Cuboid Collapsible Box Having a Center Web

Abstract

The invention relates to a cuboid collapsible box which comprises walls (1, 2, 3, 4) and a bottom closure, having bottom closure tabs (10, 12, 13, 14) and a center web configured by web areas (20, 21), and to a cut for said box. The aim of the invention is to provide a collapsible box whose center web is reliably protected from being displaced. For this purpose, retaining surfaces (18, 19) are provided on the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12) on the ends facing away from the lateral walls (1, 3). The front and the rear bottom closure tab (11, 13) have notched surfaces (26, 27) and the notched surfaces (26, 27) rest on the retaining surfaces (18, 19) from below and on the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12) from above.

Description

The present invention relates to a cuboid collapsible box comprising a front wall and a rear wall, comprising a first side wall and a second side wall, the side walls respectively being pivotably connected to the front wall and the rear wall to form an annular main body, comprising a lid closure tab pivotably connected to the rear wall, comprising a front bottom closure tab, which is pivotably connected to the front wall, and a rear bottom closure tab, which is pivotably connected to the rear wall, comprising a first lateral bottom closure tab, which is pivotably connected to the first side wall, and a second lateral bottom closure tab, which is pivotably connected to the second side wall, the bottom closure tabs forming a bottom closure which runs perpendicular to the first side wall, to the front wall, to the second side wall and to the rear wall, the first lateral bottom closure tab being pivotably connected to the front bottom closure tab and the second lateral bottom closure tab being pivotably connected to the rear bottom closure tab, comprising two web surfaces, which form a center web and are pivotably connected to those edges of two opposing bottom closure tabs which are facing away from the side walls, and comprising support surfaces, which extend in the plane of the bottom closure and the side edges of which bear against the side edges of the web surfaces. The invention additionally relates to a collapsible box blank for the manufacture of a collapsible box of this type.

Collapsible boxes are used in particular in the pharmaceutical sector for the packaging of medicines or the like. Since they contribute to the costs of the product contained in them, they should comprise little material and be simple to produce. It is additionally desirable that the collapsible boxes should be supplied as already pre-glued blanks and that they should be able to be unfolded, as automatically as possible, only directly prior to the filling, so as to limit the volume of packaging material in the transport thereof and, at the same time, minimize the handling steps in the filling operation.

From ECMA Code 6020 (see “THE ECMA CODE of FOLDING CARTON STYLES”, published by the ECMA (European Carton Makers Association) Reprint January 2000), a cuboid collapsible box having a lid closure and a bottom closure formed out of four bottom closure tabs is known. In a pre-glued blank of this type, two adjacent bottom closure tabs are respectively pivotably connected to each other, so that the bottom closure is oriented perpendicular to the side walls when the blank is opened out. A drawback with this collapsible box is, however, that the interior has just a single chamber and is not divided into part-volumes. It is thus not possible to accommodate two different products or two batches separate from each other in a collapsible box of this type.

A dual-chamber collapsible box is known from ECMA Code F1013, but it is very material-intensive and awkward to handle. In particular, when the partly glued blank is unfolded, the bottom closure is not automatically formed, so that further handling steps are necessary.

The present invention is based on a cuboid collapsible box as is known from DE 102 49 497 A1. The collapsible box which is disclosed there comprises a front and a rear wall and two side walls, which are pivotably connected to each other to form an annular main body. Attached to the top edge of the rear wall is a lid closure tab, which, together with lateral dust tabs, forms the lid closure. A front and a rear, and two lateral bottom closure tabs, form a bottom closure. To the front and rear bottom closure tabs, a web surface is respectively pivotably connected, in the unfolded state the web surfaces forming a center web, running parallel to the front and rear walls, by which the box volume is divided into two part-volumes. When a partly glued blank of such a collapsible box is unfolded, both the bottom and the center web automatically unfold, the front and rear bottom closure tabs respectively having a support surface, the side edges of which bear respectively against the side edges of the web surfaces.

A drawback with a collapsible box of this type is that the bottom closure and the center web are inadequately secured after the unfolding, so that, in particular, a pivoting of the center web is not securely prevented. The center web should be prevented from pivoting out of the vertical, however, as this would hinder a reliable automatic filling of the part-chambers of the collapsible box.

