The present invention relates to packed roof window product comprising a plurality of differently sized roof window related product components accommodated in a box, wherein the box in a supply condition has a bottom side and a top side, which bottom side and top side are spaced apart along a height axis and side walls of the box extend between the bottom side and top side of the box along the height axis, said bottom side, top side and side walls delimiting an internal space of the box, and wherein a first of the side walls extends along a primary axis, which primary axis is perpendicular to the height axis, and the first side wall has an upper edge extending along the primary axis along the top side, an outer surface facing away from the internal space, and an inner surface facing towards the internal space, wherein a first of the components or a collection of components is accommodated by a sub-packaging, the sub-packaging being accommodated in the internal space of the box, the sub-packaging comprising a main body, which main body delimits an internal space accommodating the first component or component collection.
When installing windows in a roof it is vital to ensure that the roof window itself is securely attached to the roof structure and that the joint between the roof window and the roof structure is properly weather proofed. It is therefore important that all components of roof window products, such as the roof window itself or a flashing assembly for a roof window, are used and are used in the right way. To facilitate this, the components are typically arranged in the box in an intended order of use and small components, such as screws, are kept in plastic bags. Furthermore, blocks of expanded polystyrene or similar shock absorbing material are used for protecting the product and/or for keeping the components in the intended position within the box. An example of a packed roof window, where these principles are used, is known from EP2748071B1 and an example of a packed flashing assembly for a roof window is known from EP1710163B1. Traditionally small components have been attached to the box or to larger components, for example by means of an adhesive, to prevent them from becoming lost, either inside the box or when removed from the box, and/or they have been wrapped in plastic, thereby also preventing them from scratching or otherwise damaging other components. Larger components have traditionally been kept in place in the box by being attached to the box by means of an adhesive or by being fixated between blocks of expanded polystyrene (EPS), and some have been covered by a protective plastic film to prevent them from being scratched.
While this has functioned well in terms protecting the components, it also leads to an overall packaging which contains a large number of separate packaging elements, e.g. positioning elements, plastic strips or the like, which may be made from different materials. As the packaging needs to be collected and sorted, a large number of elements decreases the likelihood of it actually being collected and recycled after installing the window.
Fixating components by glue or adhesives may decrease the number of components to be collected and recycled, if additional sub-packaging is not used along with the glue, but glue is not easily removed from the packaging material and when recycling the material used for the box, foreign matter may lead to the material being classified as lower grade of material. Pure material is more easily recycled and are thus more valuable for recycling. For example, cardboard recycling is classified in several grades, with limitations on contaminants such as glue.
With this background, it is an object of the invention to provide a packed roof window product, which has a smaller climate footprint and/or with improved recyclability, without increasing the risk of errors in the installation of the product and while maintaining a good protection of the components during transportation.
These and further objects are achieved with a packed roof window product of the kind mentioned in the introduction, which is furthermore characterised in that the sub-packaging further comprises an attachment flap projecting from the main body, and that the sub-packaging is attached to the first side wall of the box by the attachment flap extending across the first side wall from the inner surface to the outer surface.
By providing a sub-packaging with an attachment flap, the sub-packaging can be retained in relation to the side wall of the box without using separate fixation means such as adhesives or plastic straps, while still preventing the sub-packaging from moving around inside the box during transport. The attachment flap allows the sub-packaging to be retained or fixated by employing the structure of the box, rather than separate fixation means. In this way, the number of packaging pieces is potentially reduced, which increases the likelihood of the packaging material being recycled, as it reduces the need for the installer to collect and sort packaging after installing the window. As the sub-packaging and the attachment flap can be made of the same material as the box, such as a paper-based material, the recyclability of overall packaging of the roof window product is improved.
Another potential advantage of having the sub-packaging attached to the side wall in this manner is that it may provide the opportunity of using the sub-packaging as a positioning element or a spacer element for other components which are packed in the box, eliminating material used for dedicated positioning or spacing elements.
A still further potential advantage of attaching the sub-packaging to the first side wall in this manner may be that the height dimension of the box may be employed to a greater extent, as the sub-packaging need not rest on the bottom of the box. The components of a packed roof window product typically have different sizes and hence one or more larger components may determine the height dimension of the box. This typically leads to unused space above other components. By attaching the second packing to the side wall by the attachment flap it may allow this space to be used, potentially reducing the size of the box and in turn reducing material consumption.
These advantages contribute to the overall recyclability of the packaging of the roof window product and in turn its climate footprint.
