PACKAGING AND DISPLAY UNIT FOR PRODUCTS

Abstract: The invention relates to a box (100) for packaging and presentation made of board, comprising two separable elements (110, 120) assembled by being fitted to one another, one of the said elements forming a presentation tray (110) and the other forming a closure lid (120), each element being produced by cutting and folding a board blank so as to form a base (111, 121) bordered by four walls (112, 113, 114, 115, 122, 123, 124, 125), at right angles which rise perpendicularly to the said base. According to the invention, the closure lid has a front wall (124) and a back wall (125) with different heights <u>h</u>1, <u>h</u>2, the height <u>h</u>1 of the front wall being sufficient to cover the majority of the front face of the box, while the height <u>h</u>2 of the back wall is less than the height <u>h</u>1 of the front wall, so that after the closure lid has been fitted onto the presentation tray, the said back wall only partially covers the back wall (115) of the said presentation tray, over a height which is sufficient for locking the front wall of the said lid on the front face of the box to prevent the box from being opened by lifting and/or pivoting forwards the back wall of the closure lid.

Description: "PACKAGING AND DISPLAY UNIT FOR PRODUCTS" The present invention relates in general to board packaging, and more particularly to a box for packaging and presentation made of board, comprising two separable elements assembled by being fitted to one another, one of the said elements forming a presentation tray and the other forming a closure lid, each element being produced by cutting and folding a board blank so as to form a base bordered by four walls, pairs of which form a right angle and which rise perpendicularly to the said base. A particularly advantageous application of the invention is for packaging and presenting objects shaped as a flexible pouch, for example packets of animal food. A box of the aforementioned type is already known, having a lower part intended to contain the objects to be packaged and a closure lid which is intended to completely cover the side walls of the said lower part. Furthermore, document EP-637 548 discloses a packaging box forming a display unit composed of two separable elements inserted into one another, one of which forms a display tray, each element being made of a sheet of board cut and scored to form panels defining the side walls of the box, which are bordered by wings respectively constituting the upper and lower end walls, the two elements being joined by means allowing them to be separated to form a box of the American box type. Such a box is closed using an adhesive tape covering the junction between the two upper wings when folded down, over the entire length of the said box. According to this document, the separation means consist of cut-outs in one of the panels of the element forming a tray, at a distance from its upper edge and fixed to the corresponding wall of the other element. However, the aforementioned boxes in the prior art have a number of drawbacks. Firstly, production of these boxes does not allow optimization of the mass of board employed. Furthermore, the packaging and presentation box disclosed by document EP-637 548 has relatively complex means for securing and separating the two elements, involving precut lines and snap-fastened assembly. Furthermore, in the packaging boxes forming a display unit in the prior art, and in particular the one described in document EP-637 548, it is often necessary to use auxiliary systems to prevent the objects arranged in a row inside the presentation tray from tilting forwards when this tray is placed open on a shop shelf. Such a system may consist of an open-worked plastic plate arranged in the bottom of the presentation tray to enclose the base of the products arranged inside the tray and hold them upright therein. Another auxiliary system which may be provided is a sheet of board which is positioned inclined in the bottom of the presentation tray, so as to define a backwards slope in the said tray in order to incline the objects arranged therein backwards. Finally, it is also possible to provide a folded board system placed in the bottom of the presentation tray, this board being openworked to form grooves into which the said objects are slid. All these auxiliary systems are complicated to produce, requiring the use of additional material and taking up volume in the presentation tray. The available space for packing is therefore reduced. Furthermore, these systems require additional manpower for fitting them inside the presentation tray, which increases the production cost of the filled, ready-to-use packaging and presentation box. In order to stack the presentation trays of the packaging boxes in the prior art, snap-fastened stacking systems are often provided, which are intended to hold one tray on another. Such a snap-fastened stacking system comprises clips in the upper tray which snap into the lower tray. This snap-fastening system is often difficult to use, because shop shelves do not generally provide enough height for the empty upper tray to be removed with ease, once the two stacked presentation trays are positioned on a shelf, without removing both of them from the shelf. This is because unclipping the upper tray requires a degree of height allowance which is not provided in conventional shelving. Another known stacking system comprises a fixture which is placed on the top of the lower presentation tray in order to form a support allowing the upper tray to be put in place- Such a fixture is generally formed in the closure lid of the packaging box by cutting out a precut part so as to give access to most of the volume of the lower tray. This fixture system is not o en used, because it requires considerable installation time for cutting out the unused part of the lid to form the fixture. In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks in the prior art, the present invention provides a novel box for packaging and presentation made of board, com¬ prising two separable elements assembled by being fitted to one another, one of the said elements forming a presentation tray and the