GB2630399A

GB2630399A - A foldable device used in a packaging assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2630399A
Application number: GB2311040.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patil Santosh
Original assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd
Current assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd
Priority date: 2023-05-24
Filing date: 2023-07-19
Publication date: 2024-11-27
Also published as: GB202311040D0

Abstract

A foldable device 16 for use in a packaging assembly 10, the foldable device comprises at least two parallel foldable paper based cell structure hollow cylindrical elements 18 extending along a first longitudinal axis (A1, fig 2) and aligned along a second transversal axis (A2, fig 2) orthogonal to the said first axis, wherein each one of the foldable elements can occupy a deployed state for use, or a substantially plane folded state for storage and can be shifted between these two states along a third transversal axis (A3, fig 3) orthogonal to the said first longitudinal axis and the second transversal axis; when they occupy their deployed state, two adjacent foldable elements are spaced apart from each other along the second axis by a non-zero distance, the foldable device comprising connecting means 30 configured to hold the foldable elements in position relative to each other in their deployed state and in their folded state. The device protects the contents of a box in use and the elements may be hexagonal.

Description

DESCRIPTION

TITLE: A foldable device used in a packaging assembly

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a foldable device for use in a packaging assembly for the positioning and/or protection of an object during its storage and transportation in such a packaging assembly.

Technical background

For protecting an object during its storage and transportation, it is common to use a packaging assembly comprising at least a box inside which elements are disposed around the object to ensure the positioning and/or the protection of the object. The protective elements can be for example polyester or cardboard covering elements, with a shape complementary to the shape of the object to be protected, or strips of cardboard assembled to provide such a complementary shape.

However, several disadvantages arise from the use of this kind of protective element.

For example, moulded structures complementary to the shape of a product or component are not reusable.

Additionally, the majority of protective elements are dimensioned for a specific size of packaging, thus preventing their use with box sizes.

In addition, such protective elements can require a large storage space.

Moreover, above a certain weight of the object to be protected, commonly used protective elements lack resistance regarding deformation, this can cause damage to the said object to be protected.

Thus, there is a need for an improved packaging positioning and/or protective element offering better resistance to deformation and fitting any type and size of packaging box and object to be packed, while also being reusable.

To this end, the invention purposes to overcome the hereabove problems by proposing a foldable device used in a packaging assembly having greater strength, which can be reused, and which can be used for different sizes of box and/or for different shapes of objects.

Summary of the invention

A first aspect concerns a foldable device for use in a packaging assembly, the foldable device comprising at least two parallel foldable paper based cell structure hollow cylindrical elements extending along a first longitudinal axis and aligned along a second transversal axis orthogonal to the said first axis, wherein: - each one of the foldable elements can occupy a deployed state for use or a substantially plane folded state for storage and can be shifted between these two states along a third transversal axis orthogonal to the said first longitudinal axis and the second transversal axis; - when they occupy their deployed state, two adjacent foldable elements are spaced apart from each other along the second axis by a non-zero distance, the foldable device comprising connecting means configured to hold the foldable elements in position relative to each other in their deployed state and in their folded state.

According to one or more embodiments: - each foldable element comprises two longitudinal folding lines; - each foldable element comprises at least four interconnected walls; - the transverse cross section of each foldable element is a polygon having at least four sides; - the transverse cross section of each foldable element is a hexagon or a parallelogram; for connecting two adjacent foldable elements, the connecting means comprises at least two transverse connecting strips each attached at one end to one of an associated foldable element, and at the other end to a common border strip; at its said one end, each connecting strip is attached to the associated foldable element along a folding line; - it comprises at least one locking element configured to lock at least one associated foldable element in its deployed state; - the locking element is a foldable membrane that extends into an inner volume of the associated foldable element, the foldable membrane being configured to be folded in a first direction and to be locked in its unfolded state in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the directions being parallel to the said first longitudinal axis; - the foldable device is made of cardboard.

