WO2001066422A1

WO2001066422A1 - Reusable container for packaging

Info

Publication number: WO2001066422A1
Application number: PCT/IB2001/000301
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claudio Weinmann
Original assignee: Rentapack S.A.
Priority date: 2000-03-09
Filing date: 2001-03-02
Publication date: 2001-09-13
Also published as: AU2001234024A1; CH691297A5

Abstract

A container (1) for packaging is described, which is formed by a lid (2) and a base (3), both horizontal, and by a wrapper (4) having vertical walls (5v) interposed therebetween, the upper (5s) and lower (5t) edges of which wrapper are contained at least over part of their length within grooves (6, 7) made on the surfaces fo said lid (2) and of said base (3) which bear on the abovementioned wrapper (4).

Description

Reusable container for packaging

The present invention relates to the field of three-dimensional containers for the packaging of goods and products of various types, such as for example electrical domestic appliances, computers, refrigerators, musical instruments, etc.

At present, the abovementioned containers are made by means of numerous systems of different types, using component parts made from polystyrene, wood, cardboard, polyethylene or other materials, which are produced in a manner such that the operations for unpacking a product prove destructive of the packaging container, which is indeed regarded in all cases as a "disposable" non-reusable unit.

This entails two disadvantages, of which one is economic, in that the cost of the container cannot be recovered and is necessarily to be added to the cost of the packaged product, and the other is ecological/environmental, due to the need to destroy all the containers after use, adding a substantial additional burden to facilities for the destruction of municipal solid waste and inevitably increasing the quantity of toxic or otherwise harmful gases released into the environment.

The inventor of the present invention had the idea that it is possible to eliminate all the disadvantages hitherto described by producing a three-dimensional container for packaging by means of the assembly of parts constructed so as to permit reuse thereof, and additionally making such parts from materials that can be recycled when a container has been worn out by use or can no longer be reused for any other reason. Said inventor therefore conceived the idea of a container for packaging based on the concepts set out above, planning the technical and functional features of its various parts in a manner such that an empty container occupies the minimum possible space and can therefore be easily transported and manipulated at very restricted cost.

The subject of the present invention therefore comprises a three-dimensional container for packaging as described in the precharacterizing clause of the attached Claim 1, characterized by the characterizing clause of said claim.

A more detailed description will now be given of a preferred example of embodiment of the container according to the invention, which example is not to be regarded as limitative or binding by comparison with different embodiments achievable by a person skilled in the art acting on the basis of the teachings of the abovementioned Claim 1. In providing said description, reference will also be made to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of said preferred example of embodiment of a three-dimensional container for packaging according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view thereof; Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic view in the plane of the single wrapper forming part of the container shown in the preceding figures in the state in which the latter is fixed within said container;

Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic view in the plane of the same wrapper as shown in Figure 3 after it has been partially folded in a manner such as to reduce its bulk;

Figures 5 and 6 show the same view as Figures 3 and 4, depicted at subsequent points when the folding operation has continued to the final result of reducing the container to a set of its faces superposed in parallel; and

Figure 7 shows the detail of the cross section of a groove made in the base which has a trapezoidal section and is provided with holes for the release of condensation. Considering first Figures 1 and 2, it is possible to see herein how a three-dimensional container for packaging 1 according to the invention (which will henceforth be referred to in the interest of brevity as "container") is formed by a lid 2 and by a base 3 which are horizontal and between which is interposed a wrapper 4 having vertical walls 5v.

The upper 5s and lower 5t edges of said wrapper 4 are contained over part or, as in the example shown, over all their length within two grooves 6, 7 made respectively on the surfaces of the abovementioned base 3 and of the abovementioned lid 2 which bear on said wrapper 4.

By making the grooves 6, 7 of the appropriate depth, it is possible to connect the wrapper 4, which preferably may also have a thickness of 40 mm or more, to said lid 2 and base 3 in a stable manner.

