CARDBOARD PALLET-TYPE CONTAINER/EXHIBITOR

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cardboard pallet-like container which also acts as an exhibitor. The container is obtained from a single sheet of die-cut and folded cardboard by means of which the entire structure is obtained. The container is a parallelepiped which is cut, on each lateral face, along a diagonal so as to obtain a base semi-container provided with legs and a top semi-container which can be fitted over the base semi-container.

Description: CARDBOARD PALLET-TYPE CONTAINER/EXHIBITOR TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cardboard pallet-type container/exhibitor. BACKGROUND ART In recent times, a type of large container made of a single material is becoming increasingly widespread in packaging technology due to ecological reasons and package-recycling laws. This is in fact the only way to reduce the relative amount of material assigned to packaging and at the same time allow complete recycling of the package without having to separate parts made of different materials. A second strongly felt requirement, particularly in the field of packaging meant for products to be distributed in shops and supermarkets, is that the container must be able to also act as an exhibitor, so that the customer can directly take the packages contained therein in the required amount. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The aim of the present invention is to provide a container which can be manufactured by using a single material and can be obtained with a very simple operation. An important object is to provide a container which can be placed directly in the point of sale so that it constitutes the exhibitor for the products contained therein. Another object of the present invention is to provide a large container which can be easily filled in an orderly fashion even without necessarily resorting to automatic loading systems. A further important object of the present invention is to provide a container which can be easily and completely filled with products intended for sale and then emptied manually or through automatic equipment and allows easier access. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container/exhibitor at low-cost. This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a container/exhibitor, characterized in that it is obtained from a sheet of die-cut and folded cardboard, said container/exhibitor being shaped like a parallelepiped and being cut, on two mutually opposite lateral faces, along the diagonals and along the lower front part and the upper rear part so as to obtain a base semi-container provided with legs and a top semi-container which can be partially fitted over said base container section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: - Figure 1 is a top view of a cardboard sheet from which a container/exhibitor according to the present invention is to be obtained; - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container/exhibitor according to the invention, freshly obtained from the cardboard sheet of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a view of the container/exhibitor of Figure 2, divided along the die-cut lines into a base semi-container and a top semi-container; - Figure 4 is a view of the container/exhibitor, reassembled after filling with small products; - Figure 5 is a view of the container/exhibitor, open and acting as an exhibitor; - Figure 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the lower part of the container/exhibitor of Figure 5; - Figure 7 is an exploded view of a detail of Figure 6. WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference to the above figures, a container/exhibitor according to the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and is obtained starting from a sheet 11 made of corrugated cardboard. Said sheet 11 is substantially rectangular and has first mutually opposite sides 12 and second longer mutually opposite sides 13. Proximate to one of said second sides 13, which forms the upper part of the container/exhibitor 10 as will become apparent hereinafter, first parallel transverse slots 14 are provided at regular intervals. At the other second side 13, which forms the lower part of the container/exhibitor 10, second slots 15 are provided which are also parallel and define a central portion 16 and first and second portions 17 and 18 to the sides of said central portion. Tabs 19 are formed by cutting in said central portion 16, and each tab has a free end 36 which is wider than the rest. Shaped holes 37, associated with a retention tab 38, are formed in said first portions 17, each of which is arranged to one side of the central portion 16. Said central portion 16 constitutes the bottom 20 of the container/exhibitor, since it is adapted to be conveniently assembled, by means of suitable interlocks between the edges formed by said second slots 15, to the second portions 18. First pressed lines 21 which constitute guiding lines for folding are formed in said cardboard sheet 11 along lines which are parallel to said first and second mutually opposite sides 12 and 13. In particular, said first pressed lines 21 are spaced from the corresponding second sides 13 by a distance which corresponds to the extension of the respective first and second slots 14 and 15. It is observed that second mutually parallel pressed lines 39 are formed in said first portions 17, as will become apparent hereinafter. Moreover, through cuts 22 are provided in the sheet 11 and form, as a whole, a discontinuous straight path so as to constitute guides for tearing. Said through cuts 22 are obtained in the sheet 11 by die-cutting, preferably simultaneously with said first and second slots 14 and 15. In particular, third transverse slots 23 are formed in the cardboard sheet 11 proximate to the regions where said through cuts 22 change direction, as will become apparent hereinafter. Starting from the cardboard sheet 11 and performing the appropriate folds according to the corresponding folding guides formed by said first pressed lines 21 , and after performing the appropriate interlocks between the edges formed by said first and second slots 14 and 15, an internally hollow parallelepiped is obtained from which said container/exhibitor 10 is obtained by following said tearing guides formed by the through cuts 22. In particular, it is necessary to produce, on the first portions 17, the folds formed by said second pressed lines 39 so as to give each portion a U-like cross-section whose wings 40 diverge outward. In this manner, each one of said first portions 17 constitutes a first component for supporting legs, generally designated by the reference numeral 28, of the container/exhibitor 10. Said container/exhibitor 10 comprises a base semi-container, designated by the reference numeral 24, which is constituted by said flat bottom 20, provided with the legs 28 as better described