A second aspect concern a packaging assembly comprising at least a box and a foldable device according to anyone of the preceding characteristics, the foldable device being arranged to protect one or more product components.

Brief description of the figures

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following Figures.

[Fig.1] is a perspective view of a packaging assembly comprising a box and four foldable devices, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments; [Fig.2] is a perspective view of an example of one of the foldable devices of figure 1 showing a plurality of foldable elements with a hexagon shape in the deployed state, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments; [Fig.3] is a perspective view of one of the foldable devices of figure 1 showing connecting means, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments; [Fig.4] is a perspective view of one of the foldable devices of figure 1 in its folded state, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments; [Fig.5] is a schematic view of one of the foldable devices of figure 1 comprising a first example of a locking element, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments; [Fig.6] is a schematic view of one of the foldable devices of figure 1 comprising a second example of a locking element, according to one or more non-limiting embodiments.

Detailed description of embodiments

For the description of the embodiments and the understanding of the claims, the vertical, longitudinal, and transverse orientations are referenced V, L, T in the figures. By convention, the longitudinal L and transverse T axes extend in a horizontal plane, without limiting the embodiments, and without restrictive reference to terrestrial gravity. By convention, the longitudinal axis L is oriented from the rear to the front.

In the following description, identical, similar, or analogous elements will be designated by the same reference numbers.

Figure 1 shows a packaging assembly 10 which comprises a box 12 with an internal volume 14, inside which four foldable devices 16 are arranged, according to an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment.

The foldable devices 16 are used to maintain and secure an object stored inside the box 12 for example for transportation. The features of the foldable devices 16 enabling these functions will be detailed later in the description.

The foldable devices 16 will first be described, followed by the description of the relative positioning of the foldable devices 16 and the box 12. Then, the features of a foldable device 16 according to one or more exemplary non-limiting embodiments will be described. It is understood that a plurality of foldable devices 16 may have possess such features.

The foldable device 16 according to the embodiment illustrated by figure 2 comprises a plurality of foldable paper-based cell structure hollow cylindrical elements, hereinafter referred to as foldable elements 18, extending along a first longitudinal axis Al.

In other words, the foldable elements 18 are straight tubular elements.

Moreover, all the foldable elements 18 are aligned along a second transversal axis A2, orthogonal to the said first axis Al.

It is understood that all the foldable elements 18 are structurally and dimensionally identical. According to a non-limitative example, the foldable device 16 is made of cardboard.

According to the embodiment illustrated by figure 2, the foldable elements 18 comprise a hexagonal shape comprising six interconnected walls.

Thus, the walls from each of the foldable elements 18 extend mainly along the first axis Al and, as such, define an inner volume 20 of the foldable elements 18 extending also mainly along the first axis Al.

It is also understood that the hexagonal shape of each of the foldable elements 18 is visible in cross-section.

Then an upper wall 22 and a bottom wall 24 are defined for each one of the foldable elements 18, the upper wall 22 and the bottom wall 24 being opposite from each other along a third transversal axis A3, orthogonal to the said first axis Al and second axis A2.

It is understood that each of the bottom walls 24 of all the foldable elements 18 are contained in a same first plane P1 and each of the upper wall 22 of all the foldable elements 18 are contained in a same second plane P2, distinct and parallel to the first plane P1. The first plane P1 and the second plane P2 are each defined by the first axis Al and the second axis A2.

According to the hexagonal shape of each of the foldable elements 18, the upper wall 22 and the bottom wall 24 of each foldable element 18 are connected on both sides by a pair of connecting walls 26. Moreover, each one of the connecting walls 26 extends in a distinct plane, secant to the first plane P1 and the second plane P2.

More precisely, the connecting walls 26 from each pair are arranged so that they define a V-shaped cross-section in a plane defined by the second and the third axis.

It is understood from the above description that for each of the foldable elements 18, the walls 22, 24, 26 defined previously are interconnected and extend principally along the first axis Al. As such, they define the inner volume 20 of the foldable element 18.

