INLAY FOR SECONDARY PACKAGING

Abstract

The invention relates to a blank for producing an inlay and to an inlay for a secondary packaging, wherein the blank is rectangular and consists of a material with a corrugation profile, and the blank has at least four fold marks, which are parallel to the corrugation profile. The invention also relates to the use of the inlay for holding edge-stable, rectangular products in a secondary packaging.

Claims

1. A blank for producing an inlay for a secondary packaging, wherein the blank is rectangular and comprises a material with a corrugation profile having a length and a width, wherein the length extends along a first axis from a first end of the blank to a second end of the blank, and the width extends along a second axis, and the corrugation profile runs along the second axis, and the blank has at least four fold marks, which are parallel to the second axis.

2. The blank according to claim 1, wherein the blank has seven or ten parallel fold marks.

3. The blank according to claim 1, wherein spacing of two outer fold marks from the first end and second end of the blank is smaller than spacing of two outer fold marks from closest fold marks.

4. The blank according to claim 3, wherein the two outer fold marks do not extend over an entire width of the blank and the blank has two cuts or perforations in a longitudinal direction of the blank between two ends of the outer fold marks and the respectively closest fold mark.

5. The blank according to claim 1, wherein the blank has seven fold marks and spacing of a central fold mark from two fold marks adjacent thereto is up to 50% smaller than spacing between fold marks between which side walls are formed.

6. The blank according to claim 1, wherein an edge at a first end of the blank and at a second end of the blank is corrugated.

7. The blank according to claim 1, wherein the blank comprises plastic with a corrugation profile or paper or corrugated cardboard.

8. The blank according to claim 7, wherein the plastic is polystyrene, foam or air-bubble sheet.

9. The blank according to claim 7, wherein the corrugated cardboard is an open corrugated cardboard with a material strength in the range of from 40 g/m.sup.2 to 200 g/m.sup.2, optionally in the range of from 60 g/m.sup.2 to 150 g/m.sup.2, optionally in the range of from 80 g/m.sup.2 to 120 g/m.sup.2 and has a corrugation size in the range of C-flute, D-flute, E-flute or F-flute.

10. The blank according to claim 7, wherein the paper is padded paper with one or more air pockets.

11. An inlay for a secondary packaging, comprising a blank according to claim 1 which is folded or bent at outer fold marks such that faces adjoining the outer fold marks form an angle in the range of from 5 degrees to 90 degrees with respect to one another.

12. The inlay according to claim 10 which has been folded at the fold marks such that faces adjoining second and third fold marks from an outside portion in each case are at a substantially perpendicular angle with respect to one another and form a U-shaped profile.

13. The inlay according to claim 10, wherein the blank is folded or bent at a central fold mark in the case of a blank with seven fold marks and at fourth and seventh fold marks from outside in the case of a blank with 10 fold marks, such that faces lying against said fold marks lie parallel with respect to one another and form a centre wall.

14. The inlay according to claim 11, wherein secondary packaging has a rectangular base area with length M and width C, and width B of the blank does not exceed either the length M or the width C.

15. A product comprising an inlay according to claim 11 for holding one or more edge-stable, rectangular products in a secondary packaging.

16. A product comprising an inlay according to claim 15, wherein the edge-stable, rectangular products are sachets, blister packs, four-edge sealed pouches or tubular pouches.

17. A packaging system comprising an inlay according to claim 11 and a secondary packaging according.

18. The packaging system according to claim 17, wherein the secondary packaging is a folding box.

19. The packaging system according to claim 17, wherein the packaging system comprises a plurality of edge-stable, rectangular products which are held by the inlay in a predefined position.

20. The packaging system according to claim 19, wherein the edge-stable, rectangular products are sachets, blister packs, four-edge sealed pouches or tubular pouches.

Description

FIGURES AND EXAMPLES

[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures and will be explained in more detail below. In the figures:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a blank for an inlay with 2 U-shaped regions

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view and front view of a first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions having a clamping device in the form of outwardly bent-down outer faces positioned at the top of the side walls

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view and front view of a variant of the first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions having a clamping device in the form of inwardly bent-down outer faces positioned at the top of the side walls

[0026] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view and front view of a second embodiment of the inlay with a clamping device in the form of outwardly bent-down outer faces positioned inside the side walls

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a front view of a first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions in a secondary packaging with a product

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions in a secondary packaging with a product

[0029] FIG. 7 shows a front view of a variant of the first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions in a secondary packaging with a product

[0030] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a variant of the first embodiment of the inlay with 2 U-shaped regions in a secondary packaging with a product

[0031] FIG. 9 shows corrugation sizes and corrugation types in accordance with DIN 55468-1:2015-06.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0032] 10—Blank [0033] 11—First end [0034] 12—Second end [0035] 13—Corrugation profile [0036] 14a—Outer fold mark [0037] 14b—Central fold mark [0038] 14c—Fold mark [0039] 14d—Fold mark [0040] 15—Base [0041] 16—Side wall [0042] 17—Clamping face [0043] 18—Centre wall [0044] 20—Inlay [0045] 30—Secondary packaging [0046] 40—Edge-stable, rectangular product [0047] L—Length of the blank [0048] B—Width of the blank [0049] x—First axis [0050] y—Second axis [0051] α—Angle between the clamping face and side wall on the outside [0052] β—Angle between the clamping face and the side wall on the inside

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a rectangular blank 10 for an inlay 20 with 2 U-shaped regions. The blank 10 has a width B parallel to the corrugation profile 22 and a length L at a right angle to the corrugation profile, i.e. along a constant position in the corrugation profile. The length L extends along a first axis x from the first end 11 of the blank 10 to the second end 12 of the blank 10. The width B extends along a second axis y which is perpendicular to the first axis x. The embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, of the blank 10 has seven fold marks 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d which are parallel to the second axis y. The spacing of the two outer fold marks 14a from the first and second end (11, 12) of the blank 10 is smaller than the spacing between the fold marks 14c and 14a.

