Packaging for products, particularly food, with attached containers of different sizes

Abstract

Packaging for the packaging of products, particularly food products, comprising at least one first prismatic cardboard container (100) and a second prismatic cardboard container (200), each consisting of a polygonal base, side walls (130, 140; 230, 240), and at least one panel (113, 123, 133, 143; 243) extending from one of the side walls (130, 140; 230, 240) forming at least a partial lid for the prismatic container (100, 200), capable of closing at least a portion of the access surface to the internal volume of the container (100, 200) delimited by the edges of the side walls (130, 140; 230, 240) located opposite the base of the container (100, 200), the second container (200) being removably attached to The lid of the first container (100). The second container (200) has a polygonal base that fits within the access surface of the first container (100). See Fig. 1 in the abstract.

Description

Title of the invention: Packaging for products, particularly food products, with attached containers of different sizes

[0001] The present invention relates to a new cardboard packaging for the packaging and preservation primarily of food products, although the packaging is suitable for other types of products. The distinctive feature of this packaging is that it comprises at least two containers, each offering a different internal space or volume, adapted to its final function, i.e., the product to be contained. The containers are delimited by a base and side walls and are fitted with a lid that at least partially closes the volume thus defined. These containers can be used, in particular, in the fast-food sector, one for example being able to package a burger while the other can contain a portion of fries.Given the nature of the packaged products, they are of different sizes and secured to each other so that together, their volumes are firmly bound and can be properly closed. This secure fastening when closed greatly facilitates the transport of the packaged products.

[0002] This multi-pack is made of cardboard, thus aligning with current environmental trends that favor this material. Given the mechanical properties of cardboard, solutions can be designed to allow for the removable attachment of one container to another in a manner sufficiently durable for its intended use, i.e., with adequate overall mechanical strength. Furthermore, the flexibility of this material allows for the customization of each container's characteristics, both to optimize their configuration for the contents they are intended to hold and to ensure their assembly into a coherent, easily transportable unit.

[0003] Multiple packages comprising cardboard containers joined together are known and have been described, for example, in US patent 10,076,887, which, however, addresses a problem distinct from that of the present invention: when assembling the containers, they must be the same size, their fastening serving an objective of storage and optimization of the overall volume, requiring that the multiple volumes be arranged in a column. Individual packages therefore require peripheral fastening means resulting in alignment of the vertical outer walls of the containers, which are inapplicable to an assembly of containers of different sizes.

[0004] Similarly, in the configuration described in EP 3 655 337, containers of the same size are always stacked in such a way as to form a stack regular, for the same storage purposes, and their attachment is therefore made to their side walls. The same applies to the configurations described in US 2014 / 0262911 or in CN 109760915. All these solutions implement peripheral securing, which however only works for identical stacked containers.

[0005] The present invention overcomes this limitation, as it is intended to be applied to stacked containers of different sizes, since the volumes of said containers are adapted to the products to be packaged in the context mentioned above. The diversity of dimensions necessitates the use of assembly means that are not confined to the periphery, as systematically shown in the documents above.

[0006] In fact, the food packaging of the invention comprises, in a known manner, at least one first prismatic cardboard container and a second prismatic cardboard container, each consisting of a polygonal base, side walls, and at least one panel extending from one of the side walls forming at least a partial lid of the prismatic container, capable of closing at least a portion of the access surface to the internal volume of the container, delimited by the edges of the side walls located opposite the base of the container. The second container is removably attached to the lid of the first container.

[0007] More particularly, according to the invention, the second container has a polygonal base which fits within the access surface of the first container, the base of the second container being fixed to each face of the lid of the first container by removable fixing means consisting of protrusions and / or holes made in the base of one of the containers and protrusions and / or holes made in each face forming the lid of the other of the containers.

[0008] The configurations of the invention thus provide for positioning and assembly that take place not at the periphery of the containers, i.e., at the level of the side walls of said containers, since the difference in size between the containers prevents this. More precisely, the invention implements a technical solution adapted to assembly located not at the level of the peripheral walls of the packaging but at the level of the walls present in other orientations, that is to say, typically at the level of the polygonal base forming the bottom of the container and at the level of the access surface to the internal volume of the container, at the location of the lid, bearing in mind that the latter is potentially only partial. The attachment is therefore made in an orientation parallel to the plane separating the two containers, at a distance from the side walls of the larger container, towards the inside.

