Creased blank for forming a container with round or beveled corners

Abstract

A blank (300) for forming a container for consumer articles comprises panels (308, 309, 312, 314) for forming corresponding walls of the container. First side panels (311) extend from the rear wall panel (312) and second side panels (310) extend from the front wall panel (308). When assembling the container, the first and the second side panels overlap to form at least part of left and right side walls. The first side panels or the second side panels or both are connected to the respective one of the rear wall panel and the front wall panel by modified edge portions (3100, 3110, 3120, 3130). The blank comprises a pair of flaps extending from the first side panels or the second side panels or both.

Claims

1. A laminar blank for forming a container for consumer articles, the laminar blank comprising: a bottom wall panel for forming a bottom wall of the container and a top wall panel for forming a top wall of the container; a rear wall panel for forming at least a part of a rear wall of the container and a front wall panel for forming at least a part of a front wall of the container; two first side panels extending from the rear wall panel and two second side panels extending from the front wall panel, such that, when the container is assembled from the laminar blank, the first and the second side panels overlap to form at least part of left and right side walls of the container; wherein at least one of the first side panels, at least one of the second side panels, or at least one of the first side panels and at least one of the second side panels is connected to a respective rear wall panel or the front wall panel by a modified edge portion; each modified edge portion comprising: a first zone comprising a plurality of creasing lines extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion; and a second zone that is substantially free of creasing lines, the second zone being disposed between a first free edge of the modified edge portion and the first zone of the modified edge portion; the laminar blank further comprising at least one pair of dust flaps extending from the first side panels or the second side panels or both, such that, when the container is assembled from the laminar blank, the flaps in a pair overlap the bottom wall panel to form the bottom wall or the top wall panel to form the top wall; wherein each dust flap in the at least one pair of dust flaps comprises a main flap portion depending along a fold line from a respective first or second side panel and a side flap portion extending laterally from the flap main portion beyond a peripheral edge of the respective first or second side panel; and wherein the first zone of each modified edge portion comprises a plurality of pairs of creasing lines, all the creasing lines extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion, wherein the distance (X) between two creasing lines in each pair as measured along the width (W) of the modified edge portion is less than the distance (Y) between two adjacent pairs of creasing lines as measured along the width (W) of the modified edge portion.

2. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the second zone extends from the first zone to the first free edge of the modified edge portion in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion.

3. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the second zone has a length (L2) of 5 millimeters or less in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion.

4. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each modified edge portion further comprises a third zone disposed between a second free edge of the modified edge portion and the first zone of the modified edge portion.

5. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each modified edge portion has a length (L) in its longitudinal direction and a width (A) that extends transversely to the length (L) across the modified edge portion; and wherein, in each dust flap of the at least one pair of dust flaps the side flap portion extends beyond the peripheral edge of the respective first or second side panel by at least about 25 percent of the width (A) of the modified edge portion.

6. A laminar blank according to claim 5, wherein, in each dust flap of the at least one pair of dust flaps, the side flap portion extends beyond the peripheral edge of the respective first or second side panel by less than about 75 percent of the width (A) of the modified edge portion.

7. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the laminar blank is for forming a container having a maximum width and a maximum depth; and wherein the width (A) of the modified edge portion is at least about 0.025 times (W+2D), where W is the maximum width of the container and D is the maximum depth of the container.

8. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the laminar blank is for forming a container having a maximum width and a maximum depth; and wherein the width (A) of the modified edge portion is less than about 0.07 times (W+2D), where W is the maximum width of the container and D is the maximum depth of the container.

9. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the laminar blank is for forming a container having a maximum width and a maximum depth; and wherein, in each dust flap of the at least one pair of dust flaps, the side flap portion extends beyond the peripheral edge of the respective first or second side panel by a length (E) such that the overall maximum width of the laminar blank substantially equals (W+2D), where W is the maximum width of the container and D is the maximum depth of the container.

10. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the first zone of each modified edge portion comprises at least three creasing lines extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion.

11. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each creasing line has a width (WA) of from about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.4 millimeters.

12. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the blank has a spring-back force of less than about 10 milliNewton meters between any two panels that are connected by a modified edge portion.

13. A container obtained by folding a laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the laminar blank forms at least a part of the container comprising a box portion having a box front wall, a box rear wall and box side walls extending between the box front wall and the box rear wall, and wherein the modified edge portions connect at least one of the box front wall and the box rear wall to the box side walls.

14. A container obtained by folding a laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein the laminar blank forms at least a part of the container comprising a lid portion having a lid front wall, a lid rear wall and lid side walls extending between the lid front wall and the lid rear wall, and wherein the modified edge portions connect at least one of the lid front wall and the lid rear wall to the lid side walls.

Description

(1) The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a sample portion of a laminar blank for use in determining the spring-back force of the blank;

(3) FIG. 2 depicts an apparatus for determining the spring-back force of a blank;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of an embodiment of a blank in accordance with the present invention;

(5) FIG. 4A shows a schematic top view of the blank of FIG. 3, illustrating modified edge portions in greater detail;

(6) FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of a portion of the blank of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A; and

(7) FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the first zone of each modified edge portion of the blank of FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B.

