Patent Publication Number: US-10329045-B2

Title: Tray made from cardboard sheet material, blank, device and method for producing such a tray

Description:
The present invention relates to a tray made from cardboard sheet material comprising a rectangular bottom and a ring of side walls reinforced by pillars formed by folding of a part of the walls. 
     It also relates to a blank for producing such a tray and also to a device and to a corresponding method. 
     It applies particularly importantly, although not exclusively, to the field of trays for storing and for transporting packaged goods of any type (rigid or flexible), the use of which is not restricted to transportation (requiring satisfactory stiffness and good compression strength), but is also suited to the storage and to the display of goods on shelves. 
     Such trays may be produced in modular form and thus allow a mixing of forms, which makes them suited to the delivery and/or to the simultaneous promotion of a variety of different goods. 
     If the trays are used with a lid they are easy to open. When open on the side they then enable the goods to be viewed, likewise making them directly accessible to consumers. 
     Corrugated cardboard trays provided with corner pillars obtained by folding of end flaps are already known (FR 2 747 643). 
     Although they offer good compression strength, such trays do not enable the goods to be displayed on the sides. 
     Modular trays provided with supporting elements that can be connected to the tray above by means of side pillars obtained by folding are also known (EP 2 036 827). 
     Such packaging requires the presence of joining rods and is thus complex to implement. 
     The present invention aims to provide a tray, a blank made from cardboard sheet material, a device and a method for producing such a tray, said tray responding better than those known hitherto to practical demands, notably by proposing a tray that allows a use adapted to all sizes of goods, homogenous linear POS or palletized display, optimizing the selling space, and facilitating access to the goods while allowing excellent identification of brand, doing so with the possibility of automatic high-throughput production (higher than thirty strikes/minute). 
     With the invention, multiple packing costs are furthermore reduced owing to the modular nature of the trays, which can be stored for different goods on one and the same pallet. 
     Similarly, an optimized strength/surface area/weight ratio is obtained, this being with one carton, which may be entirely recycled, thereby reducing CO 2  emissions. 
     Lastly, such a tray makes it possible to limit the number of movements required for rendering the tray linear, eliminating the need for a sharp blade and/or pre-cuts at the time of placing on shelves. 
     To this end the invention proposes, notably, a tray made from cardboard sheet material comprising a rectangular bottom and a ring of side walls, i.e. two first opposing side walls, referred to as first walls, at least one of said first walls being connected on either side by first fold lines to end flaps, referred to as first flaps, which may or may not themselves be connected respectively at the top part to a second flap by a second fold line, and two second opposing side walls, referred to as second walls, characterized in that the second walls each comprise a rectangular central panel of length shorter than the length of the bottom, said panel, being connected, at each of the lateral ends of same, by a third fold line to a reinforcing element forming a pillar folded and glued to said central panel, and/or to the first flap of the adjacent first wall, i.e. a first reinforcing element located entirely separate from said adjacent first wall, and a second reinforcing element. 