A still further potential advantage of using an attachment flap to attach the sub-packaging to the side wall is that it provides a simple packing and unpacking process. The details of this is described in relation to the specific embodiments.
The box is typically of a rectangular configuration where the top side and bottom side extend in parallel to each other and four side walls extend perpendicularly thereto in between the bottom and top sides. In such a case the height axis is parallel with the side walls and two of the side walls extend along the primary axis and the remaining two side walls extend along a secondary axis, which secondary axis is perpendicular to the height axis and the primary axis. The primary and secondary axis may be denoted a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, respectively. The height of the box in along the height axis is usually smaller than both the length of the box along the primary axis and the width of the box along the secondary axis, providing a flat box in which the top side and bottom side form major sides of the box and the side walls form minor sides. Major and minor here refers to the area of the side. The width of the box may be larger than the length of the box.
The term supply condition denotes the packed state of the roof window product, in which it is supplied to the user. The box is described herein with reference to a bottom side and a top side with side walls extending in between. These terms are understood in terms of their function when packing the roof window product, the top side being the side which is open when the roof window product is packed in the box, allowing components to be placed in the box. Subsequently the top side is closed to provide the supply condition. The top side may also be denoted a lid of the box. The surfaces of the box which face the internal space of the box in the supply condition are herein denoted as inner surfaces, whereas surfaces facing away from the internal space will be denoted as outer surfaces. The box can comprise overlapping portions, and hence an outer surface is not necessarily also an exterior surface of the box.
The packed roof window product comprises a plurality of roof window related product components, and the first component is carried by the side wall, while at least some of, preferably a majority of, the other components are placed on the bottom side of the box, either directly or resting on top of one or more other components. Some of the other components may be glued to the bottom side or kept in place by positioning elements.
The packed roof window product may comprise additional components or component collections in further separate pieces of sub-packaging attached to the side walls of the box by attachment flaps.
The attachment flap is understood to extend across the side wall in the sense that it extends from the inner surface of the first side wall to the outer surface of the first side wall. The attachment flap may be in contact with one or both of these surfaces.
In some embodiments the main body is in contact with the inner surface of the first side wall. Preferably, the wall of the main body from which the attachment flap projects rests against the inner surface of the first side wall.
In some embodiments, the box and/or the sub-packaging is/are made from a paper-based material such as carton or cardboard, the box preferably being made from corrugated cardboard.
Cardboard and other paper-based material is readily recyclable and by providing all packaging elements made from such materials the likelihood of it being recycled is increased considerably as there is no need for sorting the packaging in fractions. Cardboard can also be made as a suitably flexible material, allowing it to easily extend across the first side wall.
In some embodiments, the attachment flap is integrally formed with the sub-packaging. In this way the likelihood of the material of the sub-packaging material actually being recycled is increased considerably, while also simplifying manufacture of the sub-packaging.
In some embodiments, the attachment flap comprises a first section and a second section, which first and second sections are delimited from each other by a folding zone of the attachment flap, wherein the first section extends along the inner surface of the first side wall and the second section extends along the outer surface of the first side wall.
By providing the folding zone of the attachment flap, the attachment flap can be folded across the side wall of the box during packing and when the box is closed and brought to the supply condition, the top side of the box may fixate the attachment flap to the side wall. The attachment flap is suitably folded across an upper edge of the first side wall, the upper edge being the free upper edge of a panel of cardboard forming the first side wall which is located furthest from the bottom side, possibly being formed by a fold in the cardboard panel. In this way the top side of the box is used to fasten the sub-packaging element, without separate fixation means beyond the existing structure of the box. Providing the folding zone as a pre-made zone in the attachment flap may also allow the position of the sub-packaging in relation to the side wall to be controlled, facilitating the correct placement of the sub-packaging during packing. The folding zone may comprise two or more folding lines, which may for example be pre-defined by embossing lines into the material of attachment flap. Also, or alternatively, the folding zone may comprise a section of material, which is weaker than the rest of the attachment flap allow the folding zone to assume a curved shape. For corrugated cardboard, the folding zone may be a compressed zone. Also, or alternatively, the folding zone may consist of a different material than the rest of the attachment flap.
The first section may extend in parallel to and be in contact with the inner surface of the first side wall and the second section may extend in parallel to and be in contact with the outer surface. Friction between attachment flap and first side wall may then keep the sub-packaging from sliding along the first side wall.
