GB2418198A

GB2418198A - Blank for a box with a two part lid

Info

Publication number: GB2418198A
Application number: GB0420481A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Faheem Badur; Karnal Ahmed Mehirbas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-09-15
Filing date: 2004-09-15
Publication date: 2006-03-22
Also published as: GB0420481D0

Abstract

A box blank for assembly into a closable box of unitary construction comprises a unitary base portion (10), four side wall portions (12a-12d), each joined to the periphery of the base by a respective side wall fold line (5), first lid portion (16) joined to one of said side wall portions by a first lid fold line (6) and a second lid portion (17) joined to another of said side wall portions by a second lid fold line (6). The side walls (12a-12d) are foldable to form an open box, the first and second lid portions (16,17) cooperating to close the box fully. The lid portions (16,17) may overlap and locking flaps 22 may engage in slots 20 to hold the lid portions (16,17) closed. Gusset corner portions (14) may be provided.

Description

P305570CB Box blank This invention relates to a blank for a box,

particularly but not exclusively for a box to be used as a container for fast food.

Fast food containers such as burger and pizza boxes are well known items, which are predominantly made out of cardboard or foam and used to carry away ready-made food.

The boxes are often also used as a container out of which to eat. However, such containers generally work more successfully as food carrying containers than they do as containers from which to eat. The asymmetric design of such boxes makes them difficult to hold and carry whilst eating, with the result that food, or even the whole container, may be dropped. Pizza boxes have the added impracticality for the food vendor that they have to be assembled prior to use and then be stored in assembled form, thereby consuming greater space.

EP-A-0455610 describes a leakage-proof container, made from a single paperboard blank. The blank includes a single lid portion which, when the container is assembled, extends from one side panel, over the top of the open mouth of the container, to connect to the opposing side panel. The lid is glued down to the side panels of the container to prevent leakage of the contents.

EP-A-0455610, WO-A-86/03726 and EP-A-0205548 also all describe box blanks for assembly into a container. Each of these blanks includes a single lid portion which, when the container is assembled, extends from one side panel, over the top of the open mouth of the container, to connect to the opposing side panel. Various differences in assembly are described in each application along with differences in affixing the lid portion of the blank to one or more side portions of the blank, to allow the box to be closed.

Containers such as those described above can be opened from the top only. There is no access to either side of the container without first releasing the lid portion from its connection to the side portions, thus opening the whole lid of the box. In addition, each of these boxes, when in open configuration, is asymmetric in shape, resulting in the problems described above when the container is to be used to transport food.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a box blank for assembly into a closable box of unitary construction comprising a unitary base portion, four side wall portions, each joined to the periphery of the base by a respective side wall fold line, a first lid portion joined to one of said side wall portions by a first lid fold line, a second lid portion joined to another of said side wall portions by a second lid fold line, the side wall portions being foldable to form an open box, the first and second lid portions being arranged such that the first lid portion partiallycloses the box and the second lid portion partially closes the box, the lid portions cooperating to close the box fully.

Each side portion is preferably linked to each adjacent side portion by a corner portion which forms a gusset fold when the box blank is assembled into a box.

Advantageously, the invention provides a box blank which can be stored in unassembled form and need only be assembled just prior to use. In addition, where the box blank is intended to form a container which is to be used for transporting food, when the container is in an assembled but open configuration it provides the user with a bowl- or plate-type device which allows the user to manipulate his food more efficiently than when using containers of known type. The container is substantially symmetrical in shape with the base portion being centrally located, so the container is not unbalanced and can be easily held in one hand. Therefore, the likelihood of food, or the container itself, being dropped is minimised. In a further advantage, the assembled box may be partially opened to allow access to one side of the box, by the opening of one of the lid portions but not the other.

One of the lid portions preferably comprises at least one locking flap for joining the lid portion to at least one side wall portion. Preferably, the first and second lid portions each comprise at least one locking flap. Each side wall which is not joined to a lid portion may be joined to a lid supporting portion by a support fold line. The lid supporting portion may comprise a lock slot or lock member suitable for engaging with at least one locking flap.

When the box blank according to the invention is assembled into a box and the lid portions cooperate to close the box fully, the lid portions may meet along a line which transects a surface of the box which opposes the base portion. Alternatively, the first and second lid portions may partially overlap with one another.

When the box blank is assembled into a box, the box may be partially openable by lifting the first or second lid portion. In addition, the box may be fully openable by lifting the first and second lid portions.

The box blank according to the invention, when not assembled into a box, is preferably substantially planar.

Preferably, the box blank may be made at least partially from card, or at least partially from paper, or at least partially from a plastics material such as polystyrene.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a box constructed from a

box blank as described in this specification.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following Figures 1-5, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a box blank according to an embodiment of the current invention; Figure 2 shows the box blank shown in Figure 1 at a stage of assembly into a box; Figure 3 shows the box blank shown in Figure 1 assembled into a closed box; Figure 4 shows a detail of a locking flap and a lid supporting portion; and Figure 5 shows a plan view of a box blank according to another embodiment of the current invention.

In Figure I a box blank comprises a unitary base portion 10, four side wall portions 12a, b, c, d and first 16 and second 17 lid portions.

The base portion 10 is rectangular with a respective side wall portion 12 arranged on each side thereof Each side wall portion is joined to the base by a side wall fold line 5. Each lid portion 16,17 extends from one of the side wall portions 12a, b and each lid portion is joined to its side wall portion by a lid fold line 6.

The side wall portions which carry the lid portions are opposite each other across the base portion.

Each side wall portion 12 is linked to the adjacent side wall portion by a corner portion 14. Each corner portion is scored to form a gusset fold line 19 so as to allow the corner portion to form a gusset fold which folds inwardly when the blank is assembled into a box.