     In advantageous embodiments, one and/or another of the following arrangements are employed in addition and/or alternately:
         the first reinforcing element is formed by a vertical tongue glued to the inner or outer face of the corresponding second wall;   the first reinforcing element is formed by two tongues connected together by fourth, fold lines folded and glued to one another at 180°;   the first reinforcing element is formed by three rectangular vertical tongues connected together by fourth fold lines, the two first tongues forming said pillar of triangular transverse section and the third, end, tongue being glued to the inner face of the corresponding second wall or to the first flap of the adjacent first wall;   the first reinforcing element is formed by four rectangular vertical tongues connected together by fourth fold lines, the two or three first tongues forming said pillar of triangular, rectangular or trapezoidal transverse section and the end fourth tongue being glued to the inner face of the corresponding second wall or to the first flap of the adjacent first wall;   the end tongue comprises an end forming a tenon protruding relative to the height of the second wall, the bottom of the tray comprising apertures of complementary form arranged in line with said tenons for recessed fitting of the tenons of the tray below;   the central panel, of each of the second walls is off-center relative to the central axis of the tray perpendicular to said second walls;   one of the side ends of each central panel of a second wall is adjacent to one and the same first wall in order to form a corner pillar with the corresponding reinforcing element, the other end of said panel being located at an intermediate level of said second wall in order to form an intermediate pillar with the other of the reinforcing elements thereof;   the reinforcing elements are symmetrical relative to the central axis of the tray perpendicular to the second walls to form intermediate pillars;   at least one of the first walls comprises at the top part a third flap connected to said first wall by a fifth, double, fold line, said third flap being folded toward the inside of the tray on the inner face of said corresponding first wall;   each of the first walls comprises a third flap;   the first wall(s) provided with third flaps are shorter than the second walls, the end first flaps having a trapezoidal or partially trapezoidal form and being connected to the corresponding second flaps by sixth, double, fold lines, which are oblique relative to the fifth fold line;   the first flaps comprise, moreover, fourth flaps connected respectively to said first flaps by seventh fold lines and located on the side opposite the second flap relative to the first flap;   the fourth flaps are of trapezoidal form, are glued to the outer face of the bottom of the tray and are arranged in order to coincide at least in part with the upper periphery of a side of the pillar of the tray below.       

     The invention also proposes a blank that makes it possible to obtain a tray such as that described above. 
     The invention also proposes a blank, for constituting a tray, comprising a rectangular bottom connected by joining lines to four rectangular leaves capable of forming the walls of the tray, i.e. two first opposing leaves, at least one of said first leaves being connected on either side by first fold lines to end flaps referred to as first flaps, which are themselves connected on their periphery, on the side opposite that located in the extension of the corresponding joining line of the first leaf, to two second flaps by second fold lines, and two opposing adjacent side second leaves, characterized in that the second leaves each comprise a rectangular central panel of a length shorter than the length of the bottom, said panel being connected at each of the side ends thereof by a third fold line to an element capable of forming a pillar upon forming of the tray. 
     In an advantageous embodiment the element capable of forming a pillar is formed by two, three or four rectangular tongues connected together by fourth fold lines, the first tongues being capable of forming the pillar and the last, end, tongue being capable of being glued to the inner face of the corresponding second wall. 
     Advantageously, the blank is characterized in that at least one of the first leaves comprises, at the outer periphery, a third flap connected to said first leaf by a fifth, double, fold line, said third flap being arranged in order to be folded toward the inside when the tray is formed, on the inner face of said corresponding first leaf. 
     The invention also proposes a method and a device for forming a tray such as that described above. 
     The invention also proposes a method for forming a tray from a blank comprising a rectangular bottom connected by joining lines to four rectangular leaves capable of forming the walls of the tray, i.e. two first opposing leaves, at least one of said first leaves being connected on either side by first fold lines to end flaps referred to as first flaps, which are themselves connected on their periphery, on the side opposite that located in the extension of the corresponding joining line of the first leaf, to two flaps by second fold lines, and two opposing adjacent side second leaves, characterized in that the second leaves each comprise a rectangular central panel of a length shorter than the length of the bottom, said panel being connected at each of the side ends thereof by a third fold line to a reinforcing element provided with a joining face with the side second leaf, 
     The blank is removed from a vertical stack of flat blanks, the blank is transferred toward a first station for deployment of said reinforcing elements, with said joining faces of said reinforcing elements receiving glue during transfer, 
     counter-pressure pieces are brought in line with the third fold lines above the blank, 
     said counter-pressure pieces receive, under pressure, said reinforcing elements on the side opposite said joining face, with corresponding shapers of a form complementing the form of the deployed reinforcements in order to form pillars by folding, 
     the counter-pressure pieces and the shapers are removed, 
     the blank with the deployed reinforcing elements are transferred, with the first and the second flaps receiving glue, toward a final forming station, 
     the tray is formed at said final forming station by raising of a cavity or piston-like movement by a vertical punch in a cavity, and the tray thus formed is ejected. 
