CONTAINER

Abstract: A unit (3) for fitting on the open top of a container (1) made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, said unit including securing means (10) arranged to be located and secured in an aperture (15) in a side wall of the container, spaced downwardly from the top thereof, to secure the unit to the container, the said securing means being arranged to extend through the said aperture and to protrude inwardly of the container wall, and being formed as a hollow element to define an outwardly opening but inwardly closed hand hole in the container wall, which hand hole is closed off from the container interior. In an alternative form the hand hole is not necessarily inwardly closed, but the securing member is locked in position.

Description: This invention relates to containers made of cardboard, corrugated board, or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, particularly but not exclusively ones of comparatively large capacity for use in the transportation and storage of goods. Such containers are frequently required to be provided with a removable or openable lid, or at least with a reinforcing whole or part frame around their open top, and the present invention is primarily directed to the provision of an improved unit for providing such a frame, with or without an associated lid. It has been suggested in French Patent No. 2 102 115 to provide a reinforcing rim around the open top of a carrying tray, which rim is secured to the tray by means of tongues which are located in hand holes in the side walls of the tray. Such an arrangement is not well suited to use in some applications, for example where the contents of the tray can be spoiled by ingress or egress of moisture or contact with the hand. Viewed from one aspect the invention provides a reinforcing unit for fitting on the open top of a container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, said unit including a securing member arranged to be located and secured in an aperture in a side wall of the container, spaced downwardly from the top thereof, to secure the unit to the container, which securing member is arranged to extend through the said aperture and to prorude inwardly of the container wall (known from FR-A-2 102 115), characterised in that said securing member is arranged to close the said aperture and is formed as a hollow element to define an outwardly opening but inwardly closed hand hole in the container wall, which hand hole is closed off from the container interior. With such an arrangement, a user's hand inserted in the said hand hole cannot come into contact with the contents of the container, which is advantageous for various reasons, for example for hygiene, or if the container contents are harmful to the skin. Furthermore, the aperture in the container wall does not permit the ingress or egress of moisture, liquid or other matter, which is of substantial importance in many conditions of use. Preferably the said securing member is substantially cup-shaped. Preferably the said unit is arranged to fit over and embrace the top edge of the said container wall so as to have parts extending below such top edge both inside and outside of the wall, the said securing member being mounted to one of the said inside or outside parts of the unit and being arranged, when located in the said wall aperture as aforesaid, to make positive locking engagement with the other of the said inside and outside parts. Preferably the said locking engagement is such that the unit, having been secured to a container as aforesaid, cannot be removed without damaging it. A unit according to the invention may comprise a whole frame, with or without an associated lid, in which case at least two of said securing members will be provided, spaced sufficiently from each other around the unit to secure the same to the container in stable fashion, preferably being located on opposite sides thereof. More than two securing members could however be provided if desired, preferably regularly spaced around the unit. The unit may be of any closed shape, to fit a container having an open top of any perimetric shape. Alternatively the unit may simply comprise a part frame in the form of a reinforcing strip for fitting on one wall of container, with only one securing member. As already mentioned, a unit according to the invention may or may not comprise or be adapted to carry a lid for the container. Thus in one form the unit comprises only a frame, for use in reinforcing the open top of a container. In another form the unit comprises a fixed lid for the container, so that when the lid is to be removed from the container the unit itself must be removed, and in these circumstances the said securing members will be arranged to be secured in readily releasable fashion in the said apertures in the container walls, to enable the unit to be released from the container when desired. In another form the unit comprises a frame carrying a lid which is openable and closable relative to the frame, for example being hinged to the frame, in which case the unit need not be readily releasable from the container once it has been applied thereto, but can indeed be locked in position as previously mentioned. In yet another form the unit may comprise a frame and a separate lid unit, which fits inside the unit for example, with the lid again being openable and closable relative to the unit, and here again the unit can be locked to the container. In a preferred form of the invention, as already mentioned, the unit is arranged to fit over and embrace the top edge of the container so as to have parts extending below such top edge both inside and outside of the container wall, and the or each said securing member may then be mounted on either the inside or outside of the unit, and arranged to extend through its associated aperture in the container wall and be secured to the outside or inside part of the unit on the other side of the container wall. The securing member is arranged to protrude inwardly of the container wall. In some forms of the invention it is not necessary for the securing member to extend substantially proud of the container wall surface on the outside thereof, but in a preferred form of the invention the or each securing member has a dimension, in the direction in which it extends through the container wall, substantially greater than the wall thickness, so that it stands proud of the wall of the container externally thereof. Then, if the securing member is arranged to extend proud of the container wall externally thereof, it may provide a protruding gripping portion for enabling the container to be lifted and carried. Preferably the or each securing member is hingedly connected to the body of the unit. When, as is preferred, the unit is made of plastics material, the or each securing member may be integrally hinged to the body of the unit by means of a thin web of plastics material. The scope of the invention also extends to a container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, and having a unit as set forth above fitted on its otherwise open top. Preferably the said unit is made of polypropylene or high-density polythene, or other plastics materials having similar properties. Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container provided with a lid according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical medial cross-sectional view of the top part of the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the securing members of the lid of the container of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 2, of a second embodiment. Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, a container according to the invention comprises a large-capacity storage box 1 made of at least double thickness corrugated board and of substantially cubic shape with an open top. Fitted on the open top of the container is a unit comprising a lid 2 hingedly mounted on a frame 3. Referring particularly to Figure 2, the frame 3 is a plastics moulding and has a substantially inverted U-shaped body portion 4 extending completely therearound, which is dimensioned to closely embrace the top edge portion 5 of the open top of the container, as shown. The lid 2 is hinged to one side of the frame (at the back as seen in Figures 1 and 2) by way of an integral thin web, and the frame is provided with an upstanding portion 6 all around its inside wall 7, on which the lid rests. The lid is formed with a depending skirt portion 8 to close the channel 9 which is thus defined all around the frame. At two opposite regions, centrally of two of the side walls of the container, the frame is provided with securing members 10 hingedly connected to the bottom edge of its outside wall 11 by way of integral thin webs. In its natural condition, each of the securing members extends outwardly at right angles to the outside wall 11 of the frame, as shown at the left-hand side of Figure 2. Opposite each of the securing members, the inside wall 7 of the frame is extended downwardly to provide a locking portion 12 for the securing member, whose inner wall is formed with a recess 13 and a slot 14 to engage the locking portion 12 when the securing member is hinged inwardly through a hole 15 in the side wall of the container, as shown at the right hand side of Figure 2. When it is passed through the hole 15 in this manner, the securing member automatically engages with the locking portion 12 so as to be secured in position. It is further secured by a lug 16 on the underside of the body of the securing member, which engages behind the bottom edge of the hole in the container wall, again as shown at the right-hand side of Figure 2. As a result, the frame cannot be removed from the container without damaging it. Each of the securing members is substantially cup-shaped, as shown particularly in Figure 3, so that when engaged in its secured position it provides an inwardly extending hand hole, one on each side of the container, to enable the same to be lifted and carried. As the interior space of each hand hole is closed off from the container interior, a user's hands cannot come into contact with the container contents. Referring now to the embodiment of Figure 4, in this embodiment the frame 17 of the unit is substantially similar to that of the first embodiment in its function of embracing the top 5 of the container walls, but differs in that it incorporates an integral, fixed, lid 18 for the container, not a hinged lid as in the first embodiment. Thus in this embodiment, when the lid 18 is to be removed from the container the frame 17 must be removed also, and for this reason the securing members 19 of the frame are readily releasable from the container when desired. Each of the securing members is again formed to provide an inwardly closed hand hole for lifting and carrying the container, but the means for securing the members in position is less positive than in the first embodiment, so as to enable them to be released when it is desired to remove the lid. Specifically, the securing means comprises a groove 20 in the wall 21 of the securing member, which receives a downwardly extending locking portion 22 of the inside wall 23 of the frame, and again the securing member is provided with a further locking lug 24 on its underside. In this embodiment each of the securing members is hinged to the body of the frame 17 together with a movable portion 25 of the outside wall of the frame. The portion 25 is of the same width as its associated securing member; in other words the remaining portions 26 of the outside wall of the frame, outwardly of the portions 25, are not so hingeable but permanently embrace the top portion 5 of the container wall.