[0054] In order to mount the inlay 20, the blank 10 is bent at the fold marks 14c and 14d by 90 degrees such that the faces between the two inner fold marks 14c and 14d form a base 15 in each case and the respectively adjoining faces form side walls 16 and/or centre walls 18 which are arranged substantially perpendicular to the base 15 (see FIGS. 2-4), with the result that two U-shaped structures that lie next to one another are produced. The faces which are arranged on the outside at the outer fold marks 14a of the blank 10, the clamping faces 17, are either both bent over in the direction of the interior of the U-shaped structure (FIG. 3) or both bent over in the direction of the exterior of the U-shaped structure (FIG. 2).

[0055] The angle α between the clamping faces 17 and side walls 16 of the U-shaped structure, in the case of the clamping faces 17 which are bent over in the direction of the exterior of the U-shaped structure, in FIG. 2 is approximately 60 degrees.

[0056] The angle β between the clamping faces 17 and side walls 16 of the U-shaped structure, in the case of the clamping faces 17 which are bent over in the direction of the interior of the U-shaped structure, in FIG. 3 is approximately 35 degrees.

[0057] In the case of the inwardly bent-over clamping faces 17 in FIG. 3, in the perspective view, the corrugated edge at the outer end 11, 12 of the clamping face 17 can be clearly seen. The corrugated edge can additionally fix an edge-stable, rectangular product 40.

[0058] In the alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, of the inlay 20, the two outer fold marks 14a of the blank do not extend over the entire width B of the blank 10, but rather only over a central partial region of the width B of the blank 10. In addition, the blank 10 has cuts or perforations in the longitudinal direction of the blank 10 between the ends of the outer fold marks 14a and the respectively closest fold mark 14c. In this embodiment, the side walls 16 of the inlay 20 after bending/folding have been formed between the first or second end 11, 12 of the blank 10 and the second fold mark 14c numbered from the respective end 11, 12 of the blank 10. The faces for the clamping devices 17 are disposed in the manner of a window in the side walls 16 and can be folded out towards the exterior of the U-shaped structure.

[0059] FIG. 5, in a front view, and FIG. 6, in a perspective view, show an inlay 20 with 2 U-shaped regions which are located in a secondary packaging 30. In each U-shaped region, an edge-stable, rectangular product 40 has been inserted. The edge-stable, rectangular product 40 has been inserted in the inlay 20 perpendicular to the corrugation profile 13 into a corrugation trough of the blank 10. The edge-stable, rectangular product 40 has a width which corresponds substantially to the width of the base 15 and/or the spacing between the side wall 16 and the centre wall 18 of the inlay 20. The edge-stable, rectangular product 40 brings about a counterforce with respect to the outwardly bent clamping devices 17, with the result that the side walls 16 of the inlay 20 are stabilized in the secondary packaging 30 from both sides. The two centre walls 18 are also held in position by the edge-stable, rectangular product 40. Since the length of the secondary packaging 30 is only a little greater than the length of the two bases 15, the pressure between the walls of the secondary packaging 30 and the clamping devices 17 is strong enough that the clamping devices 17 form a very small angle with the side walls of the inlay 20. The pressure between the walls of the secondary packaging 30 and the clamping devices 17 makes it more difficult for the inlay 20 to slip in the secondary packaging 30.

[0060] At the top edge of the centre wall 18, which has been formed at the fold mark 14b, the corrugation profile 13 extending over the width of the blank can be clearly seen.

[0061] FIG. 7, in a front view, and FIG. 8, in a perspective view, show an inlay 20 with 2 U-shaped regions that is located in a secondary packaging 30. In each U-shaped region, as in the example in FIGS. 5 and 6, an edge-stable, rectangular product 40 has been inserted. The clamping devices 17, bent down inwardly here, are supported resiliently against the edge-stable, rectangular product 40 and press the side walls 16 outwards against the wall of the secondary packaging 30. As a result, the side walls 16 of the inlay 20 are no longer oriented precisely perpendicular to the base 16, but rather are tilted by a few degrees outwardly against the wall of the secondary packaging 30. A slipping of the inlay 20 in the secondary packaging 30 is made more difficult by the friction between the inlay 20 and the secondary packaging 30.

[0062] For the inlays in FIGS. 5 to 8, a corrugated cardboard having a material strength of 90 g/m.sup.2 and an E-flute is used. For the inlays according to the invention, corrugated cardboards having corrugation sizes in the range of C-flutes, D-flutes, E-flutes or F-flutes are particularly suitable. The dimensions of these corrugation sizes are defined in DIN 55468-1:2015-06. The corresponding overview is shown in FIG. 9.