Packaging divided in its direction of height and method for producing such a packaging

Abstract

A packaging that can be unfolded and forms a circumferentially closed ring has vertically positioned sidewalls that are connected to each other by commonly embodied corners of a spatial shape. In at least two or more corner regions, support strips extending across a corner and provided with upwardly and downwardly projecting clamping flaps are pushed onto the top edges of the bottom sidewalls, the upwardly projecting clamping flaps form between them an insertion channel extending along the extension of the support strip into which the top sidewalls can be inserted, wherein the length dimensions and the spatial shape of the sidewalls below and above the strip plane correspond with each other. The sidewalls positioned on top of each other and connected by the support strips to each other form a common packaging with commonly formed flat outer surfaces, respectively.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A packaging comprising: bottom sidewalls configured to be unfolded from a flat folded position to a circumferentially closed bottom ring comprising a polygonal spatial shape, the bottom sidewalls vertically positioned in the circumferentially closed bottom ring and connected to each other at commonly formed corners of the circumferentially closed bottom ring; top sidewalls configured to be unfolded from a flat folded position to a circumferentially closed top ring comprising a polygonal spatial shape, the top sidewalls vertically positioned in the circumferentially closed top ring and connected to each other at commonly formed corners of the circumferentially closed top ring; angled support strips pushed onto top edges of the bottom sidewalls in at least two corner regions of the circumferentially closed bottom ring and extending across the commonly formed corners of the circumferentially closed bottom ring; the angled support strips comprising clamping flaps formed at an inner edge and at an outer edge of the support strips, respectively, wherein the clamping flaps include first clamping flaps extending from a horizontal strip plane of the angled support strips in a direction toward a bottom of the packaging and further include second clamping flaps extending from the horizontal strip plane in a direction toward a top of the packaging; wherein the first clamping flaps delimit between them a first insertion channel following a length extension of the support strips, wherein the top edges of the bottom sidewalls are inserted into the first insertion channels of the angled support strips; wherein the second clamping flaps delimit between them a second insertion channel following the length extension of the support strips, wherein bottom edges of the top sidewalls are inserted into the second insertion channels of the support strips; wherein length dimensions and the polygonal spatial shape of the circumferentially closed top ring correspond to length dimensions and the polygonal spatial shape of the circumferentially closed bottom ring so that the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls arranged on top of each other and connected to each other by the angled support strips form flat, commonly formed outer surfaces of the packaging.

17. The packaging according to claim 16, configured to be placed with the bottom sidewalls into a bottom part.

18. The packaging according to claim 16, further comprising a cover part placed onto the top sidewalls.

19. The packaging according to claim 18, further comprising slip-reducing elements applied to a top side of the cover part.

20. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the first clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are spaced apart from each other and wherein the first clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge are spaced apart from each other.

21. The packaging according to claim 20, wherein the first clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are displaced relative to the first clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge.

22. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are spaced apart from each other and wherein the second clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge are spaced apart from each other.

23. The packaging according to claim 22, wherein the second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are displaced relative to the second clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge.

24. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the angled support strips have a bending location with a material cutout or with a portion with reduced material strength.

25. The packaging according to claim 24, wherein, in a region of the bending location, the first and second clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge and neighboring the bending location form a corner of the angled support strip and are connected to each other by a film hinge.

26. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the first and second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge project farther away from the horizontal strip plane than the first and second clamping flaps formed at the outer edge.

27. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the first and second clamping flaps have reinforcement ribs.

28. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the first and second clamping flaps have an inner side facing the angled support strip, wherein the inner side comprises clamping noses or barbs projecting from a surrounding surface of the inner side.

29. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the bottom sidewalls and the top sidewalls are made of corrugated cardboard.

30. The packaging according to claim 16, wherein the first and second clamping flaps have a shaped portion widening the first and second insertion channels at an insertion end in relation to deeper sections of the first and second insertion channels.