In some embodiments, the main body of the sub-packaging has a length Lb as seen along the primary axis, and the attachment flap has a length Lf as seen along the primary axis, wherein the length Lf exceeds the length Lb. By providing a long attachment flap in this way, friction is increased, improving the fixation of the sub-packaging in relation to the side wall. A long attachment flap may also increase the stability of the attachment of the sub-packaging by reducing the risk of the sub-packaging turning.
In some embodiments, the top side of the box is formed by a lid of the box, and in the supply condition, the attachment flap is retained in relation to the first side wall of the box by being arrange between the first side wall and the lid of the box. The lid thus provides a means of fixating the attachment flap which is integrated in the box. The lid may be a hinged lid, e.g. a panel of the box which is attached to a side wall of the box, but other box types could be used e.g. a telescopic box type. When the lid is closed the lid engages the attachment flap and fixates the sub-packaging. The attachment flap is thus sandwiched in between the first side wall and lid. In addition to requiring no separate fixation means, a simple packing process is also obtained. The sub-packaging is simply positioned at the first side wall, with its attachment flap extending across the first side wall, and when the lid is closed the sub-packaging is fixated. When the box is opened, the sub-packaging is released and is easily retrievable for the installer.
In a further development, the box comprises an overlap panel, which overlap panel in the supply condition overlaps with an outer surface of the first side wall and with a part of the attachment flap which is positioned at the outer surface of the first side wall.
The overlap panel is typically provided on the top side of the box and is used to keep the box closed in the supply condition. It may be glued or otherwise fastened to the outer surface of the first side wall. The second section of the attachment flap is thus sandwiched in between the first side wall and the overlap panel, and thus retained in relation to the first side wall. Overlap panels are found in boxes of the five-panel fold type and the telescopic type which are presently preferred but could possibly be incorporated in other box types.
A five-panel fold type box (sometimes referred to as five-panel-folder) is a standard box type, where fifth panel is provided to overlap with another panel in the closed state of the box. Telescopic boxes are also a standard box type, wherein the box comprises two pieces, which can be fitted to each other such that side walls of one piece is at least partly overlapped by side walls of the other piece.
In a further development, the overlap panel and/or the first side wall is provided with a zone of reduced thickness, such as a compressed zone, and said zone corresponds in size and shape at least to the part of the attachment flap which is positioned at the outer surface of the first side wall.
Typically, overlap panels are attached with a strip of adhesive to the outer surface of the side wall which it overlaps to close the box. However, as part of the attachment flap is positioned on the outer surface, it may prevent the overlap panel from resting flush against the outer surface and thus inhibit the efficiency of the adhesive. By providing a zone of reduced thickness on the overlap panel or the side wall in the area of the attachment flap, space for the attachment flap is provided, improving contact between the outer surface and the overlap panel and in turn improving attachment. Providing the zone of reduced thickness in the first side wall, provides a retracted position for the attachment flap, whereas providing the zone of reduced thickness in the overlap panel provides space for the attachment flap. For corrugated cardboard boxes the reduced thickness is easily provided by compression of the corrugated cardboard.
In some embodiments, the first side wall comprises a recess in an upper edge of the first side wall, and the attachment flap is folded across the side wall at the recess. This may provide a slightly retracted position of the attachment flap in relation the upper edge, allowing the box to be closed in a flush manner.
In some embodiments, the attachment flap extends across the first side wall by extending through a cut in the first side wall of the box. The cut will typically correspond in size to a cross-section of the attachment flap and provides additional fixation of the sub-packaging to the side wall. The attachment flap may extend through multiple cuts in the side wall in a weaved solution for attaching the sub-packaging.
In a further development, the attachment flap comprises a lock panel, preferably two lock panels, which lock panel is configured for locking into a cut in the first side wall of the box. The sub-packaging is attached to first side wall by inserting the attachment flap with folded lock panel(s) through the cut in the side wall, whereupon the lock panels are unfolded to lock the attachment flap in the side wall.
In some embodiments, the main body of the sub-packaging is box-shaped. Box-shaped is typically a rectangular prism shape.
The sub-packaging may suitably be folded from a blank, e.g. of the five-panel fold type. In that case the attachment flap is provided as an extension of one of the side panels of the blank.
In some embodiments, the main body of the sub-packaging comprises one or two open sides, the open sides preferably facing along the primary axis. Such a main-body may have a tubular shape or pipe-shape. In a main body having two open sides, the open sides preferably face in opposite directions along the primary axis, allowing long components to be accommodated by extending through the main body. A main body with one open side can accommodate an end-portion of a component, and two sub-packagings can thus accommodate one component.
