Device for handling packaging containers made of cardboard or similar material

A device for handling packaging containers having a parallelepiped shape, made of cardboard or a similar material, which have a folded closure on a frontal surface, outer corners of which, projecting beyond sides of the frontal surface, form a folded triangle, the base of which corresponds to one edge of the frontal surface and the tip of which is attached to a lateral surface of the parallelepiped. A guide slit holds part of the closure fold and a cutting blade overlaps the guide slit. A frame surrounds the parallelepiped at least partially on four lateral surfaces and has a handle aligned approximately vertically to the plane of the frame on one frame section and a catch to engage under one of the folded triangles folded down against the lateral surface of the parallelepiped. The frame also has the guide slit with the knife in another frame section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is directed to a device for handling packaging containers 
with a parallelepiped shape, made of cardboard or a similar material which 
have a folded closure on a frontal side, outer corners of which, 
projecting beyond the sides of the frontal surface, form a folded 
triangle, the base of which corresponds to one edge of the frontal surface 
of the parallelepiped, the handling device having a guide slit to hold 
part of the closure fold and a cutting blade which overlaps the guide 
slit. 
Packaging containers made of coated cardboard or a similar material are 
very popular. They are easy to produce, easy to handle before being 
filled, and can be disposed of in a particularly non-polluting manner 
after use. The packaging container is folded from a single pre-cut 
cardboard shape. Upper and lower frontal surfaces are folded to form a 
closure and subsequently bonded or glued shut. This results in corners 
which project laterally beyond the frontal surfaces, in the form of a 
folded triangle, because of the shape of the pre-cut cardboard. The folded 
triangular corners are either folded back over the frontal surface or over 
onto one lateral surface of the parallelepiped, and fixed in this 
position, e.g., glued. This results in a parallelepiped form which can be 
easily packaged and can be stacked without problems in units of several 
individual containers. In use, however, it is somewhat difficult and 
requires a certain amount of dexterity to open the package in such a way 
as to prevent part of the contents from exiting and causing contamination. 
In general use, a folded triangle is loosened from its point of 
attachment, folded up and cut off. This results in an opening through 
which the liquid contents can be poured out. As long as the container is 
closed, it maintains its parallelepiped shape if handled properly. But 
once it has been opened, it is relatively easy to compress it, especially 
if it is not handled carefully, so that the liquid is caused to exit the 
container. To open the container, i.e., to cut off a folded triangle to 
form a pouring opening, scissors are generally required, since a knife is 
too impractical. As an aid for this, a flat plate has already been 
suggested, which has a slit in its longitudinal direction, which is 
covered by a knife blade in the area of one end. One corner of the closure 
fold, which has been folded up, is passed through the slit and then the 
plate is pulled away in a lateral direction, so that the knife blade cuts 
off the corner which projects through the slit. This measure, however, 
represents only a substitute for the scissors which are otherwise 
necessary, without offering any additional advantages for use. It is 
desirable, however, not only to open the packaging container, but also to 
be better able to handle it for further use, particularly for emptying it. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The above-noted and other objects are accomplished by a handling device of 
the kind described initially, having a frame which surrounds the 
parallelepiped at least partially on four lateral surfaces, a handle which 
is approximately vertical to the plane of the frame on one frame section, 
with a catch to engage under a folded triangle folded down against the 
lateral surface of the parallelepiped, and the guide slit with the blade 
on another frame section. The cutting device is therefore no longer an 
isolated device which can only be used as such, as is the case for the 
known devices, but rather a part of a support frame which holds the 
packaging container. The frame supports the packaging container, which is 
not very able to retain its shape, especially after being opened, with the 
handle making handling particularly easy. At the same time, the cutting 
device on the frame is provided in such a way that the cutting process can 
be carried out easily when the frame is held by its handle. If the 
packaging container is placed into the frame after being opened, the catch 
engages under the folded triangle attached on a corresponding surface of 
the parallelepiped, and thereby results in a firm connection between the 
frame and the container, in that the latter cannot slip out of the frame 
in a downward direction. The device can be produced in various sizes, 
adapted to the container cross-section in each case. 
It is within the scope of the basic idea of the invention that the frame 
has two frame sections which rest against the entire width of the 
parallelepiped surface in each case, and two shorter frame sections 
adjacent these. In this way, the frame does not fully surround the 
packaging container, but does hold it on four sides; on two sides it rests 
fully against the container and on two sides it rests partially against 
the container. The frame is therefore open and can be more easily placed 
over the packaging container. It is most practical to have the handle 
arranged on a frame section which rests against the entire width of a 
parallelepiped surface. In this way, there results a particularly high 
level of stability in handling the device which holds the packaging 
container. 
In another embodiment, the frame has an additional section which rests 
against part of the frontal surface of the parallelepiped during use, this 
additional section being provided with a guide slit with a cutting blade. 
