Case

Abstract

The invention relates to a case ( 1′ ) with or without a lid ( 2 ) and made from a substantially plane blank, which includes a central rectangular field ( 18;18′ ), to which e.g. via folding notches ( 19;19′ and 20;20′ and 24;24′ and 25;25′ respectively), arranged on the inner side ( 21;21′ ), upwardly foldable side walls ( 22;22′ and 23;23′ ) and end walls ( 26;26′ and 27;27′ ) respectively are attached, whereas the corner areas between walls adjacent to each other are filled with folding lugs ( 28;28′, 29;29′, 30;30′, 31;31′, 32;32′, 33;33′, 34;34′, 35;35′ ) which in pairs are mutually separated by means of substantially outwardly directed folding notches ( 44;44′, 45;45′, 46;46′, 47;47′ ), which are designed to be folded in pairs to abut an adjacent wall and be fastened to it. According to the invention the folding lug pairs are folded on the outside of an adjacent end wall and a handle element ( 17;17′ ) is folded around such an end wall in order to exert a press action of two walls adjacent to each other towards each other, the folding lug pairs being folded away in this way being enclosed, and the handle element is fastened to the outside of these pairs of folding lugs, their total thickness, inherent elasticity and mutual distance being utilized to achieve an increased gripping depth and obtain additional gripping means jointly with the handle means.

1 . A case ( 1 ; 1 ′) with a lid ( 2 ), particularly designed for packing, storing and transporting food stuffs, e.g. fresh fish, manufactured from a substantially plane blank, which includes a central rectangular field ( 18 ; 18 ′), to which e.g. via folding notches ( 19 ; 19 ′ and  20 ; 20 ′ and  24 ; 24 ′ and  25 ; 25 ′), arranged on the inside ( 21 ; 21 ′), upwardly foldable side walls ( 22 ; 22 ′ and  23 ; 23 ′) and end walls ( 26 ; 26 ′ and  27 ; 27 ′), respectively, are attached, whereas the corner areas bet-ween walls adjacent each other are filled with folding lugs ( 28 ; 28 ′,  29 ; 29 ′,  30 ; 30 ′,  31 ; 31 ′,  32 ;  32 ′,  33 ; 33 ′,  34 ; 34 ′,  35  ; 35 ′), which in pairs are mutually separated by substantially diagonally outwardly directed folding notches ( 44 ; 44 ′, 45 ; 45 ′, 46 ; 46 ′,  47 ; 47 ′), and which are designed to be folded together in pairs in order to abut against an adjacent wall and be fastened to it, the folding lug pairs being designed to in a folded condition be folded on the outside of an adja-cent end wall, a handle element ( 17 ; 17 ′) being designed to be folded around such an end wall in order to in a lever-like way exert a press action of two walls adjacent each other against each other, the folding lug pairs folded away in this way being included, the handle element being designed to be fastened to the outside of these folding lug pairs, their total thickness, inherent elasticity and mutual distance being utilized to achieve an increased gripping depth and where appropriate extra gripping action jointly with the handle element, a lid comprising a plane main field and adjacent border parts, (characterized in that) in order to form one or several covers, which can be opened up and reclosed again, said border parts and possibly said main field in at least one area being cut through and between such through cuts being provided a hinge notch interconnecting the ends of the said cuts within the main field in the form of a groove, perforation or the like, said through cuts, up to the time, when said hinge function is to be utilized, being held together jointly with the adjacent lid material by means of a protective tape, which is provided to be removed and/or be applied again, or the like.  
     
     
         2 . A case according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the case ( 1 ; 1 ′) and the lid ( 2 ), respectively, entirely or partially are made from corrugated cardboard, the lid preferably being made from plain corrugated cardboard ( 3 ), i.e. a corrugated paper layer ( 4 ), which on its two sides is coated with a plane paper layer ( 5  and  6  respectively), preferably with a very thin plastic layer ( 7  and  8  respectively) as a moisture barrier between them, in that the corrugated cardboard paper ( 9 ) suitably is double, i.e. that corrugated paper layers ( 11  and  12  respectively) face a plane, preferably on at least one of its sides plastic-coated paper layer ( 10 ) on both sides, which corrugated paper layers in their turn face plane, outer paper layers ( 13  and  14  respectively), preferably with intermediate thin plastic layers ( 15  and  16  respectively) as a moisture barrier, in that the paper layers preferably have a thickness of about 20 μm, and in that the plastic layers preferably has a thickness of about 15 μm.  
     
