Self folding polygonal impermeable food box and a tool for its forming

Abstract

A self folding polygonal impermeable food box and a tool for its forming. The box is made from cardboard coated on its inside with PET film or foil. The box has a bottom, six lateral sides, two lateral sides and eight corner sides which are partially transparent and directed towards the inside of the box. The box is covered by a cover so that the sides of the cover rest on the outer surfaces of the lateral sides and seal the box. There is also a second variant of the box. The tool for forming the box, which is preferably made from stainless steel, has a bottom, six guides and two guides, which form the six lateral sides and the two lateral sides of the box.

Claims

1. A self folding polygonal impermeable food box, comprising: a polygonal cover of the self folding polygonal impermeable food box; and a polygonal bottom, of the self folding polygonal impermeable food box, including lateral sides, corner sides, and a polygonal bottom, the polygonal bottom being attached to the lateral sides, each of the lateral sides being adjacent to one side of the polygonal bottom, the corner sides being located at each corner of the polygonal bottom, with folding lines that engage each side of the polygonal bottom with one lateral side, each of the lateral sides being engaged with two adjacent corner sides, with said polygonal bottom, the lateral sides, and the corner sides being made of cardboard covered by a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) layer; wherein the corner sides of the polygonal bottom have a triangular shape and are comprised of triangular cut out openings in the cardboard which extend from the corner sides of the polygonal bottom and along edges of adjacent lateral sides and include the PET layer and one side of the triangular corner side which is not adjacent to the corner of the polygonal bottom comprises cardboard covered by the PET layer.

2. The self folding impermeable food box according to claim 1, wherein the number of corners of the bottom, lateral sides and corner sides is equal to one of 6 and 8.

3. The self folding impermeable food box in accordance with claim 1, wherein the self folding impermeable food box maintains a shape of a shallow tray after being opened.

4. The self folding impermeable food box in accordance with claim 1, wherein the polygonal cover comprises a central part made from at least one of transparent PET film and foil bordered with the cardboard.

5. The self folding impermeable food box in accordance with claim 1, wherein the self folding impermeable food box is made by folding a formed unfolded blank around the folding lines.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure will be described in detail with a reference to a preferred embodiment of the invention and it is illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an unfolded blank for the eight-sided food box without the cover;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a self folding eight-sided food box without cover;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the eight-sided impermeable food box, an upper view from a vantage O of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 shows a section taken generally about line A-A of FIG. 3;

(5) FIG. 5 shows a side elevational view taken generally from a vantage P shown on FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 6 shows a side elevational view taken generally from a vantage Q shown on FIG. 3; FIG. 7 shows an unfolded blank for the cover of the eight-sided box;

(7) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the self folding eight-sided impermeable food box with the cover;

(8) FIG. 9 shows an unfolded tool for forming the eight-sided box;

(9) FIG. 10 shows the tool for forming the eight-sided food box;

(10) FIG. 11 shows a top plan view from a vantage R of FIG. 10;

(11) FIG. 12 shows the first phase of folding the box in the tool for forming the box;

(12) FIG. 13 shows the second phase of folding the box in the tool for forming the box;

(13) FIG. 14 shows a second embodiment, namely, variant I, of the unfolded six-sided box, its base and cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

(14) While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail a specific embodiment(s) with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification and is not intended to be limited to the embodiment(s) illustrated.

(15) Prepared cardboard is cut in a machine therein a tool with knives was placed (not shown), wherein openings in the corner sides (gussets) and in the cover are cut out. The tool is provided with the knives for cutting out and making slits within the formed unfolded blank A (FIG. 1) for the box 1 in such way that previously planned cutting lines 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 are made in the cardboard for the each corner side 5 (On FIG. 1 in order to simplify the drawing, marked are cutting and folding lines on only two opposite corner sides 5). Then the whole surface of the cardboard along with the openings 5B is coated with PET film or foil on the inner side, i.e. it is coated in such way that during the box forming the film remains on the inner side. After completion the of lamination process, sheets are inserted in the machine where the tool with knives and folding lines was placed (not shown). In the tool there are knives for cutting off along the contours of the formed unfolded blank A (FIG. 1) for the box 1, as well as internal knives which partially enter into the cardboard in order to make previously planned folding lines 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 in the cardboard.

