Packing box

Abstract

The present technology relates to a packing box that can be opened easily while also ensuring that the box has not been opened. A packing box according to an aspect of the present technology has a box part and a lid part. The box part has a surface on the inner side of which a recess is formed and in which a flap portion that moves in response to pushing in the internal direction is formed at a position on the outer side of the recess. The lid part has a protruding portion which fits into the recess and which is formed at a push-in portion for pushing into the interior of the box part. The packing box, which is formed from cardboard or the like, is unpacked by pushing in the flap portion to break a connecting portion that connects the flap portion to a surrounding portion. The present technology can be applied to boxes used for packing products.

Description

Packing box

[0001] The present technology particularly relates to a packaging box that can be easily opened while still ensuring that it has not been opened.

[0002] To ensure that product packaging has never been opened, a sticker is attached to the opening of the box or the entire box is wrapped in shrink wrap. If the sticker is peeled off or the shrink wrap is torn, it becomes clear that the box has been opened.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-341656

[0004] Removing stickers and shrink wrap can be difficult for people with reduced finger strength and dexterity, and because they are made of plastic, shrink wrap can be environmentally damaging.

[0005] This technology was developed in light of these circumstances, making it possible to easily open the lock while still ensuring that it has not been opened.

[0006] A packaging box according to one aspect of the present technology has a box portion having a recess formed on the inside and a flap portion formed on a surface outside the recess that moves in response to being pushed inward, and a lid portion having a protrusion that fits into the recess and is formed at an insertion portion into the box portion.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an appearance of a packaging box according to an embodiment of the present technology; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a flap portion; FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a notch around a flap portion; FIG. 4 is a view showing a state when unpacking; FIG. 5 is a view showing a state when unpacking; FIG. 6 is a view showing a state when unpacking; FIG. 7 is a view showing a state when unpacking; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of a locking mechanism before the flap portion is pushed in; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of a portion of the locking mechanism; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the locking mechanism when the flap portion is pushed in; FIG. 11 is a development view of the packaging box; FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which one sheet of cardboard is assembled; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another example of the

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present technology will be described. The description will be made in the following order: 1. Appearance of the packaging box 2. Locking mechanism 3. Unfolded configuration 4. Modified example

[0009] <Appearance of Packaging Box> Appearance before unpacking FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a packaging box according to an embodiment of the present technology.

[0010] The packaging box 1 is a box assembled by folding and partially gluing thick paper such as corrugated cardboard. The packaging box 1 is formed, for example, from a single sheet of thick paper. Figure 1 shows the packaging box 1 with the lid closed.

[0011] The packaging box 1 has a horizontally elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape with a width:depth:height ratio of approximately 5:2:1. The width of the packaging box 1 is approximately 20 cm. The packaging box 1 may be configured as a hexahedral box of any shape and size. The packaging box 1 is used to pack products such as electrical appliances. The product name and a photo of the product are printed on a predetermined surface, such as the top surface.

[0012] The packaging box 1 is closed when the lid portion 12 is placed on the top surface of the box portion 11. Basically, the box portion 11 constitutes the front, back, left side, right side, and bottom of the packaging box 1, and the lid portion 12 constitutes the top surface of the packaging box 1. As shown in Figure 1, a flap portion 21 is formed in the center of the front of the packaging box 1 (box portion 11). Before opening, the piece of paper that constitutes the flap portion 21 forms approximately the same surface as the front surface of the packaging box 1.

[0013] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the flap portion 21 and its vicinity.

[0014] Slits 31L, 31R, 31B-1, and 31B-2 are provided around flap portion 21, which is a piece of paper that is approximately horizontally elongated and rectangular, except for the top end and the connecting portion 32 at the center of the bottom end. Slit 31L provided along the left end of flap portion 21 is connected to slit 31B-1 provided along the bottom end via a small curve. Similarly, slit 31R provided along the right end of flap portion 21 is connected to slit 31B-2 provided along the bottom end via a small curve. The portion between slits 31B-1 and 31B-2 forms connecting portion 32.

