The invention relates to a push-over box comprising an inner part having a bottom wall and four first side walls and an outer part having a top wall and four second side walls, wherein the outer part can be pushed onto the inner part. Opposite to the bottom wall, the inner part has a first opening, delimited by the edges of the first side walls, for inserting and removing products. Opposite to the top wall, the outer part has a second opening, delimited by edges of the second side walls, for inserting and removing the inner part. Outer part and inner part consist of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or another foldable flat material.
Push-over boxes are used for a variety of different products, in particular for dishwashing tablets, medicines, household cleaners, candles, cosmetics, tobacco, and other products that are not supposed to fall into the hands of children, since they often put them in their mouths, swallow them, or use them in other hazardous ways. This applies in particular to small children, kindergarten children, and children of pre-school age, i.e., up to approximately six years old. The producer of folding boxes typically produces printed blanks provided with folding lines, which are delivered lying flat in stacks to the filler of the products to be packaged, where inner part and outer part are erected and glued. In particular when producing the blanks and erecting and gluing the inner part and outer part, there can be tolerances, which cannot be so large that they prevent the outer part from being pushed over the inner part.
Proceeding from this, the invention is based on the object of creating a push-over box that is reliably protected against opening by children or other unintentional opening. This is also to be ensured in consideration of tolerances in the production of the blanks and erecting and gluing the push-over box.
The object is achieved by a push-over box as claimed in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the push-over box are specified in the dependent claims.
The push-over box according to the invention made of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, and/or another foldable flat material comprises
In the case of the push-over box according to the invention, the first locking tabs and the second locking tabs form a lock when the outer part is pushed onto the inner part. This is because the second locking edges are then arranged below the first locking edges, so that by abutting one another or supporting one another, they prevent the outer part from being pulled off of the inner part. Pulling the outer part off of the inner part requires that the lock between the outer part and the inner part is released. To do this, the user can engage in the access openings with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and press the first locking tabs together somewhat, so that the first locking edges no longer block the path of the second locking edges. With the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, the user can grip the lower edge of the inner part through the second engagement openings and pull apart the outer part and inner part. In this case, the first locking tabs slide past the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the user, which engage in the first engagement openings and press the first locking tabs together somewhat. Because the first locking tabs each consist of two layers of the foldable flat material of the inner part at least at the first locking edges and/or that the second locking tabs each consist of two layers of the foldable flat material of the outer part at least at the second locking edges, tolerances are compensated for which can occur when producing the blanks and erecting and gluing the inner part and/or the outer part. This ensures that the push-over box is securely lockable despite the tolerances. Unlocking by a child can be prevented by dimensioning the push-over box in such a way that the child, due to the comparatively small size of his hands, is not able to engage in the engagement openings in the manner described. In addition, unlocking requires a certain understanding of the function of the locking mechanism, which is usually not yet present in a child up to the age of six. As a result, a child is prevented from unlocking the push-over box according to the invention and protected from the dangers linked thereto. In addition, the push-over box according to the invention is protected against unintentional opening, which can occur with a conventional push-over box, for example, when it is lifted on the outer part without supporting the inner part, so that the inner part slips out of the outer part.
In the present application, position specifications such as “below” and “above”, “lower” and “upper” as well as “beneath” and “above” refer to an arrangement of the push-over box, in which the outer part is pushed onto the inner part, the top wall is oriented horizontally and the second side walls are oriented vertically downward, starting from the top wall.
It is apparent that the inner part, opposite to the base wall, includes a first opening, delimited by edges of the first side walls, for inserting and removing the product. Furthermore, opposite to the top wall, the outer part has a second opening, delimited by edges of the second side walls, for inserting and removing the inner part.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the first locking tabs are connected to the first side walls by first folding lines at their upper edges. As a result, the inner part, including the first locking tabs, can be formed from a one-piece blank. The first locking tabs are firmly connected to the inner part by the first folding lines.
