US20090045247A1

US20090045247A1 - Paper box structure

Info

Publication number: US20090045247A1
Application number: US11/984,373
Authority: US
Inventors: Yu-Chieh Liang; Hsien-Ching Tsai
Original assignee: Quanta Computer Inc
Current assignee: Quanta Computer Inc
Priority date: 2007-08-13
Filing date: 2007-11-16
Publication date: 2009-02-19
Also published as: TWI319372B; TW200906679A

Abstract

A paper box structure formed of a paper material includes a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, two side plates, a partition plate and a cover plate. The front plate is connected to one side of the bottom plate to form a front wall. The rear plate is connected to one side of the bottom plate opposite to the front plate to form a buffer space as a rear wall. Two side plates are connected to another two opposite sides of the bottom plate to form buffer spaces as side walls. A frame body is formed from the front plate, rear plate and side plates. The partition plate is disposed within the frame body to divide the frame body into upper and lower portions. The cover plate covers the buffer space formed by the bottom plate and the rear plate, and then the top of the frame body.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 96129855, filed Aug. 13, 2007, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a paper box structure.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, for fabricating a conventional paper box, a side plate 200′, a connecting tongue plate 210′ and a plurality of wing plates 300′ are formed on a paper board, and then the side plate 200′ and the connecting tongue plate 210′ are connected to form a duct structure by adhering or stapling, and thereafter an adhering or stapling method is used to close the open ends of the duct structure with the wing plates 300′. Further, for fabricating a box structure including a handle part as shown in FIG. 2, two through holes 301′ and a supporting structure 302′ are formed at the upper side of the box body, thereby forming a handle part 400′ disposed at those two through holes 301′, and a plurality of wing parts 103′ located at the lower side of the box body are designed to be the structures which can be engaged with each other, so that a tubular structure with an open end at the lower side can be formed from the side plate 201′ without adhering or stapling. Further, while fragile products such as high precision electronic products and glass products are placed in the aforementioned box body, the box body has to be filled with buffer material such as Styrofoam and sponge for protecting the product disposed therein.
However, in the aforementioned box body structure, at least one area has to be applied with the method of adhering or stapling while being assembled. Thus, besides the material of the box body itself, the elements such as adhesive and pins have to be prepared, thus increasing fabrication cost. On the other hand, the handle part and the buffer material are generally made of plastic material which leads to environmental issue when they cannot be reused or recycled.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a paper box structure for fixing the relative positions of the respective parts of the box without relying on adhesive and stapling pins, thereby lowering fabrication cost and satisfying environmental requirements.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a paper box structure for merely using a thin sheet material such as a paper board to form a box body used for accommodating an article and a buffer space resisting the impact to the article received therein.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a paper box structure for sufficiently using a buffer space to place small articles.
In accordance with the aforementioned aspects, the box structure of the present invention is formed by folding a thin sheet of paper material, and comprises a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, two side plates, a first partition plate and a cover plate. The front plate is connected to one side of the bottom plate to form a front wall. The rear plate is connected to another side of the bottom plate opposite to the front plate to form a first buffer space as a rear wall. The two side plates are connected to another two opposite sides of the bottom plate to form second buffer spaces as side walls. The front plate, the rear plate and the two side plates are connected to form a frame body. The first partition plate is disposed within the frame body to divide an internal space of the frame body into upper and lower portions. The cover plate covers the first buffer space formed by the bottom plate and the rear plate, and the top of the frame body.
In the paper box structure of the present invention, the bottom plate comprises a support plate connected to an edge thereof, wherein the support plate is folded protrusively to form a third buffer space below the bottom plate, preferably.
In the paper box structure of the present invention, a protrusive plate is formed on an edge of the first partition plate, and a slot is formed on the front plate and/or the rear plate, and the protrusive plate is used to engage with the slot for fixing the first partition plate, preferably.
In the paper box structure of the present invention, the cover plate comprises a tongue plate connected to an edge thereof, and a slot is formed on the front plate corresponding to the tongue plate when the paper box structure is closed, preferably.
In the paper box structure of the present invention, the rear plate comprises a door plate and/or a second partition plate formed by cutting the rear plate and only one side of the door plate is connected to the rear plate; or an opening formed by cutting the rear plate, wherein the opening is connected with the first buffer space.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates both a 3-D diagram of a conventional paper box and an expanded planar diagram for fabricating the paper box;

