Abstract:
A box formed from a single piece of cardboard for containing glass vials or the like. The box comprises a plurality of internally located removable appendices with each of which the neck of a glass vial can be reliably gripped and retained with the user&#39;s fingers when the neck is broken off and removed from the vial body.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a box formed from a single piece of punched crease-lined and knurled cardboard (or similar material) for containing glass vials or the like, the box comprising appendices with which the neck of a vial can be reliably gripped and retained when the vial is opened by cutting or breaking off its neck.  
       BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Many pharmaceutical products and other products of different kinds are preserved in glass vials having a cylindrical body from which a narrow elongate neck extends: to use these products the neck of each vial must be broken off and removed from the respective body, with the danger that the person effecting this operation may be injured by the sharp edges of the broken glass. To avoid injury, many persons use cotton or gauze pads to grip and retain the neck to be removed from the body of the vial, which is usually contained in a cardboard box or the like. To ensure that a pad or other device is always available to grip the neck of each vial during breakage, also a plurality (in a quantity at least equal to the number of vials) of such pads or devices would have to be also inserted into the box housing the vials, however this would create serious technical problems with consequent cost increase, deriving from their automatic insertion into boxes into which the vials and a leaflet illustrating their contents and use have also to be inserted.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a box able to contain glass vials or the like, the box being formed from a single piece of cardboard having some of its portions shaped as appendices which can be individually removed and used by an operator to grip with two fingers of the hand the neck of each vial when being broken off, so preventing danger of damage or injury to the operator.  
         [0004]     Another object is to locate these appendices such that they are protected inside the box when closed, but can be easily withdrawn from the box when one of the appendices is to be used.  
         [0005]     A further object is to provide a box of low production cost which enables the vials and possible illustrative leaflets to be inserted into it with the same machines and in the same manner used on boxes of known traditional structure.  
         [0006]     These and further objects are attained by a box comprising: 
        four consecutive main panels and a flap projecting from the first main panel, said main panels and the flap being separated from each other by longitudinal parallel folding lines, and     two closure panels and tabs projecting from the ends of respective main panels and separated from them by transverse folding lines perpendicular to the longitudinal folding lines, wherein     from the fourth main panel there projects a secondary panel which is separated from it by a folding line also parallel to said longitudinal folding lines;     from said flap there project a plurality of elongate appendices separated from each other and, respectively, from said flap by breakable knurlings, in each appendix there being provided a hole for passage of a vial neck;     said flap is rotated about its longitudinal folding line and is glued onto the first main panel;     the fourth main panel and the secondary panel are folded about the respective longitudinal folding lines and the first main panel is folded about that longitudinal folding line which separates it from the adjacent main panel, the first main panel and the flap with the appendices projecting from it being superposed on the secondary panel onto which said flap is glued;     in the first main panel there being provided a breakable knurling bounding a lateral lid rotatable about the longitudinal folding line which separates the first from the second main panel, said lateral lid being directly superposed on said elongate appendix to enable it to be withdrawn when the knurling is broken and the lateral lid is opened into a raised position.        
 
         [0014]     Preferably, a projection defined by a cut provided in the first main panel extends from that side of the lateral lid opposite the folding line which joins the lid to the adjacent main panel of the box, there being provided in the secondary panel a cut defining a slot into which said projection can be inserted and is retained to maintain the box closed after opening the lateral lid by breaking the knurling bounding the lid.  
         [0015]     The invention also relates to the single punched, crease-lined and knurled sheet of cardboard or similar flexible material for forming a box having the aforesaid characteristics. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     The structure and characteristics of the box of the invention will be more apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0017]     FIGS. from  1  to  4  represent a punched, crease-lined and knurled cardboard sheet shown stretched out in plan view and in its successive respective stages of folding to form a box;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the box, with its lateral lid open to show the positioning of the appendices for gripping the vial necks;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 5 , but shows the lateral lid reclosed after some appendices have been removed from the box; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  shows the side elevation of a vial, to the neck of which a cardboard appendix gripped between the two fingers of one hand has been applied. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     Reference will firstly be made to FIGS. from  1  to  4 , showing a piece of punched, crease-lined and knurled cardboard comprising four consecutive main panels  1 - 4  and, projecting from the first main panel  1 , a flap  5  which are separated from each other by longitudinal parallel folding (crease) lines  6 - 9 .  
         [0022]     Two closure panels  10  project from the two opposing ends of the panel  1 , while tabs  11  project from the ends of the panels  2  and  4 ; the closure panels  10  and the tabs  11  are separated from the respective main panels by transverse folding (crease) lines  12 , perpendicular to the longitudinal folding lines  6 - 9 .  