In some embodiments, the sub-packaging is a bag, such as a paper bag. Such bags have an internal space defined the by bag walls, where the components typically occupy the part of the internal space which is located at a bottom the bag opposite to a top opening of the bag. The bag can be closed by pressing the parts of the bag walls which are located at the top opening against each other, thereby enclosing the components in the main body of the bag. The parts bag walls which are pressed against each other can thus form the attachment flap. Alternatively, the attachment flap may be provided as an extension of part of the bag or a separate attachment flap, suitably of cardboard or corrugated cardboard, attached to the bag.
In some embodiments, the sub-packaging comprises a removable portion configured for being separated from the rest of the sub-packaging by a break-zone. A break-zone is understood be a portion of the sub-packaging which has been deliberately weakened to facilitate tearing, opening or the like of the sub-packaging. The break-zone may comprise perforations or scoring. By providing a removable portion the installer can easily retrieve the sub-packaging from a fixed position on the box, such as a position where lock panels of the attachment flap lock the sub-packaging to the first side wall. The removable portion may also provide the installer with a way to easily open the sub-packaging and access the component(s) accommodated in the sub-packaging.
The removable portion may comprise the attachment flap. When the removable portion includes the attachment flap, the break zone is provided at or in connection with the attachment flap. In this way the attachment flap can provide leverage for tearing the sub-packaging open. Suitably the break zone is provided on a wall of the main body from which wall the attachment flap projects. Suitably, the removable portion covers at least 30% of the wall of the main body from which the attachment flap projects, preferably at least 50%. In this way the removable portion can provide an opening from which the components of the sub-packaging can be easily retrieved by the installer. The coverage of the removable portion is calculated as the fraction of the area which is removed from the wall of the main body to the total area of the wall.
In embodiments where the attachment flap is fixated to the first side wall in the supply condition, but released when the box is opened, the removable portion could be configured to remain attached to the rest of the sub-packaging after the having been used to open the sub-packaging. In this way the sub-packaging is kept in one piece, increasing the likelihood of the material being collected for recycling.
In the following description embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the schematic drawings in which
Other embodiments and further advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.
Referring initially to
In the supply condition the lid 11 is closed and the attachment flap will be locked in between first side wall 13 and the gutter element 3 by the top side 11. In this way the sub-packaging 5 is fixated in relation to the box 10 without the use of auxiliary fastening means. See also
The lid 11 of the box further comprises an overlap panel 111 which is attached to the outer surface 133 of the first side wall 13 in the supply condition.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The attachment flap 52 is in this embodiment longer than the main body 51 of the sub-packaging 5. The attachment flap has length Lf and the main body has length Lb, both measured along the primary axis P when the sub-packaging 5 positioned at the first side wall 13. The longer attachment flap 52 increases friction, preventing the sub-packaging 5 from sliding along the first side wall 13, and also hinders rotation about the secondary axis S.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In the embodiment of
Referring now to
The attachment flap 52 is integrated with main body 51, being an extension of the lid panel 501. The first section 521 and second section 523 are delimited from each other by a folding zone 522 which is indicated by dashed folding lines. The sub-packaging 5 further has a removable portion 54, which here includes the attachment flap 52 and a portion of the lid panel 501, which removable portion 54 is delimited by a break-zone 541 provided on the lid panel 501. Lid panel 501 is the wall of the of sub-packaging 5 from which the attachment flap 52 projects. The break zone is here perforation lines 541 which are shown as dotted lines. The removable portion 54 is thus a weakened portion of the lid panel and by tearing the attachment flap 52 from the main body, a part of the lid panel 501 will be torn away with the attachment flap 52, providing an opening in the sub-packaging 5 through which the contents can be retrieved. In this embodiment, the part of the lid panel 501, which is removed, covers about 70% of the area of the lid panel 501. In embodiments where the sub-packaging 5 is released from the first side wall of the box upon opening on the box, such as the ones shown in
A sub-packaging 5 opened by tearing a cardboard material at a break-zone in the manner described above is shown in
Referring now to
In the shown embodiments the box 10 is of the five-panel fold type, where the lid 11 is hinged at one of the side walls and is provided with overlap flaps 111 to be attached the outer surface of the remaining side walls. Other types of box-designs could also be used, such as a telescopic box design, where the box formed by two separate parts; a bottom part forming the bottom side and side walls of the box and a top part forming the top side and having overlap panels which in the supply condition overlap at least partly with the side walls of the side walls of the bottom part.
In
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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PA 2021 70503 | Oct 2021 | DK | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/DK2022/050211 | 10/7/2022 | WO |