According to a further embodiment, the first locking tabs have inner first locking tabs abutting the outsides of the first side walls and outer first locking tabs connected to the lower edges of the inner first locking tabs via second folding lines and abutting their outsides, wherein the lower edges of the inner and outer first locking tabs jointly form the first locking edges. The inner first locking tabs and the outer first locking tabs form common double-layered first locking tabs, wherein the double-layered nature is present in particular at the first locking edges. The double-layered first locking tabs compensate for tolerances that can occur when producing the blanks and erecting and gluing the inner part and the outer part, so that the push-over box is securely lockable despite the tolerances.
According to a further embodiment, the inner first locking tabs are connected to edges of the first side walls via the first folding lines. The inner first locking tabs are connected directly to the first side walls and the outer first locking tabs are connected indirectly to the first side walls.
According to a further embodiment, the inner first locking tabs are connected to edges of the first side walls via the first folding lines. In this way it is possible that the outside of the cardboard, which forms the first side walls, is also the outside of the outer first locking tabs. This achieves a uniform appearance of the inner part.
According to a further embodiment, the first folding lines are perforation lines and/or the second folding lines are scored lines. In this way, the effort is reduced for folding the inner first locking tabs and the outer first locking tabs in different directions, since the perforation lines and the scored lines are worked into the cardboard material with relatively little effort. The second folding lines are preferably in the form of scored lines, since these form a particularly straight edge and the second folding line also defines the first locking edge.
According to a further embodiment, the first locking tabs are connected to the outsides of the first side walls by means of adhesive, wherein preferably the inner first connecting tabs are connected to the outsides of the first side walls by means of adhesive and the outer first adhesive tabs are connected to the outsides of the inner first adhesive tabs by means of adhesive. According to one preferred embodiment, these adhesive bonds are already carried out by the folding box producer. According to a further embodiment, the adhesive is applied in the form of parallel glue tracks or adhesive strips. According to a further embodiment, the glue tracks or adhesive strips extend in parallel to the first folding lines.
According to a further embodiment, the first side walls have bevels on both sides adjacent to each of the first locking tabs. This makes it easier to push the outer part onto the inner part. According to a preferred embodiment, the bevels form an angle of 45° with the adjacent edge of the first side wall.
According to a further embodiment, the second locking tabs are connected to the lower edges of the second side walls of the outer part via third folding lines. As a result, the outer part having the second locking tabs can be formed from a one-piece blank. The second locking tabs are firmly connected to the outer part via the third folding lines.
According to a further embodiment, the second locking tabs have inner second locking tabs abutting the insides of the second side walls and outer second locking tabs connected to the upper edges of the inner second locking tabs via fourth folding lines and abutting their outsides. The inner second locking tabs and the outer second locking tabs form two-layer second locking tabs. As a result, tolerances when producing the blanks, erecting and gluing the outer part and the inner part can be compensated for and secure locking of the push-over box can be ensured.
According to a further embodiment, the second locking tabs are connected to the lower edges of the second side walls via the third folding lines. As a result, the outer second locking tabs are connected directly to the second side walls and the inner second locking tabs are connected indirectly to the second side walls via the outer second locking tabs. The arrangement of the outer second locking tabs facilitates the pushing of the outer part onto the inner part and the secure locking since the outer locking tabs form smooth inner surfaces of the outer part.
According to a further embodiment, the outer second locking tabs are designed for this purpose in such a way that they completely cover the inner second locking tab. For this purpose, the outer second locking tabs are the same size or larger than the inner second locking tabs.
According to a further embodiment, the third folding lines are scored lines and/or the fourth folding lines are scored lines. Particularly straight edges are formed by the scored lines. This is advantageous in particular for the second locking edges. Because the inner and the outer second locking tabs are folded in the same directions, the scored lines of the same side can be introduced into the cardboard material. This is possible with comparatively little effort.