         [0023]     The cardboard sheet described up to this point (and consequently the box obtainable from it) is of known type and is, in particular, totally similar to that of the box illustrated in EP-B-0709293 and EP-A-1340684, which are incorporated herein for reference.  
         [0024]     From the main panel  4  there projects a secondary panel  13  which is separated from it by a folding line  14  also parallel to the longitudinal folding lines  6 - 9 .  
         [0025]     From the flap  5  there project five elongate appendices  15 , separated from each other and respectively from said flap by breakable knurlings  16 ,  17 , in each appendix  15  there being provided a hole  18  allowing passage of the neck of a vial, as explained hereinafter.  
         [0026]     To form the box, starting from the condition in which the cardboard sheet is spread out flat ( FIG. 1 ), a glue strip ( 30 ) is firstly applied to the panel  1  in proximity to the crease line  6 , then the flap  5  is rotated about the longitudinal folding line  6  to superpose the flap and the elongate appendices  15  onto the surface (to face the interior of the finished box) of the main panel  1 , on which the flap  5  is fixed by the glue  30  ( FIG. 2 ).  
         [0027]     The main panel  4  (and with it the secondary panel  13 ) is rotated about the longitudinal folding line  9  to superpose them both on the panel  3 , a glue strip  40  then being applied to the flap  5  ( FIG. 3 ).  
         [0028]     The panel  1  (and with it the flap  5  and appendices  15 ) is then rotated about the longitudinal folding line  7  ( FIG. 4 ) to glue the flap  5  to the secondary panel  13  such that the folding line  6  is very close to (virtually superposed on) the folding line  14 ; in this manner the appendices  15  become positioned between the main panels  1  and  2 , with the secondary panel  13  within the interior of the box, the formation of which by its manufacturer is hence terminated. Packs of flattened boxes as in  FIG. 4 , in which the boxes are superposed on each other to form a pack, are despatched to the user firm which, by means of commonly used automatic machines of known type, gives the boxes their final shape to receive the products to be contained therein.  
         [0029]     To this end, the machines press against the opposing folding lines  7  and  9  ( FIG. 4 ) to urge them towards each other so that the box assumes a parallelepiped shape, then rotate and close the tabs  11  and closure panel  10  provided at one end of the box, after which they insert the vials (housed in appropriate containers of any known type) together with any illustrative leaflets (not shown in the drawings) into the box, and finally close the tabs  11  and panel  10  provided at the other end of the box, which is hence completed.  
         [0030]     Before describing the method of using the described box, it should be noted (see specifically  FIG. 1 ) that in the main panel  1  there is provided a breakable knurling  19  defining a lateral lid  20  which (after breakage of the knurling  19 ) can be rotated about the longitudinal folding line  7 , there extending from the lateral lid  20  (from the side opposite the folding line  7 ) a projection defined by a cut  22  provided in the panel  1 . In the secondary panel  13  there is also provided a cut, defining a slot  23  of dimensions such as to enable the projection  21  of the lateral lid  20  to be inserted into it.  
         [0031]     Assuming that the box is closed after its final completion, the lateral lid  20  will lie facing the box exterior. To open the box the user lifts the projection  21  away from the cut  22  and pulls it outwards from the box, causing the knurling  19  to break and the lateral lid  20  together with the panel  2  to rise outwards (with reference to  FIG. 5 ): in this manner the vials can be extracted from the box, with the appendices  15  (resting on the secondary panel  13 ) remaining uncovered and accessible from the box exterior. In this manner the appendices  15  can be pulled off one by one by breaking the knurlings  16  and  17 : each appendix  15  can then be used by passing through its hole  18  the neck  50  projecting from the body  51  of a vial ( FIG. 7 ), after which the appendix can be folded back on itself to enable the user to grip the vial neck  50  ( FIG. 7 ) with two fingers and break it away from the body  51 , so avoiding any danger of the sharp edges of the vial glass being able to injure the user&#39;s fingers.  
         [0032]     After one or more appendices  15  have been torn from the box, the box can be easily reclosed by sliding the lateral lid  20  below the secondary panel  13  until the projection  21  of the lateral lid  20  has entered the slot  23  in the secondary panel  13 , hence ensuring that the box is maintained in its closed position ( FIG. 6 ); alternatively, if desired, the lateral lid  20  can be superposed on the secondary panel  13 , then care being taken to insert the projection  21  into the slot  23  to maintain the box closed.  
         [0033]     From the aforegoing description, the structural and constructional simplicity of the box is apparent, as are the ability to make up and use the box in the manner of a common box of known type, and the always easy access to the appendices  15 .