DISPLAY CONTAINERS

Abstract: A corrugated board display container having a lid (3) whose side walls (5) close the display apertures in the container walls, and having a tear strip (6) for separating the top part of the lid from its side walls to enable the latter to be removed to open the display apertures.

Description: Display containers This invention relates to containers made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semirigid sheet material . Such containers are known which are particularly adapted for both the transportation and the display of goods for sale, in that they comprise an open-sided display container for the goods, and a lid which, when in place, covers the container substantially from top to bottom so as both to protect the goods therein and to stop them from falling out through the open sides of the container when it is being moved about. It is frequently required to stack such display containers one upon another, for display purposes, after the said lid has been removed, and this makes it necessary to form the container in such a way as to provide adequate underneath support for another similar container stacked directly on top of it, which of course imposes design restrictions. According to the present invention there is provided a display container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, provided with a lid having a flat top and a depending side wall structure which, when the lid is in place, closes one or more display openings in the sides of the container, wherein part of the said lid wall structure is made readily separable from the said top of the lid and a remaining upper part of the said wall structure, to enable contents of the container to be displayed in use . The said separable part of the lid side wall structure preferably extends all around the container, as does the said depending upper part thereof. With such an arrangement, when the time comes to display the goods in the container, the top of the lid, together - 2 - with a short skirt portion of the side wall structure depending therefrom, may readily be separated from a lower, major, part of the said side wall structure. The thus modified shallow lid then remains on the container, no longer closing the display opening (s), and -its flat top provides extensive support for another container to be stacked on top of it . The remaining lower part of the side wall structure may be discarded. It is not however essential for the said separable part of the lid side wall structure to extend all around the container. Thus, in other forms of the invention, less than all of the surrounding wall of the wall structure could be made separable, for example just one, two or three of the sides of a four-sided structure. It may be particularly advantageous to leave at least some of the corners of the wall structure intact, so as to provide corner pillars extending down from the top of the lid to ground level, to transmit the weight of another container stacked on top. The means for readily separating the side wall structure from the top part of the lid may take any convenient form. In a very simple form it could comprise a row of perforations extending all around the or each part of the said wall structure which is to be separated. Preferably, however, it comprises a tear strip arranged to be pulled through the wall from the outside. Preferably the lid further includes means for readily opening the said separable part of its side wall structure so as to enable the same to be removed from the container without removing the said top of the lid therefrom. The said opening means may comprise at least one line of perforations extending down to the bottom edge of the lid. An embodiment 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 display container and lid according to the invention, shown with the container and lid separated; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container and the top part of the lid after the lower part of the lid has been separated and discarded; and Figure 3 is a view of a number of containers and lids as in Figure 2, in use in a display. Referring first to Figure 1, a display container 1 made from a single blank of double-faced corrugated board is of a known design. It is open on all four sides so as to display its contents to best advantage, and incorporates upstanding open end structures 2 to provide support for a telescopically engaging lid 3, also of corrugated board. The lid has a flat top 4 and depending side walls 5, which extend substantially from top to bottom of the container 1 so as to close the side openings therein. Thus, when the lid is in place, it prevents goods in the container from falling out through the side openings during transportation. The lid is provided with a tear strip 6 extending all around its side walls, preferably of the kind described in our European Patent No. 571197. Gripping parts 7 for starting the tear strip are defined by cuts in the side wall 5. Lines of perforations 8 extend down the wall to enable a strip of board 9 therebetween to be removed after the tear strip has been operated, thereby allowing the lower part of the lid, below the tear strip, to be removed without removing the upper part, above the strip. Figure 2 shows what remains when the tear strip has been operated and the lower part of the lid removed. The upper part of the lid, comprising its flat top 4 and a short skirt 10, remain on the container, making a close fit thereon. This combination of the open-sided container and the remaining shallow lid may now be used in a display, for example as shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that the flat top of the lid provides extensive support for another container to be stacked on top of it, and furthermore enables the containers to be stacked in offset arrangements as shown, rather than directly on top of each other.

Claims: - 5 - CLAIMS : 1. A display container made of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material, provided with a lid having a flat top and a depending side wall structure which, when the lid is in place, closes one or more display openings in the sides of the container, wherein part of the said lid wall structure is made readily separable from the said top of the lid and a remaining upper part of the said wall structure, to enable contents of the container to be displayed in use. 2. A container and lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said separable part of the lid side wall structure extends all around the container, as does the said depending upper part thereof . 3. A container and lid as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said wall structure part is so separable by means of a tear strip extending all around it. 4. A container and lid as claimed in claim 2 or 3 , further including means for readily opening the said separable part of the lid side wall structure so as to enable the same to be removed from the container without removing the said top of the lid therefrom. 5. A container and lid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the said opening means includes at least one line of perforations extending down to the bottom edge of the lid. 6. A container and lid as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

Inventors: ARTOIS AUGUST, ARTOIS, AUGUST
Applicants: ARTOIS AUGUST, SCA PACKAGING LTD, ARTOIS, AUGUST, SCA PACKAGING LIMITED
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5