Bending line along overlapping layers in folding box

• US 4,733,916 A
• Filed: 06/24/1986
• Issued: 03/29/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerhard Seufert
• Original Assignee: Gerhard Seufert
• Inventors: Seufert, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US06/877,898
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 229/162, 229/DIG. 4, 206/45.31, 206/45.34, 220/82 R, 220/339, 220/377, 156/108, 493/905, 493/944, 428/167, 428/172
• US Class Current: 229/162.7
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4204 Inspection openings or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4266 Folding lines, score lines, crease lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/92 Stress relief
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/93 Fold detail

Abstract

In a folding box consisting of a cardboard blank part (1) and a plastic foil blank part (3) glued thereto, thinned-down areas (17) are placed in the foil blank part (3) at the overlap spots between the two blank parts in the area of the box edges, which directly adjoin the bend lines (13) and extend at least across the overlap length. The thinned-down areas (17) compensate stresses arising in the foil material at the overlap spots during folding, this compensation being by deformation, without which the cardboard material is stretched at the edge overlap spots so that it tears.

Claims

1. A folding box consisting of a first cut-to-size blank from non-transparent material, and a second cut-to-size blank from transparent stiff plastic foil, which extends over at least one box edge, a bending line provided in the plastic foil, second blank overlapping and being glued to the first cut-to-size blank on an inside surface of said first blank, wherein the overlap between the first and the second cut-to-size glanks exists also at at least one end of the bending line, and the bending line is continued in the first cut-to-size blank by a corresponding groove line, the bending line and groove line being approximately the same width and wherein a box edge of two box walls is formed by said bending line and said groove line, characterized in that the second blank is thinned-down to a fraction of the thickness of remaining portions of the second blank in an area along the bending line and directly adjacent to the bending line at the overlap between the first and the second blanks, the thinned-down area of the second blank extending over the entire width of the overlap.

2. Folding box according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the thinned-down areas has a cross-section remaining essentially constant over a length of the respective thinned-down area.

3. Folding box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the thinned-down areas has a diminishing thickness starting from a side edge towards a center thereof, wherein the thickness in the region of the groove lines of the first blank is smallest.

4. Folding box according to claim 3, characterized in that the thinned-down areas are delimited on one side of said second blank in an arc-shaped fashion when viewed in cross-section.

5. Folding box according to claim 3, characterized in that the thinned-down areas are delimited on one side of said second blank, respectively, by at least two abutting inclined surfaces.

6. Folding box according to claim 3, characterized in that the thinned-down areas are delimited on one side of said second blank, respectively, by two external inclined surfaces and a central flat surface.

7. Folding box according to claim 3, characterized in that the thinned-down areas are delimited on one side of said second blank by flat surfaces arranged in a step-shaped manner.

8. Folding box according to claim 7 or 2, characterized in that, respectively, three parallel grooves are formed equally spaced within each of the thinned-down areas, a central one of said three grooves being arranged in the second blank in a direction of extension of said bend line associated with the respective thinned-down area.

9. Folding box according to claim 8, characterized in that the central groove adjoins directly the associated bend line, and the others of said three grooves bend, respectively, at inner ends thereof and unite with the cnetral groove at a junction point with the associated bend line.

10. Folding box according to claim 8, characterized in that the central groove is pressed up to a smaller foil residual thickness into the thinned-down foil than the others of said three grooves, which are pressed in up to an equal foil residual thickness.

11. Folding box according to claim 10 or 2, characterized in that a minimum thickness in each of the thinned-down areas amounts to approximately 100 μ

m with a thickness of the plastic foil used for the second blank of between 200 and 400 μ

m.

12. Folding box according to the claim 10, characterized in that the foil residual thickness at the central groove amounts to about one-third and the foil residual thickness at the two other grooves amounts to about two-thirds of a minimum thickness in each of the thinned-down areas.

13. Folding box according to claim 12 or 2, characterized in that the gluing, between the two blanks, ends approximately at a side edge of each of the thinned-down areas.

14. Folding box according to claim 8, characterized in that the gluing, between the two blanks, ends at said other two grooves.

24. Folding box according to claim 1, wherein said first blank has a plurality of groove lines and said second blank correspondingly has a plurality of bend lines and thinned-down areas.

15. Folding box according to 14 or 2, characterized in that the thinned-down areas are produced by an operation on one side of the plastic foil.

16. Folding box according to claim 15 or 2, characterized in that the thinned-down areas together with the bend line are produced by high frequency-/pressure application or by hot stamping.

17. Folding box according to claim 16 or 2, characterized in that each of the thinned-down areas comprises, respectively, one central strip covering the associated groove line of the first blank and adjoining the associated bend line of the second blank, which has a constant foil residual thickness throughout and which is adjoined in a continuous manner by transition surfaces which are concave and which reach up to side edges of the respective thinned-down area.

18. Folding box according to claim 17, characterized in that the central strip foil residual thickness is approximately 40 to 60 μ

m with a thickness of the plastics foil utilized for the second blank of between approximately 200 and 400 μ

m, while a width of the central strip amounts to approximately 1/3 to 1/6 of a width of each thinned-down area.

19. Folding box according to claim 18 or 2, characterized in that, respectively, one separation extending throughout the material thickness is provided across each bend adjacent to the respective thinned-down area in the second blank, said separation being essentially not overlapped by the first blank.

20. Folding box according to claim 19, characterized in that each separation is constituted as a line-shaped incision extending transversely to the bend line, said incision projecting on opposite sides of the bend line, a length of said incision being approximately equivalent to a width of the thinned-down area, and said incision extending parallel to an edge of the first blank in close proximity.

21. Folding box according to claim 19, characterized in that each separation is designed as a hole cutout, which projects on opposite sides of the bend line with approximately equal area regions and a width of said hole cutout corresponds, at most, to a width of the thinned-down area.

22. Folding box according to claim 21, characterized in that the hole cutout is designed to be circularly shaped in the second blank when the second blank is in a flat resting position.

23. Folding box according to claim 21, characterized in that the hole cutout is designed to be elliptically shaped in the second blank when the second blank is in a flat resting position, a longer axis of said elliptically shaped cutout extending parallel to an adjacent edge of the first blank.