GB2201401A

GB2201401A - Folding box

Info

Publication number: GB2201401A
Application number: GB08804159A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Grunwald
Original assignee: August Faller GmbH and Co
Current assignee: August Faller GmbH and Co
Priority date: 1987-02-25
Filing date: 1988-02-23
Publication date: 1988-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 2008-02-23
Also published as: DE3705940C2; FR2611183B1; CA1327551C; GB2201401B; DE3705940A1; FR2611183A1; GB8804159D0

Abstract

A folding box has a closure defined by a fold-in flap (3) and a removable section (33) provided on the side wall (15) adjacent the free end (5) of the fold-in flap and defined by interrupted cuts (34-36). The upper edge (37) of the said section (33) coincides with the upper edge (23) of the said wall (15) of the box. The section (33), which is removed from the box on opening, acts as a tamper-indicating device. The fold-in flap (3) is preferably overlain by an outer flap (25) bounded by a perforation line (23) which is broken on opening. <IMAGE>

Description

Folding Box The present invention relates to a folding box having a lid closed by a fold-in flap, the closure comprising a -section provided- on the side wall adjacent the free end of the fold-in flap and retained thereon by a perforation extending at least over part of its edge.

It is a general problem of folding boxes, in particular such containing medicines, that it should be immediately noticeable when they have been opened in an unauthorized manner.

In order to solve this problem it has been proposed heretofore to seal the flaps of a folding box by sealing labels or the like. For opening the box, the label which is intended to prevent any unauthorized opening and which, therefore, is permanently connected with the box, is broken. However, this action is often rather difficult and may in addition damage the fold-in flap of the box which is later needed for closing the box again, in particular in the case of packages intended for the pharmaceutical industry. floreover, the use of such labels requires that the packaging machine used for closing the folding box comprises a labeling station which, due to the gluing process, operates at a speed slower than the other stations passed by the box so that the labeling station increases the travel of the box through the packaging machine quite considerably.

DE-A 33 40 798 describes a folding box which is provided on one side with an additional, substantially triangular, leaf-shaped flap whose connection line to the neighboring wall of the box is shorter than the largest width of the flap. The neighboring lid portion is provided with a triangular recess which is covered up by tongues pivoted on the lid portion so that only a relatively thin slot is left open in the area of the folding line between this side wall and the fold-in flap. The slot is shorter than the greatest width of the additional, leaf-shaped flap and only as long as the folding line connecting the additional flap with the first-mentioned wall of the box. The flap is pushed into the opening of the lid portion from above, whereby the tongues are caused to move out of their position and to release the opening.Once the additional flap has been introduced fully into the box, the tongues return immediately to a position in the plane of the lid portion.

In the case of this known box, the content of the box must not reach up to the lid portion on the upside of the box; instead, a certain distance must be left between its upper level and the lid portion which must be large enough to enable the tongues to be pivoted downwardly a sufficient way to allow the additional flap to pass the opening. Considering, however, that in the case of this know box the perforation is to be broken up, while the flap is to remain in the lid portion and is, thus, fixed by its one end, it is rather easy to restore the section, which is missing in the wall of the box after the latter has been opened, to its original position so that at first glance the package will appear to be unbroken.However, it is the very purpose of an original closure that once the package has been opened, its original appearance cannot be restored at all, or only with great difficulty.

French Patent Specification No. 1 514 374 shows a folding box which comprises again a section that can be separated from the wall of the box by a perforated line. However, in this case the section is firmly glued to a fold-in-flap which comes to rest against the wall of the box in a plane parallel to the surface of the said section. When this box is opened for the first time, either the carton will be damaged or the respective carton section will be torn off.

While any unauthorized opening of the original package is indeed indicated in this case by the damage to the carton, only the section of the wall of the box, which has been defined before by the perforated line, is torn off in accordance with the purpose for which it was intended, and given the fact that the section is fixed to the fold-in flap by gluing it can easily be restored to its original position, after the box has been opened, so that someone examining the box only superficially will not readily detect that the box has been opened before in an unauthorized manner. This closure, therefore, does not meet the"purpose of an original closure.

