GB2272888A

GB2272888A - Packaging arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2272888A
Application number: GB9323574A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dominique Beaufils; Marie-Francoise Beaufils
Original assignee: BEAUFILS MARIE FRANCOISE
Current assignee: BEAUFILS MARIE FRANCOISE
Priority date: 1992-11-17
Filing date: 1993-11-16
Publication date: 1994-06-01
Also published as: FR2698081B1; FR2698081A1; GB9323574D0

Abstract

A packaging arrangement, especially for bottles, is in the form of a prismatic container erected from blank cellular sheet and having a base, a top edge (6) and lateral faces (4) interconnecting the base with the top edge, and a cut-out handle (10, 12) in the lateral faces adjacent the top edge. The bottles are stacked in the container in an orientation parallel to the top edge, preferably located by orifices (14) in the container end walls, so that the bottles automatically remain in a horizontal disposition, for example to keep bottle corks moist, when the container is freely suspended from its handle or is set down on its base. <IMAGE>

Description

Title Packaging Arrangement Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to the field of packaging, particularly arrangements for the storage and transportation of objects in package form and more especially a container for elongate objects such as bottles and in particular necked bottles.

Background to the invention Numerous containers of the above mentioned type are known, for example from French Patents 2 581 970 (Herzberger), 2 665 421 (Otor) and 2 648 440 (4P Emballages France).

These known containers suffer from disadvantages. Thus, in the case where the objects are corked bottles, the fact that they are transported or stored vertically leads to a drying out of the corks and consequently a loss of sealing action, which is prejudicial to the contents. In addition, the bottles are orientated in the same direction, which in some instances can be detrimental to the package volume.

An object of the invention is to obviate the aforementioned disadvantages.

The invention According to one aspect of the invention, an arrangement of a package of elongate objects such as bottles and in particular necked bottles, in a prismatic container having a handle with a view to the transportation and storage of said objects, is characterised in that the objects are orientated parallel to one of the longitudinal edges, in particular the top edge, of the prism, the handle being located in the vicinity of said top edge, so that free suspension of the container by its handle automatically leads to the objects retaining horizontal dispositions.

Therefore the shaping and positioning of the objects are concomitant, the relative arrangement between the objects and their orientations being advantageous. Thus, for example, necked bottles are transported and stored in the horizontal position, so that the liquid contained therein is in constant contact with the cork. Also, the objects can optionally be placed head to tail so as to minimise the volume of the package, more especially in the case of tapering bottles, whilst still being horizontally orientated.

The preferred container according to the invention has an uneven number of lateral faces, inclusive of the base, so that a plane passing through said top edge is orthogonally secant to one of its lateral faces, i.e. the base, in its median zone, the handle being produced in one of the lateral faces of the prism and in the vicinity of said top edge.

According to a preferred embodiment of the container, the prism is a regular prism with a triangular section. Thus a plurality of such containers can be stored in relatively inverted layers so as to occupy a minimum amount of space during storage.

Preferably, the prism is a straight prism, i.e. having parallel end faces. Alternatively, the end faces could be in convergent planes in order to permit the grouping in the same package of similar objects having different dimensions.

Preferably, at least one of the end faces of the prism has object holding means and according to a first embodiment of said holding means the latter are constituted by a plurality of orifices for receiving part of the said objects, e.g. the necks of bottles. According to another embodiment, the holding means are formed by at least one shoulder constituting a seating for the objects.

Advantageously, the handle is formed from elongated openings made in the lateral faces of the prism and in the vicinity of the top edge.

Preferably, the container is produced from at least one cellular material piece by cutting, folding and adhesion thereof, whereby the prism can be flattened to a double and/or triple thickness.

Thus, a preferred arrangement is produced from three sheet pieces, whereof two, called end pieces, are identical and joined by adhesion to the third, so-called central piece, the end pieces being substantially triangular, so as to form the end faces of a prism and the central piece has, defined by the folding lines, three rectangular portions, namely a central portion and two end portions, so as to form the base and lateral faces of the prism, wherein the end portions of the central piece are in each case provided in corresponding manner in the vicinity of their outer edge with a median, oblong opening for jointly forming a handle, one of the end portions, called the first portion, being provided along its outer edge with a folding line forming a so-called first flap having in the vicinity of its outer edge two transverse cuts and a median folding line jointly forming a so-called second flap, the first flap serving to cover the outer edge and the other or so-called second end portion of the central piece and the second flap penetrating the opening of said second end portion in order to close the prism, and also wherein each end piece has a triangular central portion bordered by so-called third flaps, two of said third flaps being joined by adhesion, one to the lateral edge of the central portion of the central piece and the other to the lateral edge of the second end portion of the central piece, the triangular central portion being subdivided into two equal parts jointly bordering the last of the third flaps by a median folding line extending beyond the triangular central portion to the last of the third flaps and also having in the vicinity of each of its angles a plurality of jointly star-shaped cuts, so as to form locating orifices for the necks of bottles.

Description of embodiments Arrangements in accordance with the invention are described in greater detail hereinafter with respect to non-limitative embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a container according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an illustration of a stacked group of containers according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of container according to the invention, when partially erected; Figure 4 is a view of cardboard pieces from which the container of Figure 3 is produced; and Figures 5 to 7 are respectively diagrammatic views of less preferred embodiments of container according to the invention.

In Figures 1 and 2, bottles 2 are packed in packages in a prismatic container having a handle 8. The bottles 2 are arranged parallel to one of the longitudinal edges 6, called the top edge, of the prism, the handle 8 being in the vicinity of said top edge 6. Thus, when the container is transported or set down by means of its handle 8, the bottles 2 remain horizontal automatically in natural manner. In addition, the bottles 2 can be placed head to tail in the container, as is indicated in Figure 1, so as to reduce to the minimum the overall dimensions thereof, especially with tapered bottles.