31. A method for producing a packaging, the method comprising: erecting bottom sidewalls from a flat folded position to a circumferentially closed bottom ring comprising a polygonal spatial shape, the bottom sidewalls vertically positioned in the circumferentially closed bottom ring; pushing angled support strips onto top edges of the bottom sidewalls in at least two or more corner regions of the polygonal spatial shape so that the angled supports strips extend across the commonly formed corners of the circumferentially closed bottom ring, the angled support strips comprising clamping flaps formed at an inner edge and at an outer edge of the angled support strips, respectively, wherein the clamping flaps include first clamping flaps extending from a horizontal strip plane of the angled support strips in a direction toward a bottom of the packaging and further include second clamping flaps extending from the horizontal strip plane in a direction toward a top of the packaging, wherein the first clamping flaps delimit between them a first insertion channel following a length extension of the angled support strips and wherein the second clamping flaps delimit between them a second insertion channel following the length extension of the angled support strips, wherein the top edges of the bottom sidewalls are inserted into the first insertion channels of the angled support strips; unfolding top sidewalls from a flat folded position to a circumferentially closed top ring comprising a polygonal spatial shape, the top sidewalls vertically positioned in the circumferentially closed top ring; inserting bottom edges of the top sidewalls into the second insertion channels of the angled support strips; matching length dimensions and the polygonal spatial shape of the circumferentially closed top ring to length dimensions and the polygonal spatial shape of the circumferentially closed bottom ring so that the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls arranged on top of each other and connected to each other by the angled support strips form flat, commonly formed outer surfaces of the packaging.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising placing the bottom sidewalls into a bottom part.

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising placing a cover part onto the top sidewalls.

34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising applying slip-reducing elements to a top side of the cover part.

35. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the first clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are spaced apart from each other, that the first clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge are spaced apart from each other, and that the first clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are displaced relative to the first clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge.

36. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are spaced apart from each other, that the second clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge are spaced apart from each other, and that the second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge are displaced relative to the second clamping flaps arranged at the outer edge.

37. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the angled support strips have a bending location with a material cutout or with a portion with reduced material strength.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that, in a region of the bending location, the first and second clamping flaps, arranged at the outer edge and neighboring the bending location, form a corner of the angled support strip and are connected to each other by a film hinge.

39. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the first and second clamping flaps formed at the inner edge project farther away from the horizontal strip plane than the first and second clamping flaps formed at the outer edge.

40. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the first and second clamping flaps have reinforcement ribs.

41. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the first and second clamping flaps have an inner side facing the angled support strip and comprising clamping noses or barbs projecting from a surrounding surface of the inner side.

42. The method according to claim 31, further comprising producing the bottom sidewalls and the top sidewalls of corrugated cardboard.

43. The method according to claim 31, further comprising configuring the angled support strips such that the first and second clamping flaps have a shaped portion widening the first and second insertion channels at an insertion end in relation to deeper sections of the first and second insertion channels.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0036] The invention will now be explained with the aid of a preferred embodiment as well as with reference to the attached drawings in more detail. It is shown in:

[0037] FIG. 1: a pallet with a bottom part;

[0038] FIG. 2: the bottom part illustrated in FIG. 1 with the bottom ring placed therein;

[0039] FIG. 3: a support strip with clamping flaps formed thereat;

[0040] FIG. 4: a packaging with top ring additionally attached in comparison to the illustration of FIG. 3; and

[0041] FIG. 5: a packaging with an additional cover part.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a europallet 2 lying on the ground with a bottom part 4 placed thereon. The bottom part 4 can be provided with laterally attached, upwardly projecting sidewalls 6. A bottom ring 8 can be placed onto the bottom part 4, which is shown in FIG. 2.

[0043] In FIG. 2, it can be seen that the ring 8 has four upright sidewalls 10. The respective sidewalls 10 are connected to each other by the respective corners to neighboring sidewalls 10 so that the ring 8 is circumferentially closed. The ring 8 in the embodiment is erected such that a cuboid spatial shape is provided. Goods can be placed for packaging purposes into the interior of the ring 8.