Besides, it is very difficult in the filled condition of the box to glue the outside of the fold-in flap to the inside of the section of the wall of the box which is defined by the perforated line, so that this principle of an original closure has never been accepted in practice.

Now, it is the object of the present invention to provide an original closure which indicates very obviously any unauthorized opening of the box-and which, in addition, is easy to produce and to close.

Starting out from DE-A 33 40 798, this object is achieved according to the invention by an arrangement in which the upper edge of the section which is intended to be detached when the box is opened coincides with the upper edge of the wall of the box, which means that it is not provided with a tongue fixed in the lid portion so that it is fully detached when the hand pulls out the fold-in flap for the purpose of opening the bo.

The particular advantage of the present invention is seen in the fact that the section to be detached during the opening process falls off the box loosely as a separate part and cannot be fixed or glued again to the box in its original position so perfectly that this maneuver would remain unnoticed, if only by someone regarding the box only superficially.

The invention can be implemented, according to certain embodiments, by an arrangement in which the cover flap is not connected with the side wall comprising the section to be detached, but is retained in the closed position only by safety slots provided on the lateral flaps, for example. In this case, too, the lid of the box must be gripped by the hand in such a manner that the section of the box of the wall defined by the perforation will necessarily fall off, as described in the application.

According to certain, particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention, however, an additional cover flap is pivotally connected with that wall of the box which comprises the section defined by the perforated line, via a perforated line extending along its upper edge. When the box is closed, this additional cover flap is glued to the cover flap that has been folded over from the opposite side so that the lid has twice the thickness of the carton and, accordingly, and necessary rigidity to offer sufficient resistance to the hand opening the box.In this case, too, the upper edge of the section of the wall portion, which is defined by the perforated. line, coincides with the upper edge of the wall of the box, or is aligned with the perforation forming the upper edge, the upper edge of this section being either not connected with the adjacent additional cover flap, i.e. separated from the latter by a cut, or connected to the fold-over flap by holding points which will readily break. It is understood that these holding points are of course designed in such a manner that the section will come off when the box is opened.

The described section is arranged in the area of at least one finger of the hand attempting to open the box by pulling out the fold-in flap. The perforation is so weak that it will break open when the side wall of the ready-made box is compressed a little during the opening operation.

When a person intends to draw out a fold-in flap from the body of a box, he will normally grip the box by that side where the fold-in flap is arranged so that the thumb comes to rest against one side of the box adjacent the fold-in flap, while two or three other fingers of the hand are in contact with the opposite side of the box. He will then compress the sides of the box a little in order to get access to the folding line of the fold-in flap opposite the folding line by which the fold-in flap is permanently connected to the side wall of the box.For, when the sides of the box are compressed near their upper edges, the folding line adjacent the free end of the fold-in flap will be raised'a little relative to the upper edge of the side walls, in particular when the section of the fold-in flap forming the upper lateral surface of the box is reinforced, as provided by one embodiment of the invention.

The section which is detached from the ready-made box when the latter is opened may have almost any desired shape, although embodiments are preferred where this section exhibits an elongated shape with its longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to the upper edge of the side wall so that the section will safely be within the reach of the hand when the latter grips the box from above.

The edge located between the inserted portion of the fold-in flap and the section of the fold-in flap can of course be gripped already when the perforation by which the outer flap is fixed to the side wall of the box breaks to a certain extent; however, this edge is particularly well accessible because the section coming off when the box is laterally compressed is arranged in such a manner that the upper edge of this section coincides with the upper edge of the wall cf the box so that the edge between the inserted portion of the fold-in flap and the portion of the fold-in flap forming the upside of the box is immediately accessible through the opening formed by the detached section.

According to one embodiment of the invention, that edge of the section coming off the box during opening thereof which is aligned with the upper edge of the side wall is separated from the before-mentioned folding-over flap by a cut. This provides on the one hand a connection between the said section and the surrounding parts which will break particularly easily, while on the other hand the edge of the fold-in flap can be gripped in this manner with particular ease, especially when a greater portion of the marginal line of the detachable section is aligned with. the marginal edge of the side wall of the box. The detachable section may, for example, have the shape of a rectangle or a trapezoid whose long side coincides with the marginal edge of the side wall of the box.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the upper edge of the side wall of the box is not separated from the fold-over flap by a continuous cut; instead, a perforation is provided which will break open very easily and which may, for example, consist of a cut which is interrupted by only a few or a single connection point.

