FOLDING BOX WITH POUR SPOUT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract: The invention relates to a folding box with a pouring spout and also a method of manufacturing such a folding box. The pouring spout is formed from part panels made in one piece with the folding box blank, comprising a front panel (38, 35) and a pair of flank panels (36, 37) connected thereto via fold indications (27, 28). At least one of the flank panels (36) initially lies essentially in the same plane as the front part (38, 35). The fold indication (27) of the flank panel has a material weakening in excess of that obtained by creasing or equivalent by virtue of its having been pre-folded.

Description: TITLE Folding box with pour spout and method for manufacturing the same . TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to folding boxes and more specifically such folding boxes as are provided with an emptying arrangement in the form of a pouring spout. The type of folding box concerned is intended for pourable products, for example in powdered form or in granular form, or products converted to pourable form in another manner. The pouring arrangement in the form of a pouring spout of the folding box is of the type that makes possible repeated folding-out and folding-in and can thus be used in a great number of different folding box sizes. The invention takes as its starting point existing well-tried techniques for converting cardboard material or equivalent to folding box blanks and gluing the same to form glued folding boxes which, in the flat state, can be delivered and inserted into well- tried erecting machines for filling and sealing. STATE OF THE ART A number of different pouring spout designs have been developed over the years and gained wide acceptance, mainly perhaps on account of the flexibility of handling afforded to the consumer. One example of pouring spout construction is the pouring spout manufactured separately from the folding box blank and in most cases made of light metal, which has for a long time been found on detergent packagings. Such a pouring spout is of course user-friendly and withstands comparatively great stresses without breaking. From the point of view of manufacture, however, special arrangements are required for handling the mounting, which, together with the material cost, results in an increase in price. A number of folding box constructions have therefore been proposed, in which an arrangement has been produced in one piece with the folding box blank so as to provide the folding box with an integrated pouring spout. An essential requirement, however, is that the pouring spout, or rather its attachment or connection to the folding box wall, does not break. The connection or attachment must not be such that its openability is compromised either. Attempts have previously been made to reduce the opening resistance of a pouring spout made in one piece with a folding box blank by decreasing the friction between the side flanks of the pouring spout and the opening in the folding box wall in which the pouring spout is located. A pouring spout design has been proposed, for example, in which its front part converges towards the emptying opening at the same time as the flanks of the spout are guided by diverging side edges of the opening in the folding box wall. With such an arrangement, tightness problems can occur after resealing the pouring spout and, moreover, the outflow of product becomes undefined in certain cases because the swinging-out of the side flanks can become too great. Furthermore, it is not possible to mount the known converging/diverging construction directly adjacent to a side edge of a folding box, that is to say in the area of the folding box where the dimensional stability is at its greatest. THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide a folding box having a pouring spout that can be folded out and folded in, where the pouring spout can be opened easily, resealed in a tight manner and permits repeated opening and resealing. The object is moreover to provide a pouring spout construction that can be positioned in an optional location, that is to say even directly adjacent to side edges of a folding box. THE INVENTION The new folding box according to the invention and its manufacturing method emerge from appended Patent Claim 1 and 9 respectively, and specific features emerge from the subclaims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows in plan view a folding box blank according to the invention seen from what will be the outside of the folding box, Fig. 2 shows the folding box blank in Fig. 1 in a first stage of production of a glued folding box, Fig. 3 shows the folding box blank in Fig. 1 in the finished glued state, and Fig. 4 shows a sealed, and opened, folding box erected from the blank in Fig. 3. The one-piece blank 10 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a pair of wide side panels 11 , 12, and a narrow side panel 15 connected to these by crease lines or equivalent. Connected to the wide side panel 12, via a crease line 16, is a part panel 17 which, via a crease line 18 (or equivalent), includes a part panel 17a. The width of the part panel 17 exclusive of the panel 17a corresponds to the width of the narrow side panel 15. A part panel 20, with a width corresponding to the width of the panel 15, is connected to the wide side panel 11 via a crease line 19. In a conventional manner, each panel has a number of sealing flaps at its ends, and, as these do not themselves constitute a part of the new construction, they are not described further. In the panel 17 and the panel 17a, punching lines are made, which pass through the folding box material, and these punching lines comprise an upper part 21 parallel to the top plane of the folding box being produced, a part 22 (which constitutes one delimiting edge in a material cut-out 25 arranged so as to facilitate operation of the pouring spout being produced and form a stop for the folding-out of the pouring spout) adjoining towards the left in Fig. 1 , and a punching line 23 adjoining the punching line 22, which line 23 ends in a crease 26 (or