According to an embodiment, each of the foldable elements 18 comprises two longitudinal folding lines 28 extending along the first axis A1.

More specifically, each of the folding lines 28 extends along one of the junctions between the connecting walls 26 of one of the pairs of the foldable elements 18.

All the folding lines 28 from all the foldable elements 18 are contained in a same third plane P3, shown by figure 5, and distinct and parallel to the first and the second plane P1, P2. More precisely, the third plane P3 lies between the first and the second plane P1, P2, along the third axis A3.

According to an embodiment, each of the foldable elements 18 is foldable along the third axis A3. In other words, each of the foldable elements 18 can occupy a deployed -or unfolded -state, illustrated by figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, for use, or a substantially plane folded state, as illustrated by figure 4, for storage.

The foldable elements 18 can be shifted from one state to the other along the third axis A3.

More precisely, each of the foldable elements 18 is foldable at its folding lines 28 so that its bottom wall 24 and its upper wall 22 are approaching each other along the third axis A3 as illustrated by figure 4.

Thus, it is understood that the foldable elements 18 comprise a particular cut-out along the folding lines 28 that allows the foldable elements 18 to collapse along them.

During the folding of each of the foldable elements 18, the space between the bottom wall 24 and the upper wall 22 is reduced according to the third axis A3, the folding being stopped when the bottom wall 24 and the upper wall 22 are in contact. This corresponds to the folded state.

In addition, during the folding of the foldable elements 18, an angle a, visible by figure 6, between the connecting walls 26 of each pair, taken from the inner volume 20 of the foldable elements 18, decreases. The angle a will be close to zero degrees when the foldable elements 18 are in their folded state. This is illustrated by figure 4.

It is also understood that during the folding of the foldable elements 18, a transversal dimension of each of the foldable elements 18 along the second axis A2 increases and that a vertical dimension of each of the foldable elements 18 along the third axis A3 decreases.

Thus, as illustrated by figures 5 and 6, the foldable elements 18 are spaced from each other along the second axis A2 by a non-zero distance C when they are in their deployed -or unfolded -state.

The distance C between the foldable elements 18 allows these to be shifted from their deployed state to their folded state and vice-versa.

It is understood that the distance C between the foldable elements 18 has a dimension that allow the connecting walls 26 of each pair to move along the second axis A2 such that the bottom wall 24 and the upper wall 22 are approaching each other along the third axis A3 as explained above.

It is also understood that the distance C between the foldable elements 18 decreases when the foldable elements 18 are changed from their deployed state to their folded state and increases when the reverse action is performed.

As shown by figure 2, the foldable device 16 comprises at least one connecting mean 30, here two connecting means 30, configured to hold the foldable elements 18 in position relative to each other, in their deployed state and in their folded state.

In other words, the connecting means 30 are configured to maintain the non-zero distance C between the foldable elements 18 in their deployed state and to synchronize the folding and the unfolding of all the foldable elements 18 of the foldable device 16 at the same time.

Moreover, the connecting means 30 are configured to form a gripper to facilitate the folding and the unfolding of the foldable elements 18 by an operator.

According to the example of the invention illustrated at figure 2, for connecting two adjacent foldable elements, each of the connecting means 30 comprises transverse connecting strips 32 each attached at one end to one of an associated foldable element 18 and at the other end to a common border strip 34.

More precisely, each of the connecting means 30 extends mainly along the second axis A2 and on both sides of the foldable elements 18, such that one of the connecting means 30 extends in front of the upper wall 22 of each of the foldable elements 18 and the other connecting mean 30 extends in front of the bottom wall 24 of each of the foldable elements 18, according to the second axis A2.

According to another non-limitative example of the invention illustrated at figure 3, the folding device 16 can comprise four connecting means 30 which extend in front of the upper wall 22 of each of the foldable elements 18 and four others connecting means 30 which extend in front of the bottom wall 24 of each of the foldable elements 18.