[0015] In Figure 2, the solid lines indicating the left, right, and bottom ends of the flap portion 21 are the slits. A connecting portion 32, measuring several millimeters to 1 cm in width, connects the bottom end of the flap portion 21 to the surrounding area. The two horizontal solid lines indicating the top end of the flap portion 21 indicate that the flap portion 21 bends inward into the box portion 11 when pressed, functioning as a hinge. The top end of the flap portion 21 is connected to the front of the box portion 11. As described below, the packaging box 1 is opened by pressing the flap portion 21 and breaking the connecting portion 32. The wider the connecting portion 32, the more force required with the fingertips during opening. In this way, the flap portion 21 is formed in a state where it is partially connected to the surrounding area by the perforated slits and the connecting portion 32.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a notch around the flap portion 21. As shown in FIG.

[0017] Fig. 3A shows an example of a notch when the bottom end of the flap portion 21 is connected to the front of the box portion 11 by two connecting portions. Fig. 3B shows an example of a notch when the left end, right end, and bottom end of the flap portion 21 are each connected to the front of the box portion 11 by one connecting portion. In this way, the connecting portions of the flap portion 21 are provided at the ends other than the top end, which serves as the hinge portion. The number of connecting portions provided at each end other than the top end is arbitrary. A connecting portion is provided at one or more locations at each end other than the top end.

[0018] Appearance when unpacked Figures 4 to 6 show the state when unpacked.

[0019] For example, when a user grasps the entire packaging box 1 from above and presses the flap portion 21 with their thumb to break the connecting portion 32, the flap portion 21 moves and is pushed into the inside of the box portion 11, as shown in A of Fig. 4. At this time, the locking mechanism of the packaging box 1 is released. The locking mechanism of the packaging box 1 will be described later.

[0020] When the flap portion 21 is further pressed in from the state shown in A in Fig. 4, the front side of the lid portion 12 rises slightly, as shown in B in Fig. 4. The back side of the lid portion 12 is connected to the back side of the box portion 11. The lid portion 12 begins to open without inserting a finger into the gap between the box portion 11 and the lid portion 12 to lift the lid portion 12.

[0021] When the flap portion 21 is further pressed in from the state shown in B in Fig. 4 , the front side of the lid portion 12 is further lifted up as shown in A in Fig. 5. A protrusion 51, which is a component of the lid portion 12 that constitutes the locking mechanism, appears from the gap between the box portion 11 and the lid portion 12. The protrusion 51 is provided on the insertion portion of the lid portion 12 that is inserted into the inside of the box portion 11.

[0022] The force of pushing the flap portion 21 pushes the convex portion 51 on the back side thereof, opening the lid portion 12. Once the locking mechanism is released, the pressed-in state of the flap portion 21 is maintained, and the lid portion 12 does not return to the closed state by itself.

[0023] For example, when the lid 12 is opened to the position shown in Fig. 5A, the user grasps the front side of the lid 12 and opens the lid 12 as shown in Fig. 5B. Fig. 6 shows the state in which the lid 12 is opened to a substantially vertical position. When the state shown in Fig. 6 is reached, the contents are exposed and can be removed.

[0024] <Regarding Locking Mechanism> Here, the locking mechanism of the packaging box 1 will be described.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the locking mechanism before the flap portion 21 is pushed in. Fig. 8 shows an enlarged view of the locking mechanism. The left side of Fig. 8 is the front side of the packaging box 1, and the right side of Fig. 8 is the back side of the packaging box 1.

[0026] As shown in Figure 7, the box portion 11 and the lid portion 12 are integrally formed (the box portion 11 and the lid portion 12 are formed by folding a single piece of cardboard). The front portion 111, which forms the vertical surface that becomes the front of the box portion 11, is folded inward at the top end, leaving a small gap #1 (Figure 8), to form the inner side portion 112. The width of the gap #1 is approximately the same as the thickness of the cardboard that makes up the packaging box 1. A hole is formed in the inner side portion 112. This hole forms a recess 121 on the inside surface of the box portion 11.

[0027] Before the flap portion 21 is pushed in, the protrusion 51 formed on the front side of the lid portion 12 is fitted into the recess 121. The state in which the protrusion 51 is fitted into the recess 121 is the locked state.

[0028] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the insertion portion 131 formed by folding the front side of the lid portion 12 is inserted into the box portion 11 so as to contact the inner surface portion 112. The portion of the insertion portion 131 that corresponds to the recess 121 is folded to form a three-layered protrusion 51. The contact surfaces #11 and #12 of the protrusion 51, shown by the thick lines in Figure 8, are bonded together. The lower end of the protrusion 51 is located higher than the lower end of the flap portion 21.