[0009] This configuration specific to the invention certainly meets the need for securing containers of different sizes, but it also provides a solution to the The problem of maintaining the temperature of packaged foods (when the packaged items are food) arises. Thus, the panels of the lid of the first container preferably form a partial lid with a central opening contained within the polygonal base of the second container. These panels, once expanded, effectively form a central chimney that sits beneath the base of the second container placed above.

[0010] The packaging of the invention thus fulfills a second objective, which is to allow for better heat retention of the packaged food through improved heat transfer. The heat generated by the food below, for example a hot burger, is transferred more effectively through this chimney to the container fixed above. As a result, the food inside, for example hot fries, stays hot longer. Meanwhile, the burger remains at a stable temperature, demonstrating better overall insulation in this dual configuration, and even a circularity in the heat transfer.

[0011] In one possible configuration, the removable fastening means may consist of tabs extending from the base of the second container and oblong slots cut into the lid of the first container. Securing the base of the smaller container to the lid of the larger container via slots in the latter allows for a wide range of relative positions for the stacked containers, depending on the locations chosen for the slots. It should also be noted that the tab / slot combinations also contribute to the optimized heat transfer to the second container, via the slots and the deflectors formed by the tabs.

[0012] More precisely, again according to an example configuration, the tabs are extensions of the flat base and protrude on each side of the polygon forming said base. They are therefore substantially in the plane of the polygonal base, whose general orientation they share. The polygonal base / tab assembly also exhibits a form of rigidity, since the sides of the polygon forming the base are devoid, at the level of the tabs, of folds separating them from said tabs.

[0013] Preferably, the polygonal base is made up of sections extending from each side wall, at least half of the sections having a portion capable of overlapping at least one adjacent section, said sections together forming a solid bottom for the container. It is understood that this bottom structure, which has several sections, does not affect the existence of the tabs that protrude from it, but it can facilitate a very slight elastic movement of said tabs in order to facilitate the clipping operation in the slots of the lid of the container that serves as its base.

[0014] Preferably, one of the sides of the base presents the polygonal surface of said base, said side being folded first so as to constitute the visible bottom of the container. The bottom of the second container is therefore smooth and homogeneous.

[0015] The lid is also made up of panels extending from each side wall, these panels being folded over to at least partially close the access surface to the interior volume of the container. Depending on the configuration of these panels, there may therefore be a partial opening in the lid, and this may, as mentioned, be desirable to improve the thermal properties of the double container by optimizing heat circulation between them through the creation of a chimney. The means for attaching the second container to the first container must be designed taking into account the location of this opening and, if the first container is forming a base for the second, the mechanical strength of a base supported by several panels distinct from one another.

[0016] According to a possible embodiment, preferably, the folded-down sections of the lid overlap to maintain greater mechanical rigidity for attaching the second container to the first container. Although preferred, this feature is not essential, as the attachment can be achieved even without the overlapping sections of the lid of the first container. More specifically, according to one possible configuration, each of these sections consists of a trapezoidal panel leaving a central opening defined by the free edges of the panels when folded down. In this case, the oblong slots are preferably oriented parallel to, and close to, the free edges of the trapezoidal panels.

[0017] During the formation of the container, the panels forming the lid are folded perpendicularly to the side walls of the container along a crease that connects them to these walls. The folding is carried out at an angular amplitude of approximately 90°, so as to make the lid substantially parallel to the bottom of the container. However, the inherent elasticity of the cardboard allows the tabs of the base of the second container to be clipped into the slots. This is achieved by slightly pushing the base into contact with the lid panels, rotating them towards the inside of the container so that the tabs are seated there. The panels then elastically return to their initial position, or nearly so, effectively locking the tabs in the oblong slots.

[0018] According to the invention, preferably, the containers are each made by three-dimensional forming of a single pre-grooved and pre-cut flat blank. They are three-dimensionally unfolded along the provided grooves and folded to give them their final shapes. Some of the portions are designed to overlap and are optionally coated with glue to maintain the shape of the container.

[0019] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following description, relating to embodiments given by way of example only. Understanding this description will be facilitated in particular by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a possible configuration variant of a double parallelepiped container packaging;

[0021] Figure 2 shows an elevational view of a cardboard blank with pre-cuts and grooves for the construction of the first container; and

[0022] Fig. 3 represents an elevation view of a cardboard blank with pre-cuts and grooves for the formation of the second container.