other forming a closure lid, each element being produced by cutting and folding a board blank so as to form a base bordered by four walls, pairs of which form a right angle and which stand perpen¬ dicular to the said base. It is characterized in that the closure lid has a front wall and a back wall with different heights h^, h;,, the height h ± of the front wall being sufficient to cover the majority of the front face of the box, while the height h. of the back wall is less than the height h^ of the front wall, so that after the closure lid has been fitted onto the presentation tray, the said back wall only partially covers the back wall of the said presenta¬ tion tray, over a height which is sufficient for locking of the front wall of the said lid on the front face of the box to prevent the box from being opened by lifting and/or pivoting forwards the back wall of the closure lid. This packaging and presentation box is thus optimized in terms of the board used for manufacturing it . It allows, by locking the front wall of the lid on the front face of the box, for example using a single adhesive tape or a drop of adhesive, automatic locking of the back of the said closed box by interlocking of two right-angled corners, with the back wall of the lid covering the back wall of the presentation tray. This closed and locked box can then be opened simply and quickly by unlocking the front wall of the lid and raising the said lid. This is because unlocking the front face of the lid also leads to automatic unlocking of the back of the closed box. Production of such a box is simplified, and the production of the box may, in particular, be automated. According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the packaging box according to the invention, the height j of the back wall of the closure lid has a minimum dimension allowing the said lid to be used, when reversed and inverted, to form a holding cradle capable of receiving the presentation tray with the latter being inclined, the back wall of the said lid supporting the front part of the said presentation tray so as to incline it slightly backwards in order to prevent the objects arranged inside the said presentation tray from being tilted forwards. When the height of the back wall of the box is greater than the minimum dimension, provision may then be made that, over its entire width, the said back wall has a folding or perforated or scored cutting line allowing the said back wall to be folded or cut to give it the minimum height h^ for the said lid to be used in its position as a holding cradle for the presentation tray. These characteristics are entirely absent in the packaging box forming, a display unit in document EP-637 548, because this box is a packaging box of the American box type, which is opened by opening the upper wings of the said box. Once opened, the said box thus no longer has a rigid base because the wings are detached from each other. It is then impossible to turn over the open lid in order to place the presentation tray inside. Furthermore, the lid provided in the box in document EP-637 548 has a back edge which is too high to allow such use. According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the presentation packaging box accord¬ ing to the invention, in it3 base, the presentation tray has two precut stacking tongues which extend towards each other, each starting from one longitudinal edge of the said base, transversely to the said edge, the stacking tongues extending, when deployed, perpendicularly to the said base in extension of a respective side wall of the said tray and being capable of bearing against the side walls of the lower presentation tray to keep them below the base of the upper presentation tray. The following description, made with reference to the appended drawings which are given by way of non- limiting examples, will clearly show the βubject-matter of the invention and how it may be embodied. In the appended drawings: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective side view of a closed packaging and presentation box according to the present invention, - Figure 2 is a schematic perspective side view of the box in Figure 1 when open, with the presentation tray being inserted, inclined, into the reversed and inverted closure lid, - Figures 3a and 3b are schematic perspective side views of the presentation tray according to the invention when filled with one or two rows of products, - Figure 4 is a schematic side view of two presentation trays according to the invention when stacked. Figures 1 and 2 represent a packaging and presen¬ tation box 100 made of board, having two separable elements which are assembled by being fitted together. For greater clarity, the box is represented empty in Figure 1. One of the said separable elements forms a presentation tray 110 and the other forms a closure lid 120. Each separable element 110, 120 is produced by cutting, folding and adhesively bonding a corrugated board blank. Any fastening means other than adhesive bonding may, of course, be provided. The presentation tray 110 intended to contain products to be packaged, for example products in the form of a flexible pouch such as animal food packets (see Figures 3a and 3b) , has a base 111 bordered by four walls 112, 113, 114, 115, pairs of which form a right angle and which rise perpendicularly to the said base 111. As shown by Figures 1 and 2, the back wall 115 of the presentation tray 110 has a height h substantially equal to the height of the box. The said back wall 115 is formed by two wings 115a, 115b, respectively fixed to the side walls 112, 113, folded with two vertical edges adjacent and externally covered by a flap 115c. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) , provision may, of course, be made that instead of the wings 115a, 115b, the outer flap 115c of the back wall 115 is provided on each of its free side edges with two fastening tabs which can be adhesively bonded respectively onto the inner face of the side walls of the said presentation tray. The front wall 114 of the presentation tray 110 has a relatively small height, so as to form a simple lip with a crenellated upper edge to give access to the front opening of the presentation tray, with a view to dis¬ playing the said products on a shop shelf. The side walls 112, 113 of the presentation tray 110 have upper edges 112a, 113a which extend obliquely from the front wall 114 of the said presentation tray 110 then continue backwards in a horizontal part, which allows the front opening of the said tray to be uncovered in order to display the products. The closure lid 120 has a base 121 which, after the closure " lid has been fitted onto the presentation tray (see Figure 1) , forms the upper wall of the box. The base 121 of the closure lid 120 is bordered by four walls 122, 123, 124, 125, pairs of which form a right angle and which rise perpendicularly to the said base 121. The front wall 124 and the back wall 125 of the closure lid 120 have different heights h^, hj. The height 1^ of the front wall 124 is sufficient to cover most of the front face of the box 100. This height ^ is here substantially equal to the height h of the box. The height h j of the back wall 125 iε less than the height h^ of the front wall 124, so that after the closure lid 120 has been fitted onto the presentation tray 110, the said back wall 125 of the lid only partially covers the back wall 115 of the presentation tray 110. The overlap of the back wall 125 of the lid 120 on the back wall 115 of the presentation tray 110 iε produced over a height which iε sufficient for locking of the front wall 124 of the said lid on the front face of the box to prevent the box from being opened by raising and/or tilting forwards the back wall 125 of the closure lid 120. The front wall 124 of the closure lid 120 can be locked on the front face of the box simply by applying a single adhesive tape or any other fastening means which secures the front wall 124 of the lid 120 to the front edge 114 of the presentation tray 110. It is also pos¬ sible to provide a strip of adhesive or a drop of adhe¬ sive on the inner part of the front wall 124 of the lid so as to secure the said front wall 124 to the front edge 114 of the presentation tray 110. According to one advantageous characteristic of the box 100, the back flap 115c of the said back wall 115 of the presentation tray has a height equal to the difference between h^ and h.., so that the upper horizontal edge of the said flap 115c, which externally forms the back wall 115, constitutes an abutment for the back wall 125 of the closure lid 120. The side walls 122, 123 of the closure lid 120 have a height which increases from the back wall 125, of height h 2 , of the said lid to the front wall 124, of height ^, of the said lid. The respective edges 122a, 123a of the side walls 122, 123 of the said lid are therefore inclined, here with a discontinuity close to the front wall 124 of the lid. Such an arrangement of the lid makes it possible to optimize the use of the board blank for producing it. It should be noted that there is an allowance in the fitting of the back wall 125 of the closure lid 120 onto the back wall 115 of the presentation tray 110, which is of the order of the tolerance of the corrugation of the said board. In the embodiment represented in the figures, use is made of a 3 mm corrugated board, which gives a fitting allowance of plus or minus 3 mm. As can be seen more particularly in Figure 2, the height h- of the back wall 125 of the closure lid 120 has a minimum dimension allowing the said closure lid 120 to be used, when reversed and inverted, to form a holding cradle capable of receiving the presentation tray 110 with the latter being inclined. In this context, the term "reversed" means that the lid should be positioned so that the back wall 125 is located at the front and the front wall 124 is located at the back. In this position, the back wall 125 of the said lid 120 supports the front part of the presentation tray 110 so as to incline it slightly backwards in order to prevent the objects arranged inside the said presentation tray 110 from being capable of tilting forwards. This is particularly advantageous when the products arranged inside the presentation tray are flexible products such as flexible bags which have a natural tendency to tilt forwards when the tray is in the horizontal position. The height h- of the back wall 125 of the closure lid has a dimension preferably lying approximately between 30 and 35 millimetres. Of course, when technical reasons dictate that the height h^ of the back wall of the closure lid is greater than the minimum value, here 35 millimetres, the said back wall has, over its entire width, a perforated or scored line allowing the said back wall to be folded or cut so as to use the said closure lid in its position as a holding cradle. Another tray (see Figure 4) can be placed on the presentation tray 110 positioned inclined inside the reversed and inverted closure lid 120 (see Figure 2) , on condition that the total height of the two stacked trays is kept sufficiently small to allow both to be fitted at the same time in a conventional shop shelf. Once the two trays thus superposed are positioned in the shelf, the upper presentation tray can still be removed with ease without having to withdraw both from the said shelf. This is particularly advantageous because it allows time to be saved when fitting the various presen¬ tation tray arrangements in the shop shel . As regards the stacking of the presentation tray 110 of the box according to the invention, as can be seen in Figure 2, this tray has in its base 111 two precut stacking tongues 115, 117 which extend towards each other, each starting from one longitudinal edge Ilia, 111b of the said base 111, transversely to the said edge Ilia, 111b. The stacking tongues 116, 117 extending, when deployed (see Figure 4) , perpendicularly to the said base 111 in extension of respective side walls 112, 113 of the said tray 110 and being capable of bearing against the side walls 112, 113 of the lower presentation tray 110 to keep them inwards below the base (110) of the upper presentation tray (see. Figure 4) . The stacking tongues 116, 117 are advantageously located in front of the centre of mass of the presenta¬ tion tray, in order to prevent forward tilting of the upper tray stacked on the lower tray. As can be seen in Figure 2, a