PACKAGE OF FIBRE MASS (LOCKING MEANS)

Abstract: A package of a fibre mass or another yielding material for fragile objects, especially eggs, consists of a bowl shaped lower part (10) and an upper part (12) shaped in a corresponding manner, both having recesses which form pockets (14 and 16, respectively) for embracing the upper and the lower part, respectively, of the objects. The lower part (10) and the upper part (12) are in tipping up hinge connection (36) with each other and provided with locking members (42) in order to hold the parts releasably together in a position in which the upper part (12) is tipped over the lower part (10). The locking members (42) are arranged in pairs belonging together at side wall portions of the lower part (10) and the upper part (12) respectively in such a way that their directions for release by disconnection are crossing each other in directions towards the package.

Description: Package of fibre mass (locking means) . The invention concerns a package of a fibre mass or another yielding material for fragile objects, especially eggs, consisting of a bowl shaped lower part and an upper part shaped in a corresponding manner, both having recesses which form pockets for embracing the upper and the lower part, respectively, of the objects, and where the lower part and the upper part are in a tipping up hinge connection with each other and provided with locking members in order to hold the parts releasably together in a position in which the upper part is tipped over the lower part. Known packages of that kind are normally provided with several locking members, usually two, and more specified in such a manner that their directions for release by dis¬ connection are running in parallel with each other. For releasing purposes it is normally necessary to use both hands, the one hand being used to hold the pak- kage and the other to act upon the locking members in order to disconnect them, or to use both hands in order to discon¬ nect each of the locking members in such case where they are arranged apart and relatively far away from each other. The object of the invention is to indicate how the locking members can be disconnected in a simple way also by only using one single hand. According to the invention, this object is obtained by the fact that the locking members are arranged in pairs belonging together at side wall portions of the lower part and the upper part, respectively, in such a manner that their directions for release by disconnection are crossing each other in directions towards the package. This means that for disconnecting such locking members arranged in pairs, a grasping movement may be carried out by hand having a gathering and an advancing component where¬ by it becomes possible to hold the package and at the same time to carry out the disconnecting operations. According to the invention, an appropriate embodiment of such a package consists in the fact that said side wall portions are projecting side parts of a recess forming a pocket which are extending past neighbouring recesses placed on each side of that recess. As a result hereof, the protru¬ ding parts of said recess forming a pocket may be utilized as a steering member for the disconnecting manipulation when the locking members are to be influenced in disconnec¬ ting purposes. Furthermore, it is appropriate that according to the invention, the package has at least three recesses arranged in succession side by side with each other in such a way that a centrally positioned recess is staggered in a direc¬ tion transversely to a connection line between the centers of two neighbouring recesses and that the protruding side parts with the locking members belong to said centrally positioned recess. By making use of such a staggered arrangement, this package would comprise said side parts projecting from the one side of the package and forming a protrusion as well as with a corresponding bend brought about on the opposite side of the package. Thus, it is possible to grasp around the protrusion with some fingers of one single hand and at the same time let a finger engage the bend whereby a safe grasp around the package is obtained. The invention will be explained in details while reference is made to the drawing where Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a package according to the invention for packing eggs, seen from the side and slant¬ wise from above, Fig. 2 the same, seen from in front and slantwise from above, Fig. 3 the same, seen in a plane view from above, Fig. 4 the same in an unfolded state, senn from inside and Figs. 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 with a hand placed from above around the package. The shown package for eggs made from a fibre mass or another yielding material consists of a lower part 10 and an upper part 12 shaped in a corresponding manner. Both said parts have recesses which form pockets, .14 and 16, \ respectively, for embracing the lower and the upper part, 5 respectively, of non shown eggs, one egg for each pair of , the pocket-shaped recesses 14 and 16. A horizontal cross- section through a recess is circular or polygonal, and in a vertical section, the shape of a pocket is frustroconical, corresponding to the general shape of an egg. 10 The lower part 10 is provided with three rows 18, 20 and 22 of recesses 14, each row comprising two recesses 14. Each row 18, 20 and 22 is extending transversely to a con¬ nection line 24 between the centers of two recesses 14 placed at their corresponding ends of the rows 18 and 22. The rows 15 18, 20 and 22 are extending in parallel with each other. In accordance with the invention the arrangement is made in such a way that the recesses 14, from row to row are placed side by side with each other in such a way that a recess of the centrally positioned row 20 is staggered in 20 relation to the corresponding recesses of the two neighbou¬ ring rows 18 and 22 as shown in Fig. 4 in a direction trans¬ versely to a connection line 24 between the centers of said last mentioned recesses. The upper part 12 has a corresponding shape as it is 25 provided with three rows 26, 28 and 30 of recesses 16, each row comprising two recesses 16. As shown in Fig. 4, each of the rows 26, 28 and 30 are extending coaxially with the corresponding row 18, 20 and 22 respectively of the recesses 14 of the lower part 10, and thus also in parallel with 30 each other. Corresponding to the arrangement provided in the , lower part 10, also the recesses 16 of the upper part 12 are placed staggered in relation to each other and from row to -]- row in such a way that a recess 16 of the centrally posi- 35 tioned row 28 is staggered in relation to the corresponding recesses of the two neighbouring rows 26 and 30 as shown in Fig. 4 in a direction transversely to a. connection line 24 between the centers of said last mentioned recesses. When the upper part 12 is folded over the lower part from the unfold position of the package shown in Fig. 4 to the folded up position of the package shown in Figs. 1-3, the closed package has the appearance shown in the last men¬ tioned Figs. The arrangement of the recesses disclosed above re¬ sults partly in a reduction of the total extension of the package in the direction of the connection line 24 compared to an arrangement where the neighbouring recesses of the three rows were lying in a connection line 24, and partly a shape of the outer outline of the package having a bend 32 placed opposite to the rows 20, 28 on the one side of the package and a corresponding protrusion 34 opposite to the rows 20, 28 on the opposite side of the package. When assem¬ bling a number of packages in one plane and in the direction behind each other transversely to the connection line 24, the packages may engage each other by means of the bends 32 and the protrusions 34 and thus being locked against mutual displacement in the direction of the connection line. More¬ over, due to its characteristic sinous outer outline, the package is easy to catch and to hold by hand. The lower part 10 and the upper part 12 of the package are connected with each other by means of hinges 36 placed on each side of a recess 14, 16 arranged in the center rows 20,28 and extending beyond the ends of the recesses 14, 16 of the neighbouring rows 18, 26 and 22, 30 respectively, and thus adjacent to the bend 32. In the shown embodiment of the package, the central recesses 14a, 16a placed in between two neighbouring recesses 14 and 16 respectively, are somewhat staggered upwards from the level of the neighbouring recesses. That too results in a reduction of space in the direction of the said connection line 24. Moreover, there is hereby provided a contour part projecting from the top side of the package and receding from the bottom side of the package which may facilitate the handling of the package. As it appears especially from Figs. 1 .and 2, the upper part 10 and the lower part 12 are provided with edges 38 and 40 by means of which they, in the closed state of the package abut on each other. As it appears from the draw¬ ing, the edges are extending in wave lines which, as far as the edges 38 are concerned, are lying in a horizontal plane and, as far as the edges 40 are concerned, are lying in a vertical plane. Furthermore, the edges 38 and 40 are shaped in such a way to correspond to the outer outline of the lower part 10 and upper part 12 of the package derived from one of the recesses 14 and 16 which do form pockets. This shape may serve a fixing of the upper part 12 of the package in relation to its lower part 10 when the package is closed. The lower part 10 and the upper part 12 of the package are connected with each other in a releasable manner by means of locking members which generally are designated by 42 (Figs. 1-3) and which consist of projecting locking tounges 42a arranged on the lower part 10 and locking ope¬ nings 42b in the outer side of the upper part 12 receiving the locking tounges, cf. Fig. 4. According to the invention, these locking members 42 are placed on each side of the protrusion 34 formed by the centrally positioned recesses 14,16 in such a way that their directions for release by disconnection are crossing each other. Thus, the protrusion 34 in a natural way may be utilized as a steering member for the disconnecting manipulation when the locking members are to be influenced by pushing their locking tounges 42a inwards the package and thus being released from the locking engagement position in the openings 42b. This operation is illustrated in details in Fig. 5. From above, the shown hand grasps around the package in such a way that the thumb is lying in the bend 32, and e.g. the forefinger lies on the one side, and the ring finger on the other side of the protrusion 34, and the long finger abuts on the protrusion 34, whereby the package is hold and at the same time, the forefinger and the ring finger may push, in mutually intersecting disconnecting operations, their respective locking tounge 42a which substantially has the form of a reversed L inwards toward the package and thus release them from the engagement with the lower limi¬ tation edges of the locking openings 42b.

