GB2266879A

GB2266879A - Cover for packaging container for packs of foodstuff

Info

Publication number: GB2266879A
Application number: GB9210449A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clifford Robert Coker; Alexander Edward Holloway
Original assignee: Bowater Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Britain Ltd
Priority date: 1992-05-15
Filing date: 1992-05-15
Publication date: 1993-11-17
Also published as: GB9210449D0

Abstract

A lid for a tray for snack products, the tray T having a rectangular base B, upstanding side walls S, and two upstanding end edges L, at least one of which is substantially lower than the side walls, and four corner pillars P, said lid comprising a top panel 1 and two depending end walls or flaps 3 which are divided into at least two parts 9 and 11 so that one or more part 11 will tuck within its respective tray end ledge. The other part may be used to tape the lid to the tray. Preferably, the fold lines 5 connecting the lid end walls to the top panel are bowed outwards. Preferably, means are provided on the lid to engage with the tray and prevent outward bowing of the tray side walls. These means may comprise fold down flaps 19 at each corner of the top panel of the lid which engage within the pillars P of the tray. <IMAGE>

Description

COVER FOR PACKAGING CONTAINER FOR PACKS OF FOODSTUFF This invention relates to a cover for a packaging container for packets of foodstuff, such as potato crisps, and to a blank for the cover. The invention is particularly but not exclusively designed for use with the tray the subject of our co-pending U.K. Patent Application No. .

Potato crisps and the like are often sold from high sided trays which have low end walls so that the packets are easily visible and accessible to shoppers when the trays are stored on a shelf at a point of sale. These trays must however be converted from enclosed containers or boxes which are used for storage and transport of the packets. While it is possible to provide a tray from a traditional box which has one or more removable panels therein defined by lines of weakness, this type of container does not stack well on a shelf at the point of sale, since removal of the panel(s) weakens the container. In fact, the container when converted to a tray is likely to collapse if other full containers are stacked on top of it, once some of the packets of crisps have been removed.It is preferred therefore to use purpose designed high sided trays with built in stacking pillars at the corners which are converted from storage and transport boxes by the removal ortearing back of an inverted U-shaped top or cover. Such tops are well known, and have a plane rectangular top panel of the same dimension as the base of the tray to which a pair of depending flaps are foldably connected about a pair of straight parallel spaced fold lines. The top panel rests on the top of the pillars and the lower ends of the flaps are tucked within the lower level end ledges at the ends of the trays. To hold top and tray together, self adhesive tape is passed down the flaps, over the outside of the ledges and a short distance beneath the trays at each end, and the whole package may then have an outer wrap applied, e.g. of shrink wrap material.

While such containers have the desired stacking strength and are very satisfactory for storage and transport, they suffer from the disadvantage that when they are to be converted to a display and dispensing tray at a point of sale by removal of the top, the shopkeeper will normally rip the top in two at a fold line, and then pull it away from the tray, together with the adhesive tape passing over the outside of the end ledge. Normally, advertising or product identifying material is printed on the outer face of the end ledge and this material will be partially destroyed when the self adhesive tape is ripped off. This results in a most unsightly tray at the point of sale, which is unacceptable to many shopkeepers, supermarkets and other sale outlets. One way to overcome this problem would be not to tuck in the depending flaps of the U-shaped top before taping.However, this is not very satisfactory because the top will not stay in position for taping easily.

The present invention seeks to overcome the above problems.

According to the present invention, we provide a Ushaped top for a tray for packets of foodstuff such as potato crisps, the tray having high sides and lower end ledges, the top having a top panel of a size and shape substantially corresponding to the base of the tray and two depending flaps foldably connected to respective ends of the top panel, wherein the depending flaps are divided into at least two portions, one of which tucks within the respective end ledge of the tray and the other of which does not.

Preferably, the flaps are divided into a central portion and two lateral tuck-in portions so that in use the central portions overlie the respective end ledges of the tray and can be taped in position without damaging the print on the outer faces of the ledges.

So that the central portions of the flaps do not project out from the base portion of the ledge, due to the splay caused by the thickness of the end ledge at its top, it is preferred that the fold line joining each depending flap to the top panel of the top is bowed outwardly, preferably in an arc.

Preferably, further slits are formed in each edge portion of the flaps to make it easy to tuck in the tuck-in portions.

Preferably also, a finger aperture is provided in each depending flap to assist with handling the top.

The top is preferably used with a tray having four hollow corner pillars, and there are preferably four locking flaps provided, one in each corner of the top panel, which are foldable in use through 900 down into the top of the corner pillars to hold the top in position and also to strengthen the top of the tray and prevent splaying out of the tops of the side walls of the tray.

The invention also extends to a blank for forming the top as described above.

The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank for a top for a tray for packaging potato crisps, and FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the blank formed into a top, which has been secured in position on a tray.

In the drawings, fold lines are represented by broken lines, and cuts by full lines.

Referring to Figure 1, the blank is divided into a top panel 1 and two flaps 3 by a pair of fold lines 5 at the ends of the top panel. Each flap 3 is divided by parallel spaced cuts 7 extending partly into the flap from its free edge into a central portion 9 and two lateral tuck-in portions 11. The portions 11 are partially separated from shortened edge regions 13 by further cuts 15 extending partially into the flap. A central finger aperture 17 is provided in each flap 3.