A further drawback of the collapsible box according to DE 102 49 497 A1 is that the center web runs parallel to the front and rear walls, whereby the second, rear part-chamber is poorly accessible for the user.

Starting from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible box, and a blank for the latter, in which the center web is reliably secured against pivoting.

This object is achieved by the fact that the web surfaces and the support surfaces are connected to the lateral bottom closure tabs, that on the lateral bottom closure tabs, at the ends facing away from the side walls, retaining surfaces are provided, that the front and rear bottom closure tabs have latching surfaces, and that the latching surfaces bear from below against the retaining surfaces and from above against the lateral bottom closure tabs.

The latching surfaces bearing from below against the retaining surfaces and from above against the lateral bottom closure tabs have the effect, together with the retaining surfaces, that the bottom closure as a whole is pretensioned in the upward direction. Since a movement of the support surfaces in the direction of the side edge of the opposite web surface is linked to an upward movement of the bottom closure, the pretensioning leads to a firmer engagement of the side edges of the support surfaces with the side edges of the web surfaces. The web surfaces are thus reliably secured against pivoting by the support surfaces. Moreover, the latching surfaces rest on the respectively opposite front and rear bottom closure tabs and thereby increase the stability of the bottom.

A further advantage of the collapsible box according to the invention lies in the fact that the center web runs perpendicular to the front and rear walls. The products are hence, with the front sides, visible to the user and are immediately removable in a user-friendly manner. At the same time, the possibility exists of placing different ranges of goods in the compartments.

Preferably, a recess which opens toward the front bottom closure tab is provided between the first lateral bottom closure tab and the retaining surface, and a recess which opens toward the rear bottom closure tab is provided between the second lateral bottom closure tab and the retaining surface. When the latching surfaces, as the blank is unfolded, are slid into the recesses, the latching surfaces and the lateral bottom closure tabs are effectively prevented by the rigidity of the box material from lying in one plane, thereby producing a sufficiently strong, upwardly directed pretensioning of the bottom closure.

Furthermore, it is preferred that that edge of the latching surface provided on the front bottom closure tab which is facing away from the first side wall and that edge of the latching surface provided on the rear bottom closure tab which is facing away from the second side wall are beveled. The effect of this is that, as the blank is unfolded, the respectively opposite front or rear bottom closure tab is forced under the latching surface and the bottom closure is automatically formed in the desired manner.

It is further preferred that the web surfaces bear one against the other in an overlap region. Since the web surfaces are connected by a fold to the lateral bottom closure tabs, they tend in principle to pivot back out of the secured state into the plane of the bottom closure. If the web surfaces bear one against the other, they are mutually supporting, so that a vertical position of the center web is additionally assured.

In a further preferred embodiment, the web surfaces have rounded edges in order that, as the blank is unfolded, the web surfaces running initially in one plane with the lateral bottom closure tab do not become wedged.

Furthermore, the support surfaces can have rounded edges, so that, as the blank is unfolded, these can push against the side edges of the web surfaces without having to be strongly pivoted out of the plane of the lateral bottom closure tabs. Additionally, this facilitates the automatic unfolding.

Preferably, the support surfaces are formed by punch-outs in the web surfaces, whereby a web surface extending, as far as possible, over the entire width of the lateral bottom closure tab can be realized in a simple manner.

For a high stability of the bottom closure, it is additionally preferred that the first and second lateral bottom closure tabs respectively have pivotable connecting tabs, which are glued to the front and rear bottom closure tabs respectively.

In order that, in the unfolding operation, the bottom closure straightens up without becoming wedged, it is additionally preferred that that edge of the front bottom closure tab which is facing toward the first lateral bottom closure tab forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge of the front wall, and that that edge of the rear bottom closure tab which is facing toward the second lateral bottom closure tab forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge of the rear wall.

The above object is achieved, moreover, by a collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, preferred embodiments being described in the following subclaims. With regard to the advantages associated herewith, reference is made to that which has already been stated with respect to the collapsible box.

The present invention is described below with reference to a drawing representing merely one preferred illustrative embodiment. In the drawing,

FIG. 1 shows a blank according to the invention of a cuboid collapsible box,

FIG. 2 shows a collapsible box according to the invention in perspective representation,

FIG. 3 shows the bottom closure tabs of a collapsible box according to the invention separated from one another in perspective representation,

FIG. 4 shows the bottom closure tabs of a collapsible box according to the invention in partially connected and unfolded setting, and

FIG. 5 shows the bottom closure tabs of a collapsible box according to the invention in connected and unfolded setting, the web surfaces not being represented.