     
         3 . A case according to  claim 1  or  2 , characterized in that a blank for the case includes a central rectangular field ( 18  and  18 ′ respectively), to which two upwardly foldable side walls ( 22  and  22 ′ respectively and  23  and  23 ′ respectively) are attached via folding not-ches ( 19  and  19 ′ respectively and  20  and  20 ′ respectively) on e.g. the inner side ( 21  and  21 ′ respectively), in that via folding notches ( 24  and  24 ′ respectively and  25  and  25 ′ respectively) end walls ( 26  and  26 ′ respectively and  27  and  27 ′ respectively) are attached to the two other sides, and in that the corner areas between walls adjacent each other are filled, preferably within the framework of a rectangular shape for the entire blank, with folding lugs ( 28  and  28 ′ respectively,  29  and  29 ′ respectively,  30  and  30 ′ respectively,  31  and  31 ′ respectively,  32  and  32 ′ respectively,  33  and  33 ′ respectively,  34  and  34 ′ respectively and  35  and  35 ′ respectively), in that preferably also on the inner side positioned folding notches ( 36  and  36 ′ respec-tively,  37  and  37 ′ respectively,  38  and  38 ′ respectively,  39  and  39 ′ respectively,  40  and  40 ′ respectively,  41  and  41 ′ respectively,  42  and  42 ′ respectively and  43  and  43 ′ respectively) are designed to allow a folding of said lugs towards the adjacent wall sides, whereas substan-tially diagonally between each lug pair outwardly directed folding notches ( 44  and  44 ′ respec-tively,  45  and  45 ′ respectively,  46  and  46 ′ respectively and  47  and  47 ′ respectively) form a hypotenuse for each lug and mutually separate the lug pairs, and in that the last-mentioned folding notches in the corner point are located between the central field and two walls adja-cent each other but preferably end on the end wall sides at a distance from the outer corner point of the blank in order to obtain a folding shape with truncated corners.  
     
     
         4 . A case according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the folding notches ( 24 , 36 ,  38  and  25 , 40 , 42  and  24 ′,  36 ′,  38 ′ and  25 ′,  40 ′,  42 ′ respectively) between the side walls and the folding lugs as well as between the central field and the end walls preferably are located along a folding line, and in that the folding notches ( 37  and  41  and  39  and  43  respectively) between the end walls and the folding lugs tilt inwards towards the center of the respective end wall with an angle of 1-10°, preferably about 4°, the side walls ( 22 ,  23  and  22  ′ and  23 ′ respectively) slightly tilting inwards towards the inlet opening of the case in order to give a possible lid a slightly larger play for a mounting and a certain press fit respectively during the final application phase.  
     
     
         5 . A case according to any of claims  1 - 4 , characterized in that the finished, folded case is designed to be supplemented to a shape, which can be carried by means of handle elements ( 17 ; 17 ′) having a width, which corresponds to the width of the end walls and including a field ( 53 ; 53 ′) designed to bridge the total thickness of the end walls and the lug pairs, folded against them, and a field ( 54 ; 54 ′) for fastening, preferably by gluing, preferably in solely two points on the outside of the lugs ( 28 ; 30  and  32 ; 34  and  28 ′;  30 ′ and  32 ′;  34 ′ respectively) folded against the end walls.  
     
     
         6 . A case according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the field ( 54 ; 54 ′), designed to be fastened to the lugs, folded against the end walls, has along its free longitudinal edge a central, substantially trapezoidal recess ( 55 ; 55 ′) with a tongue ( 56 ; 56 ′), inserted into the innermost part of the recess, which tongue extends longitudinally and parallel to the central field ( 18 ; 18 ′) and is connected to the first-mentioned field ( 54 ; 54 ′) solely via a longitudinal side, which suitably is formed by a folding notch ( 57 ; 57 ′) on the side facing the end wall, and in that the tongue is designed to be folded inwards towards the end wall with an angle of about 90° and be supported in the inwardly folded position with its short sides also by the obliquely downwardly directed double-folded edges of the inwardly folded lug pairs.  
     
