US20050017060A1

US20050017060A1 - Polygonal box and precut plank useful for making same

Info

Publication number: US20050017060A1
Application number: US10/495,689
Authority: US
Inventors: Hakim Chekroune
Original assignee: Aventis Pharma SA
Current assignee: Aventis Pharma SA
Priority date: 2001-11-30
Filing date: 2002-11-28
Publication date: 2005-01-27
Also published as: WO2003045795A1; CA2468889A1; FR2832982A1; BR0214565A; AR037159A1; AU2002365299A1; FR2832982B1; JP2005510420A; TW200300401A; MXPA04003735A; RU2004119849A; ECSP045125A

Abstract

The invention relates to a polygonal box and to a precut sheet that can be used to make it. A polygonal box (1) comprising (I) first, second and third faces (2), (3), (4), (II) an apex surface (5) comprising a first lid (6), and (III) a base surface (7) comprising a second lid (8), each of the first, second and third faces (2), (3), (4) having (a) a respective first edge (9), (10), (11) in common with the apex surface (5) and (b) a respective second edge (12), (13), (14) in common with the base surface (7), the first lid (6) being connected to the first common edge (9) of the first face (2), the second face (3) comprising a first folding flap (15) connected to the first common edge (10), the said first folding flap (15) being inserted under the first lid (6).

The polygonal box (1) is characterized in that the first folding flap (15) comprises a first surface (16) which, on its perimeter, has a first region (17) of relatively low mechanical strength and in that the first surface (16) is pressed against and secured to the first lid (6) when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface (5).

Description

The present invention relates to the packaging industry.
More specifically, the invention relates to a polygonal box comprising (I) first, second and third faces, (II) an apex surface comprising a first lid, and (III) a base surface comprising a second lid, each of the first, second and third faces having (a) a first edge in common with the apex surface and (b) a second edge in common with the base surface, the first lid being connected to the first common edge of the first face, the second face comprising a first folding flap connected to the first common edge, the said first folding flap being inserted under the first lid.
Boxes of this type are well known in the art and have been used successfully for many years. These boxes can be opened and closed a great many times without visible alteration to their appearance, thus giving them great durability.
However, as the very result of the absence of visible alteration of their appearance, these boxes are vulnerable to fraudulent operations aimed, for example, at substituting their original contents with other, undesirable products.
Thus, a need for solutions allowing detection of fraudulent handling of the products contained in the boxes while at the same time making it possible to guarantee that the capacity for repeated opening and closure is maintained has been felt.
Techniques aimed at detecting undesirable opening are known. For example, one commonly proposed solution consists in affixing a seal to the opening device. However, a would-be miscreant can easily get around this solution by repositioning by bonding the pulled-off seal or by affixing a replacement seal, seals generally being fairly inexpensive to produce.
The present invention alleviates all these drawbacks. Thus, the said polygonal box is characterized in that the first folding flap comprises a first surface which, on its perimeter, has a first region of relatively low mechanical strength and in that the first surface is pressed against and secured to the first lid when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface.
As a result, when a box according to the invention is opened by pivoting the first lid about the axis consisting of the first edge common to the first lid and to the first face, opening causes the first flap to be torn along the first region of relatively low mechanical strength, the first surface remaining secured to the first lid.
The benefit of the invention also lies in the great difficulty there is in repairing the box should a miscreant wish to conceal the fact that the box has been opened.
According to a preferred embodiment, the second lid may be connected to the first face by its second common edge, and the box may further comprise a second folding flap, connected to the second face by its second common edge. The second folding flap may be inserted under the second lid. As a preference, the second folding flap may comprise a second surface which, on its perimeter, has a second region of relatively low mechanical strength and the second surface is pressed against and secured to the second lid when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the base surface.
Thus, protection according to the invention may also be applied jointly to the device for closing the base face of the box.
According to a preferred embodiment, the first lid further comprises a first folding tab which is inserted under the third face when the first lid is folded down, the third face comprising a third surface which, on its perimeter, has a third region of relatively low mechanical strength. The said first tab may then be pressed against and secured to the third surface.
According to a preferred embodiment, the second lid may comprise a second folding tab which is inserted under the third face. The third face may comprise a fourth surface which, on its perimeter, has a fourth region of relatively low mechanical strength. The second tab may be pressed against and secured to the fourth surface.
According to a very preferred feature of the invention, the material of which the polygonal box is made is anisotropic.
The use of an anisotropic material when manufacturing the box makes it possible to increase the difficulties that a would-be miscreant encounters in concealing the operation of opening the box. Indeed, it has been found, surprisingly, that the use of an anisotropic material led to tearing being obtained with greater or lesser degrees of force depending on the orientation of the anistropy of the material with respect to the first region of relatively lower mechanical strength.
As a preference, the anisotropic material may have a relatively high tensile strength along an axis parallel to an edge chosen among the first and second common edges.
In this case, the anisotropic material may be considered as having an uninterrupted succession of parallel regions of relatively low mechanical strength. Tears can be generated on, for example, the first flap, with a not insignificant probability of them occurring in a region other than the first region of relatively lower mechanical strength.
The benefit of such a material in this application is twofold:

- When opening a sample of boxes exhibiting this characteristic, a very high proportion of boxes may have tears at sites other than the first flap, making operations of camouflaging the opening difficult to standardize.
- Because of the possibility of tearing at places other than the first region of relatively lower mechanical strength, the generating of such a first region of relatively lower mechanical strength may conceivably be avoided. In consequence, the steps involved in manufacturing the box are thereby reduced.

As a preference, the relatively high tensile strength of the anisotropic material may be obtained by incorporating oriented textile fibres.
As a preference, the oriented textile fibres are selected from the group consisting of cellulose, viscose, cotton, flax, hemp, nettle, wool, silk, a polyester, a nylon, a polyolefin, an aramid.
These textile fibres may be present in the form of woven yarns.
According to a more preferred embodiment, the polygonal box according to the invention may further comprise a fourth face, the said fourth face comprising (I) a third folding flap which is inserted under the first lid and (II) a fourth folding flap which is inserted under the second lid.
A common example of a box meeting this definition may be a rectangular parallelepipedal box with four lateral faces, one apex face and one base face.
According to a more preferred embodiment, the third folding flap may comprise a fifth surface which, on its perimeter, has a fifth region of relatively low mechanical strength. The fifth surface is pressed against and secured to the first lid when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface. The fourth folding flap may comprise a sixth surface which, on its perimeter, has a sixth region of relatively low mechanical strength. The sixth surface is pressed against and secured to the second lid when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the base surface.
A polygonal box according to the invention is more preferably still made mainly of cardboard.
Having printed designs on its surface, this cardboard may be coated with a polymer film giving it protection against moisture. Of course, this polymer film must not significantly affect the properties of the material as sought here. An acceptable polymer film may comprise a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polystyrene, a halogenated polyolefin such as a polyvinyl chloride or a polyfluoroethylene.
The present invention also relates to a precut fold-up sheet that can be used to make a polygonal box.
The present invention is illustrated hereinbelow by a non-limiting example in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a box according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 depicts a precut sheet that can be used in manufacturing a box depicted in FIG. 1. It of course corresponds to the appearance that this box has when unfolded.
FIG. 1 depicts a polygonal box 1. The latter comprises (I) first, second and third faces denoted 2, 3, 4, respectively, (II) an apex surface 5 comprising a first lid 6, and (III) a base surface 7, comprising a second lid 8.
Each of the first, second and third faces 2, 3, 4 has (a) a respective first edge 9, 10, 11 in common with the apex surface 5, and (b) a respective second edge 12, 13, 14 in common with the base surface 7.
The first lid 6 is connected to the first common edge 9 of the first face 2. The second face 3 comprises a first folding flap 15 connected to the first common edge 10. The first folding flap 15 is inserted under the first lid 6. The polygonal box 1 has, as a specific feature, a first surface 16 on the first folding flap 15. This first surface 16, on its perimeter, has a first region 17 of relatively low mechanical strength.
The relatively low mechanical strength of the first region 17 is obtained by holing or partially cutting along the perimeter of the surface 16. Another way of producing such a region of lesser strength may consist of reducing the thickness of the material of which the box is made, or alternatively of a combination of all these means.
When the first lid 6 is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface 5, the first surface 16 is pressed against and secured to the first lid 6. Securing between the first surface 16 and the first lid 6 may be obtained by means of an appropriate adhesive or a weld in the case where the material of which the box is made can be welded, for example in the case of certain plastics.
The second lid 8 is connected to the first face 2 by its second common edge 12. A second folding flap 18 is connected to the second face 3 by its second common edge 13.
The second folding flap 18 is inserted under the second lid 8. The second folding flap 18 comprises a second surface 19 which, on its perimeter, has a second region 20 of relatively low mechanical strength. The means of producing the region of relatively low mechanical strength on the second region 20 may be chosen from those that can be used for the first region of relatively low mechanical strength 17.
The second surface 19 is pressed against and secured to the second lid 8 which is shown here folded down and rendered coplanar with the base surface 7. As before, acceptable means of securing include adhesive bonding and welding.
