The invention relates to a packaging container and an appropriate blank therefore. A swivel joint line is arranged along a joining edge of the rear walls of the bottom and lid parts for pivotably connecting both parts. The invention includes a locking means provided at the bottom and at the lid parts for releasably closing the packaging container.
A packaging container is known in practice for storing fast food like hamburgers or similar products. Generally, to remove the fast food, a lid part is swiveled upwards relative to the bottom part, so that the content of the packaging container is accessible for removal. Such a container is described in EP 1 785 359 A1. Sometimes, the user of such a packaging container would like to consume the fast food directly from the container without taking it out of the container.
JP 2003 072 749 A discloses a packaging container with a bottom part and a lid part, wherein each of those parts comprises a swivel joint for folding a half of the lid or bottom part upwards or downwards. In this way, the packaging container may be opened without taking the fast food out of the container.
JP 2002 347 756 A discloses a further container for solid food that has a bottom and a top, with the top comprising two flaps that can be locked to each other to close the upper opening of the container. Essentially, in the middle between the top and bottom, there is a angular, tearing working part that enables an upper half part of the container body to be removed, such that the solid food can be eaten directly from the lower half part of the container.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container that can be used for consuming the food as long as possible directly from the container, and to also allow easy access to the food, even if it is already partly consumed.
According to the invention, at least one tearing line for separating the bottom part and lid part is formed perpendicular to the swivel joint line in the front walls, rear walls, and bottom and top walls of the bottom part and the lid part of the container.
According to JP 2003 072 749 A, the corresponding pivotable halves of the lid and the bottom part are always connected to the rest of the container. Even if it is possible to partially consume the food directly from the container, those pivotable halves are still connected to the container, and are an obstacle to the user during eating the food. Moreover, those pivotable container halves are not fixed in their open position and may fall back in direction of the food, such that they have to be held by the user. As the corresponding food may have ingredients that adhere to the pivotable container halves, there is also a danger of contaminating the users hands or clothes during consumption.
The container according to JP 2002 347 756 A is a container that has no pivotably connected container halves, but will just be divided more or less in the middle of the standing container. This allows the user to consume about half of the food from the container. The other half is then to be taken out of the container, which might be difficult since the corresponding container opening is quite close, and the user has to use his fingers to remove the rest of the food, wherein his fingers have to be introduced between the food and the edge of the opening.
According to the present invention, the packaging container is divided by using the tearing line such that two container halves are obtained, each of which is quite similar to the complete packaging container and only has a lateral opening. This lateral opening is used to remove one of the container halves and to use the other container half to consume the food directly from this container half. Moreover, the container half in use still comprises a portion of each of the bottom part and the lid part, and also a portion of the swivel joint line, such that the corresponding portions of the bottom and lid parts may still be opened to take out the rest of the food if it is no longer possible to consume same directly from the corresponding container half.
It is even possible to close the remaining container half if the user does not want to completely consume the food, but to take it away for later consumption. There are no parts of the container that are an obstacle with respect to consumption, or that make it difficult to take out the rest of the food when it can no longer be consumed directly from the container.
To allow an easy opening and closing of each of the container halves mentioned above, it might be considered as advantageous if two locking means are spaced with respect to each other with the tearing strip therebetween. In this way, each of the corresponding container halves can be opened or closed in a simple way. Also the closing of each container half might be important for further storing the food for later consumption.
It is also possible that there is only one locking means in particular at the remaining container half. This locking means allows an easy opening of this remaining container half to take out the rest of the food which cannot be further consumed through the corresponding lateral opening of this remaining container half. A corresponding locking means is not necessary for the removed container half.
To increase the stability, and particularly the shape stability of each container half, the side walls of the bottom part and/or the lid part may be concavely curved or rounded between the front and the rear walls. By such concave curvature, each of the container halves is stabilized, and each may be used for consuming the food directly from the container half. Furthermore, this concave curvature of the side wall forms some indentation or recessed grip that can be used for at least some of the user's fingers to support the container half or to hold the container during removal of one container half. It might be possible that such concave curvature is only provided on one side of the packaging container, such that only one of the container halves after using the tearing line will have this concavely curved side walls. To avoid a definite selection of one of the container halves for consumption of the food, it is advantageous for both of the corresponding sides of the packaging container to comprise such concavely curved side walls.
The corresponding effects as described will be even more enhanced if upper and/or lower edges of the side walls of the bottom and/or lid parts are convexly curved or rounded.