It has proven to be particularly advantageous, however, to arrange the 
guide slit in one of the frame sections which rests against an entire 
surface of the packaging container. In the case of packaging containers 
with a rectangular basic cross-section, this is preferably a frame section 
which rests against a wide parallelepiped surface. Such a guide slit can 
then be made long enough to facilitate inserting the folded closure and 
cutting it off. It has proven to be particularly advantageous to make the 
arrangement in such a way that the guide slit continues in the adjacent 
short frame section. This allows the frame which has the guide slit to be 
easily passed over the folded closure cut off after it has been cut off. 
If, as the invention provides according to another characteristic, the free 
end of at least one of the short frame sections is slightly angled 
outwards or bent out, in other words if it projects away from the 
container, placing the frame onto the opened packaging container can be 
significantly facilitated. 
The knife blade overlaps the guide slit and can be attached directly to a 
frame section. For this, a rivet or screw attachment is suitable, but a 
clip or a similar closure which can be opened if desired can also be used. 
It has proven to be particularly advantageous within the scope of the 
invention, however, to attach the knife blade to a separate knife holder 
arranged on the frame section. Since the knife blade is subject to wear, 
and thus has to be replaced as necessary, a separate knife holder 
facilitates handling significantly. The knife holder can, as the invention 
provides in a further development, be hinged onto the frame section and 
formed so that it can be flipped down against the outer surface of the 
frame section and held in place there. In this case, the knife holder more 
or less covers the cutting blade on both sides of the guide slit and holds 
it securely in place. It is particularly practical if the knife holder is 
made in one piece with the frame section. This significantly facilitates 
production of the device and contributes to reducing manufacturing costs. 
The versatility of the device according to the invention can be further 
increased by having the knife blade project beyond one longitudinal edge 
of the frame section. It can be used for additional purposes, e.g. for 
cutting open a packaging carton. Because of its arrangement on the frame, 
it acts more or less like a drawing knife. Safety when using such a device 
is significantly improved if a protective surface which projects beyond 
the contours of the knife blade is arranged at a distance from the knife 
blade on the inside of the projecting knife blade. This protective surface 
covers the projection of the knife blade and thereby eliminates an injury 
hazard presented by the protecting of the knife. Because of the distance 
between the protective surface and the knife blade, a packaging carton can 
be cut directly along one edge when the device is used in the way 
described above. In this case, the protective surface rests against the 
edge of the carton directly adjacent to the cut. Finally, the charactistic 
of a protective cap which can be placed over the projecting knife blade 
further serves as protection. This cap can, as the invention further 
provides, have a plate which can be inserted in the space between the 
knife blade and the protective surface, which has ribs which surround the 
projecting knife blade on its outer surface. This cap is clamped into 
place by being inserted into the gap between the knife blade and the 
protective surface. The ribs shield the knife, particularly the cutting 
edge, in such a way that the risk of injury is practically excluded. 
It has proven to be practical to arrange a hook to grasp under a folded 
triangle, tear it loose and flip it up, on the outer surface of one of the 
frame sections. Using this hook, the user of the device grasps under the 
folded triangle attached to a parallelepiped surface, and is thereby 
spared the use of a finger or fingernail, which can easily be injured by 
such grasping. 
The device according to the invention can be shaped from a flat sheet-metal 
bar, most practically by being bent. The frame and the handle can consist 
of a single piece. Alternatively, the device can be made out of plastic, 
most practically by injection molding, with the frame and the handle, 
possibly also the knife holder which is part of this single piece, being 
formed in a single work process. This solution also allows a connection 
between the frame and the knife holder in the form of a film hinge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A packaging container 1 indicated in FIG. 1 has a parallelepiped shape, 
which is formed of two frontal surfaces 2 and 3, two wider lateral 
surfaces 4 and 5 and two narrower lateral surfaces 6 and 7. The two 
frontal surfaces 2 and 3 each have a folded closure 8, which can be sealed 
by bonding. As a result of the fact that the packaging carton is produced 
from a single pre-cut piece, laterally projecting corners, each resulting 
in a folded triangle 9 (frontal surface 3) or 10 (frontal surface 2), are 
produced when the folded closure 8 is formed; these rest against the 
narrow lateral surfaces 6 and 7 in the case of front surface 3, and 
against the frontal surface 2 itself in the case of frontal surface 2, and 
are attached there, e.g., by gluing. To open the container 1, a folded 
triangle 9 is loosened from its attachment, bent upwards in the direction 
of the arrow 11 (FIG. 2) and then cut off. The contents of the container 
can then be removed, e.g., poured out. 
The device which serves for this and further handling of the packaging 
container 1 consists of a frame, designed generally as 12, a longer 
section 13 of which rests against one wide lateral surface 5 and a shorter 
section 14 of which rests against one narrow lateral surface 7 of the 
packaging carton 1, over the entire width of these surfaces. Adjacent 
sections 13, 14 are two short frame sections 15 and 16, respectively, 
which rest against only part of the lateral surfaces 6 and 4, 
respectively. The short section 16 of the frame 12 is bent away from 
carton 1 at a free end 17. A handle, generally designated as 18, is 
attached to section 14 of frame 12 at 19. Handle 18 projects beyond the 
plane of the frame 12 and has a back 20 which projects upwardly and rests 
against the narrow lateral surface 7 of the parallelepiped in the FIG. 1 
embodiment. A catch 21 is formed on back 20. Catch 21 engages under the 
folded triangle 9 of the carton 1 in the position of use as shown, so that 
the carton cannot slip in a downward direction when being held by the 
frame 12. The frame 12 and the handle 18 can be stamped from a bar of 
sheetmetal in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3. They can consist 
of a single piece. 