The first lid 6 furthermore comprises a first folding tab 21 which is inserted under the third face 4 when the said first lid 6 is folded down. The third face 4 comprises a third surface 22 which, on its perimeter, has a third region 23 of relatively low mechanical strength. The first tab 21 is pressed against and secured to the third surface 22 when the box is closed.
Similarly, the second lid 8 comprises a second folding tab 24 which is inserted under the third face 4. The third face 4 comprises a fourth surface 25 which, on its perimeter, has a fourth region 26 of relatively low mechanical strength. The second tab 24 is pressed against and secured to the fourth surface 25 when the box is closed.
The polygonal box 1 comprises a fourth face 27. The latter comprises (I) a third folding flap 28 which is inserted under the first lid 6 and (II) a fourth folding flap 29 which is inserted under the second lid 8.
The third folding flap 28 comprises a fifth surface 30 which, on its perimeter, has a fifth region 31 of relatively low mechanical strength.
When the lid 6 is in a closed position, not depicted, the fifth surface 30 is pressed against and secured to the first lid 6 when it is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface 5.
The fourth folding flap 29 comprises a sixth surface 32 which, on its perimeter, has a sixth region 33 of relatively low mechanical strength. The sixth surface 32 is pressed against and secured to the second lid 8, which is coplanar with the base surface 7.
The first face 2 comprises a lateral tab 35 which is pressed against and secured to the fourth face 27.
The polygonal box 1 is made mainly of cardboard. That is to say that cardboard is its main constituent, and that it may possibly be combined with a paper covering and/or an additional layer of an insulating material such as a polymer film.
FIG. 2 depicts a precut sheet 34 that can be used to manufacture a box as described in FIG. 1.
The precut sheet 34 comprises first, second, third and fourth faces 2, 3, 4, 27, respectively, separated by folds 37 to 39. A lateral tab 35 is secured to the first face 2 and separated therefrom by a fold 36 parallel to the folds 37 to 39.
The first face 2 also comprises folds 40, 41 perpendicular to the folds 36 and 37. The first face is thus represented by a rectangular parallelepiped delimited by edges which are the folds 36, 37 and 40, 41.
A first lid 6 is secured to the first face 2 and separated therefrom by the fold 40.
Likewise, a second lid 8 is secured to the first face 2 and is separated therefrom by the fold 41.
First and second folding tabs 21, 24 are separated from the first and second lids 6, 8 respectively by folds 42 and 43. These folds 42 and 43 are parallel to the folds 40 and 41.
First and second folding flaps 15, 18 are secured to and separated from the second face 3 by folds 44, 45 parallel to the folds 40 and 41.
The first folding flap 15 comprises a first surface 16 which, on its perimeter, has a first region 17 of relatively low mechanical strength. The first region 17 here corresponds to holing or a cut.
Likewise, the second folding flap 18 comprises a second surface 19 which, on its perimeter, has a second region 20 of relatively low mechanical strength.
The third face 4 comprises third and fourth surfaces 22, 25 which, on their perimeter, have third and fourth regions 23, 26 respectively, of relatively low mechanical strength. The third and fourth regions 23, 26 here correspond to holing or a cut.
Third and fourth folding flaps 28, 29 are secured to and separated from the fourth face 27 by folds 46, 47 collinear with the folds 44 and 45.
The third folding flap 28 comprises a fifth surface 30 which, on its perimeter, has a fifth region 31 of relatively low mechanical strength. The fifth region 31 here corresponds to holing or a cut.
Likewise, the fourth folding flap 29 comprises a sixth surface 32 which, on its perimeter, has a sixth region 33 of relatively low mechanical strength, in the form of a cut.
The material of which the precut sheet 34 is made is anisotropic. The anisotropy is represented by the double-headed arrow 48 which indicates the axis along which the material has the greatest tensile strength, relative to a perpendicular direction. The double-headed arrow 48 is oriented parallel to the folds 40 to 47.
In this case, the axis of anisotropy, represented by the double-headed arrow 48, is also parallel to the first, second, fifth and sixth regions 17, 20, 31 and 33, respectively. This has the advantage of making these easier to detach when they are subjected to stress, while at the same time limiting the risk of tearing outside of these regions.
According to an embodiment which has not been depicted, the axis of anisotropy may exhibit slight angular variations without significantly altering the properties of the material. Thus, a deviation by a few degrees, for example by ±10 degrees allows satisfactory mechanical properties to be maintained. Furthermore, if detachment of the third and fourth surfaces 22 and 25 is to be encouraged, it will be beneficial to orient the axis of anisotropy parallel to at least some of the third and fourth regions 23 and 26 and this may, in some cases, play a part in orienting the axis of anisotropy at right angles to the position depicted in FIG. 2.