equivalent) parallel to the punching line 21. A punching line 24, which adjoins the horizontal punching line 21 , starts from the other end of the crease 26. Within the area delimited by said punching lines and the crease line 26, there is a pair of crease lines 27, 28 parallel to the extent in the longitudinal direction of the folding box being produced. As will emerge below, in connection with Figs 2 and 3, the panels 17, 17a form an inner part panel of the glued and the finished folding box respectively. The part panel 20 on the left in Fig. 1 is intended to form the outer part panel of the glued folding box blank and the folding box respectively. A punching line 29 passing through the material is made in the direction of the crease line 19, from a crease line 31 (or equivalent) lying in extension of the crease line 26 up to a weakening line 32 (for example a perforation). A further punching line 30 parallel to the punching line 29 connects the crease line 31 to the weakening line 32. In line with the punching lines 29, 30, weakening lines 34, 33 extend to the free end edge of the part panel 20. In the embodiment shown, the pouring spout is formed by the two part areas of the panels 17, 17a and 20 that have just been described. The panels 17, 17a can be designated as the inner part panel and the panel 20 as the outer part panel. The components of the pouring spout in the inner part panel are a front panel 35 and the flank panels 36 and 37, the weakening line 26 holding said panels together with the inner part panel 17 and forming a hinge connection for the part element just mentioned of the pouring spout being produced. Between the punching lines 29, 30 and the weakening line 31 in the outer part panel 20, there is a part 38 which forms the outer front panel of the pouring spout and corresponds in size, in terms of width, to the inner front panel part 35 but, on account of the curved weakening line 32, extends slightly higher up in Fig. 1 than the extension of the punching line 21. Above the weakening line 32, there is a part 39 which can be torn off and serves as a seal portion for the pouring spout being produced. The relative extent of the outer and inner front panel parts may be reversed if so required. The hatched areas 40, 41 in Fig. 1 show areas of the inner and outer part panels 20, 17, 17a that are at least partly attached to one another in the finished glued state of the folding box blank. As will already have become clear, and according to what is shown in Fig. 4, the pouring spout being produced is intended to be positioned directly adjacent to one side edge of the folding box. The pouring spout can of course be positioned elsewhere, for example centrally in a side wall. In the embodiment shown, one flank panel 37 will initially, in connection with erection of the folding box, be brought into direct contact against the inside of the wide side panel 11, and thus be imparted a forced orientation in the direction which will subsequently be its direction of movement during folding-out and folding-in of the pouring spout. All the creases (weakening lines) and punching lines in the blank in Fig. 1 are made during a conversion stage of conventional type, that is to say in cost-effective high- speed machines. In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 , the crease 27 is therefore a conventional crease which provides the usual material weakening of the type that is necessary during erection of the folding box blank. This material weakening is, however, not sufficient for the pouring spout being produced to be capable of being opened with certainty, and, for this purpose, an additional material-weakening operation is performed on the crease 27 prior to or in connection with the inner part panel being folded over into the position shown in Fig. 2. This material weakening is achieved by the flank panel 36 being pre-folded, that is to say it is folded upwards in the gluing machine, away from the plane of the paper in Fig. 1, around the crease line 27, and this pre-folding is adjusted so that the material weakening in the crease 27 is greater than in the other creases made in the folding box blank during conversion. The material weakening necessary is determined empirically, and, in the finished folding box, the crease 27 has a structure that is specifically different from that of the other creases (and weakening lines respectively). When such pre-folding has been carried out and the crease 27 is thus prepared, or at the same time as the pre-folding, the part panel 17, 17a is folded over around the line A-A, that is to say the crease 16, into the position shown in Fig. 2, after which, still in the gluing machine, the outer part panel 20 is folded over around the line B-B, that is to say the crease 13, into the position according to Fig. 3. From the description above, it is clear that the front panel elements 35, 38 of the pouring spout then essentially cover one another and that the flank panel 37 has its crease line 28 essentially in line with the side edge line being produced between the wide side surface 11 and the narrow side surface 20. Gluing in the hatched areas of the inner and outer part panels can be carried out by, for example, spot gluing or heat sealing. The blank in Fig. 3 is thus ready to be delivered in a flat, finished glued state, in order then to be inserted in an erecting and filling machine and, in the filled and sealed state, to be delivered to the purchaser. The pouring spout is operated by first tearing off the tongue 39, and then gripping the top edge 32 of the front panel 38 (or the top edge of the front panel 35 in an alternative embodiment) and quite simply pulling out the inner front panel part, which is connected to the latter, and its flank panels 36, 37, with the flank panel 36 prepared by pre-folding and the flank panel 37 guided by the inside of the wide side wall 11. The embodiment described is a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention which is of course limited only by what is stated in the appended patent claims. To limit the folding-out of the pouring spout, a stop heel 22a is formed on the punching line 22.

