EE01610U1 - Folding container holder for paper bag - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a foldable container holder 1 for a paper bag, said container holder 1 comprising a longitudinal fastening part 3 and a holding part 4 foldable in relation to said fastening part 3. The holding part 4 comprising at least one aperture 5 for receiving a container 2 and flexible holding flaps 6 at the edge of said aperture 5 for holding said container 2, said flaps 6 extending generally towards a centre of said aperture 5. The container holder 1 comprises two holding parts 4, interconnected by the fastening part 3 between them, said holding parts 4 being foldable towards each other along the folding lines 7 at the opposite edges of said longitudinal fastening part 3, where between said holding parts 4 the fastening part 3 comprises an adhesive strip 8 covered with a removable protective strip 9.

Description

 TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to an insert for a non-rigid container for the safe placement and transportation of food products, such as ready-to-eat food products, milk, tea, coffee, cocoa drinks, soft and alcoholic beverages, etc., between the point of supply of the food products and the place of consumption.

Said non-rigid container is in the context of the invention primarily a paper bag, which is intended primarily for packaging fast food, but which is not limited to this purpose. The inner part is in the context of the invention a container holder, which is intended for placing at least one container (i.e. a beverage or food container) therein and for holding said container in an upright position inside said paper bag during transport.

More specifically, the invention relates to a foldable container holder for a paper bag, wherein said container holder is made of sheet material. The term "container" in the context of the invention includes containers made of plastic, aluminum, paper or glass, and said containers include containers intended for beverages or foodstuffs, for example cups, mugs, bowls, aluminum cans, which are closed at the top with a lid, cap or cover.

STATE OF THE ART

Retail establishments, fast food and take-out restaurants, and other retailers use paper bags of various sizes, shapes, and types to help customers place, transport, protect, and store purchased merchandise, food, and other products.

If a liquid container(s), such as a soft drink or liquid food container, is placed in such a bag, it is important to keep said container in an upright position during transport to prevent the contents from leaking into the bag, which would cause contamination of other items in said bag.

For example, in many countries, if such a leak occurs during food delivery by a courier, the seller must replace or compensate for the entire damaged order, i.e. the entire contents of the said delivery bag. Consequently, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly solution to prevent such leaks during transportation.

European patent application EP1935798A2 relates to a bag and more particularly to a bag for carrying bottles, cups and other liquid containers. This patent application describes a bag manufactured from a reusable material comprising an inner part, for example a container holder, comprising at least one container receiving opening in a central holder part. From the central holder part extend downwardly substantially parallel

a pair of side walls. Said container holder is attachable to the inner wall of the bag from only one of its side walls, which allows the inner part to be folded uniformly against the inside of the bag. Since said container holder in its basic embodiment grips the container in only one plane, it does not prevent the container from tilting during transport in the bag, which can cause the container to leak into the bag. In an embodiment gripping in two planes, the diameter of the container to be inserted must match exactly the openings in different planes, otherwise the container is firmly supported in only one plane.

ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a foldable container holder for carrying one or more food and/or beverage containers, said container holder being made of a homogeneous flat main body, for example a sheet material, comprising a mounting portion and two holding portions located on either side of said mounting portion.

The connections between said attachment part and said holding part include a longitudinal fold line located on either side of the edges of said attachment part. When folded towards each other along said fold lines, said holding parts and said attachment part form a three-dimensional structure.

Each holding portion comprises at least one circular opening for receiving a container, the inner edge of said opening comprising deformable retaining tabs for securing the container. The securing portion has an adhesive strip which is mounted for securing the container holder to the inner wall of the bag.

In the bag, the container holder is glued to the inner wall of the bag in a position where the container inserted into the opening of the container holder rests on the bottom of the bag.

Since the retaining tabs in the openings engage the side wall of the container at different heights, tilting of the container relative to the container holder during transport of the bag is prevented. As a result, the container or containers placed in the container holder according to the invention are held in a fixed position in the bag during transport.

The invention relates to a foldable container holder for a paper bag, wherein said container holder is made of sheet material and is intended to be secured inside a paper bag. Said container holder comprises a longitudinal attachment part and a holding part foldable relative to said attachment part, said holding part comprising at least one opening for receiving a container and flexible holding tabs at an edge of said opening, said holding tabs extending generally towards the centre of said opening. The container holder comprises two holding parts mutually connected by a fastening part therebetween, said holding parts being foldable towards each other along fold lines located at opposite edges of the longitudinal attachment part, said fastening part between the holding parts comprising an adhesive strip on a side facing away from the holding parts which is covered with a removable protective strip.