The longer section 13 of the frame 12 has a guide slit 22 formed therein. 
Guide slit 22 continues into the short frame section 15 and is wider 
there. A knife blade 23 crosses the guide slit 22 at an angle of 
approximately 45.degree.; in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, it 
is attached to the section 13 by a rivet or screw attachment 24. 
The knife blade 23 can alternatively, however, be attached to a knife 
holder, generally designated as 25, in a particularly advantageous 
embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The knife holder 25 is 
attached to the outside of the section 13 which has the guide slit 22. A 
base plate 26 has an upper edge strip 27 and a lower edge strip 28, which 
project respectively beyond an upper edge 29 and a lower edge 30 of the 
frame section 13. Catch elements 31 are molded onto the base plate 26 for 
engagement with corresponding openings 32 of section 13. The base plate 26 
of the knife holder 25 is provided with a slit 33, which essentially 
corresponds with the guide slit 22 in the section 13. The knife bldde 23 
is provided with two bores 34 in this embodiment, with corresponding tabs 
35 on the inside 36 of the base plate 26 passing through them. Lower end 
37 of the knife blade 23 projects beyond lower edge 38 of the base plate 
26 of the knife holder 25. At a distance 39, there is a protective surface 
40 behind the projecting end 37 of the knife blade, molded onto the base 
plate 26, which projects beyond the contours of the blade end 37. 
Furthermore, a protective cap 42 is molded onto the base plate 26 by way 
of a molded connector 41, which cap can be inserted into the slit 39 
between the blade end 37 and the protective surface 40 of the knife holder 
25. Cap 42 has ribs 43 on its outer edge, which surround the blade end 37 
protectively in the inserted position. 
The knife holder of FIGS. 7 and 8 can be clipped onto the outside of the 
section 13 of the frame 12, instead of the knife 23 directly and rigidly 
being attached as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1. The FIGS. 7 and 8 
knife holder is preferably made of plastic, by an injection molding 
process. 
Another embodiment of a frame and knife holder is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in 
connection with a frame 12' made of plastic. In FIG. 6, knife holder 25' 
is produced in one piece with the frame 12' and is molded onto the upper 
edge 29 of the section 13 of the frame 12' by way of a film hinge 44. On 
an edge 45 of the knife holder 25', which is the upper edge in the open 
position according to FIG. 6, there is a catch 46, which acts together 
with a countercatch 47 on the outside of the section 13, when the knife 
holder 25' is pivoted about hinge 44 and clipped onto frame section 13 in 
the direction of the arrow 67. 
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, which is preferably produced by a 
plastic injection molding process, the back 20 of the handle 18 is 
provided with lateral cheeks 48 and 49, which rest against the two 
opposing lateral surfaces 4 and 5 of the parallelelepiped. The cheek 49 
thereby fulfills the function of the short frame section 16 in the 
embodiment according to FIG. 1 At the outside of the section 13 of the 
frame 12', a hook 50 is arranged, which is stamped and bent out in the 
sheet-metal embodiment, and molded on in the plastic embodiment according 
to FIG. 6. Hook 50 serves to tear a folded triangle 9 attached to the 
folded carton 1 loose from its attachment and to lift it up into the 
cutting position shown in FIG. 2. 
FIG. 9 shows an embodiment changed insofar as an additional section 51 is 
arranged on the frame 12', which rests against the upper frontal surface 3 
of the packaging carton in its position of use and which has guide slit 52 
with knife 53. Here again, the knife blade 53 can, of course, be attached 
using a knife holder 25. A hook 54 of section 51 corresponds to the 
corresponding hook 50 of the embodiment according to FIG. 6. 
To use the device, the user grasps handle 18 and first tears one of the 
folded triangles 9 loose, using hook 50 or 54, and bends it into the 
position shown in FIG. 2. Tip 56 of folded triangle 9 is then inserted 
through guide slit 22 or 52, and is cut off with the knife blade 23 by 
pulling the device approximately in the direction of the arrow 57 shown in 
FIG. 2. The packaging container 1 is now open. The frame 12 is then passed 
over the packaging carton 1, for example from the top. When this is done, 
the catch 2l on the back 20 of the handle glides along the lateral surface 
7 of the parallelepiped until it is below the folded triangle 9 which 
rests against this lateral surface. By reversing direction and slightly 
lifting frame 12, the catch 21 engages under the folded triangle 9, in the 
area of its tip and thereby holds the frame 12 securely in relation to the 
packaging carton 1. It is also possible, on the otherhand, to push the 
frame 12 over the packaging carton from below, i.e., to place the latter 
into the frame from above. Here again, the two elements are brought 
together until the catch 21 engages with the corresponding folded triangle 
9 of the carton 1.