Claims: PATENT CLAIMS 1. Folding box made of cardboard material or equivalent, provided with a pouring spout which can be folded out and folded in and is formed from pouring spout part panels arranged in inner and outer part panels (17, 17a; 20), at least partly attached to one another, in the one-piece blank of the folding box, the pouring spout comprising a front panel (38, 35) and, connected thereto via fold indication(s) (27, 28), at least one flank panel (36), and the front panel forming along one side thereof a hinge connection (26, 31) to said blank part panels at least partly attached to one another, and forming together with said at least one flank panel the pouring spout, characterized in that said at least one flank panel (36) has a fold indication (27) which is a fold indication made together with the other fold indications of the folding box blank (10) and has been imparted material weakening by pre-folding. 2. Folding box according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a pair of flank panels (36, 37) is punched out in the inner (17, 17a) of said blank part panels at least partly attached to one another, and in that the front panel comprises part panels (38, 35), attached to one another, in both said blank part panels. 3. Folding box according to Claim 2, characterized in that the outer part panel (38) of the front panel is punched out in the outer of the blank part panels (20; 17, 17a) at least partly attached to one another, and at one end thereof ends in said hinge connection (31 , 26) and at the opposite end merges with a sealing tongue (39) which can be torn off. 4. Folding box according to Claim 3, characterized in that the sealing tongue is attached to the front panel by a tear indication (32) which, after removal, exposes a grip part for the pouring spout in one of said blank part panels (20; 17, 17a) at least partly attached to one another. 5. Folding box according to Claim 4, characterized in that at least one flank panel has, at its end facing away from the hinge connection (31 , 26), a curvature (22) which at least partly brings about clearance between the flank panel 8 and an edge (21) in the inner blank part panel (17, 17a), which edge delimits a pouring opening. 6. Folding box according to Claim 5, characterized in that at least one flank panel (36) has a stop arrangement (22a) which limits the folding-out of the pouring spout. 7. Folding box according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pouring spout is positioned in such a manner that the initial direction and direction of movement of one flank panel (37) coincides with a side wall (11) of the folding box. 8. Folding box according to one or more of Claims 1-6, characterized in that the pouring spout is positioned essentially centrally on one folding box side. 9. Method of manufacturing a folding box made of cardboard material or equivalent, provided with a pouring spout which can be folded out and folded in and is formed from pouring spout part panels arranged in inner and outer part panels (17, 17a; 20), at least partly attached to one another, in the one-piece blank (10) of the folding box, the pouring spout comprising a front panel (38, 35) and, connected thereto via fold indication(s) (27, 28), at least one flank panel (36), and the front panel forming along one side thereof a hinge connection (31 , 26) to said blank part panels at least partly attached to one another, and forming together with said at least one flank panel the pouring spout, characterized in that said at least one flank panel (36) is pre-folded around its fold indication (27) to bring about material weakening, and in that said flank panel is positioned in essentially the same plane as the front panel (38, 35) of the pouring spout during the erection procedure of the folding box. 10. Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that the pouring spout is positioned so that one side edge (29, 28) of its front part, which edge adjoins the hinge connection, coincides with a side edge (19) of the folding box.

Inventors: ANDERSSON PETER, BJOERKLUND BENGT, CARLSSON GOERAN, ENGLUND HANS, ANDERSSON, PETER, BJOERKLUND, BENGT, CARLSSON, GOERAN, ENGLUND, HANS
Applicants: AKERLUND & RAUSING AB, ANDERSSON PETER, BJOERKLUND BENGT, CARLSSON GOERAN, ENGLUND HANS, AB AAKERLUND & RAUSING, ANDERSSON, PETER, BJOERKLUND, BENGT, CARLSSON, GOERAN, ENGLUND, HANS
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5