Claims: 1. A reinforcing unit (2,3) for fitting on the open top of a container (1) made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, said unit including a securing member (10) arranged to be located and secured in an aperture (15) in a side wall of the container, spaced downwardly from the top (5) thereof, to secure the unit to the container, which securing member is arranged to extend through the said aperture and to protrude inwardly of the container wall, characterised in that said securing member is arranged to close the said aperture and is formed as a hollow element to define an outwardly opening but inwardly closed hand hole in the container wall, which hand hole is closed off from the container interior. 2. A unit (2,3) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said securing member (10) is substantially cup-shaped. 3. A unit (2,3) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, which is arranged to fit over and embrace the top edge (5) of the said container wall so as to have parts (7, 11) extending below such top edge both inside and outside of the wall, the said securing member (10) being mounted to one of the said inside or outside parts of the unit and being arranged, when located in the said wall aperture (15) as aforesaid, to make positive locking engagement with the other of the said inside and outside parts. 4. A unit (2,3) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said locking engagement is such that the unit, having been secured to a container (1) as aforesaid, cannot be removed without damaging it. 5. A unit (17,18) as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said securing member (19) is hingedly connected to the body of the unit. 6. A unit (17,18) as claimed in claim 5, which is made of plastics material, the said securing member (19) being integrally hinged to the body of the unit by means of a thin web of the plastics material. 7. A unit (2,3) as claimed in any preceding claim, which comprises a frame (3) for fitting on the open top of a said container (1), and is provided with at least two of said securing members (10) at substantially opposite locations in the frame. 8. A unit (2,3) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the said frame (3) has a lid (2) for the container (1) connected thereto, which lid is openable and closable relative to the frame. 9. A unit as claimed in claim 7, further including a separate lid for the container adapted to be received by the said frame, which lid is openable and closable relative to the frame. 10. A container (1) made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, having a unit (2,3) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 fitted on its otherwise open top.

Inventors: PARKER, ALAN, SAMS, BERNARD
Applicants: SCA PACKAGING LIMITED
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5