     
         7 . A case according to claims  1 - 5 , characterized in that the handle elements ( 17 ′) are integral parts of the case blank ( 1 ′), the end walls on the side facing the central field ( 18 ′) merging into fields ( 53 ′ and  54 ′) for said handle elements, or in that the handle elements ( 17 ) are designed as loose elements, preferably being made from a strong cardboard material, a field ( 52 ) being connected to said bridge field ( 53 ) and being designed to be fastened, preferably by gluing, to the inner side of the respective end wall.  
     
     
         8 . A case according to any of claims  1 - 7 , characterized in that the lid ( 2 ) has a central rectangular field ( 58 ), which is slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the case ( 1  and  1 ′ respectively), which field via folding notches ( 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ) adjoins border parts ( 63 ,  64 , 65 , 66 ), which between them in the corner areas via folding notches ( 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 ,  74 ) include lugs ( 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 ), which by means of diagonally extending folding notches ( 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ) in pairs are mutually separated, and in that the free outer edges of the lugs preferably slightly tilt inwards in relation to the border part, from which the edges project, an obliquely, downwardly towards the field ( 58 ) directed extension of the free edges of the lugs being formed, when the lug pairs are folded, and in that flaps ( 102 , 103 ) are located adjacent to the side border parts, preferably via double-folding notches ( 104 , 105 ), and de-signed to from within abut said side border parts, in that e.g. short rectangular projections ( 87 ,  88 , 89 , 90 ) are designed to be inserted into the side edge areas of the control field ( 58 ), which on the inner side ( 91 ) are provided with smooth recesses ( 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 ), suitably only cut in the innermost upper layer, and in that the projections are designed to hook behind cuts, which constitute the inner longitudinal edges of the recesses, and in this way lock the flaps in their inwardly folded position, the double-folded lugs being positioned between the flaps and the side border parts.  
     
     
         9 . A case according to  claim 8 , characterized in that the border parts of the lid ( 2 ) on the end wall sides at their free longitudinal edges are provided with cuts ( 96 , 97 ), which converge towards the central field ( 58 ), e.g. double-folding notches ( 98 , 99 ) extending between the inner ends of said cuts in order to form trapezoidal locking flaps ( 100 , 101 ), which are designed to be folded inwards and downwards in relation to the upwardly folded border parts in order to be directed with their points towards the end areas of the side border parts and lock them in their position, and simultaneously allow a double function, since the end wall border parts with their cut out areas leave free an access to the handle elements of the case and form gripping means jointly with them respectively, which gripping means are designed to always be active for the lid but also for the case, if the case and the lid, mounted on it, are fastened to each other, e.g. by means of a surrounding locking tape or the like.  
     
     
         10 . A case according to any of claims  1 - 9 , characterized in that as an alterna-tive to and in addition to a lid respectively the open side of the case is provided with an e.g. film-like closure, preferably having a reclosure capacity or special means for this, e.g. a win-dow, in the film, which is overlapped by a film having self-adhesive edges, and/or that the central field ( 58 ′) of the lid ( 2 ′) is provided with two transverse cuts ( 118 , 119 ), which are supplemented to obtain a closed shape by partly a tear tape ( 120 ) between one pair of cut end areas and partly a folding notch ( 121 ) between the other pair of cut ends to obtain a pivotable cover ( 122 ), the tear tape preferably being broken off in a central area by a locking tongue ( 123 ), cut out along the sides and at its free and out of the central field ( 58 ′) and directly away from the folding notch ( 121 ) slightly bulging side edges to form additional retaining means, in that the shoulder area of the locking tongue is formed by a folding notch ( 124 ), which facili-tates the folding of the locking tongue for an insertion into a locking opening ( 125 ), in that the tear tape preferably is applied continuously along the entire lid blank ( 2 ′) and is designed to be cut into two parts by means of said cuts ( 118 , 119 ) as well as the lateral cuts of the locking tongue, the gripping ears for the tape sections between these cuts being cut out around the ends of said tape sections facing each other, in that below the central field ( 58 ′) preferably a spacer pad ( 128 ) is fastened, preferably made of corrugated cardboard and having slightly smaller dimensions than said field, which spacer pad below said cover ( 122 ) has a slightly smaller U-cut ( 129 ) than the above-mentioned cover to form a smaller inner cover ( 130 ), the base line of which is a folding notch ( 131 ), which coincides with the folding notch of the outer cover, in that the spacer pad forms around the inner cover a shoulder step ( 132 ) for the outer cover, and in that the spacer pad outside the web and the U-cut ( 129 ) is provided with said locking opening ( 125 ) for insertion of said locking tongue, when the covers have been opened up and a reclosure is to be carried out.  
     