FIG. 2 illustrates both a 3-D diagram of another conventional paper box and an expanded planar diagram for fabricating the paper box;

FIG. 3 is an expanded planar diagram for fabricating a paper box structure formed of a thin sheet of paper material according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a 3-D diagram showing a paper box structure at a close state according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a 3-D diagram showing the paper box structure at an open state according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a 3-D diagram showing the partition plates at an open state according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an expanded planar diagram for fabricating a paper box structure formed of a thin sheet of paper material according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a 3-D diagram showing the paper box structure at an open state according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a 3-D diagram showing the partition plates at an open state according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a 3-D diagram showing the rear plate at a partially open state according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the thought of the present invention will be clearly explained through the detailed description with reference to the drawings.
An expanded planar diagram as shown in FIG. 3, the dash-dot line “- - -” represents a mountain fold line, wherein the portions at both sides of the mountain fold line are folded to be convex outwards, thereby protruding the mountain fold line; a dash line “- - - - - -” represents a valley fold line, wherein the portions at both sides of the valley fold line are folded to be concave inwards, thereby recessing the valley fold line; a dot line “ . . . ” is used as a hinge of a door plate for opening a buffer space formed by folding, wherein the buffer space is used for receiving small articles. Accordingly, the expanded planar diagram shown in FIG. 3 can be folded to form a box body as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. 6, and there is no specific limitation to the folding steps. The oblique lines shown in FIG. 3 are merely used for clearly showing the configuration and empty portions in the diagram, and do not intend to limit the paper material orientation or any other items.
Concretely speaking, a thin sheet of paper material is first used to form the pattern shown in FIG. 3, and the forming method thereby is not specifically limited, for example, conventional methods such as mold pressing, cutting, etc, can be adopted. The thin sheet of paper material itself is not particularly limited, as long as the material has a specific strength, foldable and not being damaged easily. The thin sheet of paper material can be made of single-layer or multiple-layer of corrugated paper, carton paper or plastic or metal sheet. In view of the processing and environmental protection, corrugated paper is preferred.
The pattern shown by FIG. 3 comprises a bottom plate 100; a front plate 200 connected to the upper side of the bottom plate 100 as a front wall; side plates 300 connected to the left and right sides of the bottom plate 100 as side walls; a rear plate 400 connected to the lower side of the bottom plate 100 as a rear wall; a cover plate 500 extending upwards; and inner partition plates 600 which are connected to the respective side plates 300 and extend towards the left and right.
The front plate 200 comprises side enhancing plates 210 connected to the left and right sides of the front plate 200. After being folded, the enhancing plates 210 stand upright on the left and right sides of the bottom plate 100.
The rear plate 400 comprises side enhancing plates 410 to two opposite sides of the rear plate 400. As shown in FIG. 6, after folding the rear plate 400 in accordance with the aforementioned mountain and valley fold lines, two buffer spaces arranged in a front-to-rear sequence are formed, and the enhancing plates 410 stands on two opposite sides of the rear buffer space for not only enhancing the sides of the rear buffer space but also closing the openings at the sides thereof. For sufficiently taking advantage of these two buffer spaces, the rear plate 400 comprises an opening 420 and door plates 430, 440 and 450. The opening 420 and the door plates 430, 440 and 450 are disposed at the proper positions by cutting the thin sheet material of the rear plate 400. Just as described above, the door plates 430, 440 and 450 are connected to the rear plate 400 and the connections area therebetween are used as hinges, and thus the articles received in the buffer space formed by folding the rear plate 400 can be briefly accessed via those opening and door plates. Further, the rear plate 400 also comprises enhancing plates 470 connected to the left and right sides of the rear plate 400, and the enhancing plates 470 stand on two opposite sides of the front buffer space for not only enhancing the sides of the front buffer space but also closing the openings at the sides thereof. Each of the enhancing plates 470 is provided with a slot 480. and the other side of the connection between the aforementioned side enhancing plate 210 and front plate 200 is provided with a corresponding tongue plate 220. The tongue plate 220 is inserted into the slot 480, thereby fixing the relative positions between the front plate 200 and one portions of the rear plate 400.
After being folded, the side plates 300 cover the side enhancing plates 410, the side enhancing plates 210 and the enhancing plates 470 to form buffer spaces 390. Further, support plates 110 are formed respectively between the bottom plate 100 and the two side plates 300. In this embodiment, the support plates 110 are consecutively formed between the respective bottom plates 100 and side plates 300. After being folded along the fold lines shown in FIG. 3, the support plates 110 are lifted towards the bottom of the bottom plate 100 so as to suspend the bottom plate 100 for forming a buffer space below the bottom plate 100.
After being folded, the partition plates 600 extended from the respective side plates 300 are located at the inner edges of the box structure, i.e. the inner edges where the partition plates 600 are located divide a internal space, which is come from a frame body formed by the front plate 200, the rear plate 400 and the two side plates 300, into the upper and lower levels. For fixing the positions of the partition plates 600, it is desirable to provide protrusive plates 610 and corresponding slots 260 (and 460) on the proper positions of the upper and lower edges of the partition plates 600 and on the inner edges of the front plate 200 (and rear plate 400), respectively. thereby fixing the positions of the partition plates 600 via the engagements of the protrusive plates 610 and the slots 260 (and 460). For maintaining the engagements of the protrusive plates 610 and the slots 260 and 460 at a predetermined strength but also allowing the engagements thereof to be released easily, the extension length of each protrusive plate 610 is preferably about equal to the thickness of the thin sheet material.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, after being folded, the cover 500 covers the buffer spaces formed by the bottom plate 100 and the rear plate 400, and thereafter covers the top of the box structure, thereby closing the box structure. A tongue plate 520 is connected to the upper edge of the cover plate 500, and a slot 250 is provided on the corresponding position of the front plate 200, so that the tongue plate 520 can be inserted into the slot 250 for securing the cover plate 500 when the cover plate 500 is at a close state.
FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention. Such as an expanded planar diagram shown in FIG. 7, the dash-dot line “- - -” represents a mountain fold line, wherein the portions at both sides of the mountain fold line are folded to be convex outwards, thereby protruding the mountain fold line; a dash line “- - - - - -” represents a valley fold line, wherein the portions at both sides of the valley fold line are folded to be concave outwards, thereby recessing the valley fold line. In accordance with the folding method described above, the development diagram shown in FIG. 7 can be folded to form a box body as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, or FIG. 10, and there is no specific limitation to the folding steps. Similarly, the oblique lines shown in FIG. 7 are merely used for clearly showing the configuration and empty portions in the development diagram, and do not intend to limit the paper material orientation or any other items.
The pattern shown by FIG. 7 comprises a bottom plate 101; a front plate 201 connected to the upper side of the bottom plate 101 as a front wall; partition plates 601 respectively connected to the left and right sides of the bottom plate 101; a rear plate 401 connected to the lower side of the bottom plate 101 as a rear wall; a cover plate 501 extending upwards; and side plates 301 connected to the left and right sides of the cover plate 501 as side walls.
The front plate 201 comprises side enhancing plates 231 connected to the left and right sides of the front plate 201. After being folded, the enhancing plates 231 stand upright on the left and right sides of the bottom plate 101, and at the connection between the front plate 201 and the side plates 301.
As shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, after folding the rear plate 401, a buffer space is formed. For sufficiently taking advantage of this buffer space, the rear plate 401 comprises partition plates 411 and notches 421 thereon. Correspondingly, notches 431 are formed on the other side of the rear plate 401 opposite to the bottom plate 101. After folding the rear plate 401, the respective notches 421 and the notched 431 are engaged with each other, thereby not only fixing the sides between the partition plates 411 and the rear plate 401; enhancing the buffer space formed by the rear plate 401, but also dividing the buffer space into two portions for advantageously receiving small articles.
Support plates 111 are formed on the respective sides of the bottom plate 101, i.e. the connection edge between the bottom plate 101 and the front plate 201; the connection edge between the bottom plate 101 and the rear plate 401; and the respective connection edges between the bottom plate 101 and the two partition plates 601. In this embodiment, the support plates 111 are formed at the central portions of the respective sides of the bottom plate 101. As shown in FIG. 7, when the bottom plate 101 is folded along the valley fold lines, the support plates 111 are lifted towards the bottom of the bottom plate 101 so as to suspend the bottom plate 101 for forming a buffer space below the bottom plate 10, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.
After folding the side plates 301, the side plates 301 would cover both the outer sides of the partition plates 601 and the enhancing plates 231 and close the open ends of a buffer space formed by folding the rear plate 401 to form a buffer space. Slots 311 are formed on the side plates 301 respectively, and protrusive plates 441 are formed on the corresponding positions of the rear plate 401. The protrusive plates 441 can be inserted into the respective slots 311 for fixing the buffer spaces formed by folding the side plates 301.
After being folded, the partition plates 601 extended from the bottom plate 101 are located at the inner edges of the box structure, i.e. the inner edges where the partition plates 601 are located divide a internal space, which is come from a frame body formed by the front plate 201, the rear plate 401 and the two side plates 301, into the upper and lower levels. For fixing the positions of the partition plates 601, the structures similar to the protrusive plates 610 and slots 260 and 460 as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 can be provided.
As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, after being folded, the cover plate 501 covers the buffer spaces formed by the bottom plate 101 and the rear plate 401, and thereafter covers the top of the box structure, thereby closing the box structure. A tongue plate 521 is connected to the upper edge of the cover plate 501, and a slot 251 is provided-on the corresponding position of the front plate 201, so that the tongue plate 521 can be inserted into the slot 251 for securing the cover plate 501 when the cover plate 501 is at a close state.
Various application examples can be applied within the scope of the technical thought of the present invention. For example, the actual size of the box structure can be determined in accordance with the sizes of the articles desired to be received therein. The embodiments shown in the respective figures are the box structures in substantially left-right symmetry, but the box structure of the present invention also can be formed unsymmetrically due to actual situations. For example, in the aforementioned embodiments, two partition plates are disposed to divide the inner space of the box structure into the upper and lower portions, but the present invention also can merely dispose a longer partition plate on one side of the box structure for obtaining the upper and lower spaces inside the box structure. The upper and lower spaces divided by the partition plate are not limited to specific heights, and can be the same or different in height due to actual applications. On the other hand, with regard to the applications of the space inside the box structure of the present invention, for example, a notebook computer can be received between the bottom plate 100 or 101 and the partition plates 600 or 601; a thinner user manual can be placed into the space above the partition plates 600 or 601; the buffer spaces formed by the rear plate 400 or 401 and the side plates 300 or 301 can be used to accommodate smaller accessories such as a transformer, a earphone and a mouse, etc.; and the buffer space formed between the lower surface of the bottom plate 100 or 101 and the cover plate 500 or 501 can be used to receive a thinner article. Accordingly, such application examples should be fall within the scope of the following claims.
It can be known from the aforementioned embodiments, the application of the present invention has the following advantages:
1. all of the parts are formed from s thin sheet of paper material, and no extra parts have to be fabricated, thus simplifying the fabrication steps;
2. the relative positions of the respective parts of the box structure can be fixed without using adhesive and pins, thus saving cost and meeting environmental requirements;
3. the buffer space is formed directly from the thin sheet of paper material, and no extra buffer material is needed;
4. the box body itself is used to form a support surface for disposing articles; and
5. the buffer spaces are sufficiently used for disposing small articles.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A paper box structure formed of a paper material, comprising:

a bottom plate;

a front plate connected to one side of the bottom plate to form a front wall;

a rear plate connected to one side of the bottom plate opposite to the front plate to form a first buffer space as a rear wall;

two side plates connected to another two opposite sides of the bottom plate to form second buffer spaces as side walls, wherein the front plate, the rear plate and the two side plates are connected to form a frame body;

a first partition plate disposed within the frame body to divide an internal space of the frame body into upper and lower portions; and

a cover plate covering the first buffer space and the top of the frame body.

2. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a support plate connected to an edge of the bottom plate, wherein the support plate is folded protrusively to form a third buffer space below the bottom plate.

3. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a protrusive plate is formed on an edge of the first partition plate, and a slot is formed on the front plate and/or the rear plate; and the protrusive plate is used to engage with the slot for fixing the first partition plate.

4. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a tongue plate connected to an edge of the cover plate, and a slot is formed on the front plate corresponding to the tongue plate when the paper box structure is closed.

5. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear plate comprises a door plate, wherein the door plate is formed by cutting the rear plate and only one side of the door plate is connected to the rear plate.

6. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear plate has an opening, wherein the opening is formed by cutting the rear plate and is connected with the first buffer space.

7. The paper box structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear plate comprises a second partition plate, wherein the second partition plate is formed by cutting the rear plate and only one side of the second partition plate is connected to the rear plate.