position (Figures l(b) and 2Qo)). The end of the box 110 from which the tab member 130 extends shall hereinafter be referred to as the tab end 132, and the end from which the tray member 128 extends shall hereinafter be referred to as the tray end 134.

When the tab member 130 is pushed in the direction of arrow Y, the tab member 130 causes the belt 124 to turn about the divider 122 so that the tray member 128 moves in the direction of arrow X. The tray member 128 is back in the fully closed position when the bonds 127, 129 reach their starting positions (i.e. their locations relative to the divider when the tray member 128 is in the fully closed position), as shown in Figures l(a) and 2(a). The starting positions of the bonds 127, 129 are one above the other in mutual alignment and about halfway along the length of the divider 122, although non-aligned or asymmetric arrangements are possible. If required, the tray member 128 can be pushed in the direction of arrow X to close the tray member 128. The effect is the same in that both the tray member 128 and the tab member 130 will return to the fully closed position.

Advantageously, the tab member 130 is moved in the X-Y directions by means of the outer sleeve 150 which is easy for a user to grip.

The tray member 128 comprises a lower wall 121, an upper wall 123 which is shorter than the lower wall 121, two side walls 125 (Figure 5) and an end wall 131. The bond 129 attaching the tray member 128 to the belt 124 is between the upper wall 123 of the tray member 128 and the belt 124. In Figures 2 and 4, the tray member 128 is illustrated as containing cigarettes but can contain any other product or printed matter.

The lid 136 of the box 110 covers the tray end 134 of the box 110 when the box 110 is in the fully closed position. Furthermore, this lid 136 automatically and gradually uncovers the tray end 134 as the tray member 128 extends from the lower passage when the tab member 130 is pulled out of the upper passage. Advantageously, when the tray member 128 is in the fully open position, the tray end 134 is exposed and the lid 136 has moved so that it is positioned substantially beneath the lower wall 121 of the fully extended tray member 128.

The mechanism by which the Hd 136 uncovers the tray end 134 as the tab member 130 is pulled out of the upper passage has previously been described in GB 0519581.3 but is also described here for ease of reference. Referring specifically to Figure 4, in which parts of the box 110 have been omitted for clarity, the lid 136 comprises three panels 138, 140, 142 which are represented in Figure 4 by the lines A-B, B-C, and C-D. The first panel (A-B) 138 is attached to, or integral with, the lower wall 121 of the tray member 128 along line A, and the third panel (C-D) is attached to, or integral with, the lower wall 116 of the inner sleeve 112 along the line D. The lines A, B, C and D are fold or crease lines and can be considered as hinges which enable the three panels 138, 140, 142 of the lid 136 to move relative to each other, and relative to the lower walls 116, 121 of the inner sleeve 112 and the tray member 128, respectively.

When the tray member 128 is in the fully closed position (Figure 4(a)), the third panel 142 of the lid 136, whose shape substantially corresponds with the shape of the opening at the tray end 134, is substantially perpendicular to the inner sleeve lower and upper walls 116, 114 and so covers the tray end 134 of the box 110. At the same time, the end wall 131 of the tray member 128 is flush with the ends of the inner sleeve 112 at the tab end 132 and so covers the tab end 132 of the box 110. The second panel 140 is folded over along the line C so that the first and second panels 138, 140 face the third panel 142.

To ensure that the third panel 142 is substantially perpendicular to the inner sleeve lower and upper walls 116, 114 when the tray member 128 is in the closed position to close the tray end 134, the tray member 128 is shorter than the inner sleeve 112. This means that in the closed position, as the end wall 131 of the tray member 128 is flush with the inner sleeve 112 at the tab end 132 of the box 110, the tray member 128 lower wall 121 ends short of the tray end thereby pulling the lid panels 138, 140, 142 towards the tab end of the box to close the tray end 134.

As the tab member 130 is pulled out of the upper passage in the direction of arrow X, the tray member 128 is caused to move out of the lower passage in the direction of arrow Y as aforesaid. As the first lid panel 138 is attached to the tray member 128 and the third lid panel 142 is attached to the inner sleeve lower wall 116 which remains stationary as the tab member 130 is pulled in the direction of arrow X, the panels 138, 140, 142 of the lid 136 are made to move relative to the tray member 128 and the inner sleeve 112.

Initially, the lower wall 121 of the tray member 128 slides along the inner sleeve lower wall 116 in the direction of arrow Y. This causes the first panel 138 to move outwards, also in the direction of arrow Y, until the outside of the fold at line A bears against the inside of the fold at line D (Figure 4(b)). This causes the third panel 142 to turn about line D, away from the tray end 134, as shown.

As the tray member 128 moves further in the direction of arrow Y₅ line A and the adjacent portion of the tray member 128 lower wall 121 slide past line D which causes further pivoting of the third panel 142 about line D until the third panel 142 lies on the same plane as the inner sleeve lower wall 116 (Figure 4(c)). Line A and the adjacent portion of the tray member 128 then slide along the third panel 142.