Each lid portion 16, 17 has locking flaps 22 extending from the side edges thereof.

The side wall portions 12c, d which do not carry lid portions have lid support portions 18 extending therefrom along the edge opposite the side wall fold line. Each lid support portion 18 is joined to the side portion from which it extends by a lid support fold line 7. A lock slot 20 is cut in each lid support portion 18 adjacent the lid support line and parallel therewith such that, when the blank is formed into a box, at least one of the locking flaps 22 is received in the lock slot 20 such that the flap is joined to a side portion.

In unassembled form, the blank is substantially planar and so multiple blanks can be stored in a pile so that the blanks do not consume excessive space.

In Figure 2, the material of the box folds along the fold lines 5, 6 and 7 and along the scores 19 of the corner portions 14 to facilitate the folding of the material into a box.

Each of the side portions 12 is urged upwardly, by the user assembling the box, towards the centre of the box. The lid portions 16 and 17 are moved to cover the top of the box and the locking flaps 22 are inserted into the lock slot 20 such that the lid portions of the box remain closed until the user lifts them once again. This assembly procedure is quick and easy for the user to complete and so blanks need not be made up into boxes until just prior to use.

Figure 3 shows the box fully assembled and in closed configuration. Such a box may be suitable for the transport of, for example, a fast food burger. In the arrangement shown, lid portions 16 and 17 are partially overlapping. The box may be partially opened, to gain access to one side of the interior of the box, by the user lifting the uppermost of lid portions 16 or 17, causing the locking flaps 22 to become disengaged from the lock slots 20. The box may be fully opened by the user lifting both lid portions 16 and 17 to cause all the locking flaps 22 to disengage from the lock slots. When both lid portions are so lifted, the box blank adopts a configuration similar to that shown in Figure 2 and can be urged, by the user, back to its planar configuration if so required.

Advantageously, if the box is being used to transport fast food, this provides the user with a bowl- or plate-type device which allows the user to manipulate his food more efficiently than when using containers of known type. The container can be easily held in one hand and, as the result of its symmetrical shape and the base portion being positioned centrally, is not unbalanced. Therefore, the likelihood of food, or the contained itself, being dropped is minimised.

Figure 4 shows that the lock slot 20, located on the lid support portion 18, comprises a flap 2 which covers an aperture 3. When the locking flap 22 is urged by a user, in the direction shown by the block arrow, to engage with the lock slot 20 by penetrating the aperture 3, the frictional action of the flap 2 against the locking flap 22 causes the locking flap to be held in place in the lock slot 20 until disengaged by the user.

Figure 5 shows a plan view of a box blank according to another embodiment of the invention. The box blank comprises the same parts as described in relation to Figure 1, with the difference that the relative dimensions of each part is varied. The box blank shown in Figure 5 can be assembled, as described above, into a box which would be suitable for transporting, for example, a pizza. The skilled person will understand that the relative dimensions of the various parts of the box blank described in this specification can be altered according to the use to which it is desired that the box should be put.

In an alternative embodiment, lid portions 16, 17 may be of dimensions such that, when the box is assembled, they extend towards one another but cannot meet or overlap, leaving a slot or gap between them. In this embodiment, a further lid portion may extend from at least one of side portions 12c, d and is of suitable dimensions to cover the gap when the box is in closed configuration. In a further alternative, lid portions may be located joined to any two or more adjacent side portions, for example 12a, c. In some embodiments, each lid portion may be rectangular in shape, or may be of some other shape, for example L-shaped.

The skilled person will understand that various materials are suitable for the construction of a box blank according to the invention, for example (but not restricted to) a material selected from: paper, stiffened paper, cardboard, laminated card or paper, corrugated card, a plastics material such as polystyrene or polycarbonate, or a card/plastics layered material.

Claims

Claims 1. A box blank for assembly into a closable box of unitary

construction comprising a unitary base portion, four side wall portions, each joined to the periphery of the base by a respective side wall fold line, a first lid portion joined to one of said side wall portions by a first lid fold line, a second lid portion joined to another of said side wall portions by a second lid fold line, the side walls being foldable to form an open box, the first and second side portions being arranged such that the first lid portion partially closes the box and the second lid portion partially closes the box, the lid portions cooperating to close the box fully.
2. A box blank according to claim 1 wherein each side portion is linked to each adjacent side portion by a corner portion which forms a gusset fold when the box blank is assembled into a box.
3. A box blank according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first and second lid portions each comprise at least one locking flap for joining each lid portion to at least one side portion.
4. A box blank according to claim 3 wherein each side wall which is not joined to a lid portion is joined to a lid supporting portion by a support fold line.
S. A box blank according to claim 4 wherein the lid supporting portion comprises a lock slot suitable for receiving said at least one locking flap.
6. A box blank according to any preceding claim wherein, when the blank is assembled into a box and the lid portions cooperate to close the box fully, the lid portions meet along a line which transects a surface of the box which opposes the base portion.
7. A box blank according to any of claims 1-5 wherein, when the blank is assembled into a box and the lid portions cooperate to close the box fully, the first and second lid portions partially overlap with one another.
8. A box blank according to any preceding claim wherein, when the blank is assembled into a box, the box is partially openable by lifting the first or second lid portion.
9. A box blank according to any preceding claim wherein, when the blank is assembled into a box, the box is fully openable by lifting the first and second lid portions.
10. A box blank according to any preceding claim which, when not assembled into a box, is substantially planar.
11. A box blank according to any preceding claim made at least partially from card.
12. A box blank according to any preceding claim made at least partially from paper.
13. A box blank according to any preceding claim made at least partially from a plastics material.
14. A box blank according to claim 13 wherein the plastics material is polystyrene.
15. A box blank substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying Figures 1-5.
16. A box constructed from a box blank according to any preceding claim.