The weak connection between the detachable section and its surrounding parts may also be formed by cutting lines which are located outside that edge of the section which coincides with the edge of the side wall of the box, and which are interrupted by only a few perforation points or holding points. For example, only two connection points or holding points may be provided on a cutting line having a length of approx. 5.5 cm and extending along a straight edge of a trapezoidal section, the said points being provided at a certain distance from the corner of the trapezoid.

The holding points of the perforation may be arranged symmetrically, although an asymmetrical arrangement relative to the transverse center plane of the fold-in flap is also possible.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of certain embodiments of the invent tion when read with reference to the claims and the drawing.

The individual features of the invention may be implemented in any embodiment of the invention either individually or in any desired combination.

In the drawing Fig. 1 shows a box blank according to a first embodiment of the invention, before the folding process; Fig. 2 illustrates how the box is handled for opening; and Fig. 3 shows a detail of a second embodiment of the invention.

Regarding now the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the folding box has a basic structure corresponding to ECMA Code A 210. The folding box is folded in the conventional manner: A big side wall 1 is provided on one of its long sides with a folding line 2 connecting it to a fold-in flap exhibiting a section 3. The latter is provided, on its side opposite the folding line 2, with another folding line 4 which extends in parallel to the said folding line 2 and which forms the connection.to a flap section 5 which can be slipped into the box for closing the latter. A folding line 6 -extending along one lateral edge of the side wall 1 connects the latter to a side wall 7 which is connected with flaps 10 and 11, by further folding lines 8 and 9.A folding line 12 provided on the side of the side wall 1 opposite the narrow side wall 7 connects a short side 13 of the part 1 to a central part 1 which is in turn connected, via a folding line 14 provided opposite the folding line 12 and extending in parallel thereto, with the other big side wall 15 of the box. A bottom flap 16 is connected with the side wall 1 by a folding line 17. The narrow side wall 13 is also provided with two flaps 18 and 19 which are connected with the narrow side wall 13 via folding lines 20 and 21.

The big side wall 15 of the folding box has two fold-over flaps 24 and 25 connected to it via folding lines 22 and 23 extending perpendicularly to the folding line 14. The big side wall 15 is provided, on its edge opposite the folding line 14, with another folding line 26 which provides the connection to a gluing flap 27.

For folding the blank shown in Fig. 1 to form a folding box, the flaps 10 and 11 are folded over to the inside by 90 , whereafter the big side walls 1 and 15 are folded about the folding lines 12 and 14, the flaps 18 and 19 are folded about the folding lines 20 and 21, and the flaps 7 and 27 are bent over to the inside and glued together. The bottom of the box is then formed in the conventional manner by gluing together the inwardly folded flaps 11, 16, 18 and 24, for example by applying glue traces 28 on the flaps. Given the fact that the flaps 16 and 24 overlap each other fully, a bottom providing good load-carrying properties is obtained.

After filling of the folding box, the fold-in flap is slipped into the box on its upside, and is secured in this position by the safety slots 29, 30 provided on the fold-in flap 3, 5. After the flap has been slipped into the box in this manner, an outer flap provided opposite the fold-in flap 3, 5 is fixed on the flap section 3 of the fold-in 'flap by gluing, after glue traces 31 and 32 have been applied to the flap 25. The outer flap 25 now forms the top of the folding box, and the box is glued tight on all sides. The side wall 15 comprises a detachable section 33 of trapezoidal shape whose marginal lines are formed by cuts 34, 35, 36 and 37. The folding line 23 is formed by a perforation and the cutting line 37 coincides with the perforation 23 so that no connection exists between the section 33 and the flap 25.The cutting lines 34, 35 and 36 are connected with the side wall 15 by perforation points 38, 39, 40 and 41 so that a sufficiently strong connection remains between the section 33 and- the closed box.

