GB2377921A

GB2377921A - A packaging case with a releasable base fastening

Info

Publication number: GB2377921A
Application number: GB0117907A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Edward Thomas Burr; Stuart James Cameron Simm
Original assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2001-07-23
Filing date: 2001-07-23
Publication date: 2003-01-29
Anticipated expiration: 2021-07-23
Also published as: GB2377921B; GB0117907D0

Abstract

A packaging case (2) comprising a base (24,26), which can be opened from the top via a releaseable fastening (28) so that once the case is lifted, the contents of the case (32) are deposited in the desired location. An independent claim for the method of use of the case is included.

Description

PACKAGING CASES The present invention relates to packaging cases, and in particular to packaging cases for items which have to be placed into a confined space, such as a chest freezer.

Chest freezers are used widely in supermarkets for displaying a wide range of frozen goods. Display space is at a premium, which means that the various lines of goods are displayed very closely together, and there very little room for a packer to place his or her hands between lines of goods when filling the freezer.

Accordingly, when a packer wishes to pack the freezer, he or she places the case containing the goods on the floor next to the freezer, opens the top of the case, removes the goods and packs them by hand into the freezer. This is both time consuming and unpleasant for the packer who must handle large quantities of frozen goods.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved packaging case which will allow frozen goods to be placed directly from the package into the freezer without a packer handling the goods. From a first aspect, therefore, the invention provides a packaging case comprising a base which can be opened from the top of the case in order to allow goods within the case to be deposited in a desired location through the base by lifting the case.

From a second aspect, the invention provides a method of removing goods from a packaging case comprising opening the base of the case from the top of the case and lifting the case to remove the goods therefrom.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, rather than having to open the top of a case and remove goods through the top, in accordance with the invention, the

case can first be positioned in the location where it is desired to deposit the goods, for example in a freezer cabinet. The case is constructed such that its base can be opened in situ from the top of the case, and the goods in the case then deposited in the desired location merely by lifting the case. This avoids the need for a packer, for example, having to transfer frozen goods by hand from a packaging case to the freezer, and also avoids the need for the packer having to try to get his or her hands into confined spaces around the case to open the base.

The base of the case is preferably maintained closed by releasable fastening means accessible at, or adjacent, the top of the case. Preferably the fastening means comprises at least one frangible member extending under the base of the case which can be broken to allow the base to open when the case is lifted. The fastening means may, therefore, comprise one or more bands for example of a plastics or other material which extend under the base. The frangible member, e. g. the band, may comprise a line of weakness to facilitate its breaking.

Alternatively the band may be tearable or cuttable.

The band can be removed at that stage by pulling, but preferably it is left in situ until the goods are deposited as it is likely to be more easily removable at that stage.

Preferably the base comprises one or more hinged flaps which are released to open the base. Most preferably the base comprises at least one pair of opposed hinged flaps. Preferably the flaps overlap to some extent so as to provide additional strength to the base, and in the preferred embodiment, a or the frangible band extends along the area of overlap of the flaps.

In order to facilitate handling of the case, it is preferably provided with handling formations. Preferably these are constituted by hand or finger apertures in

opposed walls of the case. Most preferably, the apertures are provided in the upper region of the case in order to facilitate deposition of the case in a confined space. Most preferably, the apertures are arranged towards diagonally opposed corners of the case for ease of deposition. The holes may be defined by a push out panel or flap in a known manner.

The top of the case will normally be fixedly closed, for example by glued flaps, and in order to allow the case to be collapsed easily after use, preferably the top flaps are provided with, for example, half-cut regions around the glue regions to allow the flaps to be opened easily.

A case in accordance with the invention can be erected and filled on standard case erecting machinery.