[0044] The ring 8 comprises an upwardly pointing top edge 12 onto which a support strip 14 can be placed. The support strip 14 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3. The support strip 14 comprises an inner edge 16 as well as an outer edge 18. In the region of the inner and outer edges 16, 18, there are clamping flaps 20 which extend from the support strip plane upwardly and downwardly. The illustration of FIG. 3 shows that the inwardly positioned clamping flaps 20 attached to the inner edge 16 project higher upwardly and downwardly than the clamping flaps 20 provided at the outer edge 18. The clamping flaps 20 delimit between them an insertion channel 22 into which the sidewalls 10 of the bottom and top ring 8, 38 can be inserted.

[0045] In FIG. 3, the support strip 14 is shown in an embodiment bent at a right angle. In the corner region 24 of a ring 8, 38, the bending location 26 is located in which in the embodiment the two legs of the support strip 14 are connected to each other only by the film hinge 28. The film hinge 28 connects two neighboring clamping flaps 20 which are arranged adjacent to each other in the region of the bending location 26. A material cutout 30 is provided in the support strip 14 which makes it possible that one of the two legs of the support strip 14 is pivoted by 90 in relation to the other leg to a support strip 14 extending across a corner.

[0046] In the view of FIG. 3, it can also be seen that the clamping flaps 20 each are provided with reinforcement ribs 32 which are provided in the rim area in the embodiment.

[0047] Also, there are barbs 34 at the side of the clamping flaps 20 facing the support strip 14. The barbs 34 can dig into the material of the sidewalls 10 when inserted into the insertion channel 22. The barb 34 is formed such that it counteracts a pull-out movement of a sidewall 10 out of the insertion channel 22. Also, the widened portions 36 can be seen in FIG. 3 which are formed at the inner surfaces of the clamping flaps 24 as insertion opening of the insertion channels 22.

[0048] In the embodiment, the clamping flaps 20 arranged at the inner edge 16 and the outer edge 18 are arranged spaced apart from each other, respectively; between the clamping flaps 20 at one side of the support strip 14 there are large free spaces. The clamping flaps 20 which are attached to the oppositely positioned inner and outer edges 16, 18 are however arranged displaced relative to each other in longitudinal direction of the support strip 14 so that at a location where at one side of the support strip 14 a clamping flap 20 is provided at the oppositely positioned side of the support strip 14 there is always no clamping flap 20 formed.

[0049] FIG. 4 now shows how the packaging looks after first the different support strips 14 are placed onto the top edges 12 of the sidewalls 10 of the ring 8 in the corner regions of the ring 8 and, subsequently, the top ring 38 is inserted into the upwardly projecting insertion channel 22 of the support strip 14. In this view, it can be seen that the clamping flaps 20 are connected at the outer side as well as at the inner side with the bottom ring 8 and the top ring 38 and connect these two rings 8, 38 to each other. Since the top ring 38 in its length dimensions and spatial shape corresponds to the bottom ring 8, sidewalls 10 are formed after attachment of the top ring 38 that are divided in their direction of height and are each formed by the surfaces of the rings 8 and 38 that are corresponding with each other. When comparing FIGS. 2 and 4, it can be seen that it is much easier to fill first the ring 8, as shown in FIG. 2, with the goods to be packaged prior to the top ring 38 being positioned on top.

[0050] According to the described principle, also more than two rings 8, 38 can be stacked on each other.

[0051] In FIG. 4, the support strips 14 are of a comparatively long design so that a connection and support of the top ring 38 with the bottom ring 8 results almost across the entire length of the top edge 12. In deviation from the embodiment, the support strip 14 can also be shorter, of course.

[0052] In FIG. 5, a packaging is illustrated onto which a cover part 14 has been placed. At the top surface of the cover part 40, slip-reducing elements 42 are applied by means of which sliding of a pallet that is placed onto the cover part 40 is at least made difficult.

[0053] When the afore described packaging is to be unpacked again, it is possible to perform the steps of assembly in reverse direction. Removing the goods packaged in the packaging is also easy for the recipient of the delivery when he lifts the top ring 38 off the bottom ring 8 in order to reach the goods which are arranged in the bottom region of the packaging.

[0054] The invention is not limited to the afore described embodiment. A person of skill in the art will have no difficulty in modifying the embodiment in a way appearing suitable to him in order to adapt it to a concrete situation of use.