Said fold lines may be made as continuous cuts along a line, for example as slits that pass through the sheet material along a straight line, alternating with continuous portions of the sheet material that are not cut along the same line (resembling a dashed line in plan view).

The width of the attachment portion between the holding portions is in the range of 10 to 50 mm, for example about 25.4 mm (1 inch) or 30 mm. Preferably, the width of the adhesive strip corresponds to the width of the attachment portion.

To facilitate removal of the protective strip, said strip is preferably slightly wider than the adhesive strip, so that the edge of said protective strip can be easily grasped with the fingertips and pulled off the adhesive strip.

In preferred embodiments, the adhesive strip and the fastening part have the same width.

In yet another embodiment, the widths of the adhesive strip and the protective strip are slightly narrower than the width of the fastening portion.

When the holding parts are folded into parallel planes perpendicular to the fastening part, the corresponding openings for the container in the holding parts are aligned.

The container holder according to the invention also allows the holding parts to be folded at an obtuse angle relative to the attachment part in order to support a tall container at a greater distance in terms of its height, which makes the transported container more stable and protected in the bag.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, each holding part of the container holder includes one opening for the container.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, each holding part of the container holder includes two openings,

which is designed for two containers.

According to yet another embodiment, said openings and retaining tongues in both said retaining parts are of the same size.

In yet another embodiment, the flexible retaining tabs located at the edge of an opening in one of the plurality of openings are longer than the retaining tabs at the edge of the opening in the other of the openings. In this case, the opening with the longer retaining tabs is designed to engage the lower portion of the conical container, which is of smaller diameter.

However, especially in the case of tall containers, the upper and lower parts of the container are

the difference between the diameters is significant.

Accordingly, according to yet another embodiment, the retaining portion holding said container at the upper end of said container, where said container has a larger diameter, should have shorter retaining tongues or a smaller number of retaining tongues than the lower portion holding said container near the bottom of the container, where the container has a smaller diameter.

diameter.

According to a preferred embodiment, said container holder is made of sheet material, for example cardboard, paperboard or corrugated cardboard.

According to another embodiment, the holding part includes at least one slot for storing accessories and/or food packages.

According to yet another embodiment, the holding part includes at least one opening for storing accessories and/or food packages.

The said attachment can be, for example, a drinking straw, a stirring stick, etc. The food packaging can be a small packet of sugar, sugar substitute, salt, milk powder, coffee creamer, etc.

In such a case, said openings in the same holding part are either of the same diameter or said openings are of different diameters.

According to yet another embodiment, the flexible retaining tabs on the edge of the opening for holding said container are formed by slots, cuts or recesses located between adjacent retaining tabs.

According to yet another embodiment, the width of the cutouts between two adjacent retaining tabs along the fold line of the retaining tabs is wider than any individual retaining tab. This is advantageous,

if tall and/or thin-walled containers are to be stored in the container holder, where a smaller total number of holding tabs in a single holding opening is preferred in order not to deform the thin-walled container in the container holder.

According to yet another embodiment, the width of the cutouts between two adjacent retaining tabs along the fold line of the retaining tabs is equal to the width of the retaining tabs.

According to yet another embodiment, the width of the cutouts between two adjacent retaining tabs along the fold line of the retaining tabs is narrower than any individual retaining tab.

According to yet another embodiment, the flexible retaining tabs on the edge of the opening for holding said container are of two different lengths, with one shorter retaining tab between each two longer retaining tabs along the fold line of the retaining tabs.

According to yet another embodiment, the retaining tabs are distributed evenly along the fold line of the retaining tabs.

According to yet another embodiment, the cutouts between two adjacent retaining tabs along the fold line of the retaining tabs have at least two different widths.

The container holder according to the invention is folded into the working position before use. The container or containers are then placed through the opening or openings, the protective strip is removed from the adhesive strip, and the container holder with one or more containers is placed in a paper bag that supports the bottoms of the containers at the bottom of the bag, and the adhesive strip is pressed against the inside of the side wall of the paper bag.