To allow an easy usage of the tearing line, the tearing line can comprise a handheld portion at at least one end of the line.
It is further possible that there is a second tearing line which extends along the first tearing line defining a tearing strip between the two tearing lines. This tearing strip may be removed in total using both of the limiting tearing lines.
It is possible, that the first and the second tearing line obliquely extend relative to each other. In such a way, the tearing strip will change its width, wherein the smallest part of the tearing strip may be used for starting the removal.
It is further possible, that the first and second tearing lines are parallel to each other, such that the tearing strip has a constant width.
It is possible to provide a corresponding tearing strip or tearing lines that are separated from the rest of the container by cut lines that extend along the tearing strip or lines and are separated from each other by quite a short distance. The tearing strip or lines are then removed or used by tearing the material between the cut lines, wherein the direction of the cut lines defines lateral edges of the tearing strip or lines.
However, such cut lines may also comprise openings that might allow leakage of some of the food's ingredients and may, of course, deteriorate the outer appearance of the container and might also contaminate the user and, particularly, his clothes.
To prevent this, the tearing strip or lines can have lateral edge portions extending at least in places from the strip or lines, and there can be overlapping connecting edge portions of the top wall, rear walls, front walls, and bottom wall, wherein said edges are releasably fixed to each other. According to the overlap of these edges, there is no direct opening of the container, and any leakage from inside the container is prevented.
For removing the tearing strip or during use of the tearing lines, the corresponding fixing of these edges is released. The tearing strip may be removed in total.
It is possible that the tearing strip or lines are fixed to edge portions of the corresponding walls. However, to avoid any protrusion of the tearing strip or lines from the corresponding walls, the lateral edge portions of the tearing strip or lines and/or the overlapped connecting edge portions of the walls have a reduced thickness of material. In this way, the added thickness of lateral edge portions and connecting edge portions is rather small.
It might further be considered as advantageous if the lateral edge portions of the tearing strip or lines and the overlapping connecting edge portions of the corresponding walls have the same width. In this way, there will only be an overlap between the outer edge portions and the connection edge portions.
It is further possible that the lateral edge portions of the tearing strip or lines and the overlapped connection edge portions of the walls together have the same thickness of material as the rest of the tearing strip/lines and/or walls. In such a way, the tearing strip or lines will not protrude from the packaging container.
There are different possibilities for releasably fixing the edge portions, wherein one possibility is to glue the edge portions to each other. However, if gluing is used, the tearing strip has to be assembled separately. To avoid such separate assembly of the tearing strip, it is possible that the lateral edge portions and the connection edge portions are defined by partially impressed cut lines that are separated from each other. Those only partially impressed cut lines prevent any leakage and, at the same time, allow easy removal of the tearing strip. Any gluing is not necessary, as the tearing strip is an intrinsic part of the rest of the container and is only defined by such partially impressed cut lines. An easy arrangement of the cut lines might be considered, according to which they are parallel to each other and are impressed from upper and lower surfaces of the corresponding tearing strip or container walls. It is also possible that they are not strictly parallel or even have a structure such as a zig-zag structure or the like. This is also valid in view of the tearing lines, see in particular the partially impressed cut lines.
To facitate closing one or both of the container halves after separating them by removing the tearing line, the locking means may comprise a locking slit and a locking lug.
In case only one locking means is used (it is possible to use two or more locking means on the container of the invention), it may be advantageous if this locking means is provided at the remaining container half such that this remaining container half used for consuming the food may then be opened to consume also the rest of the food within this remaining container half.
The locking lug may protrude from an upper edge of the front wall of the bottom part with the corresponding locking slit arranged along a folding line between the front wall and the top wall of the lid part. The opposite arrangement is also feasible.
To allow easy insertion of the locking lug and simultaneously prevent any easy release of same, the locking lug may have lateral locking extensions, wherein the length of the locking lug with locking extensions corresponds to a length of the locking slit with lateral cut lines of the slit. The lateral cut lines, together with the locking slit are then used for introducing the locking lug with its locking extensions, wherein those locking extensions will avoid any easy release of the lock, as the length of the locking slit more or less corresponds only to the length of the locking lug without the locking extensions.
The lateral cut lines of the locking slit may be formed by cut lines formed in folding lines between the front wall and top wall.
All the other folding lines between other walls may comprise such cut lines that are separated from each other with impressed line sections therebetween.