(16) The box 1 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is formed in the tool 11 (FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). The formed unfolded blank A is positioned above the tool 11 on the slant guides 11.2, 11.3 and thereafter a part of the formed unfolded blank A for the bottom 3 is pressed by hand until the bottom 3 rests on the bottom 11.1 of the tool between the slant guides 11.2, 11.3. At the same time the sides 2 and the sides 6 of the formed unfolded blank A rest on the slant guides 11.2, 11.3, while the corner sides 5, which are bordered with cardboard 5A, bend around the folding lines 4.3, as shown in FIG. 12. Then the outer folding lines 4.1 and 4.2, and punched lines 5.1 and 5.2 of the corner side 5 coincide in such way to form the corner line of two mutually connected lateral sides 2, 6 of the box 1. In this manner is performed deformation of fibres of the cardboard bordering the corner sides around folding lines 4.3 and the box is formed having the bottom 3 and six lateral sides 2 and two lateral sides 6 as well as eight folded corner sides 5 on the corners of the lateral sides 2,6 which are directed outwards. The formed unfolded blank A for the box is than taken out of the tool, turned upside down around 180 degrees in such way that the second side is positioned above the tool 11 on the slant guides 11.2, 11.3 and a part of the unfolded blank A is pressed by hand on its bottom 3 until the bottom 3 rests on the bottom 11.1 of the tool between the slant guides 11.2, 11.3. At the same time the lateral sides 2 and the lateral sides 6 of the unfolded blank A rest on the slant guides 11.2, 11.3, while the corner sides 5 bordered with cardboard 5A fold around the folding lines 4.3, as shown in FIG. 13. Then the outer folding lines 4.1, 5.1 and 4.2, 5.2 of the corner sides 5 coincide in such way to form the corner line of two mutually connected lateral sides 2, and respectively lateral sides 6 of the box 1. In this manner is formed the box with the bottom 3 and six lateral sides 2 and two lateral sides 6, as well as eight folded corner sides 5 on the corners of the lateral sides 2, 6 directed towards the inside of the bottom 3 of the box 1.

(17) The box 1 is covered with a cover 10, whose unfolded blank is shown in FIG. 7. A central part 10.3 of the cover includes transparent PET film or foil bordered with cardboard. Parts on the unfolded blank 10, which are designated with 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, form the lateral sides of the cover. (The figure shows designation of full lines for the cutting lines and a dashed lines for the folding lines) A perspective view of the box 1 with the cover 10 is shown in FIG. 8.

(18) It is also envisaged another variant of embodiment of the box. The variant I (FIG. 14) comprises the box having a bottom with six-sided base, and on the drawing may be seen unfolded blanks of the six sided box and the unfolded blank of the cover.

(19) Forming the box 1 is performed in the tool 11 for forming in the same manner as described in the previous part and shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The tool is made of stainless steel, wherein a unfolded blank for the tool is shown in FIG. 9 and the bottom 11.1 and the eight guides 11.2, 11.3 are formed by means of bending. The first half of the each guide rests on the bottom at an angle of 90 degrees, while the second half is bended outwards, thereby forms an angle of 30 degrees with a plane of the bottom and it intended for forming the form of the box. The slant guides 11.2 correspond to the bending angle of the lateral sides 2, while the guides 11.3 correspond to the bending angle of the lateral sides 6. Corners between the slant guides 11.2, 11.3 represent a space where are formed the folded corner sides 5.

(20) In the box 1 are poured edible ready-to-eat meals, salads, fried and fatty products.

(21) The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the disclosure and the disclosure is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the disclosure.