The advantages of the container holder according to the invention are listed below.

1. Since the container holders according to the invention are designed to hold one container or two containers, the right container holder can be selected to secure the containers in the transport bag, where the number of openings for accommodating the containers corresponds to the actual number of beverages (containers) in the order. Container holders according to the prior art are typically designed to hold two or four containers, respectively, and if an order contains an odd number of beverages, at least one of the storage openings is left unused for said order. As a result, the seller loses the value of one container holder each time an odd number of beverages in a single order is delivered. Each time, this unused additional one increases the amount of environmental waste.

2. In these embodiments, all openings and retaining tabs of the container holders are

With the same dimensions, both holding parts can be used as either the upper or lower holding parts, respectively.

3. The container holder can be placed at any height on the inner wall of the bag. This design of the container holders allows you to quickly and conveniently attach a container with a drink to any corner of the paper bag, depending on the total number of products in the bag. This in turn means that the seller can place all the components of the order in a single paper bag without the need to use two separate bags for food and drinks, respectively.

4. The container holder is not related to the size of the bag.

5. If a tall container is placed in the container holder, the holding parts can be placed at different angles with a greater distance from the height of said container, which allows for a more stable position of the container in the container holder.

6. Since the container holders are delivered as flat blanks, their transportation and storage require much less space and are therefore cheaper.

7. The container holder can be easily equipped with openings of different sizes to facilitate the storage of a container with a conical side wall.

8. The container holder can be used to isolate the container from other items in the bag, as the holding parts surround the container in such a way that they also prevent other containers in the bag from coming into contact with the surface of the container - this prevents hot food from warming cold drinks and hot drinks (e.g. hot coffee, cocoa drink) from cooling down when they come into contact with containers with much cooler contents.

9. Since only one fastening part is required compared to many other prior art solutions, less material is used to manufacture the container holder according to the invention.

10. Since the containers are always stored in the container holder according to the invention at different heights along the side wall of the containers, less leakage of contents occurs during the transportation of beverages in the bag and consequently less damage is caused to other goods delivered in the same bag.

11. The special opening and slots in the container holder help to complement each container with separate accessories that are customary for any particular beverage group. For example, drinks and cocktails can be equipped with straws, coffee and tea with two sugar packets and a wooden drink stirrer.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a first embodiment of a container holder according to the invention for a single container;

Figure 2 shows an axonometric view of a second embodiment of a container holder according to the invention for two containers;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the container holder of Figure 1, in which the holding parts are folded at an obtuse angle relative to the attachment parts to grip a tall container at a greater distance along its height;

Figure 4 shows a top view of the container holder blank of Figure 1 and Figure 5 shows an axonometric view thereof before folding into the working configuration;

Figures 6 and 7 show axonometric views of the blank according to Figures 4 and 5 before being folded into a container holder according to the first embodiment of the invention; Figures 8 and 9 show axonometric views of the container holder according to the first embodiment, respectively, seen from the side of the fastening part, with the adhesive strip covered by a removable protective strip, and from the side of the holding parts;

Figures 10 and 11 show a top view and an axonometric view, respectively, of the container holder blank of Figure 2;

Figures 12 and 13 show axonometric views of a container holder according to a second embodiment, viewed from the side of the holding parts and from the side of the fastening parts, respectively, with the adhesive strip covered with a removable protective strip;

Figures 14 and 15 show axonometric views of the blank according to Figures 10 and 11 folded into a container holder according to a second embodiment of the invention. Figures 16 and 17 show top views of a container holder blank for one and two containers, respectively, where each holding opening contains only four symmetrically arranged holding tongues;

Figures 18 and 19 show top views of container holder blanks for one and two containers, respectively, where each holding opening receives holding tabs arranged at different distances in the holding opening along a fold line for the holding tabs;

Figures 20 and 21 show top views of container holder blanks for one and two containers, where each holding opening engages the holding tabs in the holding opening symmetrically and uniformly arranged along the fold line for the holding tabs;

Figures 22 and 23 show top views of container holder blanks for one and two containers, where each holding opening includes two holding tongues of different lengths.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

For the purpose of clarity of the drawings, the same parts and elements are designated by the same reference numerals in different drawings. Also, for the sake of simplicity and clarity of the drawings, elements that are not necessary for understanding the invention have been shown.

The container holder 1 according to the invention is intended to receive at least one container 2 - Figures 1 and 2 show such a container holder 1 with one and two containers 2 respectively, which are stored in the container holder 1. The container holder 1 is made of sheet material and is stamped into a flat blank, which is ready to be folded into a working configuration, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 8, 9, 12 and 13. Such a container holder 1 comprises a longitudinal attachment part 3 and two holding parts 4, which are foldable with respect to said attachment part 3, on each of its longer sides. Each holding part 4 comprises at least one opening 5 for receiving a container 2.

The edge of said opening 5 is provided with flexible retaining tabs 6 and, in the unused state, said retaining tabs 6 extend generally towards the center of said opening 5.

The longitudinal edges of the fastening part 3 have a folding line 7 which separates the holding parts 4 from said fastening part 3 and allows the holding parts 4 to be easily folded towards each other with respect to said fastening part 3.

As can be seen in particular from Figure 3, the retaining tongues 6 are flexible and can bend when the container 2 is inserted into the openings 5 in the retaining parts 4 against the side wall of the container 2. The length of the retaining tongues 6 is determined by the length of the cuts 12 in the edge of said openings, which extend to the imaginary folding line 13 for the retaining tongues, which is shown in dashed lines in Figures 4 and 10. As can be seen from the figures, the container 2 can only be pushed into the openings 5

to the extent permitted by the diameter of the imaginary folding line 13 for the retaining tabs.

Between said holding parts 4 and on the side facing away from said holding parts 4, said fastening part 3 is provided with an adhesive strip 8 covered with a removable protective strip 9. In a preferred embodiment, as can be seen in Figure 3, the adhesive strip 8 is on the fastening part 3 between the fold lines and the edges of the protective strip 9 extend slightly beyond said fold lines.

The holding parts 4 are also provided with slots 10 and smaller openings 11. The slots 11 are intended for placing, for example, a stirring stick therein, and the openings 11 are intended for holding small longitudinal packages (not shown) for sugar, sugar substitute or other flavorings.

As can be seen from Figures 4 and 10, the blanks for the container holder 1 for one container and for two containers contain the same elements. When said blanks are folded into the working position, the folding progress being shown in Figures 6, 7, 14 and 15, the holding parts 4 with the corresponding openings 5, slots 10 and openings 11 on each side of the fixing part 3 are brought into a position where said elements are directed towards each other, as shown in Figures 8, 9, 12 and 13.

This allows the container 2 placed in the container holder 1 to be held both by the openings 5 and by the holding tongues 6 in the openings 5, as can be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

When a tall container 2 is placed in the container holder 1, as shown in Figure 3, the holding parts 4 are bent at obtuse angles with respect to the fastening part 3, so that the upper and lower holding parts 4 with the openings 5 and the holding tongues 6 therein grip the side wall of the container 2 at the height of the container 2 at a greater distance, which allows the said container 2 to be fastened to the said container holder 1 even more securely.

The container holder 1 according to the invention is supplied for use in stacked (not shown) blanks, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 10 and 11. The user takes the blank, folds the holding parts 4 in relation to the fastening part 3 to the desired position depending on the height of the container 2 to be placed in the container holder. The container holder can then be placed inside a bag and secured to the inner wall of said bag by means of the adhesive strip 8 on the fastening part 3 before the container 2 is inserted into the container holder 1, or the said container or containers can first be placed in the container holder 1 and then the container holder with the container or containers can be placed in the bag and secured to the side wall of the bag by means of the adhesive strip.

It is obvious that the bottoms of the containers must be supported on the bottom of the bag to achieve stability. The flexible retaining tabs 6 on the edges of the openings 5 allow the container 2 to be pushed deep enough into the openings 5 so that the containers are located on the bottom of the bag.

Next, embodiments of container holders that are particularly suitable for holding tall containers with thin walls are discussed.

The embodiments shown in Figures 16 to 23 are particularly suitable for holding thin-walled tall containers, as these holding tabs exert minimal pressure on the outer surface of the container and consequently significantly reduce the risk of the container wall bending and leakage of the container contents.

Figures 16 and 17 show blanks for container holders for one and two containers, respectively, where each holding opening comprises only four symmetrically arranged holding tabs. As can be seen from Figure 16, the cutouts 12' between the holding tabs 6 along the fold line 13 are much wider than the holding tabs 6. Due to the small number of holding tabs, said holding tabs exert only minimal pressure on the outer surface of the container.

Figures 18 and 19 show container holder blanks for one and two containers respectively. As can be seen from Figure 18, the cut-outs 12' between the holding tongues 6 along the fold line 13 have different widths. As can be seen from Figures 18 and 19, the outermost holding tongue opening 5 of the fastening part 3 is intended to bend first.

Figures 20 and 21 show container holder blanks for one and two containers, respectively, in which the openings for receiving the container comprise uniformly spatially separated retaining tabs located in the holding opening along the fold line. In other words, as can be seen from Figure 20, the cutouts 12' and the retaining tabs 6 along the fold line 13 have equal widths.

Figures 22 and 23 show plan views of blanks for container holders for one and two containers, respectively, where each holding opening includes two holding tongues 6 and 6' of different lengths. When a container is placed in the opening 5, the longer holding tongues bend first and the shorter holding tongues 6' may not bend at all in the case of thin-walled tall containers. For example, if a thick-walled container for a hot beverage is placed in such a container holder, it can be pushed further down into the opening so that the shorter holding tongues 6' also begin to bend.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 container holder

2 containers

3 mounting parts

4 holding parts

5 openings

6 long retaining tongue

6’ short holding tongue

7 fold line

8 adhesive strips

9 protective strips

10 pips

11 holes

12 incisions

12' cutout

13 folding line for holding tabs

Claims (16)

1. A foldable container holder (1) for a paper bag, wherein said container holder (1) is made of sheet material and comprises an elongated attachment part (3) and a holding part (4) bendable relative to the attachment part (3), wherein the holding part (4) comprises at least one opening (5) for receiving a container (2) and flexible holding tabs (6) at the edge of the opening (5) for holding the container (2), wherein the holding tabs (6) are directed towards the centre of said opening (5), which differs from the safe in that the container holder (1) comprises two holding parts (4) which are interconnected by a fastening part (3) between them, wherein the holding parts (4) are bendable towards each other along folding lines (7) at opposite edges of the fastening part (3), wherein the fastening part (3) between the holding parts (4) comprises an adhesive strip (8) covered with a removable protective strip (9) on the side remote from the holding parts (4). 2. Container holder (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the container holder (1) has one opening (5) for the container (2) in both holding parts (4). 3. Container holder (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the container holder (1) has two openings (5) for containers (2) in both holding parts (4). 4. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the openings (5) provided for the container (2) are located in alignment in the holding parts (4) bent perpendicular to the fastening part (3) and in mutually parallel planes. 5. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the openings (5) and the retaining tabs (6) in the fastening parts (4) are of the same size in both holding parts (4). 6. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the flexible holding tabs (6) at the edge of one opening (5) of one holding part (4) are longer than the holding tabs (5) at the edge of the opening (5) of the other holding part (4). 7. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the container holder (1) is made of cardboard, paperboard or corrugated cardboard. 8. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the holding part (4) comprises at least one slot (10) for holding an accessory and/or a food package. 9. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the holding part (4) comprises at least one opening (11) for holding an accessory and/or a food package. 10. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the flexible retaining tabs (6) at the edge of the opening (5) are formed by indentations (12) or cut-outs (12') spaced between adjacent retaining tabs (6). 11. A container holder (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the width of the cut-outs (12') between two adjacent holding tabs (6) along the folding line (13) of the holding tabs is wider than the width of each individual holding tab (6). 12. A container holder (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the width of the cut-outs (12') between two adjacent holding tabs (6) along the folding line (13) of the holding tabs is equal to the width of the holding tabs (6). 13. A container holder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the width of the cut-outs (12') between two adjacent holding tabs (6) along the folding line (13) of the holding tabs is narrower than the width of each individual holding tab (6). 14. A container holder (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the flexible holding tongues (6) at the edge of the opening (5) are of two different lengths, with one shorter holding tongue (6') between every two longer holding tongues (6) along the folding line (13) of the holding tongues. 15. A container holder (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the holding tongues (6) are distributed evenly along the folding line (13). 16. Container holder (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the cut-outs (12') between two adjacent holding tongues (6) have at least two different widths along the folding line (13) of the holding tongues (6).