In order to make their connection permanent with a view to protecting the packaged product, it is sufficient to make, on' the most extreme horizontal surfaces 2e, 3e (Figure 2) of the lid 2 and of the base 3, notches 8n capable of containing within each of them a fastening means 9, which may for example be a strap, shown by broken lines in Figure 2 , which wraps the container 1 in the vertical direction.

By making a plurality of notches 8n, as in the figure, or in a manner such that they intersect perpendicularly, it is possible to secure the container with a plurality of strappings provided in mutually perpendicular planes which guarantee a fixing that is resistant to stresses applied in any direction. In order to protect the notches 3n from the wear caused by the fastenings, the inventor envisages the possibility of covering them with U-shaped sections in metal or polythene.

In order to avoid sliding movements of the packaged product within the container 1, the inventor suggests making, on said surfaces of the lid 2 and of the base 3 on which the grooves 6, 7 described are produced, recesses 14, 16 shaped so as to contain the end portions of the product to be packaged.

Passages 15 for the insertion of the forks of lifting trucks may also be made on the base 3. The wrapper 4 may be of any shape, but it is preferable, in the inventor's view, for each of the abovementioned grooves 6, 7 to form a quadrilateral (a square or a rectangle), in a manner such that the vertical walls 5v of said wrapper 4 consequently form the four lateral faces of a parallelepiped.

The wrapper 4 is formed by a single sheet of a foldable material, in a manner such as to form in a clearly defined manner the vertical sharp edges of said parallelepiped. In order to give greater compactness to the wrapper 4, the inventor envisages connecting the vertical edges lOv of its two most extreme portions not so as to form a sharp edge but so as to form a vertical line L which divides one of the faces of said parallelepiped into two parts.

The vertical edges lOv, which may be provided with male and female sections for a plug-in fit, may be applied and clamped one within the other and be secured by means of closure means 11, such as for example the closure devices of a known type having variable fulcrum used for the closure of rigid suitcases.

On the face of the parallelepiped formed by the wrapper 4 towards which face, for example, the front of a packaged product (for example, a domestic electrical appliance) , it is possible to provide a window, closed by seals, which can be opened "at the last moment" in order to apply the items for personalizing the product contained therein, for example the front panel of a washing machine with indications in a particular language, or to insert accessory materials, for example an instruction booklet likewise printed in a particular language. This detail is not shown in the drawings.

In order to produce a container 1 according to the invention, use may be made of any type of synthetic or natural material currently employed in the packaging sector.

One of the inventor's preferred solutions, however, comprises using extruded cellular sheets of recyclable synthetic resin (better if polycarbonate) in order to produce the wrapper 4, and to produce both the lid 2 and the base 3 themselves in a recyclable synthetic resin (preferably high-density polyurethane) , associating them with reinforcing and stiffening metal members applied externally or incorporated in the resin.

The use of extruded cellular sheets for making the wrapper 4 is particular appropriate in that, by orienting the cells vertically and using known methods of producing the fold lines forming the sharp edges of the wrapper 4, it is easily possible to ensure that the wrapper 4, taken separately, can be folded in both directions around said sharp edges, spreading it out to make a flat sheet once again or folding it in a manner such as to cause it to occupy the minimum possible space during transport.

A particular method of folding envisaged by the inventor is illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 3 to 6: these figures show how a wrapper 4, initially forming a parallelepiped (Figure 3), is then gradually folded, reducing it to a set of superposed parallel sheets occupying a minimal space. In order to be able to transport the assembly in question without the risk of its faces unfolding, the inventor envisages applying to the outer surface of one face of the wrapper 4, which forms a sharp edge S with one part of the face, divided into two, containing one of said vertical edges lOv, first fixing means 12 capable of engaging with second fixing means 13 applied to the outer surface of the adjacent face. The effect thus achieved is to make the closed configuration of the wrapper 4 more stable, in that said two parts forming one face can also be fixed to one another by means of the closing devices 11. If it is desired to impart a degree of leaktightness to the container 1 according to the invention, thus also giving it the capability of containing molten or even granular products , the inventor suggests making said two grooves with a section of trapezoidal shape (see Fig. 7), and inserting therein the upper 5s and lower 5t edges of the vertical walls 5v by means of gentle force-fitting.