     Advantageously, the reinforcing element capable of forming a pillar is formed by three or four rectangular strips connected together by joining lines, the two first or three first strips being arranged in order to form said pillar of triangular or polygonal transverse section and the third or fourth end strip being capable of gluing the end tongue on the inner face of the second wall of the corresponding formed tray. 
     The invention also proposes a device for implementing the above method and/or for producing a tray such as that described above. 
    
    
     
       The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of embodiments given below by way of non-limiting examples. The description relates to the drawings that accompany the description, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tray according to a first embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the blank for producing the tray of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a partial stack of two trays according to a second embodiment of the invention, with centering devices. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the blank for producing a tray of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are, respectively, perspective views of a tray according to a third embodiment and of the flat blank for producing such a tray. 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of a fourth embodiment of trays according to the invention ( FIG. 7 ) and of the blank for producing such trays. 
         FIGS. 9, 10  on the one hand and  11 ,  12  on the other show, respectively, trays and blanks for fifth and sixth embodiments of the invention, with first walls and second walls of identical heights. 
         FIG. 13  shows a stack of trays nested one on another, according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  are, respectively, a plan view of a blank and a perspective view of the tray produced with such a blank, according to a further embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 14C  is a schematic sectional view of an intermediate pillar of the tray of  FIG. 14B . 
         FIGS. 14D and 14E  are schematic sectional views of further embodiments of intermediate pillars for a tray according to the invention, with a tongue. 
         FIGS. 15A to 15D  are sectional views of intermediate pillars according to further embodiments of the invention, with two tongues. 
         FIGS. 16A to 16F and 17A to 17C  are, respectively, sectional views of intermediate pillars with three tongues and sectional views of intermediate pillars with four tongues, according to further embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 18A to 18C  show schematic perspective views illustrating an embodiment of a device according to the invention and also the steps implemented by the corresponding method. 
     
    
    
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show, respectively, a tray  1  and a blank  2  made from corrugated cardboard sheet, three millimeters thick, for example, comprising a rectangular bottom  3  and a ring  4  of side walls or leaves, i.e. two first opposing walls or leaves  5 ,  6  and two second opposing walls or leaves  7 ,  8 . 
     The first wall  5  is rectangular and connected on either side by first fold lines  9  to rectangular or substantially rectangular (for example trapezoidal or partially trapezoidal, with an angle at the base of between 5° and 45°) end flaps  10 ,  11 , which are symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis  12  of the blank  2 . 
     The end flaps  10 ,  11  are themselves connected at the top part, that is to say at the outer periphery  12  parallel and/or in the extension of the upper periphery  13  of the first leaf  5 , to second flaps  14 , via double fold lines  15  oblique toward the axis  12  and the center of the panel  3 , for example at an angle α relative to the axis of between 80° and 45°, for example 70°. 
     The width L 1  of the flaps  10  and  11  and the width L 2  of the second flaps are such that there is partial overlap with the facing second leaf  7  when the flaps are folded in order to form the tray (cf.  FIG. 1 ). By adjusting the widths L 1  and l 2  (L 1 &lt;L 2 ) and also the dimensions of the reinforcing elements forming, in the embodiment, concertina pillars that will be described below, a draw/display unit  16  of reasonably sizable width L 2  is thus produced. 
     The first wall or first leaf  5  comprises, moreover, at the peripheral top part  13 , a rectangular third flap  17  connected to the first wall by a fifth, double, fold line  18 , that is to say sufficiently thick to allow the folding of the third flap  17  on the inner face  19  of the first wall. 
     The leaf  5  is of height h 1  and the flap  6  of height h 2 &gt;h 1 , but shorter than the height H of the second leaves, which will now be described. 
     The tray comprises, in effect, moreover, two second leaves or walls  7  and  8 , each comprising a rectangular central panel  20  of height H, length  11  shorter than the length  12  of the bottom, for example of between ½ and ⅘ of said length  12 , for example equal to ¾. 
     Each central panel  20  is connected at each of the ends thereof, by means of a third fold line  21 , to a concertina element  22  forming a pillar, folded and glued on the inner face  23  of the central panel. 