To maintain the three dimensional structure of the packaging container in an easy way, fixing lugs may be arranged at lateral ends of at least the rear walls and/or the front walls of the bottom and/or lid parts. The fixing lugs are glued to interior surfaces of adjacent side walls.
To securely close the container and to further stabilize same, the front walls and/or side walls of the lid part of the bottom part may at least partially overlap the front wall and/or side walls of the bottom part, or the lid part, respectively. The opposite arrangement is also possible.
To allow easy access to the handheld portion, the front wall of the lid part may have cutouts adjacent to the handheld portion of the tearing strip.
According to one embodiment of the present invention the front wall on both sides of the at least one tearing line may have front wall sections of different lengths. The front wall section with the longer length may then be used for removing one of the container halves by separating same along the at least one tearing line.
It might also be advantageous if the front wall section with the longer length is curved at one edge in direction to the at least one tearing line. This particular curved edge may then be used as some kind of hand held portion during separation of the container halves along the tearing line.
According to the invention, the simple two-dimensional blank can be used for forming the packaging container as mentioned above. Such a blank can comprise two bottom panels, two top panels, four rear and four front wall panels, wherein pairs of the panels are separated by the at least one tearing line. The two bottom panels form the bottom wall of the bottom part, and the two top panels form the top wall of the lid part. Each of the corresponding parts also comprises two rear and two front wall panels that are all separated by said tearing line.
The tearing line extends essentially perpendicular to the folding lines, connecting bottom and front panels, bottom and rear panels, rear and top panels, and top and front panels. As already outlined, any folding may be simplified when each folding line comprises a number of cut lines that are separated from each other along the corresponding folding line, with impressed line sections therebetween.
The tearing line is already formed in the blank, wherein this blank comprises a partially impressed first cut line that may be formed in an upper surface of the blank, and a partially impressed second cut line that may be formed in the lower surface of the blank. Those cut lines are separated parallel from each other and define the tearing line therebetween. It is further possible to arrange a second tearing line extending along the first tearing line defining a tearing strip therebetween. With respect to those two tearing lines it is possible that they are arranged in parallel to each other.
First and second cut lines are then arranged in pairs at both lateral edges of the tearing strip and define the lateral edge portions and overlapped connecting edge portions that were already mentioned.
The folding lines connecting side panels and bottom panels, or side panels and top panels, may be concavely curved. Furthermore, the end edges of the side panels adjacent to the top panels may be convexly curved.
To provide any possible user of the container with some reward it is possible to arrange at least one removable card in one of the panels of the blank. This card may have some printing or other index on an inner surface directed to the inner side of the container and may be removed for collection or for receiving some present.
It is also possible to arrange a number of such cards in one container.
In the following, advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed and described in the accompanied description and figures.
In the following figures are shown:
In
The packaging container 1 comprises a lid part 3 and a bottom part 2, see also
There are locking means 14 and 16 that are separated from each other with a tearing strip 15 therebetween for closing the container and locking same in the closed position. This tearing strip 15 extends through front wall 10, top wall 9, the rear walls 6 and 11, see
The locking means 14, 16, each comprise a locking slit 33 or 34, and a counterpart 35, 36, in the form of a locking lug. The locking lug protrudes from an upper edge 37 of the front wall 5 of the bottom part 2. They are inserted in the corresponding locking slits 33 and 34, in the case of a close position of the packaging container 1, see
Most of the walls are planar. However, the side walls 7, 8, and 12, 13, are concavely curved in direction of the interior of the packaging container 1. At least the upper and lower edges 17, 18, of the side walls 12, 13, of the lid part 3 are convexly curved, such that in the case of a closed packaging container, see
The tearing strip 15 is defined by a number of cut lines 27-30, see
In
On the lower surface 32, see
For gripping the tearing strip 15 and removing same, -a handheld portion 19 is provided at one end 59, see in particular
According to
Fixing lugs 43 are provided that extend from end edges of front walls 5 and 10, and rear walls 6 and 11 to fix the front wall or the corresponding rear wall with the adjacent side walls. Those fixing lugs 43 are affixed to interior surfaces of corresponding side walls 7, 8, or 12, 13, by applying an adhesive.
Along an upper edge of the two rear walls 6, 11, the walls are connected to each other by swivel joint line 20 for pivotably connecting the bottom part 2 and the lid part 3 of the packaging container.
