Accuracy cartridge plastic box

Abstract

 Box (1) intended for containing cartridges. Said box (1), comprising of a body (2) and a cover (3), characterized in that said body (2) is bound to cover (3) by a binding edge (4). Said body (2), cover (3) and binding edge (4) are made of a homopolymer and in that said binding edge (4) has a width greater that 7mm.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a plastic box intend­ed for containing cartridges. Said box com­prising a body, a cover and a binding edge.

[0002] Boxes made of polymeric material of the type described here above are known. The known boxes have many disadvantages. Among others, they are not transparent, and breakable, heavy and not of one piece construction. There is no binding edge between the cover and the body.

[0003] The present invention has for object a box having a binding edge made of a polymeric ma­terial which can be folded a great number of times without destruction.

[0004] Applicant has found that the binding edge must have a width greater than 7mm and must be made of a homopolymer for obtaining a binding edge which can be repeatly folded.

[0005] The box according to the invention which is in­tended to contain cartridges is essentially cha­racterized in tht said body (2) is bound to cover (3) by a binding edge (4). Said body (2), cover (3) and binding edge (4) are made of a homopolymer and in that said binding edge (4) has a width greater that 7 mm.

[0006] According to another characteristic of the box according to the invention, said binding edge (4) is provided with a groove (5). Said groove (5) being parallel to edges (6-7) of the body (2) and/or the cover (3).

[0007] According to a further characteristic of the box, said binding edge (4) is provided with a groove (5) on the face opposed to the face which is folded on itself when the cover (3) covers the body (2).

[0008] Another characteristic of the box, the homopoly­mer is a polypropylene and having advantageous­ly, a melting temperature comprised between 220°C and 300°C. The polypropylene is of a high sur­gical and food quality.

[0009] Other details of the box according to the inven­tion will be given in the following description in which reference is made to the attached draw­ings. In these drawings, figure 1. is a upper view of a box according to the invention, figure 2. is a side view of the box shown in figure 1.

[0010] In these figures, the same reference designates similar or identical elements.

[0011] The box (1) shown in figure 1. is made of homo­polymer such as HOECHST PPU 1080S1 sold by HOECHST Germany and its subsidiaries.

[0012] This box (1) which is intended for containing cartridges comprises a body (2) in which cart­ridges may be placed, a cover (3) and a binding edge (4) binding the body (2) to said cover (3).

[0013] The binding edge (4) is made of said hompolymer and has a rectanglar form, the width of which is greater than 7 mm.

[0014] Advantageously, said binding edge (4) is provided with a groove (5) which is parallel to an edge (6) of the body (2) and to an edge (7) of the cover (3).

[0015] Such binding edge (4) allows to close or open the box (1) a great number of times without any des­truction.

[0016] The selection of said homopolymer allows the manu­facture of a very thin box which has very good properties, i.e. would not be destroyed when dropped from a height of 100 cm, even if these boxes contain cartridges.

[0017] The body (2) is provided with internal walls (8), which creates a series of spaces in which the cartridges may be at least partially inserted.

[0018] The man skilled in the art was not able to predict that by using a specific homopolymer, it was pos­sible to obtain a box (1) having side walls (9) with a thickness of less than 1,8mm and internal walls (8) with a thickness of less that 1,3mm, which would have less chance to be destroyed when dropped.

[0019] The selected homopolymer also allows to obtain a transparent box.

[0020] The box (1), according to the invention, is advantageously made in one piece by injection moulding so that the internal walls (8) are correctly bound to the side walls (9) and to the lower face (11) of the body (2).

[0021] The man skilled in the art was not able to pre­dict that a specific polymer could be used for making a rigid box as well as a flexible bind­ing edge (4).

[0022] The thickness of the binding edge (4) is advan­tageously of about 1,2mm, however, it's thick­ness in the neighborhood of the groove (5) is preferably of about 0,5mm.

[0023] Applicant has observed that, when the width of the binding edge (4) was smaller that 7mm and especially when no groove (5) was present at said binding edge (4), the binding edge (4) made of a homopolymer may not be folded a great num­ber of times without destruction.

[0024] The process for manufacturing a box (1) according to the invention, comprises the step of injecting a homopolymer in a mould.

[0025] The step of extracting the injected box (1) of said mould and the step of folding the cover (3) so that the body (2) of the box (1) is covered just after the extraction of the injected box of the mould so that the binding edge (4), adapts a flexible characteristics which limits the thick­ness and rigidity of the clasping device (10).

[0026] Applicant has observed that, when such a fold­ing is made just after the extraction of the mould, the binding edge (4) has better resistant properties i.e. the binding edge (4) could be folded without any destruction.

Claims

1. Box (1) intended for containing cartridges. Said box (1), comprising of a body (2), a cover (3), is characterized in that said body (2) is bound to cover (3) by a binding edge (4). Said body (2), cover (3) and binding edge (4) are made of a homopolymer and in that said binding edge (4), has a width greater that 7mm.

2. Box (1), according to claim1, is charact­erized in that said binding edge (4) is provided with a groove (5). Said groove (5) being parallel to edges (6,7) of the body (2), and/or of the cover (3).

3. Box (1), according to claim 2, is charact­erized in that said binding edge (4) is provided with a groove (5) on the face opposed to the face which is folded on itself when the cover (3) covers the body (2).

4. Box (1), according to any one of the preceding claims, is characterized in that the homopolymer is a polypropylene.

5. Box (1), according to claim 4, is charact­erized in that said polypropylene has melting temperature between 220°C and 300°C..

6. Box (1), according to claim 4, is charact­erized in that said polypropylene has a molecular weight greater that 0,90g/cm³.

7. Process for manufacturing a box (1), according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a polymer is injected in a mould and in which the injected box is extracted of said mould, is characterized in that, just after the extrac­tion of the injected box, the binding edge (4) of the box (1) is folded so as to close the body (2) by means of the cover (3) and the clasping device (10), so that the binding edge (4) adapts flexible characteristics.

8. Process according to claim 7, is charact­erized in that the injection pressure has to be of at lest 1000 bars.

Drawing