hole 116a. 117a is provided at each free end of each stacking tongue 116, 117, allowing the insertion of a finger for opening each stacking tongue 116, 117- Of course, the person skilled in the art will be able to provide any fastening means, such as a groove or a tight perforation, for ensuring that the cut-out tongues are adequately secured to the side walls of the tray when they are deployed. As can be seen more particularly in figures 3a and 3b, the presentation tray has a width which allows presentation of products in one or two rows. In the case when two rows of the same product are presented, as more particularly represented in Figure 3b, a board wall 118 is provided which can be positioned at the centre of the said tray 110 over its entire length, in order to separate the two rows of products. This board wall 118 has a front edge which is inclined, like the front edges of the side walls of the said presentation tray. The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment given and represented, and the person skilled in the art may make any alterations to it which are in accordance with its spirit.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Box (100) for packaging and presentation made of board, comprising two separable elements (110, 120) assembled by being fitted to one another, one of the said elements forming a presentation tray (110) and the other forming a closure lid (120), each element (110, 120) being produced by cutting and olding a board blank so as to form a base (111, 121) bordered by four walls (112, 113, 114, 115, 122, 123, 124, 125), pairs of which form a right angle and which rise perpendicularly to the said base (111, 121) , characterized in that the closure lid (120) has a front wall (124) and a back wall (125) with different heights h^, h j , the height h^ of the front wall (124) being sufficient to cover the majority of the front face of the box (100) , while the height h j of the back wall (125) is less than the height h^ of the front wall (124) , so that after the closure lid (120) has been fitted onto the presentation tray (121) , the said back wall (125) only partially covers the back wall (115) of the said presentation tray (110) , over a height which is sufficient for locking of the front wall (124) of the said lid (120) on the front face of the box (100) to prevent the box (100) from being opened by lifting and/or pivoting forwards the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) . 2. Packaging and presentation box according to Claim 1, characterized in that the height h j of the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) has a minimum dimension allowing the said closure lid (120) to be used, when reversed and inverted, to form a holding cradle capable of receiving the presentation tray (110) with the latter being inclined, the back wall (125) of the said lid (120) supporting the front part of the said presentation tray (110) so as to incline -it slightly backwards in order to prevent the objects arranged inside the said presentation tray (110) from being tilted forwards. 3. Packaging and presentation box according to Claim 2, characterized in that, over its entire width, the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) has a folding or - 12 - perforated or scored cutting line allowing the said back wall (125) to be folded or cut to give it the minimum height h j for the said lid (120) to be used in its position as a holding cradle for the presentation tray (110) . 4. Packaging and presentation box according to one of Claims 1 or 3, characterized in that the back wall (115) of the presentation tray (110) is externally formed by a flap (115c) which has a height equal to the difference between h^ and hj, so that the upper horizontal edge of the said flap (115c) forms an abutment for the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) . 5. Packaging and presentation box according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the height h, of the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) lies approximately between 30 and 35 millimetres. 6. Packaging and presentation box according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the separable elements (110, 120) are made of corrugated board, so that there is an allowance in the fitting of the back wall (125) of the closure lid (120) onto the back wall (115) of the presentation tray (110) , which is of the order of the tolerance in the corrugation of the said board. 7. Packaging and presentation box according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, in its base (111) , the presentation tray (110) has two precut stack¬ ing tongues (116, 117) which extend towards each other, each starting from one longitudinal edge (Ilia, 111b) of the said base (111) , transversely to the said edge (Ilia, 111b), the stacking tongues (116, 117) extending, when deployed, perpendicularly to the said base (111) in extension of a respective side wall (112, 113) of the said tray (110) and being capable of bearing against the side walls (112, 113) of the lower presentation tray (110) to keep them below the base (111) of the upper presentation tray (110) . 8. Packaging and presentation box (100) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the stacking tongues (116, 117) are located in front of the centre of mass of t he said presentation tray (110) . 9. Packaging and presentation box (100) according to one of Claims 7 or 8, characterized in that a hole (116a, 117a) is provided at each free end of each stacking tongue (116, 117), allowing the insertion of a finger for opening each stacking tongue (116, 117). 10. Packaging and presentation box (100) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the presenta¬ tion tray (110) has a width such that it allows the presentation of two rows of the same product, and in that a board wall (118) is provided, capable of being positioned at the centre of the said presentation tray (110) , over the entire length thereof, in order to separate the two rows of products.

Inventors: LAFFON THIERRY, LAFFON, THIERRY
Applicants: LAFFON THIERRY, UNISABI SA, LAFFON, THIERRY, UNISABI SPECIALITES ALIMENTAIRES POUR ANIMAUX
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5