The invention relates to a container, in particular a box of corrugated board, for accommodating packs of commercial articles according to the preamble of claim 1.

Containers of the generic type, for instance boxes made of corrugated board, are used for accommodating packs of commercial articles such as packs of sanitary napkins, tampons, paper handkerchiefs etc. The containers are provided with a closure part for instance in the form of cover flaps integrally hinged to the side walls of the container. These cover flaps are commonly kept closed by an adhesive tape of plastic material attached to the cover flaps and container walls, which tape is applied after the box has been filled and the cover flaps have been closed.

The adhesive tape commonly of plastic material sticks tightly to the surface of the container and is very stable. In this regard, efforts have to be made to pull the tape off the container, peeling it off with the fingernails, or to break the tape to open the container, which is rather inconvenient. Normally, a tool such as a knife or a pair of scissors is required to this end.

To facilitate the opening, several measures as known from the prior art, which apply to the adhesive tape itself.

First of all, it is possible to fold a short end portion of the adhesive tape over, creating a non-adhesive tongue. This, however, requires

additional technical measures in the tape-applying device of an automatic packaging system.

Further, it is known, from common soft packages for paper handkerchiefs, to use adhesive labels which have a non-adhesive edge as a grip portion. Transforming this configuration into an adhesive tape for closing the above-identified containers means that the length of the tape must be defined for each type of container. This is not practicable, as regularly a certain length of adhesive tape is cut off a supply roll of endless tape.

Finally, it is known to apply a paper tab to the end of the adhesive tape so that the paper tab forms a grip portion not sticking to the container, this grip portion being easy to grasp by the fingers in order to tear off the tape. However, this system involves a decisive disadvantage in so far as again additional technical measures are to be taken in the packaging system. Besides, the costs for the container closure are increased substantially due to the extra paper tab.

It is an object of the invention t provide a container of the generic type which can easily be opened without any complex and cost- intensive measures to be taken with the adhesive tape.

In this regard, the invention proposes a container which is characterized in that at least one container wall is provided with a cut¬ out hole or a removable tab defined by cut Iines and/or weakened Iines in the wall, which hole or tab is arranged under an edge portion of the adhesive tape.

Due to this configuration of grasping the adhesive tape directly with the fingers (in the case of a cut-out hole) or of pulling the removable tab out with the fingers together with the attached portion of the adhesive tape, the tape can be torn off easily. No inconvenient "fumbling" with the tape and no special tool is required for the tape to be torn off. As an advantage of the invention it is to be emphasised that absolutely no measures are to be taken with the adhesive tape itself to provide the easy opening mechanism according to the invention. Rather, the latter is incorporated in the container wall by

cut-out holes or weakened lines being applied to said wall. This can be done simultaneously with cutting or punching of the blank for the container, for instance from an endless web of corrugated board.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container, and

Figs. 2 to 4 are partial side elevations of container walls with various embodiments of removable tabs and cut-out holes, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 1 , a cuboidal container made of corrugated board is shown, comprising a bottom wall (not shown), four side walls 2, 3, 4, 5 and a top cover wall 6. The latter is formed by four cover flaps 7, 8, 9, 10 which are formed in a single piece with the side walls 2, 3, 4, 5 and hinged to the latter by hinge folds 1 1 provided on the top edges of the side walls 2, 3, 4, 5. The bottom wall is also formed by four flaps in the same way as the four cover flaps 7, 8, 9, 10 form the cover wall 6.

The cover flaps 7, 8, 9, 10 of the cover wall 6 (as the flaps of the bottom wall) are kept closed by an adhesive tape 12, which starts from an upper portion of the side wall 2 and runs along the cover wall 6, the side wall 4, the bottom wall and back to the side wall 2 to terminate at a lower portion of the side wall 2.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 , under both ends 13, 14 of the adhesive tape, a circular or oval removable tab 15, 16 is arranged in the side wall 2. These removable tabs 15, 16 are each formed by respective weakened Iines, which are perforations 17.

To remove the adhesive tape 12, it is only necessary to break the perforations 17 of the tab 15 or 16 and to remove the tab, which goes along with the adhesive tape 12, which adheres to the tab 15 or 16, being automatically torn off.

Fig. 1 shows a further embodiment for the easy opening mechanism according to the invention, which is outlined by dot-dashed Iines. A semi-oval perforation 18 is punched in the vicinity of the side edge 19 of the cover flap 7 in the center of the cover wall 6. The removable tab 20 defined by said perforation 18 is thus arranged under a portion of the side edge 21 of the adhesive tape 12. Again, for tearing off the adhesive tape 12, it is only necessary to break the perforation 18 and to remove the tab 20 accompanied by tearing off the adhesive tape 12.

The embodiments of the removable tabs 15' and 15" according to Fig. 2 and 3, respectively, are formed by an oblong-hole-type line of perforations 17', 17" in one or more walls 2 of the container. The tab 15' is symmetrically divided into two parts by a central linear cut 22, which runs parallel to the longitudinal direction of the oblong-hole-type tab 15'. The latter is arranged transverse to the longitudinal direction of the adhesive tape 12, the end 13 of which extends over part of the tab 15' and the linear cut 22. Due to this cut 22, the two-part tab 15' can be removed easily together with the adhesive tape 12. The hole in the side wall created by the tab 15' being removed can be used as a grip hole.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 3, the oblong-hole-type tab 15" runs parallel to the longitudinal direction of the adhesive tape 12. Besides, the tab 15" is divided into two parts by a transverse central cut 22'. The end 13 of the adhesive tape 12 covers only one of these parts and terminates at a short distance from the central cut 22'. Due to this arrangement, the opening procedure for a container is made very comfortable, as the lower part of the tab 15" can be pushed into the container, exposing the edge of the upper part defined by the cut 22', which can easily be grasped with the fingers and torn off together with the adhesive tape 12.

Another embodiment for a tab 15'" is shown in Fig. 4, according to which the perforation 17'" defines a triangular shape of the tab 15'". The end 13 of the adhesive tape 12 is located in the central part of this triangular shape. An arched cut 22" extends between the two

adjacent corners 23, 24 at the end of the triangle side opposite to the end 13 of the adhesive tape 12. The flap 25 defined by this cut 22" can be pivoted inward to the tab 15"' to be grasped easily and torn off together with the adhesive tape 12.

According to Fig. 5, a further embodiment of the invention comprises an oblong-hole-type cut-out hole 26 defined by a closed cut line 27, which lies under the end 13 of the adhesive tape 12. The hole 26 runs parallel to the longitudinal direction of the adhesive tape 12. The width w of the cut-out hole 26 is less than the width W of the adhesive tape. The end 13 of the adhesive tape 12 covers half the length of the cut-out hole 26. Due to this arrangement, part of the end edge 28 of the adhesive tape 12 is exposed to be easily grasped for the adhesive tape 12 to be torn off the container.