GB2098178A - Packaging articles in partitioned layers - Google Patents

Abstract

Articles such as apples X are packaged in layers each defined by a divider of the expandable cellular type which in the expanded state defines an array of complete cells each of which is open at the top and bottom and, along at least one side, a row of cells which are also open sideways. A pad 4 for closing the bottoms of the cells is formed with at least one flange 5 for at least partially closing the open sides of said row of cells. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Packaging articles The present invention relates to the packaging of articles.

Packages of articles, for example apples or other fruits, in which the articles are located in individual cells have become common. By fitting the packages with dividers of the expandable cellular type provided in the unexpanded state, and expanding the dividers to the open cellular state as part of the packaging operation, considerable economy in transport and storage costs is achieved. There are two principal types of such dividers. Firstly there are dividers of the egg-box type formed of strips of material inter-engaged in a pivotal mannerattransverse slits. In their expanded state their cells have a rectangular configuration. Secondly there are dividers of the honeycomb type in which the strips are secured together at intervals by an adhesive; see for example British Specification 591,772.The configuration of the cells of the expan.ded material is generally hexagonal in this case.

When in its expanded state, a divider of either type can be regarded as being enveloped by an imaginary, generally rectangular hollow block. The divider has an array of complete cells each of which is open to the two faces of the block and is otherwise completely surrounded by cell walls. In addition it normally has along at least one of the four sides of the block (usually along a pair of opposite sides with a divider of the honeycomb type, and along all four sides with a divider of the egg-box type) a row of incomplete cells which are separated from one another and from the complete cells by cell wells but are open to the said side of the block as well as to the two faces thereof.

When the articles are to be packaged in superposed layers, layer pads, usually in the form of sheets of cardboard, are positioned between the layers. The layer pads close the complete and incomplete cells where they open to the faces of the block.

The normal practice is to introduce the articles into the cells with the expanded material already fitted into a carton or held above the carton itself, together with a layer pad, in a confining frame from which it can descend into position. At the boundaries of the dividers, (ie. at the sides of their blocks} the incomplete cells are closed by the walls of the carton in the final package to provide effective packaging spaces.

For large-scale packaging operations, it is often attractive to have different functions performed at different stations. The application of this principle involves maintaining the incomplete cells closed laterally during their filling and during the subsequent conveying of the dividers for stacking in the cartons. Complications are caused by the instability ofthe assemblies until they are confined within the carton.

By the present invention, there is provided an assemblyforthe packaging of articles in a layer which comprise a divider of the expandable cellular type which in the expanded state is enveloped by an imaginary generally rectangular block and has complete cells and incomplete cells as hereinbefore described, and a layer pad for application to a face of the block, said layer pad being formed with at least one flange for extending over a side of the block to provide at least partial closure for the incomplete cells. The flanges act to improve the stability of the assembly and so reduce the mechanical handling problems, as well as acting to retain the articles in the incomplete cells.They occupy negligible space within the cartons and additionally can minimise contact of packaged articles with the walls of the cartons to an extent which depends upon their depth and which can be made complete if desired. This latter factor can be important for hygenic reasons in the packaging of fruit; indeed it renders the selection of the constructional material of the carton (usually cardboard) less critical.

Further in accordance with the present invention there is provided a package of a set of articles which comprises a plurality of the said assemblies stacked in a carton with the dividers separated from one another by layer pads of said assemblies, the flanges of the layer pads being held in their closure positions by walls of the carton and the articles of the set being distributed among the complete cells and the incomplete cells of the dividers.

For best results, the flange should have a depth of at least 30% of the thickness of the block. A depth of 50% or more is preferred for the packaging of generally spherical articles such as applies; the flanges then prevent contact of the articles with the carton material when the carton is inverted. The question of invertion is important since it is often advantageous to have the carton upside down at the filling stage. A usual requirement is for the carton to contain a given weight of the packaged product. This necessitates checking and adjusting the weight by the removal or, less frequently, the addition of articles as a final step before the carton is closed and sealed. Performing the adjustment on what is to be the bottom layer, rather than the top layer, gives an improved aesthetic result.

In a preferred procedure the dividers and the layer pads are fed in turn to a filling station and the layer pads are formed with the flanges at or whilst being fed to the filling station.