Further extension of the tray member 128 in the direction of the arrow Y causes the first panel 138 to also continue to move in the direction of arrow Y and to turn about line A (Figure 4(d)) until it lies on the same plane as the lower wall 121 of the tray member 128 (Figure 4(e)). In the meantime, the third panel 142 has continued to turn about the line D away from the tray end 134. At this point, the tray end 134 of the inner sleeve 112 is completely uncovered or exposed.

As the tray member 128 continues to move in the direction of arrow Y, the first panel 138 continues to turn about the line A (Figure 4(f)) until the tray member 128 is in the fully open position. At this point, the first panel 138 is substantially perpendicular to the lower wall 121 of the tray member 128 and the inner sleeve lower wall 116, and the second panel 140 is substantially parallel to the lower wall 121 of the tray member 128 and the inner sleeve lower wall 116.

As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the shape or configuration of the lid 136 transforms or re-configures between the open and closed positions. When in the open position, one or more of the lid panels 138, 140, 142 can be used as a support surface for the box 110.

The box 110 can be made by folding and gluing a single flat blank 144 manufactured by cutting and creasing from a sheet material such as plastics, cardboard or folding box board, as can be seen in Figure 5. The blank 144 is laid flat, as shown in Figure 5(a) and the belt 124 is secured around the divider 122. Next, the tray member 128 is formed by folding along the lines shown in Figures 5(b) and (c). The formed tray member 128 is folded up by 180° degrees about fold line A and is moved so that the tray member lower wall 121 is adjacent the inner sleeve lower wall 116 (Figure 5(d)). The divider 122 is folded over the upper wall 123 of the tray member 128 and the upper wall 123 of the tray member 128 is secured to the belt 124 by adhesive (Figure 5(e)). The tab member 130 is then secured to the belt 124 on the opposite face of the divider 122 (Figure 5(f}), and finally, the upper wall 114 of the inner sleeve 112 is folded over the divider 122. The sleeve portion of the blank further comprises two sets of side walls 118, 120 which are matched and bonded together to form the inner sleeve 112.

Turning now to the outer sleeve 150 of the box 110, this is best shown in Figures 1 and 2. As mentioned previously, the outer sleeve 150 comprises first and second sections 152 and 156 respectively. For convenience, the first section 152 will hereinafter be referred to as the tray-end part 152, and the second section 156 will hereinafter be referred to as the tab- end part 156. The tab-end part 156 of the outer sleeve 150 is in the form of a sheath 156 which covers or envelops the inner sleeve 112 at the tab end 132 of the box 110, including the open tab end of the inner sleeve 112. The sheath 156 is a pocket-like structure that receives and closes the open tab end of the inner sleeve 112. The sheath 156 is, functionally, an extension of the tab member 130 and is attached to the tab member 130 to assist with pushing/pulling the tab member 130. Specifically, the sheath 156 is attached to the tab member 130 so that movement of the sheath 156 in the X-Y directions relative to the inner sleeve 112 results in corresponding movement of the tab member 130 in the X-Y directions which drives the movement of the tray member 128 and lid 134 as described above.

The sheath 156 has an upper wall 158, a lower wall 160, two side walls 162, 164 and an end wall 166 (see Figure 6), and is attached to the tab member 130 by a U-section connector 168. The connector 168 has a first arm attached to the tab member 130, and therefore positioned between the tab member 130 and the inner sleeve 112, parallel to and spaced from a second arm attached to the upper wall 158 of the sheath 156. The second arm is folded over the upper wall of the inner sleeve 112 and is therefore positioned between the sleeve upper wall 114 and the sheath upper wall 158, with the sleeve upper wall 114 between the arms of the U-section connector 168. Alternatively, the sheath 156 may be integral with the tab member 130 or be attached to the tab member 130 directly such as by adhesive or any other means. An embodiment where the sheath 156 is attached directly to the tab member 130 is shown in Figure 7.

The tray-end part 152 of the outer sleeve 150 is in the form of a collar 152 of material around the tray end 134 of the inner sleeve 112, the collar 152 having two open ends, one of which accommodates the lid 136 when the lid 136 is in the closed position. This collar 152 is attached to the inner sleeve 112 by adhesive 170. It will be appreciated that the collar 152 can also be integral with the inner sleeve 112 or attached to the inner sleeve 112 using forms of attachment other than adhesive. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 1, when the box 110 is in the closed position, the inner circumferential edge of the collar 152 substantially abuts the inner circumferential edge of the sheath 156 that also defines the outer sleeve 150.

By virtue of the two-part outer sleeve 150, a user can grasp the sheath 156 with one hand and the collar 152 with the other hand and move the tab member 130 and the tray member 128 between the closed and open positions by simply sliding the sheath 156 and the collar 152 towards and away from each other. The extended tab member in the form of the sheath 156 provides a larger gripping surface area for a user to push or pull the tab and tray members in or out of the box rendering this box 110 ideal for the less dextrous user. Also, the box 110 operates in an appealing, intriguing manner that is all the more intriguing because the outer sleeve conceals the construction and operation of the mechanism.