Also, if only the groove 7 made in the base 3 of the container 1 is produced with a section of this shape, it is possible to use it as a collecting duct for the condensation that is to form on said vertical walls 5v, releasing said condensation to the outside through one or more through holes 17j which communicate with said groove 7 and which, through the base 3, open onto the exterior.

Ultimately, by means of a container according to the invention, it is possible to provide a versatile container for packaging, capable of being dismantled and folded, so as to occupy the minimum possible space, and therefore capable of being reused having been transported to the production plant.

Using the materials recommended by the inventor, it is additionally possible to recycle the parts thereof when they are no longer reusable, with minimal impact on the environment.

In conclusion, the inventor has achieved all the results which he set out to obtain.

Claims

Claims ;

1. Container (1) for packaging, characterized in that it is formed by a lid (2) and a base (3), both horizontal, and by a wrapper (4) having vertical walls (5v) interposed therebetween, the upper (5s) and lower (5t) edges of which wrapper are contained at least over part of their length within grooves ( 6 , 7 ) made on the surfaces of said lid (2) and of said base (3) which bear on the abovementioned wrapper (4).

2. Container according to Claim 1, in which notches (8n) are made on the more outward horizontal surfaces (2e, 3e) of said lid (2) and of said base (3) and are capable of containing within each of them a fastening means (9) which wraps the container (1) in the vertical direction.

3. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which said grooves (6, 7) form on the faces (2e, 3e) respectively of the lid (2) and of the base (3) a quadrilateral, the walls (5v) of said wrapper (4) consequently forming the four lateral faces of a parallelepiped.

4. Container according to Claim 3, in which said wrapper (4) is formed by a single foldable sheet in a manner such as to form the vertical sharp edges of said parallelepiped, forming a face of the latter by placing the vertical edges (10v) of its two most extreme portions face to face, the line (L) of such face-to-face placement dividing said face into two parts and closure means (11) capable of reversibly securing between them the abovementioned vertical edges (lOv) being mounted along said line (L) .

5. Container according to Claim 4, in which, on the outer surface of a face of said wrapper (4) forming a sharp edge with a portion containing one of said vertical edges (10v), one or more first fixing means (12) are applied that are capable of engaging with second fixing means (13) applied to the outer surface of the face adjacent thereto.

6. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which said wrapper (4) is produced with an extruded cellular sheet of synthetic resin.

7. Container according to Claim 6, in which said synthetic resin with which the wrapper (4) is produced is polycarbonate with or without the addition of fire-resistant substances.

8. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which said lid (2) and said base (3) are produced in synthetic resin and are associated with one or more reinforcing and stiffening metal members.

9. Container according to Claim 8, in which said synthetic resin with which the base (3) and the lid (2) are produced is high-density polyurethane with or without the addition of fire-resistant substances.

10. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which, on said surfaces of the base (3) and of the lid (2) on which said grooves (6, 7) are made, shaped recesses (14, 16) capable of containing the end parts of a product to be packaged are also produced.

11. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one of said grooves (6, 7) is of trapezoidal section.

12. Container according to Claim 11, in which the edges (5s, 5t) of the vertical walls (5v) are inserted into said trapezoidal groove(s) by means of force-fitting of a predetermined strength.

13. Container according to one of Claims 11 and 12, in which, on the base of the groove (7) which contains i;he lower edge (5t) of the vertical walls (5v) of the wrapper (4), one or more through holes ( 17j ) are made which pass through said base (3) transversely in order to allow the release of the condensation forming on said vertical walls (5v).