According to the embodiment of
In
Tearing strip 15 also has folding lines 42, see also
Moreover, the tearing strip 15 has lateral edge portions 21 and 22, which are reduced in thickness with respect to the rest of the tearing strip. The container halves, according to
In the separate position according to
After the fast food has been consumed as much as possible from the remaining container half, it can be opened, and the rest of the food can be removed for manual consumption. It is also possible to keep one container half with the rest of the food for consumption later.
The packaging container according to the invention can also be used for providing two fast foods, one in each container half, wherein this packaging container is some kind of partner container. After buying the partner container, it can be separated, and two people can share the containers contents, wherein each person gets one container half.
It is also possible to arrange different food in the container halves that may then be consumed separately by one or two people.
The containers material is paper or cardboard or another recyclable material. It is possible to impregnate such material or apply some fluid tight material to the surfaces, such as corresponding resin layers. It is also possible to print advertisements or other things on the exterior of the container. Moreover, the tearing strip can be used as some kind of gratification or the like with printing on its inner surface, wherein the collection of a number or such tearing strips 15 may be rewarded by some present from the seller.
In
Folding lines 42 are arranged between all of the different panels, wherein each of the folding lines 42 comprise cut lines 41 that are separated from each other along the folding lines 42. The side panels 55 and 56, see also side walls 12 and 13 according to
The two locking slits 33 and 34 are arranged along the folding lines connecting the front panels 52 and top panels 47 and 48. They are continued in longitudinal direction by adjacent cut lines 40. Length 60 of such a locking slit 33 or 34 with the lateral cut lines 40 correspond to the length 39 of a locking lug 35 with lateral locking extensions 38. This length is used for introducing the locking lugs with locking extensions.
The tearing strip 15 divides the blank 54 into two halves that are symmetrical to each other. In
The rear walls 6 and 11 of bottom and lid parts 2, 3, are each formed by a pair of rear panels 49 and 50, respectively. At the ends of those rear panels, fixing lugs 43 are arranged, wherein such lugs are also arranged at longitudinal ends of front panels 51 and 52.
The folding lines 41 between each of the side panels 53 and 54 and the adjacent bottom panels 46, are all convexly curved in direction to the bottom panel, see the other folding lines 41 between the side panels 55 and 56, and top panels 47 and 48, respectively. The swivel joint line 20, see
In
Parts of these blanks similar to the blank of
In the following only some differences of the two blanks according to
The main difference is the arrangement of only one tear line 62 which is used for separating the two container halves, see also
A corresponding edge connecting the front panel 52 with the handheld portion 19 to the other front panel 52 or to the first tear line is curved.
In both of the front panels 52 two removeable cards 64 are arranged. Those are connected to the front panels by some cut lines 41 and lateral perforated removal lines 65.
Each of the corresponding cards may have some printing on its inner side and this printing may be used for getting some reward from the seller of the container, wherein it is also possible to first collect a number of those cards before such a reward may be obtained.
Alternatively, cards can be used as identifying tabs to be folded by the personnel at the selling point, and in order to identify flavor or type of food inside the container.
It is also possible that only one locking means 14, 16 is used, see also
It is of course also possible to use the locking means for again closing this container half.
Moreover, depending on the user and if he is right-handed or left-handed, it may be possible to arrange the handheld portion 19 at the other front panel 52 to allow the usage of the tearing line 62 with a preferred hand of the user.
Moreover, see also
This is of course also true in view of the other embodiment of the present invention.
The particular packaging container according to the present invention allows an easy separation of the container in two halves, from which each half is closeable, wherein a corresponding tearing strip or lines extend perpendicular to a swivel joint line between the bottom and lid parts of the complete packaging container. The tearing strip or lines surround the container, and it is easily possible to remove the tearing strip or to separate the container halves with the tearing line and then open the packaging container by removing one of the container halves. The other container half can be used for consuming food directly from said container half. This container half can then be opened for removing the rest of the food that cannot be consumed directly from the container. This remaining container half can be closed again to keep the food for consumption later.
Any spilling out of the container or leakage is prevented by such a container, and it is also easily possible to remove the food from the remaining container half.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010007121.6 | May 2010 | DE | national |
This is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2011/002534, filed May 20, 2011, and claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 20 2010 007 121.6, filed May 21, 2010 both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. The International Application published in English on Nov. 24, 2011 as WO 2011/144356 under PCT Article 21(2).
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP11/02534 | 5/20/2011 | WO | 00 | 1/15/2013 |