GB2304096A - Container formed from a blank - Google Patents

Abstract

A blank of corrugated board for making a tray-like container with a base and side walls comprises a base panel 1, a first wall panel 2 hinged to the base panel for forming a first side wall, a second wall panel 4 hinged to the first wall panel on the opposite side from the base panel so as to form an inner layer of said first side wall when folded inwardly, a pair of first wall flaps 7 hinged to the opposite ends of the said first wall panel, and a pair of second wall flaps 8 hinged to the opposite ends of the said second wall panel. Said wall flaps are arranged to form layers either of said first side wall or of second and third side walls 10,11 on respective sides of said first side wall when erected, and the flutes 18 of the corrugated board extend at right angles to the hinges 3,5 between the said base panel and first and second wall panels whereby, when erected, the said first and second wall panels and the said first and second wall flaps all have their flutes vertical.

Description

Container This invention relates to containers made of corrugated board and has as its primary object to provide a tray-like container whose side walls are particularly adapted to withstand vertical compressive forces, so as to facilitate the stacking of a number of such containers one upon another.

According to the invention there is provided a blank of corrugated board for making a tray-like container with a base and side walls, the blank comprising a base panel, a first wall panel hinged to the base panel for forming a first side wall, a second wall panel hinged to the first wall panel on the opposite side from the base panel to form an inner layer of said first side wall when folded inwardly, a pair of first wall flaps hinged to the opposite ends of the said first wall panel, and a pair of second wall flaps hinged to the opposite ends of the said second wall panel, said wall flaps being arranged to form layers either of said first side wall or of second and third side walls on respective sides of said first side wall when erected, and the flutes of the corrugated board extending at right angles to the hinges between the said base panel and first and second wall panels whereby, when erected, the said first and second wall panels and the said first and second wall flaps all have their flutes vertical.

In a container made from such a blank, as all of the said wall panels and wall flaps have their flutes vertical, the walls have improved strength to withstand vertical compressive forces when a number of containers are stacked one upon another.

In one form of the invention the said first wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said second and third side walls and said second wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said first side wall.

In another form of the invention both said first wall flaps and said second wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said second and third side walls.

The said wall flaps may be of such a length as to abut at their free ends when erected, so as to extend the whole length of the side walls of which they form layers. This is by no means necessary, however, and indeed in a preferred form of the invention the said wall flaps are each less than half the length of the walls in which they are incorporated, so that there is a gap between their free ends when erected. Forming the wall flaps in this way can lead to a saving in board in that the blank may be of overall rectangular shape with no wastage of board.

In a preferred form of the invention, for making a rectangular container, the rectangular base panel has an array of wall panels and flaps as aforesaid also on the side thereof opposite to said first side wall, to form the fourth side wall of the container, so that all four corners of the container have the enhanced compressive strength already referred to.

Of course, blanks according to the invention may be formed to make containers having more than four side walls.

Preferably a contiguous stacking tab is provided at each end of the or each said first wall panel and on each of its associated first wall flaps, to stand up from and extend around each of the side wall junctions when erected, and corresponding stacking cut-outs are provided in the bottom edges thereof.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank according to the invention; Figures 2 to 5 illustrate successive stages in the erection of the blank of Figure 1 to form a container; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the erected container; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of one corner of the erected container, cut away to show the arrangement of the flutes in the respective layers of board.

Referring first to Figure 1, a blank made of single wall corrugated board (so-called C-flute board), for forming a rectangular tray-like container, has a central rectangular base panel 1. A first wall panel 2 is hinged to the base panel along a hinge line 3 and a second wall panel 4 is hinged to the first wall panel along a double hinge line 5 so as to form an inner layer of a first side wall 6 (Figures 4 to 7) when erected.

