Patent Publication Number: US-2021163203-A1

Title: Watch packaging

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 19212968.2.0 filed Dec. 2, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a packaging for an object and in particular for a wristwatch. 
     TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 
     The published patent document FR 2 044 907 discloses a watch packaging comprising a support ensuring the anchoring of said watch. The support is in the shape of a rigid band and is configured to slide in a transparent sheath thus protecting the watch. This known packaging has the disadvantage that the support and the slide do not allow sufficient protection in the event of an impact. Indeed, a roughness in a fracture area of the sheath could damage the watch. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of the invention is to overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art. More particularly, the purpose of the invention is to produce a packaging improving the protection of the packaged object. The present invention relates to a protective packaging for an object comprising: a sheath; an element for supporting the object configured to slide in the sheath, remarkable in that the element for supporting the object comprises two hollow holding elements connected to each other by at least one hinge and at least one of the two hollow holding elements has an imprint configured to enclose at least a portion of the object by interlocking. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the packaging comprises one or more of the following technical features, according to any possible combination:
         the or each hinge is a flexible hinge;   the two hollow holding elements are made integrally;   the at least one hinge comprises two hinges, the axes of rotation of which are preferably parallel;   the two hollow holding elements are respectively shells;   each hollow holding element comprises a bottom partition, a side wall and two front walls, said partition being delimited laterally by the or each hinge, as well as longitudinally on either side by the two front walls;   each bottom partition is integral with the hinge or with the corresponding hinge;   the two hinges are connected to each other by a connecting band, the connecting band being made integrally with the two hollow holding elements;   each hinge is recessed relative to free edges of the front walls, said edges extending perpendicular to the bottom partition, and being disposed on either side of said hinge;   each side wall extends perpendicular to the bottom partition;   each side wall is corrugated in shape;   each imprint is defined by a portion of the corresponding side wall and a portion of the corresponding bottom partition;   each side wall is delimited on either side by the corresponding bottom partition and an upper partition;   each upper partition has a width comprised between 5% and 60% of the width of the corresponding hollow holding element;   each upper partition is integral with the corresponding side wall and/or the corresponding front walls;   the element for supporting the object consists of Paperfoam or moulded cellulose;   the packaging is parallelepiped in shape;   the sheath has an aperture, preferably said aperture being adapted to coincide with a part of the object, in particular the watch case, when the packaging is closed;   the object is a watch, preferably a wristwatch;   at least one of the upper partitions comprises a notch, the shape of which is adapted to receive a lateral portion of the watch, preferably said portion comprising a crown;   the support element comprises means for adjusting the height of the object;   the connecting band includes the means for adjusting the height of the object, preferably said means being a flexible strip, in particular a curved flexible strip;   the connecting band includes two slots which form the flexible strip;   the support element comprises adaptive means allowing to receive watches whose cases respectively have different diameters;   said adaptive means include two flexible strips disposed on the two respective side walls ( 20 A,  20 B), each strip having a profile adapted to enclose a part of the object, in particular a portion of the watch case;   each side wall includes two parallel interstices forming the corresponding flexible strip;   locking means, said means including at least one hook arranged on one of the hollow holding elements and at least one complementary aperture formed on the other hollow holding element;   the or each hook is disposed at the corresponding upper partition, and the or each complementary aperture is formed on the other upper partition;   the or each hook is made integrally with the corresponding upper partition;   the support element comprises means for limiting shear deformation;   the shear deformation limiting means comprise tabs and complementary grooves, the tabs being adapted to engage in the complementary grooves;   two of the tabs formed respectively on two of the front walls facing each other are offset in a direction parallel to the at least one hinge;   each tab extends from the free edge of the corresponding front wall, preferably said tab having a rounded end;   each groove is formed on the external or internal face of the corresponding front wall.       

     In general, the advantageous embodiments of each object of the invention are also applicable to the other objects of the invention. As far as possible, each object of the invention can be combined with other objects. The objects of the invention can also be combined with the embodiments of the description, which in addition can be combined with each other. 