     More precisely, and in the embodiment more particularly described here, each concertina element is formed by three vertical tongues parallel to the third fold line  21 , i.e. a first and a second tongue  24 ,  25  and  26 ,  27 , which are rectangular and identical in pairs, connected, respectively, to one another by fold lines  28  or  29 , and a third tongue  30 ,  31 , which is substantially rectangular and of a shorter length (comprising a notch at the bottom part) capable of being glued, or glued when the tray is formed, onto the corresponding inner face  23 . 
     Each of the third tongues  30 ,  31  comprises, at the top part, an end  32  forming a tenon, for example of trapezoidal form, protruding relative to the periphery of the second leaf and/or to the height H of the second wall, and a corresponding notch at the bottom part. 
     The bottom  3  of the tray, meanwhile, comprises apertures  33  (slots) of a shape that complements the tenons of the tray below, which are upright in the case of stacking of one on another. More precisely, the slots are rectangular and of the thickness or slightly larger than the thickness of the corrugated cardboard and have a side merged with the joining line  34  between the bottom  3  and the second flaps  7  and  8 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the central panels  7  and  8  are off-center relative to the transverse central axis  35  of the tray perpendicular to the second walls, one of the ends of the panels (fold line  21 ) being adjacent one and the same first wall  6 , which is here constituted by a rectangular or substantially rectangular panel devoid of flaps, in order to form a corner pillar with the corresponding concertina element  22 . 
     The fold line  21  is thus, when the blank is laid flat, in the extension of the joining line  36  between the first leaf  6  and the bottom  3 . 
     The other pillar  22 , associated with the same panel, is, meanwhile, arranged at the other end, in an intermediate position relative to the wall, and serves as external support point to the part  16  forming a corbel or overhang relative to the tray below. 
     In the remainder of the description use will preferably be made of the same reference numbers to denote the same elements or similar elements. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show trays  37  and a blank  38  that differ from the tray and blank described above only in that the former are provided, moreover, with fourth, trapezoidal, flaps  39  connected, respectively, to the first flaps by seventh fold lines  40 , and located on the side opposite the second flap  14  relative to the first flap. 
     The fourth flaps are folded on the outer face  41  of the bottom  3  of the tray on which they are glued, in order to constitute centering devices arranged in order to coincide with a side  42  at the top of the pillar  22  of the tray below. 
     The fourth flaps  39 , moreover, consolidate the corbel part  16 , which is thereby rendered more stable. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show a variant of tray  43  and blank  44  for producing the tray, which are very similar to the tray and blank of  FIGS. 1 and 2  but have a configuration of pillars  22  that are symmetrical relative to the transverse axis  35  of the tray, thus leaving two openings since h 1 &lt;H. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are an embodiment of tray  45  and blank  46  comprising, on the one hand, third flaps  17  on each of the first leaves  5 - 6  and, on the other, trapezoidal fourth flaps  39  in order to form poka-yoke means and/or reinforcements, as described with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show a tray  47  provided with four walls  48 ,  49  of the same height, i.e. two identical first walls or leaves  48  and two identical second walls or leaves  49 . 
     The identical rectangular first leaves  48  are provided with two end first flaps  50 , which are symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis  12  of the tray. 
     Each first flap  50  is provided with a second flap  51  attached by a fold line  52  on the outer peripheral side opposite the side of the first flap arranged in order to coincide with the joining line  34  with the second flaps  49 , and a fifth hook flap  53  capable of being folded and glued on the outer face  54  of the corresponding first leaves  48 . 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  show a variant of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the trays  55  here being provided with four pillars  22  and four leaves  48  and  49 , of the same heights, with a fourth hook flap  53 . 
     They comprise, moreover, fifth flaps  56  in the form of an isosceles trapezium, which are attached by fold lines  57  and capable of being glued on the outer face  58  of the bottom of the tray. 
