Protective element for bottles and related blank

1. A protection element ( 1 ) made of papercraft material to protect one or more objects (B), comprising two support elements ( 2 , 3 ) connected by a connection element ( 4 ), wherein each support element ( 2 , 3 ) has an upper wall ( 5 ; 6 ) and two support walls ( 7 , 8 ; 9 , 11 ) associated below the respective upper wall ( 5 ; 6 ) to support it,

wherein the upper wall ( 5 ; 6 ) of each support element ( 2 ; 3 ) is connected to said connection element ( 4 ),

wherein a first support wall ( 8 ; 9 ) of each support element ( 2 , 3 ) is arranged at said connection element ( 4 ) and has a shaped opening ( 16 ; 17 ) for each object (B) to be protected,

wherein said connection element ( 4 ) has two shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) for each object (B) to be protected, each shaped flap ( 18 ; 19 ) being arranged at the respective support element ( 2 ; 3 ) and projecting on the respective upper wall ( 5 , 6 ) of the respective support element ( 2 ; 3 ) and on a respective shaped opening ( 16 ; 17 ) of the respective first support wall ( 8 ; 9 ),

wherein one or each shaped flap ( 18 , 19 ) of said connection element ( 4 ) has at least one transverse folding line ( 24 , 25 , 26 ), arranged transversely to a longitudinal axis (y), with respect to which the respective shaped flap ( 18 , 19 ) is capable of folding, each shaped flap ( 18 ; 19 ) being configured so that when the respective object (B) to be protected is arranged on said protection element ( 1 ) resting on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ), the weight of said object (B) acts on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) which fold with respect to the respective at least one transverse folding line ( 24 , 25 , 26 ) to insert in the respective shaped openings ( 16 ; 17 ) of said support walls ( 8 ; 9 ) and lock the object (B) in position.

2. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said connection element ( 4 ) is a flat surface divided by a folding line ( 27 ) transverse to the longitudinal axis (y) which joins said support elements ( 2 , 3 ) and in that it is configured so that, during use, when an object (B) is positioned on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) said flat surface folds along said folding line ( 27 ) under the weight of the object (B) assuming a “V”-shaped longitudinal profile such that the vertex constitutes a further support element.

3. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein at least one or each upper wall ( 5 , 6 ) of said support elements ( 2 , 3 ) has a protruding tooth ( 28 ) along said longitudinal axis (y) beyond the peripheral edge of the respective support element ( 2 , 3 ).

4. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein each upper wall ( 5 , 6 ) of each support element ( 2 , 3 ) has a shaped opening ( 29 ; 30 ) for each object (B) to be protected, each shaped opening ( 29 ; 30 ) being arranged at said connection element ( 4 ) and so that when an object (B) is arranged on said protection element ( 1 ) resting on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ), the weight of said object (B) acts on said shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) to insert in the respective shaped opening ( 30 , 16 ; 29 , 17 ) of said upper walls ( 5 ; 6 ) and support walls ( 8 ; 9 ) and lock the object (B) in position.

5. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of an upper wall ( 5 ) of a support element ( 2 ) has a pair of opposite flaps ( 31 ) projecting in the respective shaped opening ( 30 ) and configured so that when an object (B) is arranged on said protection element ( 1 ) resting on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ), the weight of said object (B) acts on said shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) to insert in the respective shaped opening ( 30 , 16 ; 29 , 17 ) of said upper walls ( 5 ; 6 ) and support walls ( 8 ; 9 ) being further supported by said pair of opposite flaps ( 31 ).

6. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the shaped opening ( 16 , 17 ) obtained in one or each support wall ( 8 , 9 ) of the support elements ( 2 , 3 ) has a semi-polygonal shape and in that the respective shaped flap ( 18 , 19 ) has a substantially pyramidal shape with two parallel folding lines ( 20 , 21 ) and in that it is configured so that during use, when an object (B) is arranged on the respective shaped flaps ( 18 ; 19 ) they fold along the respective folding lines to conform to the corners of said shaped openings ( 16 ; 17 ).