     The means of the invention advantageously allow to impart very good rigidity to the packaging. Not only does the sheath participate in the protection in the shape of a first protective element, but also, the support element has a rigid structure forming a second protective element, providing additional protection in the event that the first protective element would not be sufficient to absorb an impact. The means of the invention also allow the watch to be anchored without clearance in its packaging while guaranteeing easy removal of said watch after opening the packaging. Thus, these means prevent the watch from moving in the packaging. Furthermore, thanks to these means, the packaging can be made of recyclable materials (for example cellulose-based materials), while guaranteeing the same performances in terms of resistance and protection as the conventional packaging. In addition, cellulose-based materials are less brittle than plastics traditionally used for packaging. Finally, the packaging can be lightened thanks to its optimised shape, while having mechanical features comparable to known solutions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention will be described in more detail below using the appended drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic perspective view of a packaging according to the invention containing an object, in particular a wristwatch, the packaging being closed; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic perspective view of the packaging according to the invention, the packaging being partially open; 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic perspective view of a watch mounted on its support element according to the invention, the watch support element being partially unfolded; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic perspective view of the support element of the watch according to the invention in the unfolded position without the watch; 
         FIG. 5  shows a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a packaging according to the invention containing an object; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic perspective view of the upper face of a watch support element of this other embodiment in the unfolded position without the watch; 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic perspective view of the lower face of the watch support element of this other embodiment, in the unfolded position without the watch; 
         FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    respectively illustrate a schematic view of a section along a vertical median plane and a view from top to bottom, of this other embodiment of the watch support element according to the invention in the unfolded position without the watch; 
         FIGS. 9 a  and 9 b    respectively show a schematic perspective view of this other embodiment of the support element without a watch and the same support element with watch according to the invention, the support element being partially unfolded in both representations; 
         FIG. 10  shows a schematic sectional perspective view of this other embodiment of the support element, the section being taken in a horizontal median plane. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a protective packaging  2  for an object  4 , in particular a wristwatch  4  including a watch case to which two wristlet strands are attached. The packaging  2  comprises a sheath  6  and an element  8  for supporting the object  4 . The element  8  for supporting the object  4  is slidably mounted in the sheath  6 . The element  8  for supporting the object  4  is preferably elongated in shape when the object is a wristwatch  4 . The sheath  6  and the support element  8  can have the same length as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The support element  8  can have a shape inscribing within a rectangular parallelepiped which is of a shape complementary to the volume delimited by the sheath  6 . The sheath  6  may comprise an aperture  10  to see for example the watch head that is to say the watch case  4  without the bracelet being entirely visible. The object is maintained by two elements called holding elements  12 A,  12 B.  FIG. 1  shows the packaging  2  before it is opened. 
       FIG. 2  shows a packaging  2  after sliding the sheath  6  along a portion of the length of the support element  8 . The holding elements  12 A,  12 B respectively have hollow and preferably curved and/or ribbed shapes having the effect of improving the rigidity of these thin-walled structures (shells) by the hollow body effect and increase in quadratic moments. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates only the support element  8  in combination with the object  4 , that is to say a wristwatch. The two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B are connected to each other by a hinge-type connection  14 A,  14 B. The removal of the object is facilitated by the pivoting between the two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B. 
       FIG. 4  shows the support element  6  without the object  4  in an unfolded position. The hinge-type connection  14 A,  14 B may comprise two hinges  14 A,  14 B, in order to increase the number of degrees of freedom of the connection between the two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B and in order to better be able to overcome any resistance during releasing of the object from its imprints  16 A,  16 B, the shape of which corresponds substantially to the outer contour of the watch case. Preferably, the two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B are made integrally. The two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B can be made from moulded cellulose or from Paperfoam® (registered trademark for a family of products whose features are well known). Typically, the packaging can be advantageously directly injection-moulded in a single operation in its open configuration as shown in  FIG. 4 . Paperfoam® is a material based on a mixture of industrial starch, cellulose fibres, and water injected into the mould during manufacturing. The connection between the two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B can comprise two flexible-type hinges  14 A,  14 B, the axes of rotation of which are preferably parallel. Each hollow holding element  12 A,  12 B preferably includes a bottom partition  18 A,  18 B, a side wall  20 A,  20 B and two front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. The two front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D of the hollow holding element  12 A,  12 B in question can be disposed on either side of the corresponding bottom partition  18 A,  18 B. The two hinges  14 A,  14 B are preferably connected to each other by a connecting band  24  which will also be used as a support surface for the case and the wristlet of the watch that the packaging is intended to receive. The band  24  is preferably made integrally with the two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B. Each hinge  14 A,  14 B may be recessed relative to free edges of the front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. The latter  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D preferably extend perpendicular to the bottom partition  18 A,  18 B and are preferably disposed on either side of the hinge  14 A,  14 B in question. The recess can be comprised between 5% and 30% of the width of each bottom partition  18 A,  18 B. 
     In  FIG. 4 , each side wall  20 A,  20 B is corrugated and extends between the bottom partition  18 A,  18 B and a corresponding upper partition  26 A,  26 B. The imprints  16 A,  16 B can be defined respectively by central portions of the side walls  20 A,  20 B facing each other and by portions of the corresponding bottom partitions  18 A,  18 B. Each upper partition  26 A,  26 B can comprise flat portions parallel to each other, forming steps. These flat portions are preferably parallel to the corresponding bottom partition  18 A,  18 B. The upper partitions  26 A,  26 B, and the bottom partitions  18 A,  18 B as well as the side walls  20 A,  20 B respectively form two beam structures having very good flexural rigidity. Each upper partition  26 A,  26 B can have a width comprised between 5% and 60% of the width of the hollow holding element  12 A,  12 B. 
