Packaging system and method

Abstract

A packaging system for goods is provided, comprising a box (1) for holding the goods, the box having four side walls (11a-d), a front face (12) and a rear face (16). The front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps (13a-d) defining a front window (13). The packaging system further comprises either a plastic film (6) wrapped around the box, covering the front face and the rear face of the box and retaining the goods within the box; or at least one band (6) placed around the box, placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and retain the goods within the box. The front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards.

1 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A packaging system for goods, comprising:
 a box for holding the goods, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face;   wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window;   wherein the packaging system further comprises either   (i) a plastic film wrapped around the box, the plastic film covering the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retaining the goods within the box; or   (ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box;   
       and wherein the front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards. 
     
     
         27 . The packaging system as in  claim 26 , wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage under the weight of the goods. 
     
     
         28 . The packaging system as in  claim 26 , wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage when two of the front flaps are pulled apart. 
     
     
         29 . The packaging system as in  claim 26 , wherein the front flaps are configured to disengage in a single action. 
     
     
         30 . The packaging system as in  claim 26 , wherein:
 the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps,   the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps comprise interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps,   the interlock features are configured to disengage when the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N.   
     
     
         31 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein the interlocking features are configured to disengage simultaneously. 
     
     
         32 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein the interlocking features are configured to prevent ripping or tearing of the front flaps or the interlock features while the interlock features are disengaged. 
     
     
         33 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein
 the interlock features provided on the longer front flaps comprise outer tab parts, apertures, and an inner tab part;   the interlock features provided on the shorter front flaps comprise base parts and a tab; and   wherein the tabs provided on the shorter front flaps are configured to pass into the apertures provided on the longer front flaps so that adjacent the corners of the box, the inner tab parts overlap the tabs, while the base part overlaps the outer tab parts.   
     
     
         34 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein the apertures comprise curved bottom parts, and wherein a portion of the aperture close to the bottom part is narrower than the portion further from the bottom part. 
     
     
         35 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein the base part comprises corner portions and wherein the corner portions are curved. 
     
     
         36 . The packaging system as in  claim 30 , wherein the overlap of the shorter front flaps over the longer front flaps is less than 6 mm. 
     
     
         37 . The packaging system as in  claim 26 , wherein, after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face are configured to disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg. 
     
     
         38 . A packaging system for goods, comprising:
 a box for holding the goods, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face;   wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window;   wherein the packaging system further comprises either   (i) a plastic film wrapped around the box, the plastic film covering the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retaining the goods within the box; or   (ii) at least one band placed around the box, the at least one band being placed around the box so as to encircle the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retain the goods within the box; wherein
 the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps. 
   
     
     
         39 . A packaging method using a box and either a plastic film, or at least one band, the box having four side walls, a front face and a rear face, wherein the front face comprises a wall provided with front flaps defining a front window;
 the method comprising:   positioning the goods in the box through the front face;   positioning shorter flaps of the front face over longer flaps of the front face;   
       and either
 (i) wrapping the box in at least one layer of the plastic film so that the plastic film at least partially covers the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box, or 
 (ii) placing the at least one band around the box so that the at least one band encircles the front face and the rear face of the box and thereby retains the goods within the box. 
 
     
     
         40 . The method as in  claim 39 , further comprising, when positioning the shorter flaps over the longer flaps, engaging interlock features provided on the front flaps of the box. 
     
     
         41 . A method of unpacking goods from a package formed of a box and either a plastic film or at least one band,
 wherein the goods are positioned inside the box, the box having four side walls, a front face comprising front flaps defining a front window, and a rear face, the front window in the front face being configured to disengage and thus allow the goods to be unloaded from the box when the box turned so that the front face faces downwards,   wherein either (i) the plastic film is wrapped around the box, and the plastic film comprises perforations along one of the side walls, the front face or the rear face, or (ii) the at least one band is placed around the box;   the method comprising:
 locating the perforations and breaking the film by pulling the film apart along the perforations and removing the film from the box, or cutting the band, 
 turning the box so that the front face faces downwards, 
 unloading the goods. 
   
     
     
         42 . The method as in  claim 41 , wherein when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps disengage under the weight of the goods and/or when two of the front flaps are pulled apart. 
     
     
         43 . The method as in  claim 42 , wherein after either the plastic film or the at least one band has been removed and the box has been turned so that the front face faces downwards, the front flaps provided in the front face disengage if the goods weigh more than 0.1 kg. 
     
     
         44 . The method as in  claim 42 , wherein the front face of the box is rectangular, the front face comprising a pair of shorter front flaps and a pair of longer front flaps, the shorter front flaps being positioned over the longer front flaps such that opening the longer front flaps pushes the shorter front flaps open. 
     
     
         45 . The method as in  claim 42 , wherein the shorter front flaps and the longer front flaps comprise interlock features configured to engage and thus form the front face when the shorter front flaps are positioned over the longer front flaps, and wherein the interlock features disengage when the box is turned so that the front face faces downwards and the force acting upon the front flaps is less than 30 N.