In such machinery, a case is normally erected from a blank, its base glued closed, the goods packed into the case and the top then glued shut. In accordance with the invention, however, the case can be effectively erected top down, filled through the open base and the base then closed and fastened by the aforementioned fastening means. Accordingly from a further aspect the invention provides a method of making a case in accordance with the invention comprising the steps of : erecting a case, top down, on a case erecting machine; gluing the top of the case shut; packing goods into the case through the open base of the case; closing the base; and fastening the base shut by releasable fastening means.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a case in accordance with the invention ; Figure 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the case of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 shows a first stage in the opening of the

case ; Figure 4 shows a second stage in opening the case ; Figure 5 shows goods being deposited from the case ; and Figure 6 shows the final stage in deposition of the goods.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a packaging case 2 for e. g. frozen goods, is rectangular in shape and is made from corrugated cardboard.

The case is of a generally conventional construction, having a top 4 formed by respective pairs of opposed flaps 6,8. The flaps 6 are hingedly attached to the side walls 10 of the case 2 while the flaps 8 are hingedly attached to the end walls 12 of the case 2. The flaps 6 are glued to the flaps 8 at glue lines 14 to close the top of the case 2. However, the lower surfaces of the flaps 6 are provided with half cuts 16 around the glue regions 14 to facilitate easy opening of the top to collapse the case 2 for recycling after use.

Both end walls 12 of the case are provided with push in flaps or panels 18 which form hand holes 20 (see Figure 3) in the upper corner regions of the walls 12.

Only one flap 18 is shown on the front wall, but the other is positioned diagonally opposite the one shown, on the back wall.

The base 22 of the case 2 is formed from two pairs of opposed flaps hingedly attached to the lower ends of the side walls 10 and end walls 12. A first pair of flaps 24 (Figure 5) are attached to the end walls 12 and underlie the second pair of flaps 26 which are attached the side walls 10. The flaps 26 overlap generally along the centreline of the case, as shown in Figure 2, for strength.

Unlike conventional cases, the various flaps of the base 22 are not glued together, but rather they are kept closed during transit by fastening means in the form of

a frangible band 28 which extends completely around the case 2. The band 28 is of plastics, paper, or similar material and in order to facilitate its breaking, it is provided with a line of weakness 30 (e. g. perforations) at the top of the case 2. As shown the band is sufficiently broad to cover the area of overlap between the base flaps 24,26.

The use of the case 2 will now be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6.

As mentioned in the above introduction, the case is of particular use for depositing goods such as frozen goods in confined areas, such as chest freezers.

In order to deposit the goods 32 (Figure 5) a packer first places the case 2 in the desired location for the goods, e. g. in a freezer compartment. The offset hand holes 20 formed in the front and rear walls 12 allow the user more easily to deposit the case in a confined space.

When the case 2 is in position, the band 28 can be broken along the line of weakness 30 as shown in Figure 3. A packer can then engage his or her hands in the hand holes 20 as shown in Figure 4 and lift the case 2.

As the band 28 is broken, it no longer hold the base 22 closed and the base flaps 24,26 are able to hinge outwardly under the weight of the goods 32 as the case 2 is lifted, as shown in Figure 5.

Finally, the case can be completely lifted clear, as indicated by the arrow 34 in Figure 6 and the band 28 slid out from under the goods 32.

In this manner the goods 32 have been deposited without being individually handled which is advantageous in terms both of time and user convenience.

In order to collapse the case 2 for recycling, the outer top flaps 6 can be pulled up to release then from the inner top flaps 8 by virtue of the half cuts 16 around the glue lines 14.

As has been stated the case 2 is generally

conventional in its construction. As such it can be erected and filled on standard machinery. In fact, the case 2 will be erected top down, the top flaps 6,8 glued shut, the goods 32 packed into the case 2 through the open base 22 of the case, and the base flaps 24,26 then closed over and fastened in position by the band 28. This requires only the provision of an additional banding station to the existing machinery.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the case may be made of foldable sheet materials other than corrugated board, for example cardboard, paperboard or even plastics. In addition, while only one fastening band has been shown, more than one may be provided for additional security. Also the band or bands may extend across the external base flaps rather than along them as shown. The band shown may be also replaced by other suitable fastenings such as cords, straps or so on, and the term band as used herein should be construed accordingly. Also, the band need not be provided with weakened areas as shown and could for example be broken by tearing or cutting. The term frangible as used herein should, therefore, be taken to encompass such modes of breaking the band.

