Patent Publication Number: US-6702179-B2

Title: Paperboard box

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a paperboard box, and particularly, to a boat like box, which is made of a piece of paperboard providing split lines and folding lines to make the food or the like inside worthwhile and enhance the purchase desire of the consumer. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventionally, the plastic box is frequently used for containing food for sale but the plastic box usually is provided with a plain quadrilateral shape so that it is hard to allure purchase desire of the consumer. Moreover, it is hard for us to dispose or recycle the used plastic box so that it may cause a problem of contamination to the environment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a paperboard box, which is made of a piece of paperboard with split lines and folding lines, such that a boat like shape can be formed to make the food or the like inside worthwhile and enhance the purchase desire of the consumer. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a paperboard box, which is possible to be disposed easily and avoid contamination to the environment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention can be more fully understood in the following description with reference to accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a developed view of a paperboard box according to the present invention in the first embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of an upper cover for the paperboard box shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG. 3 attached with the upper cover shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a developed view of a paperboard box according to the present invention in the second embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG.  5 ;. 
     FIG. 7 is a developed view of a paperboard box according to the present invention in the third embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a developed view of a paperboard box according to the present invention in the fourth embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view of an upper cover for the paperboard box shown in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG. 9 attached with the upper cover shown in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 is a developed view of a paperboard box according to the present invention in the fifth embodiment thereof; and 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the paperboard box shown in FIG.  12 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  2 ,  3  and  4 , a paperboard box according to the present invention basically is a piece of paperboard  10  and the paperboard  10  provides two opposite folding lines  131  and another two opposite folding lines  132 , which are vertical to the folding lines  131  in the middle area thereof to constitute the bottom of the paperboard box and the folding lines  131  each at both ends thereof provide a slant split line  11  extending outward to the right and the left side edges thereof respectively such that two opposite lower pieces  14  are formed with a trapezoid shape. Further, a first lateral piece  15  and a second lateral piece  16  are constituted next to the folding lines  131  and the slant split lines  11 . The lateral pieces  15 ,  16  at the long outer edges thereof oppositely extend a locating ear  17  respectively as shown in FIG.  1 . An upper cover  20  as shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a shape of polygon with two opposite slits  21  corresponding the two locating ears  17 . 
     The paperboard  10  can be cut along the split lines  11  to separate the lower pieces  14  from the first lateral piece  15  and the second lateral piece  16  respectively while the paperboard box is in use. Then, the lateral pieces  15 ,  16  are folded up along the folding lines  131  and both ends of the first lateral piece  15  are crossly overlapped to both ends of the second lateral piece  16  respectively so that the lapped ends are fixedly joined to each other with glue or a staple. 
     Thus, the joined ends are disposed behind the lower pieces  14  to form a shape similar to both ends of a boat, that is, the paperboard  10  can be arranged to provide a boat like paperboard box as shown in FIG. 3 with the inner space thereof for receiving food such as little octopus balls or the like. Finally, the upper cover  20  can be affixed to the paperboard box in a way the slits  21  being pierced with the locating ears  17  on the paperboard  10  as shown in FIG. 4 so as to prevent the paperboard box from being entered by foreign substances. Further, it is possible for the paperboard to be piled up one after another. 
     Referring to FIGS. 5, and  6 , the second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The first lateral piece  15  at both ends thereof provides a further vertical split line  191  extending a distance from the long outer edge thereof respectively as shown in FIG. 5 and, similarly, the second lateral piece  16  at both end parts thereof provides a further vertical split line  192  extending a distance from the split edge  11  thereof to correspond to the vertical split lines  191  such that the lateral pieces  15 ,  16  at both end parts thereof can be interlocked to each other by way of the split lines  191 ,  192  being cut and engaging with each other as shown in FIG.  6 . Hence, the paperboard  10  can form a paperboard box with two ends thereof like both ends of a boat. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The second lateral piece  16  at the long outer edge thereof extends outward an upper cover  20  with a folding line  133  in between and a locating ear  17  extends outward from the first lateral piece  15  so as to pierce a slit  21  on the upper cover  20 . Hence, a boat like paperboard box is formed as shown in FIG.  8 . It is noted that the upper cover  20  can be arranged to extend from the first lateral piece  15  instead. 
     Referring to FIGS. 9,  10  and  11 , the fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. No locating ears  17  are provided in FIG.  9  and both of the lower pieces  14  extend outward beyond the end parts of the lateral pieces  15 ,  16 . The upper cover  20  provides a plurality of split lines  22  at the periphery thereof to constitute a plurality of flap pieces  23  and two opposite slits  21  are disposed next to two opposite large ones of the flap pieces  23  as shown in FIG.  10 . The two lower pieces  14  at the outer ends  18  thereof can pierce the two slits  21  on the upper cover  20  and the flap pieces  23  are bent downward along the circular folding line  24  to enclose the paperboard box such that a further type of boat like. 
     Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the fifth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. An upper cover  20  extends outward from the second lateral piece  16  and a L shaped hook ear  12  extends from the first lateral piece  15  corresponding to the slit  21  on the upper cover  20  so that the hook ear  12  can pierce the slit  21  to lock the upper cover  20 . Hence, a further type of boat like paperboard box can be formed. It is noted that the upper cover  20  can be arranged to extend from the first lateral piece  15  and the L shaped hook ear  12  to extend from the second lateral piece  16  instead. 
     It is appreciated from the foregoing that the paperboard box of the present invent ion offers the following advantages 
     1. A boat like paperboard box can be made of a piece of paperboard, which provides several split lines and folding lines so as to form folded parts for being overlapped each other. The boat like paperboard box presents a lovely configuration to make food such as the little octopus balls inside the box worthwhile and enhance the purchase desire of the consumer. Further, the paperboard box of the present invention can solve the problem of contamination to the environment. 
     2. The paperboard box of the present invention provides two lateral pieces with end parts of the lateral pieces being crossly overlapped and joined to each other such that the locating ears thereof can obtain outward expanding forces to retain the upper cover firmly. 
     3. The paperboard box of the present invention can be provided with different types of combinations such as the box with a separate upper cover, the box without any upper cover and the box being integral with an upper cover part to meet different needs of the consumers. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention defined by the appended claims.