According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated by figure 3 in which there are four connecting means 30 in front of each of the bottom wall 24 and the upper wall 22, the border strip 34 of each connecting means 30 positioned in front of one side of the foldable elements 18 are linked at each of their extremities by an end strip 36, shown in figure 1. In other words, the connecting means 30 at both sides of the foldable element 18 are linked, as illustrated at figure 1.

As shown in figure 3, the connecting means 30 can be folded. More precisely, at its said one end, each connecting strip 32 is attached to the associated foldable elements 18 along a folding line. Thus, each of the connecting means 30 can extend along the bottom wall 24 or the upper wall 22 of each of the foldable elements 18.

In other words, when the connecting means 30 are not folded against the bottom wall 24 or the upper wall 22 as illustrated by figure 2, each of the connecting strips 32 extends mainly along the third axis A3 and each of the border strip 34 extends mainly along the second axis A2. When the connecting means 30 are folded along the bottom wall 24 or the upper wall 22, each of the connecting strips 32 extends mainly along the first axis Al and each of the border strips 34 extends mainly along the second axis A2.

Such a characteristic is advantageous in that it decreases the space required for storing the foldable device 16 when the foldable elements 18 are in their folded state as previously described.

Moreover, the end strip 36 ensures that all the connecting means 30 in front of a same side of the foldable elements 18 are folded and unfolded at the same time.

According to a non-limitative example of the invention illustrated at figure 1, the border strips 34 of the connecting means 30 can extend along the second axis beyond the foldable element 18. Such a characteristic is advantageous in that the foldable elements 18 are placed in the box only in front of the object to be held, and the border strips 34 facilitate the placement and the holding in place relative to each other of the four foldable devices 16 inside the box 12.

According to the example of the invention illustrated at figure 5, the foldable device 16 comprises locking elements 38 configured to lock the foldable elements 18 in their deployed state.

The locking elements 38 shown at figure 5 are foldable membranes 40, each of which extends into the inner volume 20 of one of the foldable elements 18, the foldable membranes 40 being configured to be foldable in a first direction D1 and to be locked in their unfolded state in a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1, the directions being parallel to the first axis Al, as shown by figure 3.

More precisely, each foldable membrane 40 presents a hexagonal shape to fit into the inner volume 20 of the associated foldable element 18 and has a cut 42 along a line parallel to the second axis A2 to be folded. The foldable membranes are fully within the inner volume 20 of each of the foldable elements when the latter are in their deployed state and are connected only to their bottom wall 24 and their upper wall 22.

Thus, it is understood that the cut 42 is made so that it enables the folding of the foldable membrane 40 in the first direction D1 and so that it avoids the folding of the foldable membrane 40 in the second direction D2.

Consequently, when the foldable elements 18 are shifted into their deployed state, the foldable membranes 40 are pushed along the first direction D1 to be unfolded into the inner volume 20 of the foldable elements 18, such that they lock the deployed state of the foldable elements 18.

According to another example of the locking elements 38 illustrated by figure 6, the locking elements 38 can be made by the size of the border strip 34.

More precisely, according to one embodiment, the border strip 34 of each of the connecting means 30 extends along the second axis A2 such that each of their ends is disposed in line with one of the foldable elements 18 arranged at the end of the foldable device 16. In other words, the ends of the border strip 34 and the ends of the foldable elements 18 are aligned along a same line parallel to the third axis A3.

Such a characteristic enables the foldable elements 18 of each extremity of the foldable device 16 to be in contact with the side of the box 12. This prevents the foldable element 18 from collapsing. Indeed, the contact between the foldable element 18 of each extremity of the foldable device 16 with the side of the box 12 does not enable these foldable elements 18 to have the necessary space to shift into their folded state as described above.

According to another non limitative embodiment, the locking elements can comprise a bonding element between the border strips and the side of the box. The bonding element may for example be glue.

According to another non limitative embodiment, the locking elements may comprise a particular cut-out of the foldable device configured to allow it to fold in one direction but not in the opposite direction. The side of the box then prevent the foldable device from collapsing.