According to a further embodiment, the second locking tabs are connected by means of adhesive to the insides of the second side walls, wherein preferably the inner second locking tabs are connected by means of adhesive to the insides of the second side walls and the outer second locking tabs are connected by means of adhesive to the inner second locking tabs. According to a further embodiment, the adhesive is in the form of parallel glue tracks or in the form of parallel adhesive strips. According to a further embodiment, the glue tracks or adhesive strips extend in parallel to the third folding lines.
According to a further embodiment, the first engagement holes are round, oval, or rectangular and/or the second engagement holes have the shape of the upper half of a circle, oval, or rectangle.
According to a further embodiment, the first side walls and the second side walls are each connected to the adjacent side walls via folding lines extending perpendicularly to the grain direction. This is advantageous for a particularly straight formation of the edges on the folding lines mentioned.
According to a further embodiment, the shortest distance between the first finger holes and/or the second finger holes along the outsides of the upper part and/or the lower part is dimensioned such that a child of the age up to 3 years, preferably up to 4 years, preferably up to 5 years, preferably up to 6 years, cannot unlock the push-over box with both hands and pull the outer part off the inner part. The dimensioning is based on the average body measurements of a child in the EU, regardless of gender, in the respective age group.
According to a further embodiment, the distance between the outsides of the second side walls is 50 to 120 mm, preferably 70 to 100 mm, preferably 80 to 90 mm. The result of this is that a child cannot engage in all the access holes at the same time with his hands in order to unlock the folding box. However, this is easily possible for an adult.
According to a further embodiment, the second side walls protrude downwards from the lower side of the cover wall at least as far as the first side walls protrude upwards from the lower side of the lower wall of the inner part. This ensures that the dynamic pressure in a stack of push-over boxes according to the invention is transmitted via the outer part. This is particularly advantageous for the stability of the push-over boxes. According to a further embodiment, the second side walls protrude downwards from the lower side of the cover wall just as far as the first side walls protrude upwards from the lower side of the lower wall of the inner part. This ensures that the dynamic pressure in a stack is transmitted downwards via both the outer part and the inner part, which is particularly advantageous for the stability of the push-over boxes.
According to a further embodiment, the inner part is produced from a one-piece blank and/or the outer part is produced from a one-piece blank. This facilitates the production of the folding box. According to one preferred embodiment, the blanks having pre-glued locking tabs are stacked flat one on top of the other and delivered to the packer by the producer of the folding boxes. The packer erects the push-over boxes and produces the further adhesive bonds required for this and packs the products into the push-over boxes.
According to a further embodiment, the inner part consists of cardboard or corrugated cardboard and/or the outer part consists of cardboard or corrugated cardboard.
The invention is explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the appended drawings of an exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:
According to
The first side wall 3 is connected to first locking tabs 9, 10 on two opposite sides via first folding lines 7, 8. The first locking tabs 9, 10 comprise inner first locking tabs 9.1, 10.1, which are connected directly to the first side wall 3 via the first folding lines 7, 8. Furthermore, the first locking tabs 9, 10 comprise outer first locking tabs 9.2, 10.2, which are connected directly to the outer edges of the inner first locking tabs 9.1, 10.1 via second folding lines 11, 12.
The first side wall 5 is connected to dust tabs 13, 14 on both of its sides by folding lines which are parallel to one another. On the side of the first side wall 5 opposite to the side connected to the base wall 2, the side wall 5 is connected via a further folding line to a cover tab 15 which is connected to adhesive tabs 16, 17 on the two outsides. The cover tab 15 is connected at the edge opposite to the edge connected to the side wall 5 via a folding line to a further cover tab 18 which in turn is connected to a bottom tab 19 at the opposite edge via a further folding line.