Claims: AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 24 June 1991 (24.06.91); original claim 3 amended; other claims unchanged (1 page)] 1. A package of a fibre mass or another yielding material for fragile objects, especially eggs, consisting of a bowl shaped lower part (10) and an upper part (12) shaped in a corresponding manner, both having recesses which do form pockets (14 and 16, respectively) for embracing the upper and the lower part, respectively, of the objects, and where the lower part (10) and the upper part (12) are in tipping up hinge connection (36) with each other and provided with locking members (42) in order to hold the parts releasably together in a position in which the upper part (12) is tipped over the lower part (10) , characterized in that the locking members (42) are arranged in pairs be¬ longing together at side wall portions of the lower part (10) and the upper part (12) respectively in such a manner that their directions for release by disconnection are cros¬ sing each other in directions towards the package. 2. Package according to claim 1, characterized in that said side wall portions are projecting side parts (34) of a recess forming a pocket (14,16) which are extending past neighbouring recesses (14,16) placed on each side of that recess. 3. Package according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the package has at least three recesses (14 or 16) arranged in succession side by side with each other in such a way that a centrally positioned recess (14 or 16) is stag¬ gered in a direction transversely to the connection line (24) between the centers of two neighbouring recesses (14 or 16) , that the outline of the package corresponds to an outer outline which is derived from the outline of the re¬ cesses (14,16) of the lower part (10) and the upper part (12) of the package, and that the protruding side parts (34) with the locking members (42) belong to said centrally positioned recess.

Inventors: FAKHRI PIERRE, FAKHRI, PIERRE
Applicants: HARTMANN AS BRDR, BROEDRENE HARTMANN A/S
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65D85
IPC codes: B65D85