7. The protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein each support element ( 2 , 3 ) has a rectangular transverse section, so as to have two support walls ( 7 , 8 ; 9 , 11 ) arranged parallel to each other and an upper wall ( 5 ; 6 ) and a lower wall ( 12 , 13 ) parallel to each other and transverse to said support walls ( 7 , 8 ; 9 , 11 ).

8. A blank ( 10 ) for obtaining the protection element ( 1 ) according to claim 7 , wherein it consists of a sheet of papercraft material divided along the longitudinal axis (y) by a plurality of folding lines ( 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 45 , 46 , 43 ) into a plurality of panels which constitute said support walls ( 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 ) and said upper walls ( 5 , 6 ) of said support elements ( 2 , 3 ), and said connection element ( 4 ) of the protection element ( 1 ), in that the two panels ( 5 , 6 ) which form the upper wall of the two support elements ( 2 , 3 ) and the panel ( 4 ) which forms the connection element ( 4 ) are adjacent, in that each shaped flap ( 18 ; 19 ) is obtained in the adjacent surface between the panel ( 4 ) which forms the connection element ( 4 ), from which it is separated by a respective transverse folding line ( 25 , 26 ), and one of the two panels ( 5 , 6 ) which forms the upper wall ( 2 , 3 )

in that in the panel which forms a support wall ( 8 ; 9 ) of the respective support element ( 2 , 3 ) said shaped opening ( 16 , 17 ) is obtained, and in that by folding said blank ( 10 ) along said transverse folding lines ( 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 45 , 46 , 43 ) in the same direction with respect to one of the faces thereof, and by coupling at least two walls of said support elements ( 2 , 3 ) together, said protection element ( 1 ) is obtained in assembled configuration.

9. The blank ( 10 ) according to claim 8 , wherein said folding lines ( 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 45 , 46 , 43 ) divide said blank into the following at least eleven panels adjacent to each other arranged in the following order to constitute: a first support wall ( 9 ) of a first support element ( 3 ), the lower wall ( 13 ) of said first support element ( 3 ), the second support wall ( 11 ) of the first support element ( 3 ), the upper wall ( 6 ) of the first support element ( 3 ), the connection element ( 4 ), the upper wall ( 5 ) of the second support element ( 2 ), a first support wall ( 7 ) of the second support element ( 2 ), the lower wall ( 12 ) of the second support element ( 2 ), and the second support wall ( 8 ) of the second support element ( 2 ).

10. The blank ( 10 ) according to claim 9 , further comprising a further end panel ( 14 , 15 ) at each panel which constitutes a first support wall ( 9 ) and the second support wall ( 8 ) of the second support element ( 2 ), divided therefrom by a further folding line ( 34 , 44 ) transverse to the longitudinal axis (y) and in that it is configured so that by further folding the blank ( 10 ) along said further folding lines ( 34 , 44 ), and by bringing said further panels ( 14 , 15 ) closer to the upper walls ( 5 , 6 ) so that they are coplanar and coupling them together, said protection element ( 1 ) is obtained in assembled configuration.

11. The blank ( 10 ) according to claim 10 , wherein said further panels ( 14 , 15 ) have a respective protruding tooth ( 32 ) along said longitudinal axis (y) and in that the panels which form said second support walls ( 7 , 11 ) of said support elements ( 2 , 3 ) have a slot ( 33 ) such as to allow the insertion of said protruding tooth ( 32 ) when said protection element ( 1 ) is in assembled configuration.

12. A box container ( 40 ) comprising at least two protection elements ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said protection elements ( 1 ) are arranged one above the other with the upper walls ( 5 , 6 ) of the support elements ( 2 , 3 ) adjacent to each other and substantially coplanar.

13. The protection element ( 1 ) obtained from the blank according to claim 8 .

14. A box container ( 40 ) comprising at least two protection elements ( 1 ) according to claim 13 , wherein said protection elements ( 1 ) are arranged one above the other with the upper walls ( 5 , 6 ) of the support elements ( 2 , 3 ) adjacent to each other and substantially coplanar.