(8) FIG. 3 is a view of a cardboard laminar blank 300 for forming a container for consumer goods according to the invention. FIG. 4A also shows the cardboard laminar blank 300 of FIG. 3, with the creasing lines of modified edge portions 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130 being clearly visible. FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of FIG. 4A.

(9) The blank 300 comprises a box blank portion 3001 for forming a box portion of the container, and a lid blank portion 3002 for forming a lid portion of the container. The box blank portion 3001 depends from the lid blank portion 3002 along hinge line 3003.

(10) The box blank portion 3001 comprises a front wall panel 308, a rear wall panel 312 and a bottom wall panel 309. Two side wall panels 310 extend from front wall panel 308, two side wall panels 311 extend from rear wall panel 312, and two box dust flaps 313 extend from side wall panels 311. When the box portion of the container is assembled from the box blank portion 3001, the front wall panel 308 forms the container front wall, the rear wall panel 312 forms the container rear wall, the side wall panels 310, 311 overlap to form left and right side container walls, and the box dust flaps 313 overlap the bottom wall panel 309 to form the container bottom wall. The side wall panels 310, 311 are substantially the same size and shape as each other. When the container is formed, the side wall panels 310, 311 directly overlie each other with their free edges substantially aligned, such that the inner side wall panel is barely visible. The box dust flaps 313 are smaller than the bottom wall panel 309. When the container is formed, the box dust flaps 313 lie inside the bottom wall panel 309. They provide additional structural support for the container bottom wall of the container but are not visible from the outside of the container.

(11) The lid blank portion 3002 comprises a front wall panel 322, a rear wall panel 320 and a top wall panel 314. Two side wall panels 316 extend from the front wall panel 322, two side wall panels 317 extend from the rear wall panel 320, and lid dust flaps 319 extend from the side wall panels 317. When the lid portion of the container is assembled from the lid blank portion 3002, the front wall panel 322 forms the container front wall, the rear wall panel 320 forms the container rear wall, the side wall panels 316, 317 overlap to form right and left container side walls, and the lid dust flaps 319 overlap top wall panel 314 to form the lid top wall. The side wall panels 316, 317 are substantially the same size and shape as each other. When the container is formed, the panels 316, 317 directly overlie each other with their free edges substantially aligned, such that the inner side wall panel is barely visible from the exterior of the container. The lid dust flaps 319 are smaller than the top wall panel 314. When the container is formed, the lid dust flaps 319 lie inside the top wall panel 314. They provide additional structural support for the container (lid) top wall, but are not visible from the outside of the container.

(12) As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, each dust flap 313 and 319 comprises a main flap portion, which depends along a fold line from a respective side panel 311, 317, and a side flap portion extending laterally from the flap main portion beyond a peripheral edge of the respective side panel 311, 317. In more detail, in each dust flap 313, 319 of either pair of dust flaps, the side flap portion extends beyond the peripheral edge of the respective side panel 311, 317 by a length (arrows E) such that the overall maximum width of the blank (arrow MAX) substantially equals (W+2D), where W is the maximum width of the container (arrow W) and D is the maximum depth of the container (arrow D).

(13) The side panels 310, 311, 317 and 316 are connected by modified edge portions 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130 to front wall panel 308, the rear wall panel 312, front rear wall panel 320, and front wall panel 322, respectively. Each of the modified edge portions 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130 has an inner and an outer surface. The modified edge portions 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130 each comprise a respective first zone 3100a, 3110a, 3120a and 3130a that each comprise eight creasing lines extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of their respective modified edge portion 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130.

(14) The modified edge portions 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130 each also comprise a respective second zone 3100b, 3110b, 3120b and 3130b that is substantially free of creasing lines. The second zones 3100b, 3110b, 3120b and 3130b are each disposed between their respective first zone 3100a, 3110a, 3120a and 3130a, and a first free edge of their respective modified edge portion 3100, 3110, 3120 and 3130.

(15) Each creasing line has a width of about 0.1 millimeters. For clarity, the creasing lines are not shown in FIG. 3, but are clearly visible in FIGS. 4A and 4B. A magnified view of the lid blank portion 3002 is shown in FIG. 4B to better illustrate the details of modified edge portions 3120 and 3130.

(16) FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the first zone of each modified edge portion of the blank of FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B.

(17) As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first zone A comprises a first pair 40 of creasing lines proximate to a first panel 20, such as the box front wall panel 308 and a second pair 42 of creasing lines proximate to a second panel 24, such as a box side wall panel 310. The distance X between two creasing lines in each of the pairs 40, 42 as measured along the width W of the modified edge portion is about 0.8 millimeters. Further, the first zone comprises another pair 44 of creasing lines. The distance Y between two adjacent pairs of creasing lines, such as for example the distance between pair the 40 and the pair 44, as measured along the width W of the modified edge portion, is about 1 millimeter.

(18) When the blank 300 is fed into a conventional packing machine for forming a parallelepiped hinged lid container having maximum width W and maximum depth D, the packing machine easily folds the blank to form a container with rounded edges that has the same maximum width and depth.

(19) In an alternative embodiment (not illustrated) each modified edge portion may consist of only a first and a second creasing lines extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the edge portion. When the alternative embodiment is fed into a conventional packing machine for forming a parallelepiped hinged lid container having maximum width W and maximum depth D, the packing machine easily folds the blank to form a container with bevelled edges that has the same maximum width and depth.