The following description in which reference is made to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing is given in order to illustrate the invention. ;n the drawing: Figure lisa plan of part of a package using dividers of the honeycomb type, Figure 2 shows the cellular form of a divider of the egg-box type, Figure 3 is an elevation showing part of one of the constituent strips of the divider of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a perspective showing a layer pad, and Figure 5 is a partial cross-section taken at V---V of Figure 1.

The package of Figure 1 has an external carton having side walls 1 and 2 which join at vertical corner 3. This carton is fitted with expanded dividers of the honeycomb type which rest on rectangular layer pads 4 formed at two opposite edges with flanes 5 and 6.

Fi.qure 5 shows parts of three of the honeycomb dividers, which are formed from card material, and the layers of apples packed in the cells thereof. Cell walls Dare of double thickness constituted by two layers of the card material held together by an adhesive. Those apples indicated as X are contained in incomplete edge cells of the divider. The remaindex shown in Figure 1 are contained in complete cells. They are surrounded by the constitent card material of the divider and enclosed from above and below by layer pads except in the case ofthetop and bottom layers which may be enclosed from above and below by the top or bottom of the carton.

Arrow 5 of Figure 1 indicates the expansion direction of the honeycomb divider. Expansion of the egg-box type divider of Figure 2 is by rotating one set of constituent parallel strips 6 about its intersections 7 with the other set of constituent strips 8, generally in the direction indicated by arrow 9. At each intersection the strips are engaged in oppositely directed slits or slots. One slot 9 is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows the relationship between the layer pad 4 and the imaginary generally rectangular block referred to hereinbefore. That part of the block which projects above flanges 5 and 6 is shown in broken lines, the remainder corresponds with the inner faces of the flanges and the upper face of the remainder of the layer pad. In practice, the upper face of the block is defined by the upper edges of the strips which constitute the divider.

To form the package, the apples and the dividers are assembled in the expanded state upon, and between the flanges of, the layer pads and the assemblies are positioned in the carton. From the time an assembly is made until it is confined within the carton, the flanges assist in retaining the apples Xin their incomplete cells even though the assemb lies may be inclined. Additionally, the flanges stiffen the layer pads at the edges of the assembly and thereby oppose the development of edge distortion of the layer pads which, accompanied by movement ofthe apples, can result in general instability.

It will be understood that references to the top and bottom of the carton and other components of the package are made with reference to the orientation in which the package is assembled. Such packages are often assembled bottom-up and inverted after their upwardly directed bottoms have been closed.

It will further be understood that modifications of the arrangements specifically described herein by way of example may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the scope of the invention, once the principles have been understood.

Claims (9)

1. An assembly for the packaging of articles in a layer which comprises a divider of the expandable cellular type which in the expanded state is enveloped by an imaginary generally rectangular block and is constituted by an array of complete cells each of which is open to the two faces of the block and is otherwise completely surrounded by cell walls and along at least one of the four sides of the block a row of incomplete cells which are separated from one another and from the complete cells by cell walls but are open sideways to said side of the block as well as to the two faces of the block, and a layer pad for application to a face of the block, said layer pad being formed with at least one flange for extending over a side of the block to provide at least partial closure for the incomplete cells where they are open as aforesaid.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which the or each flange has a depth of at least 30% of the thickness of the block.

3. An assembly according to either of claims 1 to 2 in which the divider and the layer pad are each formed of paper board.

4. A package of a set of articles which comprises a plurality of assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 3 stacked in a carton with the dividers separated from one another by layer pads of said assemblies, the flanges of layer pads being held in their closure positions by walls of the carton and the articles of the set being distributed among the complete cells and the incomplete cells of the dividers.

5. A method of producing a package according to claim 4 in which articles of the set are introduced into the complete and incomplete cells of the assemblies and the assemblies are transferred into the carton, the flanges acting to retain articles in the incomplete cells during said transfer.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the dividers and the layer pads are fed in turn to a fitting station and the layer pads are formed with the flanges at or whilst being fed to the fitting station.

7. An assembly for the packaging of articles in a layer, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A package according to claim 4, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A method according to claim 5, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings.