Patent application title:

STRUCTURE OF A FOLDED BOX

Publication number:

US20080093360A1

Publication date:
Application number:

11/736,097

Filed date:

2007-04-17

Abstract:

A box, which is fashioned from wood chip, is applicable to goods or food packaging and can be converted into a gift box by a special design. The wood chip must be thick enough to be adaptable to a knife mold and pressed with a plurality of creases. Fold over the creases preformed on the wood chip so as to turn it into a cuboid receptacle.

Inventors:

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Classification:

B65D9/06 »  CPC main

Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of wood or substitutes therefor Boxes or crates of polygonal cross-section

B65D5/26 »  CPC further

Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form with extensions of opposite sides mutually interlocking to lie against other sides

B65D5/28 »  CPC further

Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form with extensions of sides permanently secured to adjacent sides, with sides permanently secured together by adhesive strips, or with sides held in place solely by rigidity of material

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a box that is a goods or food receptacle fashioned from wood chip, more particular to a folded box fashioned from wood chip which is shaped by a knife mold. The characteristic lies in that the wood chip is thick enough to be shaped by the knife mold as well as to be pressed with a plurality of creases. The creases serve as folding guide for turning the wood chip into a cuboid receptacle.

II. Description of the Prior Art

A vast assortment of materials is available on the market for packaging purposes, such as paper, plastic, bamboo, and so on. However, the selection of packaging material is subject to characteristics of the good to be packaged. Paper is the most commonly used material for gift and food packaging as it is light, shapeable, and printable.

With reference to FIG. 1, which is a three-dimensional view of a paper box of the prior art, the box 10 is fashioned of paper. The paper is shaped and glued so as to turn into a cuboid receptacle for receiving goods. In view of the fact that paper can be easily moistened and rupture thereafter, when said paper box 10 is used for receiving the food, it must be applied with a plastic coating, which prevents moisture and/or oil filtration from the food. Though the plastic coating applied on food receptacles must meet the food regulations and can be digested, residue of which may accumulate and remain in the human body over a long period, causing detriment to health. In view of this, there arc increasing numbers of manufacturers who seek alternative material that is natural and moisture-proof in itself. The wood chip is a type of natural material that perfectly meets those requirements, and thus increasingly adopted for food packaging. However, assembly of the wood chip box of the prior art is to put the shaped wood chips together by glue so as to form a cuboid receptacle. Under the circumstance, the wood chips that are glued together can easily be separated by force. This is also the cause that hinders the wood chip box of the prior art from being used for packaging valuable gifts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing drawbacks, the present invention aims at providing a sturdy and durable box structure, which can be easily and quickly assembled and perfectly protect the packaged good, which can be widely used in the goods, food, or gift packaging market.

The present invention adopts wood chip that is thick enough to be adaptable to a knife mold and pressed with a plurality of creases. Fold the knife mold-shaped wood chip over those preformed creases so as to turn it into a cuboid receptacle. The characteristic lies in that the present invention is structured with more than one tongue-and-groove joint so as to effectively fortify its sturdiness and durability. Such sturdy and durable structure allows the present invention to have a wider application for goods or food packaging.

Desirable structure, assembly, and features of the present invention will be better understood from the detailed description and drawings that follow, in which various embodiments of the disclosed invention are illustrated by way of example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a paper box of the prior art.

FIG. 2 shows unfolded wood chip of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows folded unit of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the embodiment (I) of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the embodiment (II) of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the embodiment (III) of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 2, which shows unfolded wood chip of the present invention, the box 20 is shaped by special knife mold and comprises a lid 201, a first barrier 202, a base 203, a second barrier 204, a third barrier 205, a fourth barrier 206, a first tongue-and-groove joint 207, and a second tongue-and-groove joint 208. Each tongue-and-groove joint 207, 208 comprises a tongue 2071, 2081 and a groove 2072, 2082. Each of the foregoing parts is defined by creases 209 (see the dotted line shown in the drawings).