     The two hollow holding elements  12 A,  12 B preferably have a symmetry called mirror symmetry and constitute two “halves” of the support element  8 , with the exception of the imprints or notches formed in the upper walls  26 A,  26 B allowing to receive lateral portions of the watch case  4  including, for example, one with a crown and the other without a crown. The size and shape of the notches can naturally vary depending on the shape of the watch that the packaging is intended to receive. 
     The embodiment according to  FIGS. 1-4  has two hinges  14 A,  14 B. In an alternative embodiment not shown, the packaging  2  can comprise a single flexible hinge. 
       FIGS. 5-10  show another embodiment of a packaging according to the invention. This embodiment incorporates the features of the embodiment according to  FIGS. 1-4  and further comprises additional means to improve among others the rigidity and modularity of the packaging  2 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a schematic perspective view of the other embodiment of a packaging  2  according to the invention containing an object  4 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6, 7, 8   a  and  8   b , the support element  8  includes means  28  for adjusting the height of the watch case  4  in the packaging  2 , disposed at the connecting band  24 . The height adjustment means  28  may include a flexible blade  28 . 1 , the two ends of which are integral with the connecting band  24  and an intermediate part of which between its ends is curved in the direction away from the connecting band  24 . Preferably, the flexible blade  28 . 1  is made integrally with the connecting band  24 . The flexible blade  28 . 1  is formed by two parallel slots  28 . 2  formed on the connecting band  24 , which has a curvature at its central part. These means allow to receive watch cases having different thicknesses. 
     In  FIGS. 6, 7, 8   a  and  8   b , the imprints  16 A,  16 B may comprise adaptive means  30  allowing to receive watch heads whose cases respectively have different diameters. The side walls  20 A,  20 B can respectively comprise flexible strips  30 . 1 . Each flexible strip  30 . 1  has two ends integral with its side wall  20 A,  20 B and an intermediate part between its ends. Each intermediate part is a curved strip, the profile of which is adapted to enclose the watch case  4 . Preferably, each flexible strip  30 . 1  is made integrally with its side wall  20 A,  20 B. Each flexible strip may be formed by two parallel interstices (slots)  30 . 2  provided on its side wall  20 A,  20 B, preferably at the junctions with the corresponding bottom partition  18 A,  18 B and the corresponding upper wall  26 A,  26 B. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6, 7, 8   a ,  8   b ,  9   a  and  9   b , the (hollow) holding elements  12 A,  12 B can be held in the closed position by locking means  32 . The locking means  32  comprise at least one hook  32 . 1  arranged on one of the (hollow) holding elements  12 A,  12 B and disposed at the corresponding upper partition  26 A,  26 B. The or each hook  32 . 1  is of complementary shape to an aperture  32 . 2  formed on the other upper partition  26 A,  26 B. The or each hook  32 . 1  (male part) and the complementary aperture  32 . 2  (female part) can constitute an elastic snap-fit. Preferably, the or each hook  32 . 1  is integral with the corresponding upper partition  26 A,  26 B. The or each hook  32 . 1  can be carried by an elastic arm connected to the corresponding upper partition  26 A,  26 B. 
     In  FIGS. 6, 7, 8   a ,  8   b ,  9   a ,  9   b  and  10 , the support element  8  comprises shear deformation limiting means  34  provided at the front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. The shear deformation limiting means  34  can comprise tabs  34 . 1  and complementary grooves  34 . 2 , the tabs  34 . 1  being adapted to engage in complementary grooves  34 . 2 . Each tab  34 . 1  includes a rounded end facilitating the engagement of each tab  34 . 1  into the corresponding groove  34 . 2  when closing the support element  8 . When the support element  8  is in the closed position, the interlocking between each tab  34 . 1  and its groove  34 . 2  prevent relative movement between the wafers (that is to say the free edges) vis-à-vis the respective front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. Preferably, the grooves  34 . 2  are formed on the external or internal faces of the front walls  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. 
     LEGEND OF FIGURES 
       2  packaging 
       4  object, watch, wristwatch 
       6  sheath 
       8  object support element 
       10  aperture 
       12 A,  12 B (hollow) holding element 
       14 A,  14 B (flexible) hinge (type connection) 
       16 A,  16 B imprint 
       18 A,  18 B bottom partition 
       20 A,  20 B (corrugated) side wall 
       22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D front walls 
       24  (connecting) band 
       26 A,  26 B upper partition 
       28  height adjustment means 
       28 . 1  flexible blade 
       28 . 2  slot 
       30  adaptive means 
       30 . 1  flexible strip 
       30 . 2  interstice 
       32  locking means 
       32 . 1  hook 
       32 . 2  (complementary) aperture 
       34  shear deformation limiting means 
       34 . 1  tab 
       34 . 2  groove