     
         11 . A case according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the longitudinal border sides of the lid, suitably at a small distance from one of the end walls, are slotted all the way to the main plane of the lid, preferably parallel to said end wall, which slotting is provided in connection with the punching, grooving, perforating or the like of the lid blank, also a down-wardly open recess being provided in the two end walls, which facilitates the gripping of the lid and the case in their handle elements at about the same level and which leaves free a field on the end walls of the case for e.g. labels or the like.  
     
     
         12 . A case according to  claim 1  or  11 , characterized in that the field, which constitutes the main plane of the lid, is provided between the two adjacent slotting ends with grooves, perforations or the like aloowing said hinge action, a blank for such a lid being pro-vided, in its plane condition, with a protective tape along the two elongated sides, namely a tape strip covering e.g. a centimeter or two along the inner side and the outer side and conse-quently covering the moisture sensitive underside of said border sides, preferably gripping holes for an edge tape application device being provided in the inner corners of the outer cor-ner lugs.  
     
     
         13 . A case according to any of claims  1  and  11 - 13 , characterized in that, upon application of the protective tape, the lid is provided to be folded and glued, stapled or the like to obtain its finished shape, whereby said cuts are prevented from functioning, a strap-ping or the like being provided to be stretched around the lid applied on the case, straight above the section, which extends from the adjacent end wall and all the way to said hinge line, and that, in case of icing up, an inspection, a limited product removal or the like, the strapping is provi-ded to be displaced towards and past said hinge line and the protective tape being provided to be split along the cuts, the detached cover being provided to be lifted up towards the main field of the lid, a reclosure being provided to be effected by lowering the lid and pushing back the strapping to its original position to keep the cover in place and keep the lid and the case together, strappings suitably being provided to be placed around the two ends of finished packs.  
     
     
         14 . A case according to any of claims  1  and  11 - 14 , characterized by a cutting or a tearing element, which runs substantially in a central position straight across the main field of the lid and which continues straight through the borders or stepwise through the folding notch between the borders and the main field and through the borders to obtain foldable lugs, one or both end covers of the lid being provided to be kept in place, until the contents of the pack has been removed or even subsequent to such a removal, one or both main fields of the lid and the central covers formed by the adjacent border parts being provided to be opened up, possibly with a preceding folding of said lugs, in order to prevent, that the border parts will stop an opening up, one of several additional strappings, adhesive tape pieces or the like being provi-ded to be used to keep the covers in place after an opening up and a closing back, the lowe-ring of said border lugs being provided to contribute to a durable reclosure, the end covers or the central covers being provided to allow access to divided compartments in said case, e.g. one compartment for only ice.  
     
     
         15 . A case according to any of claims  1  and  11 - 14 , characterized by a cover formed by extending two cuts along the same side a small distance into the main field of the lid and connect the existing cut ends in this field by means of a hinge line.  
     
     
         16 . A case according to any of claims  1  and  11 - 15 , characterized by a protective tape covering the cuts and being adapted to, in a later phase, be divided along the cuts, the protective tape being provided, before division, to serve as a protective as well as a uniting means, the tape possibly being an adhesive tape, which can be reapplied, a suitable surface for this purpose being provided, e.g. an underlying smooth surface having a suitable adhesion and release ability.