[0023] With reference to the figures, the packaging of the invention comprises two superimposed cardboard containers, a first container 100 supporting a second, smaller container 200. Figure 2 details the construction of the cardboard blank that forms the basis of the first container 100. In the configuration shown, this container is cubic in shape and comprises, in particular, four lateral walls 110, 120, 130, and 140 of equal surface area. An end panel 150, positioned in line with the lateral walls 110 to 140, allows for the three-dimensional formation of the trunk of the first container and its securing by gluing at this point. The square base comprises four trapezoidal sides 111, 121, 131, 141, the larger of which is the same size as the side wall 110, 120, 130, 140, to which it is connected by a continuous fold. These trapezoidal sides 111, 121, 131, 141 cover the entire surface of the base when folded down, forming a solid bottom for the first container 100.They are not identical, the panels 111, 131 being larger than the panels 121, 141 and having gluing tabs 112, 132 respectively to said panels 121 and 141. .

[0024] As shown by the outline of the trapezoidal facets 113, 123, 133, 143 of the lid, the coverage provided by this lid is only partial, leaving a rectangular opening in the center when said facets 113, 123, 133, 143 are folded down. Furthermore, they do not overlap, or overlap very little, when folded at approximately a right angle from the initial flat surface as shown in [Fig. 2]. Oblong slots 114, 124, 134, 144 are made near the free edge of facets 113, 123, 133, 143, and parallel to them. When the container 100 is deployed in three dimensions from the flat side, the side walls 110, 120, 130, 140 are verticalized, and they are, for example, held in their deployed form by gluing by means of the end panel 150 coated with glue.The base is then formed by folding each trapezoidal panel 111, 121, 131, 141 at a right angle, and gluing said panels 111, 121, 131, 141 together in pairs. In the example shown, panel 111 is glued to panel 121 via tab 112, and panel 131 is glued to panel 141 via tab 132.

[0025] The panels 113, 123, 133, 143 forming the partial lid are not glued, but simply folded 90° inwards. The elasticity of the cardboard, particularly at the folds separating the side walls 110, 120, 130, 140 from said panels 113, 123, 133, 143 of the lid, allows for secure attachment of the second container 200, as it is sufficient to apply pressure from above which slightly pushes said panels 113, 123, 133, 143 inwards in order to accommodate the tabs (see below) in the oblong slots 114, 124, 134, 144. These slots then move in the opposite direction when the lid panels 113, 123, 133, 143 rise due to this elasticity, effectively blocking them.The access surface of the first container 100 mentioned above, allowing access to its internal volume, is in practice delimited by the folds separating the side walls 110, 120, 130, 140 and the sides of the lid 113, 123, 133, 143, in the deployed position of the container 100, because this is the opening available when the sides 113, 123, 133, 143 of the lid are open.

[0026] Observation of the flat side of [Fig. 3], corresponding to the second container 200, shows that when the latter is unfolded three-dimensionally, it has a slightly truncated conical shape flaring out from the base towards the lid. The container 200 comprises, in particular, four lateral walls 210, 220, 230, 240 of the same, slightly trapezoidal surface area. An end panel 250, positioned in line with the lateral walls 210 to 240, allows for the three-dimensional construction of a trunk of the second container, and its reinforcement by gluing at this point. The square base comprises three trapezoidal panels 211, 231, 241, the larger base of which is the same size as the lateral wall 210, 230, 240 at the point to which it is joined. This base fits well within the access area of ​​the first container 100 as defined above. The panel 221 is rectangular and covers the entire bottom of the second container 200.It is therefore folded first so that it is the one visible from the interior of the container 200. The panel 222, positioned in line with the free end edge of the panel 221, improves the mechanical strength of the latter during folding for three-dimensional positioning inside the body of the container. The panels 211 and 231 have gluing tabs 212 and 232 respectively for attaching to panels 221 and 241.

[0027] The lid of the second container is mainly made up of the pan 243, which has an end tab 245 ensuring its closure inside the volume of the second container 200. Lateral panes 213 and 233 form a flexible support for said pan 243 of the lid.

[0028] The tabs 214, 224, 234, 244 are cut in the vicinity of the folds separating the side walls 210, 220, 230, 240 from the panels 211, 221, 231 and 241 forming the bottom of the second container 200. There is no fold in said cuts, but the fold does exist between the two sets of panels mentioned above, however only on one side and other than the cut-out tabs 214, 224, 234, 244. Consequently, when the bottom panels 211, 221, 231 and 241 are folded back from the side walls 210, 220, 230, 240, the cut-out tabs 214, 224, 234, 244 protrude from the bottom because they remain rigidly in the plane of the bottom panels 211, 221, 231 and 241.