Although not shown, cut-outs or impressions may be provided on the surfaces and along the edges of collar 152 and the sheath 156 for ease of gripping, particularly to facilitate pulling the collar 152 and sheath 156 apart. For example, the inner circumferential edges of the collar 152 and the sheath 156 maybe provided with semi-circular cut-outs which cooperate when the box is in the closed position to form a circular cut-out which is an aesthetically pleasing design, and can also assist the user in gripping the box.

The sheath 156 can be made by folding and gluing a single flat blank manufactured by cutting and creasing from a sheet material such as plastic, cardboard or folding box board, as can be seen in Figure 7.

In a yet further embodiment of the box 110 shown in Figure 7, the box 110 does not comprise a tray-end part of the outer sleeve. In this case, the user simply grips the sheath 156 and the exposed part of the inner sleeve 112 in order to open and close the box 110. Again, the sleeve may be provided with cut-outs or impressions to assist the user's grip.

It is to be understood that further embodiments are also to be included in this application which combine the outer sleeve 150 described herein with the boxes described in GB 0519581.3.

The outer sleeve 150 can have a finish applied by foil blocking or embossing. The box/packaging 110 could be provided with a wipe-clean finish by printing a varnish onto the print surface or by film laminating. Preferably, there is no forcible locking device on the packaging 110, so that the product can be loaded or unloaded easily, making the package 110 suitable for the elderly and infirm.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its essential attributes as defined in the appended claims and other statements of invention herein. For example, the belt need not be a continuous loop, but may be a strip associated with the tab members and arranged to co-operate with each other such that translation of one tab member causes the other tab member to move. The sleeve may be any other type of frame. The tab/tray members 128, 130 need not necessarily be housed wholly in the inner sleeve 112; the tab/tray members 128, 130 may be shaped and/or sized so that portion(s) of the tab/tray members 128, 130 remain outside the inner sleeve 112. The bonds 127, 129 need not be exactly aligned with one another. In other words, the fully open position can be reached when only one of the bonds associated with a tab/tray member reaches the end of the divider 122. The tab/tray members 128, 130 may take any configuration and not necessarily that shown in the drawings. For example, in other embodiments of the invention, the tray member 128 may be sized to contain other objects, or may instead be replaced by a tab member for displaying information or such like. The outer sleeve 156 of Figures 1 to 7 may take configurations and shapes other than that shown in Figures 1 to 7 whilst retaining the benefit of the invention for pulling/pushing one or more of the tab members to open and/or close a box/package. The packaging can be made in many shapes and sizes and of various different materials, and is not limited to the shapes shown in the Figures.

Claims

1. A package comprising: a body defining an external surface; a belt supported for movement within the body; first and second tab members attached to the belt such that when the first tab member is moved in a first direction, the second tab member is driven by the belt to move in a second direction different to the first direction; and a first grip member fixed to the first tab member for movement therewith, the grip member being movable over the external surface of the body to move the first tab member.

2. The package of Claim 1, wherein the first grip member encircles the body.

3. The package of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the first grip member receives an end of the body in the manner of a pocket.

4. The package of any preceding claim, wherein the body is a sleeve having opposed open ends, and wherein the second tab member can protrude from the sleeve through one of the open ends.

5. The package of Claim 4, wherein the first grip member closes the other of the open ends of the sleeve.

6. The package of any preceding claim, wherein the first grip member and the first tab member sandwich a wall of the body that defines said external surface.

7. The package of Claim 6, wherein the first grip member and the first tab member lie in parallel planes.

8. The package of any preceding claim, wherein the first tab member and the first grip member are integral.

9. The package of any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the first grip member is attached to the first tab member by a connector.

10. The package of Claim 9, wherein the connector has a U-section defined by a first arm attached to the first tab member and a second arm attached to the first grip member.

11. The package of any preceding claim, wherein the body defines faces and the first grip member extends over at least two faces of the body.

12. The package of Claim 11, where said faces are mutually adjoining.

13. The package of Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein the body is cuboidal and said faces are mutually orthogonal.

14. The package of Claim 13, wherein the first grip member has at least four faces that together encircle the body.

15. The package of Claim 14, wherein the first grip member has a fifth face mutually orthogonal to each of said four faces, the faces together defining a pocket that receives an end of the body.

16. The package of any preceding claim, further comprising a second grip member at an end of the body opposed to the first grip member.

17. The package of Claim 16, wherein the second grip member is a collar fixed to the body.

18. The package of Claim 16, wherein the second grip member is integral with the body

19. The package of Claim 16 or Claim 17, wherein the second grip member has an edge against which an edge of the first grip member abuts when the tab members are in a closed position within the body.

20. A package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.