At each corner of the top panel 1, a locking flap 19 is provided. These are defined by an L-shaped cut in the panel 1, and a single or double fold line 23 formed as an extension of the fold line 5. Each fold line 5 is bowed outwardly so that the panel 1 is longer at its centre than at its edges. The fold lines 5 are shown as being made up of two slightly inclined outer portions from which the tuckin portions 11 extend, and a central portion from which the central portion 9 extends. However, it could be arcuate.

Referring to Figure 2, the blank has been folded into a top by folding the flaps down through 900 about the fold lines 5 and has been fitted onto a tray for packets of foodstuff, such as potato crisps. The tray has four hollow corner posts P on which the top panel 1 is supported, between upstanding side walls S and the open ends of the tray are closed off by the flaps 3, which are held in this position by tucking the lateral tuck-in portions 11 within end ledges L on the tray, but leaving the central portions 9 overlying the outside of the ledges L. Because the fold lines 3 are bowed outwardly at their centre, the central portion 9 of each flap will tend to lie naturally against the outer face of the ledge L (whereas the tuck-in portions 11 will tend to lie naturally against the inner face of the ledge).This means that the free edge of the central portion 9 will not tend to stick out from the end of the tray T. To hold the top in position on the tray, a length of adhesive tape 25 is applied down the central portion 9 of each flap 3, and passed beneath the base B of the tray T.

If the bottom of the portion 9 was sticking out, as would be the case if the fold lines 5 were straight, application of the tape would be difficult. Because the central portions 9 are provided outside the ledges L, the tape 25 does not contact the outer face of the ledges L and hence any advertising or identifying material printed thereon will not be destroyed by tearing away the tape to remove the top, as would be possible if the whole of each flap 3 was tucked within its ledge L, as in prior art proposals.

As can be seen from Figure 2, each of the locking flaps 19 has been folded down through 900 so as to engage with the hollow stacking pillars P at each corner of the tray T. This helps to hold the top on the tray and also stops the side walls S of the tray from bowing outwards, thus increasing the stacking ability of the trays.

It will be noted that an inclined fold line is shown on each locking flap 19. This is provided to enable the corners of the flaps to fold upwardly when they are pushed down into locking engagement with the interior of the stacking pillars P on the tray. On the tray illustrated, the stacking pillars are partially defined by inclined stacking panels on the tray and the precise location of these stacking panels will decide whether or not a fold line is required in the locking flaps 19. If the stacking pillars were rectangular the locking flaps could be sized so as to form an interference fit therein and there would be no need for any fold lines in the locking flaps.

It will thus be appreciated that the tops of the invention can be taped to their trays easily and the tops can be removed from the trays for dispensing the contents of the trays at a point of sale without the risk of damaging printed matter on the outer face of the ledges of the trays.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A U-shaped top for a tray for packets of foodstuff such as potato crisps, the tray having high sides and lower end ledges, the top having a top panel of a size and shape substantially corresponding to the base of the tray and two depending flaps foldably connected to respective ends of the top panel, wherein the depending flaps are divided into at least two portions, one of which tucks within the respective end ledge of the tray and the other of which does not.

2. A top, for a tray, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flaps are divided into a central portion and two lateral tuck-in portions so that in use the central portions overlie the respective end ledges of the tray and can be taped in position without damaging the print on the outer faces of the ledges.

3. A top, for a tray, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fold line joining each depending flap to the top panel of the top is bowed outwardly, so that the central portions of the flaps do not project out from the base portion of the ledge, due to the splay caused by the thickness of the end ledge at its top.

4. A top, for a tray, as claimed in claim 3, wherein each outwardly bowed fold line is formed of three connected straight line portions.

5. A top, for a tray, as claimed in any one of claims 1 4, wherein the flaps are divided by one or two central slits and wherein further slits are formed in each edge portion of the flaps to make it easy to tuck in the tuck-in portions.

6 A top, for a tray, as claimed in any one of claims 15, wherein a finger aperture is provided in each depending flap to assist with handling the top.

7. A top, for use with a tray having four hollow corner pillars and as claimed in any one of claims 1-6 and including four locking flaps provided, one in each corner of the top of the top panel, which are foldable in use through 90" down into the top of the corner pillars to hold the top in position and also to strengthen the top of the tray and prevent splaying out of the tops of the side walls of the tray.

8. A top, for a tray, said top being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings

9. A blank for forming a top as claimed in any one of claims 1-8.

10. In combination, a top as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, and a tray substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

11. In combination, a tray for snack products, and a lid therefore, the tray having a rectangular base, two upstanding side walls, and a pair of upstanding end walls or ledges, at least one of which is substantially lower than the height of the side walls, and four corner pillars, the lid having a top panel substantially equal in size with the base of the tray, and a pair of depending end walls which extend down, when the lid is supported on the tops of the pillars, so as to extend beyond the top edges of the end walls or ledges of the tray, means being provided on the lid for engagement with the tray to prevent outward bowing of the tray side walls when the lid is supported on the tops of the pillars.

12. The combination claimed in claim 11, wherein said means comprise flaps provided in each corner of the top panel of the lid, which are foldable into engagement with the tops of the corner pillars.