US20060006215A1

US20060006215A1 - Paper meal box

Info

Publication number: US20060006215A1
Application number: US10/885,602
Authority: US
Inventors: Jung-Chih Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-08
Filing date: 2004-07-08
Publication date: 2006-01-12

Abstract

A paper meal box is comprised of a box body formed of a boxboard, which has a plurality of predetermined creases and is folded along the creases and is partially adhesively overlapped, defining a box bottom member, four box wall members abutting a periphery of the box bottom member, four box top members each abutting an edge of the box wall member, and four connecting corners located at four corners of the box body and abutting the box wall members. Each of the four connecting corners is partially adhesively overlapped and adhesively connected with the two adjacent box top members. Accordingly, the structural strength of the paper meal box can be reinforced and it is convenient to fold and adhesively connect the paper meal box.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to paper meal boxes, and more particularly to a paper meal box, which structural strength is reinforced.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional paper meal box is usually formed of a boxboard made of a paper material, which complies with the regulations of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the boxboard is folded along predetermined creases. The boxboard is coated with a water-resistant material, such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), respectively on a top side thereof and a bottom side thereof, such that the folded portions of the boxboard can be adhesively bonded to each other by, usually, hot-pressing adhesion and keep water from penetrating and further softening the boxboard.
In fact, merely the inner side of the paper meal box, i.e. the top side of the boxboard, can contain objects, like food or meal, such that the top side the boxboard must be coated with the water-resistant material. The bottom side of the boxboard is coated with the water-resistant material for the purpose of the hot-pressing adhesion to define a predetermined tridimensional shape of the paper meal box. However, the top and bottom sides of the boxboard that are coated with the water-resistant material to cause high production cost and low popularity for the paper meal box.
Thus, many manufacturers make the paper meal box which top side other than the bottom side is coated the water-resistant material to reduce the production cost and to enhance the popularity. However, the bottom side of the paper meal box is not coated with any of the water-resistant material to cause limited scope where the hot-pressing adhesion is applied and to further incur understrength structure of the paper meal box.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a paper meal box, which production cost is low.
The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a paper meal box, which structural strength is reinforced.
The foregoing objectives of the present invention are attained by the paper meal box, which is comprised of a box body. The box body is formed of a boxboard, which has a plurality of predetermined creases and is folded along the creases and is partially adhesively overlapped, defining a box bottom member, four box wall members abutting a periphery of the box bottom member, four box top members each abutting an edge of the box wall member, and four connecting corners located at four corners of the box body. The four connecting corners each has a supporting wall member, two conjunctive wall members, a top corner member, and two corner supporting members. The supporting wall member has a bottom edge abutting the bottom wall member. The two conjunctive wall members each abut one of bilateral sides of the supporting wall member and the box wall member. The top corner member abuts a top edge of the box wall member. The two corner supporting members respectively abut top edges of the two conjunctive wall members. The two conjunctive wall members are respectively adhesively connected to the supporting wall member and located at an external side of the box body. The top corner member has bilateral sides adhesively connected to the box top member. The two corner supporting members are adhesively connected to a bottom side of the top corner member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a developed view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 1, showing that a box top member is folded and adhesively overlapped;
FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 1, showing that a connecting corner is being folded and adhesively overlapped;
FIG. 6 is a converse partial enlarged view of FIG. 5, showing that a top corner member is being adhesively bonded to two corner supporting members of the connecting corner; and
FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 5, showing that the top corner member is adhesively bonded to the two corner supporting members of the connecting corner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a paper meal box 100 constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is comprised of a box body 10, which is formed of a boxboard 1 cut properly and folded along its creases of predetermined design and then pressed to be partially adhesively overlapped.
Referring to FIG. 2 again, the boxboard 1 includes a paper layer 2 and a water-resistant layer 3. The paper layer 2 is made of fiber intermixed with adequate additives, which comply with the regulations of the FDA. The water-resistant layer 3 is made of PE or PP and is coated or accumulated on a top side of the paper layer 2 to prevent water from penetrating the paper layer 2, being gluey by heating. The box body 10 defines a box bottom member 11, four box wall members 12 located at a periphery of the box bottom member 11, four box top members 13 located at a top edge of the box wall member 12, a receiving space 14 located between the box bottom member 11 and the box wall member 12 and having an opening facing upwards, and four connecting corners 15 respectively located at four corners of the box body 10 and connected respectively with the four box wall members 12.
The box bottom member 11 is rectangular or of other shape according to requirement, having four corners , each of which is cutaway not to have a right angle.
Each of the box wall members 12 has a side abutting a side of the box bottom member 11.
Each of the box top members 13 includes a coupling piece 131 and a reinforced piece 132. The coupling piece 131 has a side abutting a top edge of the box wall member 12. The reinforced piece 132 has a side abutting the other side of the coupling piece 131, as shown in FIG. 1.
Each of the connecting corners 15 includes a supporting wall member 151, two triangular conjunctive wall members 152 and 153, a top corner member 154, and two corner supporting members 155.
The supporting wall member 151 is rectangular, having a bottom end connected with one cutaway corner of the box bottom member 11.
The two conjunctive wall members 152 and 153 each abut a side of the supporting wall member 151 and the box wall member 12, respectively defining a first conjunctive piece 156, a second conjunctive piece 157, a third conjunctive piece 158, and a fourth conjunctive piece 159. Each of the first and third conjunctive pieces 156 and 158 is triangular, having a tip end abutting the box bottom member 11 and a side abutting one side of the supporting wall member 151. Each of the second and fourth conjunctive pieces 157 and 159 is triangular, having a tip end abutting the box bottom member 11, a side abutting the other side of the first conjunctive piece 156 or the third conjunctive pieces 158, and the other side abutting the box wall member 12.
The top corner member 154 abuts a top end of the supporting wall member 151.
The two corner supporting members 155 respectively abut top ends of the second and fourth conjunctive pieces 157 and 159.
The formation of the box body is recited as follows. Firstly, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the reinforced piece 132 of the box top member 13 is folded and adhesively bonded to the coupling piece 131 to enable the box top member 13 to have the thickness of two-layers boxboard to further enhance the structural strength. Secondly, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the first and second conjunctive pieces 156 and 157 are folded at a crease formed therebetween and pressed to be adhesively overlapped to define the overlapped conjunctive wall member 152, and the third and fourth conjunctive pieces 158 and 159 are folded at a crease formed therebetween and pressed to be adhesively overlapped to define the overlapped conjunctive wall member 153, such that two sides of the supporting wall member 151 abutting the connecting corner 15 contact respectively against the two sides of the two adjacent box wall members 12, and the two overlapped conjunctive wall members 152 and 153 are located outside the box body 10. Thirdly, referring to FIG. 7, inner sides of the two overlapped conjunctive wall members 152 and 153 are adhesively bonded to an outer side of the supporting member 151, and the top corner member 154 is adhesively bonded to edges of the two adjacent box wall members 13. Finally, the two corner supporting members 155 are adhesively bonded to a bottom side of the top corner member 154. It is to be noted that FIGS. 6 and 7 are viewed at a tilting angle from the bottom side of the box body 10 facing upwards to clearly show the two conjunctive wall members 152 and 153 and the two corner supporting members 155 after they are adhesively bonded.
The present invention includes advantages as follows. The four corners of the box body are connected by the four connecting corners to enhance the structurally conjunctive strength of the four corners of the box body. In other words, the four connecting corners enable the four corners of the box body not to be connected at right angle to further disperse stress exerted on the four corners , i.e. when the box body contains objects, centralization of the stress on the corners can be avoided. The conjunctive wall members of the connecting corners are adhesively bonded to the outer sides of the supporting wall members to enhance supporting strength of each corner of the box body. In addition, when each of the top corner members is adhesively bonded to the two adjacent box top members, a tension is generated and held between the connecting corner and the box wall member to enhance the structural strength of the box body.
Further, each of the top corner members extends from the conjunctive wall member and is adhesively bonded to the supporting corner member to be supported by the supporting corner member to further hold the structural strength of the top corner member.
Furthermore, the present invention merely needs only one water-resistant layer coated on the top side of the box board for the purpose of the pressing adhesion rather than two resistant layers coated on the top and bottom sides of the box board, thereby reducing the production cost and shortening the process of the pressing adhesion to further increase the production.