FIG. 1 represents a collapsible box blank according to the invention for a cuboid collapsible box shown in FIG. 2. The blank comprises a first side wall 1, a front wall 2, a second side wall 3 and a rear wall 4. The walls are respectively pivotably connected along their side edges to the adjacent walls. A tab 5 is pivotably connected to that side edge of the first side wall 1 which lies opposite the front wall 2.

To the respective bottom edges 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first side wall 1, the front wall 2, the second side wall 3 and the rear wall 4 there are pivotably connected a first lateral bottom closure tab 10, a front bottom closure tab 11, a second lateral bottom closure tab 12 and a rear bottom closure tab 13.

The lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12 have pivotable connecting tabs 14, 15, via which the first lateral bottom closure tab 10 can be glued to the front bottom closure tab 11, and the second lateral bottom closure tab 12 to the rear bottom closure tab 13. In this, in this regard, preferred illustrative embodiment, those edges 16, 17 of the front and rear bottom closure tabs 11, 13 which are facing toward the connecting tabs 14, 15 respectively form an angle α of 45° with the bottom edges 7, 9 of the front wall 2 and rear wall 4.

On the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12 there are provided retaining surfaces 18, 19, which are disposed at the ends facing away from the side walls 1, 3 and run in the plane of the lateral bottom closure surfaces 10, 12. The retaining surfaces 18, 19 are shown in shaded representation, purely for the sake of clarity. Apart from that, they are rigidly connected to the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12.

On those edges of the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12 which are facing away from the side walls 1, 2 there are provided pivotable web surfaces 20, 21. Likewise on those edges of the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12 which are facing away from the side walls 1, 2 there are disposed support surfaces 22, 23, which are rigidly connected, however, to the bottom closure tabs 10, 12. In the, in this regard, preferred illustrative embodiment, the web surfaces 20, 21 and the support surfaces 22, 23 have rounded edges. Furthermore, the support surfaces 22, 23 are formed by punch-outs in the web surfaces 20, 21.

Between the connecting tab 14 and thus the first lateral bottom closure tab 10 and the retaining surface 18, a recess 24 is provided which opens in the direction of the front bottom closure tab 11. In the same way, between the connecting tab 15 and thus the second lateral bottom closure tab 12 and the retaining surface 19, a recess 25 is provided, which opens in the direction of the rear bottom closure tab 13. In the present case, the recesses 24, 25 are configured as slits between the retaining surfaces 18, 19 and the connecting tabs 14, 15.

On the edge lying opposite the front wall 2, the front bottom closure tab 11 has a front latching surface 26. In the same way, on that edge of the rear bottom closure tab 13 which lies opposite the rear wall 4, a rear latching surface 27 is provided. Here, the latching surfaces 26, 27 are respectively rigidly connected to the bottom closure tabs 11, 13.

In the, in this regard, preferred illustrative embodiment, that edge 28 of the front latching surface 26 which is facing away from the first lateral bottom closure tab 10 is beveled. In precisely the same way, that edge 29 of the rear latching surface 27 which is facing away from the second lateral bottom closure tab 11 is beveled.

A lid closure tab 30 is pivotably connected to the top edge of the rear wall 4. Furthermore, on the top edges of the side walls 1, 3, pivotable dust tabs 31, 32 are provided.

In a collapsible box according to the invention produced from the previously described blank, the tab 5 is glued to the rear wall 4, so that the latter is pivotably connected to the first side wall 1. As a result, the walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 form a parallelogram-like, annular main body. Furthermore, the first lateral bottom closure tab 10 and the front bottom closure tab 11 are pivotably connected to each other by the connecting tab 14, the pivot axis running along the edge 16, which is angled at 45°. Analogously, the second lateral bottom closure tab 12 and the rear bottom closure tab 13 are connected.