According to
The inner part is erected there by folding all of the first side walls 3, 4, 5, 6 vertically upward with respect to the bottom wall 2, folding the dust tabs 13, 14 against the insides of the side walls 4, 6 and gluing them thereto, folding the adhesive tabs 16, 17 against the insides of the dust tabs 13, 14 and gluing them thereto, and folding the inner first locking tabs 9.1, 10.1 against the outsides of the side walls 3, 5 and glued thereto. The inner part 20 erected and glued in this way is shown in
According to
The second side walls 23, 24, 25, 26 are each connected to second dust tabs 27, 28, 29, 30 at parallel lateral edges via folding lines. Furthermore, the second side walls 23, 25 are connected to second locking tabs 33, 34 via third folding lines 31, 32 at the edges opposite to the edges connected to the top wall 22. The second locking tabs 33, 34 comprise outer second locking tabs 33.1, 34.1 which are connected directly to the second side walls 23, 25 via the third folding lines 31, 32. Furthermore, they comprise inner second locking tabs 33.2, 34.2, which are connected via fourth folding lines 35, 36 to the edges of the outer second locking tabs 33.1, 34.1, which are opposite to the edges having the third folding lines 31, 32.
The outer second locking tabs 33.1, 34.1 each have two sections, wherein a first section adjoining the third folding lines 31, 32 is rectangular. A second section adjoining the fourth folding lines 35, 36 is trapezoidal, wherein it widens toward the first section. The inner second locking tabs 33.2, 34.2 are also trapezoidal, wherein the lateral borders extend in continuation of the borders of the trapezoidal second part of the outer second locking tabs 33.1, 34.1. Furthermore, the inner second locking tabs 33.2, 34.2 are not as tall as the outer second locking tabs 33.1, 34.1. In the example, they are only about a quarter of the height.
In the second side walls 23, 25, first oval or circular engagement openings 37, 38 are present, which are each arranged closer to the top wall 22 than to the second locking tab 33, 34. Furthermore, second oval or circular engagement openings 39, 40 are arranged with one half in the second side wall 23, 25 and the other half in the outer second locking tab 33.1, 34.1.
According to
The flat-lying second blanks 21 are stacked on one another in stacks and delivered to the packer.
There the side walls 23, 24, 25, 26 are erected and the second dust tabs 27, 28, 29, 30 are glued to the insides of the side walls 26, 27. The outer part 41 erected and glued in this way is shown in
The outer second locking tab 33.1, 34.1 completely covers the inner second locking tab 33.2, 34.2, so that the outer part 41 adjacent to its second opening 42 is smooth on the inside. Due to the folding of the second locking tabs 33, 34 against the insides of the side walls 23, 25, second engagement openings 39.1, 40.1 are formed on the lower edges of the outer part 41 and open downwards, the contour of which corresponds to half the contour in the blank 21.
The superimposed inner and outer first locking tabs 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2 form first locking edges 42, 43 at the second folding lines 11, 12.
The superimposed inner and outer second locking tabs 33.1, 33.2, 34.1, 34.2 form second locking edges 44, 45 at the fourth folding lines.
When the outer part 41 is pushed onto the inner part 20, the second locking edges 44, 45 pass the first locking edges 42, 43 so that they are arranged underneath them. The push-over box 46 is shown in
When attempting to pull the outer part 41 off of the inner part 20, the second locking edges 44, 45 abut the first locking edges 42, 43, which prevents them from being pulled apart. The user can release this locking by reaching into the first engagement openings 37, 38 with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and pressing the first locking tabs 9, 10 somewhat inwards. Then the second locking edges 44, 45 are no longer blocked by the first locking edges 42, 43. At the same time, the user can reach into the second engagement openings 39.1, 40.1 with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, grasp the inner part 20 at the lower edge, and pull the outer part 41 and inner part 20 apart with both hands. This is not possible for a child. The cover tabs 15, 18 of the inner part 20 prevent a child from reaching into the push-over box from below.
After the product has been removed, the user can close the push-over box 46 again and, if necessary, open it in the manner described in order to remove another product.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2020 106 481.9 | Nov 2020 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2021/081379 | 11/11/2021 | WO |