Now, when the upper portion of the box is gripped by the hand for opening, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the thumb or the fingers gripping the box on the side opposite the thumb, will come to bear against the flap 33. At the same time, the side walls 1 and 15 are compressed a little, and as a result thereof the perforation points 38, 39, 40 and 41 will break.

This will cause the section 33 to fall off, the edge 37 being formed by a cut. Now, the folding line 4 of the fold-in flap can be gripped through the opening which had been covered before by-the section 33, and the top flap 25 can be pulled up to break open the perforation 23 provided on both sides of the section 33.

If a box has been opened in an unauthorized manner, this fact is indicated very clearly by the absence of the section 33.

Fig. 3 shows a detail of a folding box which differs from the folding box illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 only by the fact that the section corresponding to section 33 in Figs. 1 and 2 and being designated in this figure by reference numeral 53 is not fully separated from the fold-in flap 25, but rather connected with the latter by one or more, in any case however only a few, in the illustrated embodiment two, holding points 60 which will break very easily. Here again, the section 53 falls off readily when the package is opened.

The connection with the flap 25 may favor the breaking of the connection points 38 to 41.

A particular advantage of the package is seen in the fact that the package can be opened and closed again if only part of its content is to be removed.

The reference numerals in the claims are not a restriction, but shall facilitate understanding.

Claims

Claims:

1) Folding box having a lid closed by a fold-in flap, the closure comprising a section provided on the side wall adjacent the free end of the fold-in flap and retained thereon by a perforation extending at least over part of its edge, characterized in that the upper edge (37) of the said section (33) coincides with the upper edge (23) of the said wall (15) of the box.

2) Folding box according to claim 1, characterized in that an additional cover flap (25) is arranged on the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15.

3) Folding box according to claim 2, characterized in that the said edge (37) of the section (33) coinciding with the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) is separated from the said additional cover flap (25) by a cut.

4) Folding box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the edge (37) of the said section (33) coinciding with the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) is connected with the said additional cover flap (25) by one or more holding points (60) for being readily detached therefrom.

') Folding box according -to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said section (33, 53) exhibits a trapezoidal shape.

6) Folding box according to claim 5, characterized in that marginal lines (34, 35, 36) of the said section '(33,

53) which are not located adjacent the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) are connected with the said side wall (15) by a holding point (38 to 41).

7) Folding box according to claim 5, characterized in that edges of the said section (33, 53) which are not located adjacent the upper edge of the said side wall (15) are connected with the said side wall (15) by a total of four perforation points (38 to 41).

8) A folding box substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. Folding box having on the lid a push-in closure means, there being provided on the side part (15) adjacent the free end of the push-in tongue (3) a portion (33) which is held by a perforation on at least a part of its edge, characterised in that the only connection between the portion (33) and the other parts of the box (15) are perforations (38, 39, 40, 42) which tear open when the folding box is opened.

2. Folding box according to Claim 1, characterised in-that the upper edge (37) of the said section (33) coincides with the upper edge (23) of the said wall (15) of the box.

3. Folding box according to Claim 2, characterised in that an additional cover flap (25) is arranged on the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15).

4. Folding box according to Claim 3, characterised in that the said edge (37) of the section (33) coinciding with the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) is separated from the said additional-cover flap (25) by a cut.

5. Folding box according to Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the edge (37) of the said section (33) coinciding with the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) is connected with the said additional cover flap (25) by one or more holding points (60) for being readily detached therefrom.

6. Folding box according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the said section (33,53) exhibits a trapezoidal shape.

7. Folding box according to Claim 6, characterised in that marginal lines (34, 35, 36) of the said section (33, 53) which are not located adjacent the said upper edge (23) of the said side wall (15) are connected with the said side wall (15) by a holding point (38 to 41).

8. Folding box according to Claim 6, characterised in that edges of the said section (33, 53) which are not located adjacent the upper edge of the said side wall (15) are connected with the said side wall (15) by a total of four perforation points (38 to 41).

9. Folding box substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.