Claims

1. A polygonal box (1) comprising:

(a) an apex surface (5) comprising a first lid (6),

(b) a base surface (7) comprising a second lid (8),

(c) a first face (2) having an edge (9) in common with said apex surface (5) and an edge (12) in common with said base surface (7),

(d) a second face (3) having an edge (10) in common with said apex surface (5) and an edge (13) in common with said base surface (7), wherein said second face (3) comprises a first folding flap (15) having a mechanical strength, and said first folding flap (15) comprises a first surface (16) having on its perimeter a first region (17) having a mechanical strength less than that of said folding flap (15),

(e) a third face (4) having a mechanical strength and an edge (11) in common with said apex surface (5) and an edge (14) in common said base surface (7), wherein said first lid (6) is connected to said edge (9) said second face (3) is connected to said edge (10), said first folding flap (15) is inserted under said first lid (6), and said first surface (16) is pressed against, and secured to said first lid (6) when said first lid (6) is folded down and rendered coplanar with said apex surface (5).

2. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 1, wherein said second lid (8) further comprises a second folding flap (18) having a mechanical strength, and comprising a second surface (19) having on its perimeter a second region (20) comprising a mechanical strength less than that of said second folding flap (18), wherein said edge (13) connects said second folding flap (18) with said second surface (3), said second folding flap (18) is inserted under said second lid (8), and said second surface (19) is pressed against and secured to said second lid (8) when said second lid (8) is folded down and rendered coplanar with the base surface (7).

3. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 1 wherein said first lid (6) further comprises a first folding tab (21) which is inserted under said third face (4) when said first lid (6) is folded down, and said third face (4) further comprises a third surface (22) which, on its perimeter, has a third region (23) having a mechanical strength less than said mechanical strength of said third face (4), said first tab (21) is pressed against, and secured to said third surface (22).

4. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 1, wherein said second lid (8) further comprises a second folding tab (24), and said third face (4) further comprises a fourth surface (25) which, on its perimeter, has a fourth region (26) with a mechanical strength less than said mechanical strength of said third face (4), wherein said second folding tab (24) is inserted under said third face (4), said second tab (24) is pressed against, and secured to said fourth surface (25).

5. The polygonal (1) according to claim 1 made of an anistropic material.

6. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 5, wherein said anistropic material has a tensile strength sufficient to prevent complete tearing of said anisotropic material along an axis parallel to an edge chosen among the first and second common edges (9) to (14).

7. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 6, wherein the tensile strength of said anistropic material is obtained by incorporating oriented textile fibers into said anisotropic material.

8. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 7, wherein said textile fibers are made of a material selected from the group consisting of cellulose, viscose, cotton, flax, hemp, nettle, wool, silk, a polyester, a nylon, a polyolefin, an aramid, and a mixture thereof.

9. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth face (27) that comprises, a third folding flap (28), which is inserted under said first lid (6), and a fourth folding flap (29), which is inserted under the second lid (8).

10. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 9, wherein:

(a) said third folding flap (28) further comprises a fifth surface (30) which, on its perimeter, has a region (31) having a mechanical strength less than the mechanical strength of said fifth surface, wherein said fifth surface (30) is pressed against and secured to said first lid (6) when said first lid (6) is folded down and rendered coplanar with the apex surface (5); and

(b) said in that the fourth folding flap (29) further comprises a sixth surface (32) which, on its perimeter, has a sixth region (33) having a mechanical strength less than the mechanical strength of said sixth surface, wherein said sixth surface (32) is pressed against and secured to the second lid (8) when said second lid (8) is folded down and rendered coplanar with the base surface (7).

11. The polygonal box (1) according to claim 1 wherein said box is made of cardboard.

12. A precut fold-up sheet (34) that can be used to make a polygonal box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims when a subsequent folding step, followed, if necessary, by a bonding step, is performed.