With reference to FIG. 3, which shows the folded unit of the present invention, lay the base 203 in portrait position and fold the creases around it so that the first barrier 202, the second barrier 204, the third barrier 204 and the fourth barrier 206 are erected to surround the base 203. Assemble the first tongue-and-groove joint 207 by fitting the tongue 2071 into the groove 2072. Adhere the first tongue-and-groove joint 207 to the third barrier 205 by glue that is applied on the third barrier 205; and, vice versa for the second tongue-and-groove joint 208 and the fourth barrier 206. As shown in FIG. 3, the groove 2072 and the tongue 2071 can be easily and quickly assembled into a tongue-and-groove joint, as the former is an indentation cut to receive the latter, which is a belt. In addition, the first tongue-and-groove joint is tightly held onto the third barrier by a layer of glue 2051, which is applied on the third barrier. The third barrier thus becomes sturdier. With reference to FIG. 4, which is a sectional view of the present invention, fold over the creases preformed on the wood chip so as to turn the wood chip into a cuboid receptacle.

With reference to FIG. 5, which is a sectional view of the embodiment (I) of the present invention, the box 30 is divided into a plurality of checks by a plurality of side-long partitions 301 and end-long partitions 302 so as to receive a plurality of objects, which may be cookies or small cakes.

With reference to FIG. 6, which is a sectional view of the embodiment (II) of the present invention, the box 40 is mainly constructed with a barrier 401 and a base 402. The base 402 is round. The barrier 401 is a flat trip that comprises a tongue 4011 and a groove 4012 formed respectively on its two ends as well as a connecting portion 4013 formed on its bottom edge. In addition, the connecting portion 4013 is applied with a layer of glue. Assemble the barrier and the base into a round box: firstly, encircle the barrier 401 by folding the connecting portion 4013 over the preformed crease and fitting the tongue into the groove; secondly, nestle the base 402 into the encircled barrier 401; thirdly, firmly adhere edge of the base 402 onto the connecting portion 4013. Furthermore, the structure of the present invention is also applicable to a box, whose horizontal cross section may be oval, triangular, or polygonal.

With reference to FIG. 7, which is a sectional view of the embodiment (III) of the present invention, the box 50 is constructed with a barrier 501 and a base 502. The characteristic lies in that the barrier 501 is assembled to form a cone shape, narrowing from top to bottom. Box of the embodiment (III) can fit into the other while being piled up. The objective of this design is to provide space-saving storage for piling up a plurality of boxes.

To sum up, the present invention is characterized by such innovative designs as the tongue-and-groove joint and the barrier. The tongue-and-groove joint can be glued onto the barrier so as to fortify it. The barrier is a flat trip that can be assembled to fit a horizontal cross section of almost any shape, which may be square, triangular, polygonal, round, or oval. The present invention achieves in providing a sturdy and durable box structure, which can be easily and quickly assembled, perfectly protecting the packaged goods and widely used for goods, food, or gift packaging.

While the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, the specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular form disclosed. Rather, the present invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A box that is a goods or food receptacle comprises:

a base, whose edges can be folded upwardly so as to form a plurality of barriers around it;

more than one tongue-and-groove joint, whose tongue and groove can perfectly fit to each other, and which adheres to at least one of said barriers.

2. The box of claim 1, wherein at least one barrier is connected to a lid.

3. The box of claim 1, wherein at least one joint is glued to a barrier.

4. The box of claim 1, wherein the base is rectangular.

5. The box of claim 1, wherein a plurality of side-long partitions and end-long partitions fit on the base so as to divide the box into a plurality of checks.

6. A box comprises:

a base to hold the goods or food;

a barrier, which is a flat strip comprising a tongue and a groove formed respectively on its two ends as well as a connecting portion formed on its bottom edge which can be assembled by fitting said tongue into said groove; and

a layer of glue, which is applied on the connecting portion so as to tightly hold the base that nestles into the assembled barrier.

7. The box of claim 6, wherein the barrier is assembled to form a circle after the tongue fits into the groove.

8. The box of claim 6, wherein the barrier is assembled to form an oval after the tongue fits into the groove.

9. The box of claim 6, wherein the barrier is assembled to form a triangle after the tongue fits into the groove.

10. The box of claim 6, wherein the barrier is assembled to form a polygon after the tongue fits into the groove.