Claims

1. A paper meal box comprising a box body formed of a boxboard having a plurality of predetermined creases, said box body being folded along said creases and partially pressed to be adhesively overlapped, defining a box bottom member, four box wall member respectively abutting a periphery of said box bottom member, four box top members respectively abutting edges of said four box wall members, and four connecting corners located at four corners of said box body, wherein each of said four connecting corners has a supporting wall member having a bottom side abutting said box bottom member, two conjunctive wall members each abutting a lateral side of said supporting wall member and said box wall member, a top corner member abutting a top side of said supporting wall member, and two corner supporting members each abutting said conjunctive wall member, said two conjunctive wall member being adhesively connected to said supporting wall member and located outside said box body, said top corner member being adhesively connected with said two box top members, said corner supporting members being adhesively connected to a bottom side of said top corner member.

2. The paper meal box as defined in claim 1, wherein said boxboard is made of a paper layer and a water-resistant layer, said water-resistant layer being coated or accumulated on a top side of said paper layer.

3. The paper meal box as defined in claim 1, wherein said box top member comprises a coupling piece and a reinforced piece, said coupling piece having a side abutting a top edge of said box wall member, said reinforced piece having a side abutting the other side of said coupling piece, said reinforced piece being folded to be adhesively connected on said coupling piece.

4. The paper meal box as defined in claim 1, wherein said two conjunctive wall members respectively define a first conjunctive piece and a second conjunctive piece, and a third conjunctive piece and a fourth conjunctive piece, said first and third conjunctive pieces each having a side abutting a lateral side of said supporting wall member, said second and fourth conjunctive pieces each having a side abutting the other side of one of said first and third conjunctive pieces, said second and fourth conjunctive pieces each having the other side abutting said box wall member, said first and second conjunctive pieces being folded along a crease formed therebetween and being adhesively connected with each other, said third and fourth conjunctive pieces being folded along a crease formed therebetween and being adhesively connected with each other, said two conjunctive wall members each having an inner side adhesively connected to an outer side of said supporting wall members.