[0029] The operation of attaching the second container 200 to the first container acting as a base 100 aims to insert the tabs 214, 224, 234, 244 – which protrude outwards from the polygon forming the base – into the oblong slots 114, 124, 134, 144 cut into the "partial" lid sections 113, 123, 133, 143 of the first container 100, whose rotational positioning can be varied around the fold that connects them to the side walls 110, 120, 130, 140. The operator places the second container 200 on the partial lid of the first container 100, approximately centering it, and applies limited downward pressure, causing the sections 113, 123, 133, 143 to rotate inwards into the volume of the container. first container 100, until the free edge of the tabs 214, 224, 234, 244 fits respectively into the oblong slots 114, 124, 134, 144.When this is the case, a clipping takes place and the said panels 113, 123, 133, 143 pivot elastically in the opposite direction, in fact moving upwards towards a position parallel to the bottoms of the containers 100 and 200, trapping the tabs 214, 224, 234, 244 which slide under the panels 113, 123, 133, 143 towards the lateral walls 110, 120, 130, 140. .

[0030] In this position, the second container 200 covers the central opening of the partial lid of the first container 100, which is therefore completely closed. If the panel 243 of the lid of the second container 200 is closed, the double-container packaging of the invention 100, 200 is completely sealed.

[0031] The configuration examples shown in the figures should not be considered exhaustive of the invention, which on the contrary encompasses the variants of form which have been alluded to previously: polygons of the bases and access surfaces having a number of sides other than four, variable angles of the trapezoidal panels, different shapes of the panels and the gluing tabs, presence or absence of openings, location, number and shape of the openings, etc.

Claims

Demands

1. Packaging for the packaging of products, particularly foodstuffs, comprising at least one first prismatic cardboard container (100) and a second prismatic cardboard container (200), each consisting of a polygonal base, side walls (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240), and at least one panel (113, 123, 133, 143; 213, 233, 243) formed from one of the side walls (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240) forming at least a partial lid of the prismatic container (100, 200), capable of closing at least a portion of the access surface to the internal volume of the container (100, 200) delimited by the edges of the walls lateral (110, 120, 130, 140;210, 220, 230, 240) located opposite the base of the container (100, 200), the second container (200) being removably attached to the lid of the first container (100), characterized in that the second container (200) has a polygonal base which fits within the access surface of the first container (100), the base of the second container (200) being attached to each face (113, 123, 133, 143) of the lid of the first container (100) by removable fastening means consisting of protrusions and / or holes made in the base of one of the containers (100, 200) and protrusions and / or holes made in each face (113, 123, 133, 143; 213, 233, 243) forming a lid for the other of the containers (100, 200).;

2. Packaging for packaging products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the panels (113, 123, 133, 143) of the lid of the first container (100) form a partial lid having a central opening circumscribed in the polygonal base of the second container (200).

3. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular foodstuffs, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the removable fastening means consist of tabs (214, 224, 234, 244) protruding from the base of the second container (200) and oblong slots (114, 124, 134, 144) cut into the lid of the first container (100).

4. Packaging for packaging products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the tabs (214, 224, 234, 244) are in line with the base and protrude on each side of the polygon forming said base.

5. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the sides of the polygon forming the base are devoid, at the level of the tabs (214, 224, 234, 244), of folds separating them from said tabs (214, 224, 234, 244).

6. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular foodstuffs, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the polygonal base is made up of panels (111, 121, 131, 141; 211, 221, 231, 241) originating from each side wall (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240), at least half of the panels (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240) having a portion (112, 132; 212, 232) capable of overlapping at least one adjacent panel (121, 141; 221, 241), said panels (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240) together forming a solid base for the container (100, 200).

7. Packaging for packaging products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that one of the sides (221) of the base has the polygonal surface of said base, said side (221) being folded first so as to constitute the bottom visible in the volume of the container (200).

8. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular foodstuffs, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid is made up of panels (113, 123, 133, 143; 213, 233, 243) from each side wall (110, 120, 130, 140; 210, 220, 230, 240), said panels (113, 123, 133, 143; 213, 233, 243) being folded in order to at least partially close the access surface to the internal volume of the container (100, 200).

9. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the folded-down panels (113, 123, 133, 143) of the lid overlap.

10. Packaging for packaging products, in particular food products, according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the panels (113, 123, 133, 143) are each made up of a trapezoidal panel leaving a central opening delimited by the free edges of the panels when they are folded down.

11. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular foodstuffs, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the oblong slots (114, 124, 134, 144) are oriented parallel to the

12. free edges of trapezoidal panels, and in the vicinity of said free edges. Packaging for the packaging of products, in particular food products, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the containers (100, 200) are each made by three-dimensional forming of a single pre-grooved and pre-cut flat blank.

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