IMPROVED BLANK FOR FORMING A CONTAINER WITH NON-SQUARE EDGES

Abstract

A blank (300) for forming a container for consumer articles comprises panels 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 (311, 310) overlap to form at least part of left and right side walls. The first side panels (311) or the second side panels (310) or both are connected to the respective one of the rear wall panel (312) and the front wall panel (308) by modified edge portions (3110). Inner surfaces of the modified edge portions define ablation areas, each comprising one or more ablated zones with a reduced thickness. The blank comprises a pair of flaps (313, 319) extending from the first side panels (311) or the second side panels (310) or both.

Claims

1. A laminar blank for forming a container for consumer articles, the container the laminar blank having a thickness (T) and 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 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; the first side panels or the second side panels or both being connected to the respective one of the rear wall panel and the front wall panel by modified edge portions; each of the modified edge portions having an inner and an outer surface and the inner surfaces of the modified edge portions defining respective ablation areas; each ablation area comprising one or more ablated zones having a residual thickness that is less than the thickness (T) of the laminar blank; 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; wherein each ablation area has a length (L) in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion and a width (A) that extends transversely to the length (L) across the modified edge portion; and wherein, in each dust flap in 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 ablation area.

2. A laminar blank according to claim 1, 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 ablation area (A).

3. 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 ablation area 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.

4. 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 ablation area 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.

5. 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.

6. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each of the ablated zones has a residual thickness of at least about 50 percent of the thickness (T) of the laminar blank.

7. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more ablated zones has a residual thickness of less than about 95 percent of the thickness (T) of the laminar blank.

8. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each ablation area comprises a plurality of ablated zones, all the ablated zones extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the edge portion.

9. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each ablation area comprises only a first and a second ablated zone extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the edge portion; and wherein each ablated zone is arranged proximate to a respective one of the rear panel and first side panel or a respective one of the front panel and second side panel.

10. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each ablated zone has an ablated width (WA) of from about 0.01 millimetres to about 0.4 millimetres.

11. A laminar blank according to claim 1, wherein each ablated zone has an ablated width (WA) of from about 0.05 millimetres to about 0.2 millimetres.

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

13. A container obtainable 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 obtainable 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

[0057] The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0058] FIG. 1 depicts a sample portion of a laminar blank for use in determining the spring-back force of the blank;

[0059] FIG. 2 depicts an apparatus for determining the spring-back force of a blank;

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of a first embodiment of a blank in accordance with the present invention;

[0061] FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a blank in accordance with the present invention; and

[0062] FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of a third embodiment of a blank in accordance with the present invention.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a view of a cardboard laminar blank 300 for forming a container for consumer goods according to the invention. In FIG. 3, solid lines indicate cut lines and dashed lines indicate fold lines.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] The lid blank portion 3002 comprises a front wall panel 314, a rear wall panel 318 and a top wall panel 320. Two side wall panels 316 extend from the front wall panel 314, two side wall panels 317 extend from the rear wall panel 318, 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 314 forms the container front wall, the rear wall panel 318 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 320 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. The lid dust flaps 319 are smaller than the top wall panel 320. When the container is formed, the lid dust flaps 319 lie inside the top wall panel 320. They provide additional structural support for the container (lid) top wall, but are not visible from the outside of the container.

[0067] In either pair of dust flaps each dust flap 313, 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).

[0068] The side panels 310, 311 are connected by modified edge portions 3100, 3110 to the front wall panel 308 and the rear wall panel 312, respectively. Each of the modified edge portions 3100, 3110 has an inner and an outer surface. The inner surfaces of the modified edge portions define respective ablation areas A. Each ablation area A comprises a plurality of ablated zones (not shown), all the ablated zones extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the modified edge portion. The ablated zones have a residual thickness that is less than the thickness (T) of the laminar blank. In particular, the ablated zones have a thickness that is about 20 percent of the thickness (T) of the laminar blank. Each ablated zone has a width of about 0.1 millimetres.

[0069] 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, without requiring any substantial modification to the conventional packing machine.

[0070] In an alternative embodiment (not illustrated) each of the ablation areas of an identically sized and shaped laminar blank may comprise only a first and a second ablated zone extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the edge portion. When the laminar blank of 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, without requiring any substantial modification to the conventional packing machine.

[0071] The present invention therefore provides a single laminar blank that can be provided with a range of edge profiles and designs, and yet still capable of being assembled on a conventional packing machine, without requiring any substantial modification to said conventional packing machine. FIGS. 4 and 5 show further examples of edge designs that could be provided on the laminar blank of the present invention by means of ablation, whilst still allowing said blank to be formed on the same conventional packaging machine without requiring substantial modification to said machine. In particular, FIG. 4 depicts a laminar blank 301 that is identical in size and shape to blank 300 shown in FIG. 3, but in which each ablation area is provided with ablated zones 3115 that define a repetitive mesh pattern. FIG. 5 depicts a laminar blank 302 that is identical in size and shape to blank 300 shown in FIG. 3, but in which four ablation areas are respectively provided with ablated zones that each extend along a generally curved trajectory that substantially follows the longitudinal direction of the respective edge portion.