Also, it is possible that the band or bands may also maintain the top of the case closed until it is broken, avoiding the need to glue the top flaps.

The band may not be the only means of maintaining the base closed during transit. For example, the base could also be glued using a relatively weak glue which fails under the weight of the goods in the case as it is lifted after the band has been broken.

In addition, the case may be used with a wide variety of goods, not just frozen goods, although it is particularly useful with the latter.

As to erection and packing of the case, the method

described above involves erecting and packing the case upside down. The case could alternatively be packed the right way up so long as the base retaining band is positioned under the base prior to packing the case.

Claims

Claims 1. A packaging case comprising a base which can be opened from the top of the case in order to allow goods within the case to be deposited in a desired-location through the base by lifting the case.
2. A case as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base of the case is maintained closed by releasable fastening means accessible at, or adjacent, the top of the case.
3. A case as claimed in claim 2 wherein said fastening means comprises at least one frangible member extending under the base of the case.
4. A case as claimed in claim 3 wherein said frangible member is a band of a plastics or other material.
5. A case as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein said frangible member comprises a line of weakness to facilitate its breaking.
6. A case as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base of the case comprises one or more hinged flaps which are released to open the base.
7. A case as claimed in claim 6 comprising at least one pair of opposed hinged flaps.
8. A case as claimed in claim 7 wherein said opposed flaps overlap to some extent.
9. A case as claimed in claim 7 as dependent directly or indirectly on claim 4 wherein said frangible band extends along the area of overlap of the flaps.
10. A case as claimed in any preceding claim wherein

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the case is provided with hand apertures in opposed walls of the case.
11. A case as claimed in claim 10 wherein the apertures are provided in the upper region of the case.
12. A case as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the apertures are arranged towards diagonally opposed corners of the case.
13. A case as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the top of the case comprises glued flaps, and wherein said flaps are provided with weakened, e. g. half cut regions around the glued regions.
14. A method of removing goods from a packaging case comprising opening the base of the case from the top of the case and lifting the case to remove the goods therefrom.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the base of the case is maintained closed by releasable fastening means accessible at, or adjacent, the top of the case, and the base is opened by releasing said fastening and then lifting the case.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein said fastening means comprises one or more frangible members extending under the base of the case.
17. A method case as claimed in claim 16 wherein said frangible member is a band of a plastics or other material.

18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein said frangible member comprises a line of weakness to facilitate its breaking.

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18. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein said band is removed from under the deposited goods after the case has been lifted.
19. A method as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18 wherein the case is lifted using hand apertures in opposed walls of the case.
20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the apertures are provided in the upper region of the case and are preferably arranged towards diagonally opposed corners of the case.
21. A method of making a case in accordance with any of claims 1 to 13 comprising the steps of: erecting a case blank top down on a case erecting machine ; gluing the top of the case shut ; packing goods into the case through the open base of the case; closing the base; and fastening the base shut by releasable fastening means.
22. A method of making a case in accordance with any of claims 1 to 13 comprising the steps of: erecting a case blank top down on a case erecting machine ; closing the top of the case shut ; packing goods into the case through the open base of the case ; closing the base ; and fastening the base shut by fastening a band around and under the case.
23. A method of making a case in accordance with any of claims 1 to 13 comprising the steps of: erecting a case blank bottom down on a case erecting machine ; placing a band under the base of the case ; packing goods into the case through the open top of the case ; closing the top; and fastening the band about the case.
24. A packaging case comprising a base having a plurality of closure flaps and a band extending around

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and underneath the base so as to assist in keeping the flaps closed during transit, said band being frangible so as to release the base flaps to allow goods within the case to be deposited in a desired location through the base by lifting the case.