Figure 2 clearly shows that the container, when shaped as a regular prism with a triangular section, makes it possible to store a large number of containers in a minimum amount of space.

In Figures 1 to 4, the handle 8 is shaped from oblong openings 10 and 12 made in the lateral faces 4 of the prism in the vicinity of the top edge 6.

Locating orifices 14 for bottle necks are made in each of the end faces 16 of the container, so as to locate the bottles either in the same direction, or head to tail.

As shown in Figure 4, the preferred container is produced from three cardboard pieces 18, 20 and 22 by cutting, folding and adhering the same. Other cellular material may be employed instead of cardboard.

Two of the pieces 18 and 20, termed end pieces, are identical and joined to a central, third piece 22. The end pieces 18 and 20 are substantially triangular, so as to form the end faces 16 of the prism. Defined by folding or bending lines 24 and 26, the central piece 22 has three rectangular portions, namely a central portion 22 and two end portions 18 and 20, so as to form the lateral faces 4 of the prism, in particular the base and two side faces.

The end pieces 18 and 20 have a triangular, central portion 32 bordered on its periphery by three so-called third flaps 34, 35 and 36. Two 34, 35 of said third flaps are used for the application by adhesion of the end pieces 18, 20 to the central piece 22, one 34 of the flaps being adhered to the central portion 28 of the central piece 22, whilst the other flap 34 is adhered to one of the end portions 30, called the second portion, of the central piece 22. The last 36 of the three flaps forms a seating for the other of the end portions 29 of the central piece 22, called the first, during folding and erection of the prism.

In corresponding manner, each of the end portions 29, 30 of the central piece 22 is provided in the median zone thereof and in the vicinity of the outer edge, with oblong openings 10 and 12 for conjointly forming the handle 8.

Along its outer edge the first end portion has a folding or bending line 44 forming the so-called first flap 46.

The latter is intended to cover the outer edge of the second end portion 30, which has a so-called second flap 48, provided in its median zone and in the vicinity of its outer edge by two transverse cuts 50 and a folding line 52. This second flap 48 is intended to penetrate the opening 10 of the second end portion 30 in order to secure the prism.

It should be noted that the material 38 cut by the oblong groove 12 made in the first end portion 29 remains fixed by one of its edges to the central piece 22 in order to reinforce the strength of the handle 8.

The central triangular portion 32 of the end pieces 18 and 20 is subdivided into two equal parts by a median folding line 40 extending to the last 36 of the three flaps. This folding line 40 makes it possible to flatten the prism to a triple thickness with a surface corresponding to one of its lateral faces 4.

The orifices 14 made in the end pieces 18 and 20 for holding the bottles 2 are constituted by several jointly star-shaped cuts 42, so that the thus cut material encloses the neck of the bottles 2.

According to another embodiment of the prism not shown in the drawings, said prism is produced from a single piece, the flaps 34 of the end pieces 32 and the central portion 28 of the central piece 22 being integrally formed or connected, for example.

It should be noted that the container shown in Figures 1 to 4 is in accordance with a preferred embodiment, whilst Figures 5 to 7 illustrate alternative forms for the arrangement of the bottles in the modified containers.

Thus, the containers of Figures 5 and 6 are shaped as irregular prisms and their handles 8 are separately formed and joined to the main container body.

It is also pointed out that the container of Figure 7 is shaped like an oblique prism, which e.g. makes it possible to assemble in the same package similar objects of different sizes. As shown in the drawing, a bottle 3 of standard size and with a content of 75 cl is combined with bottles 2 of a larger size, namely the so-called magnum content of 150 cl.

It should finally be noted that the objects shown in the drawings are bottles, but that this is simply an illustrative example of application of the object packaging arrangement according to the invention. Another possible example is the packaging of certain elongated cakes, such as Stollen.

In addition, although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A packaging arrangement for elongate objects such as bottles, comprising a prismatic container having a base, a top edge and lateral faces interconnecting the lateral edges of the base and top edge, and a handle disposed adjacent the top edge, the arrangement being such that when the container is supported in free suspension from its handle, the base is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane horizontally to support the elongate objects when stacked on the base with their lengths parallel to the top edge of the container.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, which is of triangular shape with two opposed lateral faces extending between the base and the top edge.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the handle is formed by cutouts in the lateral faces adjacent the top edge.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the cutouts are elongated parallel to the top edge.

5. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plane through the top edge bisecting the angle between the opposed lateral faces intersects the base substantially orthogonally along a centre line of said base.

6. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 5, also having end faces at least one of which incorporates means for locating the ends of the elongate objects.

7. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 6, in combination with the elongate objects, wherein the objects have opposite end regions of differing shapes and are stacked in the container in layered parallel relationship with the end regions of one shape on one layer at one end of the container and the end region or regions of the layer above at the opposite end of the container.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which the elongate objects are necked bottles.

9. Blank sheet material to be folded to form the arrangement of any of claims 1 to 8, said material being a cellular material such as cellular cardboard enabling the empty container to be folded flat and erected ready for use.

10. Blank sheet material according to claim 9, comprising a first generally rectangular piece having cut-outs near its ends for forming the handle, one end also having a foldable flap formation which engages through the cut-outs to secure the container in erected condition, and second and third generally triangular pieces for forming the end faces of the container, each with a flap adhered to the rectangular piece and with flaps which tuck into the erected container to lie against the lateral faces thereof, said triangular end pieces having a plurality of points with radiating cuts which enable formation of the locating means for the ends of the elongate objects.

11. A packaging arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 5 or Figure 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.

12. Blank material for forming a packaging arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.