If the parallelogram-like main body is folded flat, the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13 fold upward with the web surfaces 20, 21 and come to bear against the walls 1, 2, 3 and 4. In turn, in the opening-out operation, the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13 are pivoted downward. The web surfaces 20, 21 hereupon enter initially with their beveled edges into bearing contact with each other and are pivoted upward relative to the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12. If the walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 form a rectangle in the opened-out state, the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13 run in a plane perpendicular to the walls 1, 2, 3 and 4. The web surfaces 20, 21 run, in turn, perpendicular to the bottom closure tabs and form a center web, so that the box is divided into two part-volumes, the center web running perpendicular to the front and rear walls 2, 4. Furthermore, in an overlap region 35, the web surfaces 20, 21 bear one against the other and are thus mutually supporting.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the opened-out state the side edges 33, 34 of the web surfaces 20, 21 come into bearing contact with the edges of the support surface 22, 23. Provided that the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13 are pretensioned such that they pivot upward, the edges 33, 34 of the web surfaces 20, 21 are pressed against the edges of the support surfaces 22, 23. As a result, the web surfaces 20, 21 are secured in their perpendicular setting and the center web thus remains in the desired setting.

While FIG. 3 shows the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13 fully separated from one another, in FIG. 4 their setting relative to one another in the opened-out state of the collapsible box is represented. FIG. 5 shows the bottom closure formed by the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13, the web surfaces 20, 21 having been omitted for the sake of clarity. It can be seen from FIG. 5, in particular, that the front latching surface 26 bears from below against the retaining surface 18 and from above against the first lateral bottom closure tab 10. In the same way, the rear latching surface 27 bears from below against the retaining surface 19 and from above against the second lateral bottom closure tab 12. Here, the latching surfaces 26, 27 are respectively inserted in the recesses 24, 25 formed in the lateral bottom closure tabs 10, 12.

The inserted latching surfaces 26, 27 produce an upward pretensioning of the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13. As already described, this pretensioning in turn brings about the securement of the web surfaces 20, 21 by means of the support surfaces 22, 23. Furthermore, the latching surfaces 26, 27 lead to an increased stability of the bottom closure, since they additionally prevent possible downward pivoting of the bottom closure tabs 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Since, in the, in this regard, preferred illustrative embodiment, the edges 28, 29 of the latching surfaces 26, 27 are beveled, the latching surfaces 26, 27, in the opening-out operation, cannot become wedged with the respectively opposite front or rear bottom closure tab 11, 13. The effect of this, moreover, is that, as the blank is unfolded, the respectively opposite front or rear bottom closure tab 11, 13 is forced under the respective latching surface 26, 27 and the bottom closure is automatically formed in the desired manner.

It can additionally be seen from FIG. 5 that the first support surface 22 rests partly on the retaining surface 19 of the second lateral bottom closure tab 12 and partly on the rear bottom closure tab 13. In the same way, the second support surface 23 rests on the retaining surface 18 of the first lateral bottom closure tab 10 and on the front bottom closure tab 11.

The collapsible box according to the invention thus has a firmly secured center web, which is disposed, moreover, perpendicular to the front and rear walls 2, 4. Products contained in the collapsible box are hence, with the front side, visible to the user.

Claims

1. A cuboid collapsible box

comprising a front wall (2) and a rear wall (4),

comprising a first side wall (I) and a second side wall (3), the side walls (1, 3) respectively being pivotably connected to the front wall (2) and the rear wall (4) to form an annular main body,

comprising a lid closure tab (30) pivotably connected to the rear wall (4),

comprising a front bottom closure tab (11), which is pivotably connected to the front wall (2), and a rear bottom closure tab (13), which is pivotably connected to the rear wall (4),

comprising a first lateral bottom closure tab (10), which is pivotably connected to the first side wall (1), and a second lateral bottom closure tab (12), which is pivotably connected to the second side wall (3),

the bottom closure tabs (10, 11, 12, 13) forming a bottom closure which runs perpendicular to the first side wall (1), to the front wall (2), to the second side wall (3) and to the rear wall (4),

the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) being pivotably connected to the front bottom closure tab (11),

the second lateral bottom closure tab (12) being pivotably connected to the rear bottom closure tab (13),

comprising two web surfaces (20, 21), which form a center web and are pivotably connected to those edges of two opposing bottom closure tabs which are facing away from the side walls (1, 3),

and comprising support surfaces (22, 23), which extend in the plane of the bottom closure and the side edges of which bear against the side edges (33, 34) of the web surfaces (20, 21),

characterized

in that the web surfaces (20, 21) and the support surfaces (22, 23) are connected to the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12),

in that on the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12), at the ends facing away from the side walls (1, 3), retaining surfaces (18, 19) are provided,

in that the front and rear bottom closure tabs (11, 13) have latching surfaces (26, 27), and

in that the latching surfaces (26, 27) bear from below against the retaining surfaces (18, 19) and from above against the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12).

2. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a recess (24) which opens toward the front bottom closure tab (11) is provided between the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) and the retaining surface (18), and in that a recess (25) which opens toward the rear bottom closure tab (13) is provided between the second lateral bottom closure tab (12) and the retaining surface (19).

3. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that that edge (28) of the latching surface (26) provided on the front bottom closure tab (11) which is facing away from the first side wall (1) and that edge (29) of the latching surface (27) provided on the rear bottom closure tab (13) which is facing away from the second side wall are beveled.

4. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the web surfaces (20, 21) bear one against the other in an overlap region (35).

5. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the web surfaces (20, 21) have rounded edges (33, 34).

6. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the support surfaces (22, 23) have rounded edges.

7. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the support surfaces (22, 23) are formed by punch-outs in the web surfaces (20, 21).

8. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12) have pivotable connecting tabs (14, 15).

9. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that that edge (16) of the front bottom closure tab (11) which is facing toward the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge (7) of the front wall (2), and in that that edge (17) of the rear bottom closure tab (13) which is facing toward the second lateral bottom closure tab (12) forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge (9) of the rear wall (4).

10. A collapsible box blank for the manufacture of a cuboid collapsible box,

comprising a first side wall (1), to the one side edge of which a front wall (2) is pivotably connected,

comprising a second side wall (3), which is pivotably connected to a side edge of the front wall (2),

comprising a rear wall (4), which is pivotably connected to a side edge of the second side wall (3),

comprising a front bottom closure tab (11), which is pivotably connected to the bottom edge (7) of the front wall (2), and a rear bottom closure tab (13), which is pivotably connected to the bottom edge (9) of the rear wall (4),

comprising a first lateral bottom closure tab (10), which is pivotably connected to the bottom edge (6) of the first side wall (1), and a second lateral bottom closure tab (12), which is pivotably connected to the bottom edge (8) of the second side wall (3),

comprising two web surfaces (20, 21), which form a center web and are pivotably connected to those edges of two opposing bottom closure tabs (10, 11) which are facing away from the side walls (1, 3),

and comprising support surfaces (22, 23) provided on the bottom closure tabs (10, 12),

characterized

in that the web surfaces (20, 21) and the support surfaces (22, 23) are provided on those edges of the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12) which are facing away from the side walls (1, 3),

in that on the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12), on the edges lying opposite the side walls (1, 3), retaining surfaces (18, 19) are provided,

in that the front bottom closure tab (11) has on the edge lying opposite the front wall (2) a latching surface (26), and the rear bottom closure tab (13) has on the edge lying opposite the rear wall (4) a latching surface (27),

in that a recess (24) which opens toward the front bottom closure tab (11) is provided between the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) and the retaining surface (18), and

in that a recess (25) which opens toward the rear bottom closure tab (13) is provided between the second lateral bottom closure tab (12) and the retaining surface (19).

11. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that that edge (28) of the latching surface (26) provided on the front bottom closure tab (11) which is facing away from the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) and that edge (29) of the latching surface (27) provided on the rear bottom closure tab (13) which is facing away from the second first lateral bottom closure tab (12) are beveled.

12. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the web surfaces (20, 21) have rounded edges (33, 34).

13. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the support surfaces (22, 23) have rounded edges.

14. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the support surfaces (22, 23) are formed by punch-outs in the web surfaces (20, 21).

15. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the lateral bottom closure tabs (10, 12) have pivotable connecting tabs (14, 15).

16. The collapsible box blank as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that that edge (16) of the front bottom closure tab (11) which is facing toward the first lateral bottom closure tab (10) forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge (7) of the front wall (2), and in that that edge (9) of the rear bottom closure tab (13) which is facing toward the second lateral bottom closure tab (12) forms an angle of 45° with the bottom edge of the rear wall.

17. The collapsible box as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that that edge (28) of the latching surface (26) provided on the front bottom closure tab (11) which is facing away from the first side wall (1) and that edge (29) of the latching surface (27) provided on the rear bottom closure tab (13) which is facing away from the second side wall are beveled.