[0029] 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views showing the state of the locking mechanism when the flap portion 21 is pushed in. The state shown in Fig. 9 corresponds to the state A in Fig. 4, and the state shown in Fig. 10 corresponds to the state B in Fig. 4.

[0030] 9 and 10 , the locking mechanism is released when the flap 21 is pushed into the box 11 and the resulting force disengages the convex portion 51 from the concave portion 121. Because the lower end of the flap 21 is lower than the lower end of the convex portion 51, the rotation about the hinge 21A pushes up the convex portion 51 from below, causing the front side of the lid 12 to rise.

[0031] As described above, the locking mechanism of the packaging box 1 is formed by providing a protrusion 51 on the insertion portion 131 of the lid portion 12 and a recess 121 into which the protrusion 51 fits, on the inner surface of the box portion 11. The locking mechanism can be released by lightly pushing in the flap portion 21 provided on the outside of the recess 121. In addition, the protrusion 51, which has a certain thickness, is formed by bonding multiple layers of cardboard together and is fitted into the recess 121, so that the lid portion 12 cannot be opened even if it is forcibly pulled up in this state.

[0032] The flap portion 21 is connected by a perforation on the surface (front) of the packaging box 1, and is designed to be torn only when the box is opened for the first time, making it possible to guarantee that the box has not been opened. Furthermore, when the flap portion 21 is pressed down and the locking mechanism is released, the front side of the lid portion 12 rises up, making it possible to intuitively understand how to open the lid portion 12. In other words, the box can be easily opened while still being guaranteed that it has not been opened.

[0033] When the lid portion 12 is opened, the contents are immediately visible, which can improve the customer experience when used as a cosmetic box for products.

[0034] <Expanded Configuration> Fig. 11 is an expanded view of the packaging box 1. Of the parts shown in Fig. 11, the same parts as those in the configuration described above are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0035] 11, among the parts that form the box portion 11, the flap portion 21 is formed approximately in the center of the front portion 111 that forms the front surface of the packaging box 1. The inner surface portion 112 shown below the front portion 111 is located inside the front portion 111 when assembled, and forms the inner surface of the front of the box portion 11 (FIG. 8).

[0036] As shown by the colored portion, a hole 112A is formed in approximately the center of the inner side surface portion 112. When the packaging box 1 is assembled, the hole 112A forms a recess 121. The hole 112A is formed at a position such that the recess 121 is located on the back side of the flap portion 21.

[0037] 11 , among the portions that form the lid portion 12, an insertion portion 131 that is inserted into the interior of the packaging box 1 when assembled is formed on the front side of an upper surface portion 132 that forms the top surface of the packaging box 1. The insertion portion 131 is formed with a narrow protrusion 131A that becomes the convex portion 51 when the insertion portion 131 is bent and the contact surfaces are bonded. The width of the protrusion 131A is slightly narrower than the width of the hole 112A formed in the inner side surface portion 112.

[0038] Figure 12 shows the assembled state of the single cardboard shown in Figure 11. Instructions on how to handle the product are printed on the inside of the lid 12, which is exposed when the lid 12 is opened. Since the box shape can be maintained using a single sheet of cardboard without glue, it is possible to reduce the unit cost of the packaging box 1. In addition, by using a multi-layer structure, a stronger box can be realized, ensuring the quality of a decorative box.

[0039] <Modification> Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing another example of the appearance of the packaging box 1. Fig. 13 shows the packaging box 1 in a state where the lid portion 12 is lifted.

[0040] The packaging box 1 shown in A of Fig. 13 is a box provided with locking mechanisms on both the front and back sides. The locking mechanism on the front side is made up of a flap portion 21-1 provided on the front side of the box portion 11 and a protrusion portion 51-1 provided on the front side of the lid portion 12. The locking mechanism on the back side is made up of a flap portion 21-2 (not shown) provided on the back side of the box portion 11 and a protrusion portion 51-2 provided on the back side of the lid portion 12. A recess is provided on the back side of each flap portion.

[0041] In this way, it is possible to provide multiple locking mechanisms on one packaging box 1, such as by providing a locking mechanism on each of two opposing side surfaces. Recesses and flap portions are provided in multiple locations on the box portion 11, and protrusions are provided in multiple locations on the lid portion 12. Since the packaging box 1 can be opened by releasing one of the locking mechanisms, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in how the packaging box 1 is held when opening it. Furthermore, since the lid portion 12 can be removed by releasing both locking mechanisms, it is possible to further increase the visibility of the contents. Locking mechanisms may be provided in multiple locations on one side surface.