As previously described, the folding device 16 can be used in the packaging assembly 10 as a protection for an object inside the box 12. As illustrated by figure 1, one foldable device 16 may be placed in contact with each side of the box 12.

According to a non-limitative embodiment, several foldable devices 16 can be placed on top of each other, depending on the size of the box 12.

According to another non-limitative embodiment of the invention, all the foldable devices inside the box may be held in position relative to each other by a holding mechanism.

Such a holding mechanism may for example be formed at the end of each of the foldable devices and consist of a cut mark at one end of one of the border strips of one of the foldable devices within the box, for receiving one end of another border strip from another foldable device within the box. The end of the border strip inserted into the cut mark is then folded so that it is retained in the cut mark.

Thus, the holding mechanism allows adjacent foldable devices to be held against adjacent sides inside the box.

Moreover, for each of the folding devices, for example, one end of one of the border strips comprises the cut mark and the other end is intended to fit into the cut mark of an adjacent folding device.

Such a holding mechanism then allows the folding devices to be held relative to each other inside the box.

The hexagonal shape of the foldable elements 18 is advantageous in that it enables the foldable elements 18 to withstand compressive forces along the first axis A1. In other words, the foldable elements 18 can absorb more shocks without deforming.

In addition, the foldable devices 16 as described advantageously require a reduced storage space in their folded state. They are also reusable.

Furthermore, it is understood that the foldable elements 18 can take other shapes than a hexagonal shape, as long as the shape corresponds to a polygon with at least four interconnected walls when seen in cross section. For example, the foldable elements can have the shape of a parallelogram.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A foldable device (16) for use in a packaging assembly (10), the foldable device (16) comprising at least two parallel foldable paper based cell structure hollow cylindrical elements (18) extending along a first longitudinal axis (Al) and aligned along a second transversal axis (A2) orthogonal to the said first axis (A1), wherein: - each one of the foldable elements (18) can occupy a deployed state for use or a substantially plane folded state for storage and can be shifted between these two states along a third transversal axis (A3) orthogonal to the said first longitudinal axis (Al) and the second transversal axis (A2); - when they occupy their deployed state, two adjacent foldable elements (18) are spaced apart from each other along the second axis (A2) by a non-zero distance (C), the foldable device comprising connecting means (30) configured to hold the foldable elements (18) in position relative to each other in their deployed state and in their folded state.
2. A foldable device (16) according to claim 1, wherein each foldable element (18) comprises two longitudinal folding lines (28).
3. A foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein each foldable element (18) comprises at least four interconnected walls (22, 24, 26).
4. A foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the transverse cross section of each foldable element (18) is a polygon having at least four sides.
5. A foldable device (16) according to the preceding claim, wherein the transverse cross section of each foldable element (18) is a hexagon or a parallelogram.
6. A foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein, for connecting two adjacent foldable elements (18), the connecting means (30) comprises at least two transverse connecting strips (32) each attached at one end to one of an associated foldable element (18), and at the other end to a common border strip (34).
7. A foldable device (16) according to the preceding claim, wherein at its said one end, each connecting strip (32) is attached to the associated foldable element (18) along a folding line.
8. A foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein it comprises at least one locking element (38) configured to lock at least one associated foldable element (18) in its deployed state.
9. A foldable device (16) according to the preceding claim, wherein the locking element (28) is a foldable membrane (40) that extends into an inner volume (20) of the associated foldable element (18), the foldable membrane (40) being configured to be folded in a first direction (D1) and to be locked in its unfolded state in a second direction (D2) opposite to the first direction (D1), the directions (D1, D2) being parallel to the said first longitudinal axis (A1).
10. A foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the foldable device (16) is made of cardboard.
11. A packaging assembly (10) comprising at least a box (12) and a foldable device (16) according to anyone of the preceding claims, the foldable device (16) being arranged to protect one or more product components.