     The angle β of the hook between the oblique periphery  59  thereof and the end  60  of the first flap on which the second flap  51  is affixed and the angle γ of the oblique wall of the triangle  61  formed by the pillar of triangular transverse section with the inner wall of the leaf  49  complement the form of the trapezium of the fifth flap such that there is recessed fitting of this flap between the two elements formed by the fifth hook flap  53  once glued and the top of the pillar  22 . 
     A complementary centering element is thus constituted. 
       FIG. 13  shows a stack  60  of tray  1  according to the embodiment described with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
     The pillars  22  superposed one above another in an adjusted manner by virtue of the centering elements take up the compression forces while leaving a corbel.  16  permitting access to and/or viewing of the elements contained in the trays. 
     A description will now be given of the manufacture of a tray  1  and of a stack  60  according to an embodiment of the invention, with reference to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 13 . 
     Starting with a laid-flat blank, the pillars are formed by concertina folding of the elements  22  (after the inner face of the end third tongue  30  has received glue). 
     Next, the leaves  7  and  8  are righted and the side ends of the first leaf  6  receive glue and are pressed on the outer face of the tongue  21 , the latter being arranged with the remainder of the pillar element in order to be perpendicular to the leaves  8 ,  7  during forming. 
     The first leaf  5 , meanwhile, is formed by folding of the flaps  14  in a form arranged in order to be properly recess fitted between the pillar on one side and the first wall on the other. Provision is then made for gluing of these latter on the inner face of the corresponding first flap, the third flap itself being folded and/or glued on the inner face of the corresponding leaf  5 , and then the whole assembly is folded and the ends devoid of the flaps  10 ,  11  are glued on the outer face of the adjacent second leaf  7 ,  8  in order thus to constitute the trays that will subsequently be stacked in order to form a very strong multimodular palletizable system, as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
       FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C  show a further embodiment of a tray  70  and/or of the component elements thereof, comprising a rectangular bottom  3  and first walls  71  and  72 . 
     The first wall  71  is completely open at the center thereof and formed by two end portions  73  in the form of a portion of an arc of a circle or of a curve (the remainder of the wall thus being totally absent), and comprises the end flaps  74  connected to the curved end portions by the first fold lines  75 . 
     The other first wall  72  is simply rectangular, without a flap. The tray also comprises two identical second walls  76 ,  77 , which are symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis  78  of the tray, the length l 1  of said panel being shorter than that l 2  of the bottom. Each of the walls or panel  76 ,  77  comprises, on the one hand, a reinforcing element  79  formed by a rectangular flap connected to the panel by a double fold line  80  located at a distance l 2 −l 1  from the fold line of the bottom with the first flap  71 . 
     It comprises, on the other hand, a reinforcing element  81  of the type described with reference to  FIG. 2 , i.e. a first tongue  24  connected to the panel by a fold line  21 , a second tongue  25  connected to the first tongue by a fold line  28 , for example in this case a double fold line, and a third tongue  30 , all these three tongues forming a corner pillar  83  of triangular section. 
     Ends  32  on the end flaps will allow centering in the apertures  33 , as described above, notches being provided at the lower part of the flaps  79  in order to free the facing apertures  33  and to allow recessed fitting (as in  FIG. 2 ). 
       FIG. 14C  shows, in section, the reinforcement  84  produced with the flap  79  folded at 180° and glued on the inner face of the leaf  76 . 
     The length p of the flap  74  is dimensioned, i.e. is of sufficient length, to allow facing gluing thereof on the outer face of the wall  76 , for example over a distance greater than the width of the tongues  79 . 
       FIGS. 14D and 14E  show two further embodiments  85  and  86  of a pillar with a tongue  87  and  88 , either affixed by gluing on the outer face of the panel  76  and on the inner face of the flap  74  ( FIG. 14D ), or affixed on the inner face of the panel  76  and on the outer face of the flap  74  ( FIG. 14E ). 
       FIGS. 15A to 15D  are schematic sectional views of an intermediate reinforcement  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  90  with two tongues  91 ,  92 , respectively folded at 180° and glued one on another and on the inner face of the flap  74 , which itself may ( FIG. 15A ) or may not ( FIG. 15B ) be affixed by gluing on the outer face of the panel  76 . 