First wall flaps 7 are hingedly connected to the respective ends of the first wall panel 2, and second wall flaps 8 are similarly hinged, along double hinge lines 9, to the respective ends of the second wall panel 4. Wall panels 10 and 11 for forming second and third side walls of the erected tray are hinged to the base panel along hinge lines 12 and 13. A second array of wall panels and wall flaps, indicated generally at 14, are hinged to the opposite side of the base panel 1, in identical fashion to those already described, to form the fourth side wall 15 of the erected tray. Stacking tabs 16 are formed on the first wall panel 2 and first wall flaps 7, extending contiguously through the hinge lines 17 therebetween.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be noted that the flutes 18 of the board making up the blank extend at rights angles to the hinge lines 3 and 5 between the base panel 1 and the first and second wall panels 2 and 4. Still referring to Figure 2, the erection of the blank to form a tray is begun by folding in the second wall flaps 8 and gluing them to the adjoining faces of the second wall panels 4. Then, as shown in Figure 3, the second wall panels 4 are folded in and glued to the first wall panels 2. Following that, as shown in Figure 4, all of the wall panels are folded up relative to the base panel to form the upstanding side walls of the tray. Finally, as shown in Figure 5, the first wall flaps 7 are folded in and glued to the second and third side walls 10 and 11, to form the erected tray illustrated in Figure 6.

As a result of the particular arrangement of the wall panels and wall flaps relative to the direction of the flutes 18 in the board, and as particularly shown in Figure 7, at each of the junctions between the side walls of the tray the first and fourth side walls are made up of three layers of board all with their flutes vertical, whilst the second and third side walls are made up of two layers of board of which the outer one has its flutes vertical. Consequently the corner regions of the tray are particularly strong in vertical compression.

In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, the second wall flaps 8 are incorporated in the second and third side walls 10 and 11, in addition to the first wall flaps 7, for example by folding them in the opposite direction relative to the second wall panels 4 from that illustrated and locating them inside the wall panels 10 and 11, with the first wall flaps still on the outside. Alternatively both the first and second wall flaps may be located on the outside of the walls 10 and 11, or both on the inside thereof. All of such arrangements produce a tray with two layers of vertically fluted board in each wall at each corner region.

Figure 6 illustrates the arrangement of the stacking tabs 16 in the erected tray and it will be noted that cut-outs 19 formed at suitable positions in the blank are arranged to receive the stacking tabs when two trays are stacked one upon the other.

Of course, the blank could be formed of double wall corrugated board if desired.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings provides a tray whose length is twice its width. It is contemplated that trays of otherwise similar structure but of square configuration could be provided, with each side of a length equal to the width of the illustrated tray. Two of such trays could then be stacked side by side on one of the illustrated trays as an alternative to stacking two similar elongate trays one upon the other. Obviously a stack of trays could then include some layers formed by only one tray, and others formed by two smaller trays. In such a stack, the stacking tabs 16 provided on the respective trays will still interengage with the tray or trays above, in the same manner as previously described.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A blank of corrugated board for making a tray-like container with a base and side walls, the blank comprising a base panel, a first wall panel hinged to the base panel for forming a first side wall, a second wall panel hinged to the first wall panel on the opposite side from the base panel to form an inner layer of said first side wall when folded inwardly, a pair of first wall flaps hinged to the opposite ends of the said first wall panel, and a pair of second wall flaps hinged to the opposite ends of the said second wall panel, said wall flaps being arranged to form layers either of said first side wall or of second and third side walls on respective sides of said first side wall when erected, and the flutes of the corrugated board extending at right angles to the hinges between the said base panel and first and second wall panels whereby, when erected, the said first and second wall panels and the said first and second wall flaps all have their flutes vertical.

2. A blank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said second and third side walls and said second wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said first side wall.

3. A blank as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first wall flaps are arranged to be secured to the outsides of wall panels hinged to said base panel and forming said second and third side walls, when erected.

4. A blank as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said second wall flaps are arranged to be sandwiched between said first and second wall panels, when erected.

5. A blank as claimed in claim 1, wherein both said first wall flaps and said second wall flaps are arranged to form layers of said second and third side walls.

6. A blank as claimed in any preceding claim, for making a rectangular container, the said base panel being rectangular and having wall panels and flaps as aforesaid also on the side thereof opposite to said first side wall, to form the fourth side wall of the container.

7. A blank as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a contiguous stacking tab is provided at each end of the or each said first wall panel and on each of its associated first wall flaps, to stand up from and extend around each of the side wall junctions when erected, and corresponding stacking cut-outs are provided in the bottom edges thereof.

8. A blank as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A container made from a blank as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8.