hereinafter, from which there protrude a low front wall 25, a quite high rear wall 26, and mutually opposite side walls 27 which are delimited in an upward region along the diagonals. The upper profile of the front wall 25, of the rear wall 26 and of the side walls 27 is formed by the path of said through cuts 22. In this constructive configuration, each one of said supporting legs 28 is obtained by inserting in the corresponding first U-shaped portion 17 a second component 41 known per se, for example of the type disclosed in EPA No. 96938186.2 of November 12, 1996. Thereafter, the assembly of the legs 28 is completed by inserting each one of the tabs 19 in the wider part of the corresponding shaped hole 37, in which it is retained by interlocking, due to the weight of the container/exhibitor 10 and of the items contained therein, also in association with the retaining tab 38 which retains the corresponding free end 36. Said container/exhibitor 10 further comprises a top semi-container 29 whose structure is complementary to the base semi-container 24 and has a top surface 30 from which there extend a front wall 31, whose height substantially corresponds to the height of the rear wall 26 of the base semi- container 24, a rear wall 32 of reduced height, and mutually opposite side walls 33, whose profiles follow the profiles of the corresponding side walls 27 of the base semi-container 24. Said top semi-container 29 is suitable to be fitted over said base semi- container 24 thanks to the presence of said third transverse slots 23, which allow a suitable widening of the front wall 31 and of the side walls 33 of the top semi-container 29 with respect to the corresponding walls 25 and 27 of the base semi-container 24. The coupling of said top semi-container 29 on the base semi-container 24 is possible by overlapping a portion that corresponds to the distance, schematically designated by the reference numeral 34, which lies in Figure 2 between the profile of the rear wall 26 of the base semi-container 24, formed by the through cuts 22, and the corresponding first pressed portion 21 that forms the fold between the top surface 30 and the rear wall 32 of the top semi-container 29. As regards the structure of the container/exhibitor 10, access to its interior is facilitated thanks to the low front wall 25 of the base semi- container 24, so that the insertion of the products, schematically designated by the reference numeral 35, and their subsequent removal can be performed easily. In practice it has been found that the present invention has achieved its aim and all its objects. It is in fact interesting to notice that the container/exhibitor 10 obtained with the present invention is made of a single fully recyclable material. It is also important to note the fact that said container/exhibitor 10 can be arranged directly in the point of sale, since it acts as an exhibitor for the products 35, of the individually-packaged type, contained therein. Accordingly, a purchaser can easily remove, in the chosen amount, the products that he intends to acquire. A particular advantage is ensured with the present invention in that a container has been provided which allows easy removal or insertion of items therein or therefrom even in the vicinity of the bottom, since access to its interior is facilitated. Another considerable advantage is clearly linked to the fact that the described container/exhibitor can be manufactured with machines and equipment which are conventional in the field, at a low cost and by using a single recyclable material, preferably cardboard, by assembling the parts by interlock couplings without using adhesives. The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept. The materials used, so long as they are compatible with the contingent use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements. All the details may also be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD98A000192 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A container/exhibitor, characterized in that it is obtained from a sheet of die-cut and folded cardboard, said container/exhibitor being shaped like a parallelepiped and being cut, on two mutually opposite lateral faces, along the diagonals and along the lower front part and the upper rear part so as to obtain a base semi-container provided with legs and a top semi-container which can be partially fitted over the base semi-container. 2. The container/exhibitor according to claim 1, characterized in that pressed lines and through cuts are formed in said cardboard sheet along lines which are parallel to the sides of said sheet, said pressed portions constituting guides for folding, said through cuts constituting guides for tearing, along paths which divide said lateral faces along the respective diagonals and the front and rear faces so as to obtain said base semi- container, which has a low front face and a high rear face, and said top semi-container, which has a complementary structure. 3. The container/exhibitor according to claim 2, characterized in that proximate to the regions where the through cuts change direction there are transverse slots in said cardboard sheet, said slots being suitable to allow widening of the front and side walls of the top semi-container with respect to the corresponding walls of the base semi-container, so as to provide the coupling of the former on the latter. 4. The container/exhibitor according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in said cardboard sheet, at the region meant to form the lower part of said base semi-container, there are parallel slots which form a central portion which constitutes the bottom and there are, at the sides of said central portion, portions in which there are parallel pressed lines which form guides for folding so as to obtain components which have a U-shaped cross-section for said supporting legs. 5. The container/exhibitor according to claim 4, characterized in that tabs are formed in said central portion by cutting, each tab having a free end which is wider than the rest, shaped holes associated with retention tabs being formed in each one of said portions to the sides of said central portion, each one of said legs being obtained by inserting a longitudinal supporting component in the corresponding portion folded in a U-shaped configuration and through the subsequent insertion of each one of the tabs of the central portion in the corresponding shaped hole formed in the U- shaped folded portion, in which it is retained by interlocking in association with the respective retaining tab which retains the corresponding free end. 6. The container/exhibitor according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of a single fully recyclable material assembled by interlocking.

Inventors: POLACCO GIORGIO, POLACCO, GIORGIO
Applicants: POLACCO GIORGIO, POLACCO, GIORGIO
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5, B65D19, B65D77