       FIGS. 15C and 15D  show a first tongue  91  folded at 180° relative to the panel  76 , the second tongue  92  being sandwiched between the inner face of the panel  76  and said first tongue, with the inner face of the flap  74  glued on the wall  76  ( FIG. 15C ) or on the outer face of the first tongue  91  ( FIG. 15D ). 
     In these latter two cases, the joining line between the two tongues is a double fold line to allow turning-over. 
       FIGS. 16A and 16F  show six embodiments of intermediate pillars with three tongues, allowing the formation of a pillar of diverse triangular section, concertinaed in the first five embodiments  91 ,  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95 . 
     Here, the tongues  96 ,  97 ,  98  are such that the first tongue  96  is folded toward the inside of the wall  76  at a reasonably acute angle, the second tongue being reasonably long (relative to the length of the first tongue) in order to form an equilateral triangle ( FIG. 16A ), a right-angled triangle on the first tongue ( FIG. 16B ), an isosceles triangle ( FIG. 16C ), a right-angled triangle on the second tongue ( FIG. 16D ), or any triangle ( FIG. 16E ). 
     In these five embodiments, the third tongue  98  is, meanwhile, glued on the inner face of the wall  76 . 
     The sixth embodiment  99  is that of  FIG. 16F . 
     Here, the first tongue  96  is folded toward the outside, the third tongue  98  being glued on the inner face of the flap  74 . 
     In all cases, this latter is of sufficient length to be glued on the outer face of the wall  76 . 
       FIGS. 17A to 17C  show intermediate pillars  100 ,  101 ,  102  produced with four tongues  103 ,  104 ,  105 ,  106 . 
       FIG. 17A  shows a pillar of square section, the last tongue  106  being glued on the inner face of the panel  76 . 
       FIG. 17B  shows a first tongue  103  folded at 180°, glued on the inner face of the panel  76 , the following two tongues forming a triangle, the last tongue here again being glued on the inner face of the panel  76 . 
     Lastly,  FIG. 17C  shows an embodiment equivalent to that of  FIG. 16F , but with four tongues, giving the pillar a configuration with a trapezoidal section. 
       FIGS. 18A to 18E  show a device and a method for forming the tray  1  according to the embodiment of the invention more particularly described here. 
     From a magazine  107  for flat storage of a stack  108  of blanks  109 , the latter are taken by suction means  110 , which are known per se, and transferred toward a first station  111  for deployment of the reinforcing elements  22 , with gluing (injector gun, not shown) the joining faces of said reinforcing elements during transfer. 
     Counter-pressure pieces  112  in line with the third fold lines, at the level of the blank, for example formed by parallelepipeds, are then placed in contact with the blank, for example during transfer. 
     Next, said compression pieces receive, under pressure (cf.  FIG. 18B ), the reinforcing elements  22  on the side opposite the joining face, with shapers  113  with a form complementing the form of the reinforcements deployed in order to form the corner pillars and the intermediate pillars. 
     After withdrawal of the counter-pressure pieces and gripping means, the shapers  113  are removed (see arrow  114 — FIG. 18C ). 
     The blank is then transferred with the reinforcing elements formed in the flat state (step  115 — FIG. 18A ) with the first and second flaps receiving glue (gluing means, not shown), toward the final forming station  116  ( FIG. 18C ). 
     The tray is then formed around a punch, for example by piston-like movement in a cavity  117  with punch elements  118  having forms that complement the tray and the flat preformed pillars thereof, and then the tray  1  thus formed is discharged at  119  ( FIG. 18C ). 
     Naturally, and as may be seen, furthermore, from the aforesaid, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments more particularly described. On the contrary, the invention encompasses all variants and, notably, those in which the pillars are formed by more than four tongues having thus a polygonal section, those in which the third flaps form platforms, and those in which the tray comprises, furthermore, lids designed in a manner known per se, attached to the tray by gluing points that can easily be torn away laterally simply by separation.