[0042] As shown in B of Fig. 13, the packaging box 1 having locking mechanisms on both the front and back sides can also be used upside down. The packaging box 1 shown in B of Fig. 13 is opened by removing the upper box portion 11 from the lower lid portion 12. When the box portion 11 is removed, the contents appear on the tray-like lid portion 12. Because the height of the lid portion 12 on the bottom side is low, the entire contents can be exposed when the box portion 11 serving as the lid is removed, which makes it possible to further improve visibility when opening the package.

[0043] The convex portion 51 may not be formed by bending the protruding portion 131A that is a part of the insertion portion 131, but the convex portion 51 may be prepared as a separate part and adhered to the insertion portion 131 that is a part of the lid portion 12. As described above, the embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope that does not depart from the gist of the present technology.

[0044] The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be present.

[0045] <Examples of Combinations of Configurations> The present technology can also have the following configurations.

[0046] (1) A packaging box having a box section having a recess formed on the inside and a flap section formed on a surface outside the recess that moves in response to being pushed inward, and a lid section having a protrusion that fits into the recess and is formed on an insertion section that is inserted into the box section. (2) The packaging box described in (1) above, wherein the protrusion is formed by bonding a contact surface that occurs when a portion of the insertion section is folded. (3) The packaging box described in (1) or (2) above, wherein the flap section is formed with a portion connected to the surrounding section. (4) The packaging box described in (3) above, wherein the flap section moves in response to being pushed inward by a connecting section that connects the flap section to the surrounding section being torn. (5) The packaging box described in (4) above, wherein the connecting section is provided at an end other than the upper end of the flap section that serves as a hinge section. (6) The packaging box described in (5) above, wherein the connecting section is provided at one or more locations on an end other than the upper end of the flap section. (7) The packaging box according to any one of (1) to (6) above, which is formed from a single sheet of cardboard. (8) The packaging box according to (7) above, in which the recess is formed by a hole provided in a part of the part of the cardboard that forms the surface. (9) The packaging box according to any one of (1) to (8) above, in which the recess and the flap portion are formed in multiple places on the box portion, and multiple protrusions are formed on the lid portion at positions corresponding to the positions of the recess and the flap portion. (10) The packaging box according to (9) above, in which the recess and the flap portion are formed on the surface and another surface opposite the surface, respectively. (11) The packaging box according to any one of (1) to (10) above, which is used with the box portion positioned on top and the lid portion positioned on bottom.

[0047] 1 Packing box, 11 Box portion, 12 Lid portion, 21 Flap portion, 51 Convex portion, 121 Concave portion

Claims

1. A packaging box having a box section with a recess formed on the inside and a flap section formed on a surface outside the recess that moves in response to being pushed inward, and a lid section with a protrusion that fits into the recess and is formed on the part that is inserted into the box section.

2. The packaging box according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed by adhering the contact surface when a part of the insertion portion is bent.

3. The packaging box according to claim 1, wherein the flap portion is formed in a state where a part of the flap portion is connected to the surrounding portion.

4. The packaging box according to claim 3, wherein the flap portion moves in response to the connecting portion connecting to the surrounding portion being torn by being pushed inward of the box portion.

5. The packaging box according to claim 4, wherein the connecting portion is provided at an end other than the upper end of the flap portion that serves as a hinge portion.

6. The packaging box according to claim 5, wherein the connecting portion is provided at one or more locations on an end of the flap portion other than the upper end.

7. The packaging box according to claim 1, which is formed from a single sheet of cardboard.

8. The packaging box according to claim 7, wherein the recess is formed by a hole provided in a part of the part of the cardboard that forms the surface.

9. The packaging box according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portions and the flap portions are formed in multiple locations on the box portion, and the protruding portions are formed in multiple locations on the lid portion corresponding to the positions of the recessed portions and the flap portions.

10. The packaging box according to claim 9, wherein the recess and the flap are formed on the surface and another surface opposite the surface, respectively.

11. The packaging box according to claim 1, wherein the box portion is positioned at the top and the lid portion is positioned at the bottom.

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