Patent Application
20160122074
The present disclosure generally relates to cartons for holding beverage containers or other types of articles. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to cartons having handle features for strengthening the handle.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a carton for holding a plurality of articles. The carton comprises a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton. The carton comprises a first end flap foldably connected to a first panel of the plurality of panels and a second end flap foldably connected to a second panel of the plurality of panels. The first end flap and the second end flap form a closed end of the carton. The carton further comprises a handle comprising a first handle feature in the first end flap and a second handle feature in the second end flap. The first and second handle features are configured for directing stress and controlling tearing of the carton when force is applied to the handle.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a carton blank for forming a carton for holding a plurality of containers. The blank comprises a plurality of panels, a first end flap foldably connected to a first panel of the plurality of panels and a second end flap foldably connected to a second panel of the plurality of panels. The first end flap and the second end flap are configured to form a closed end of a carton formed form the blank. The blank further comprises a first handle feature and a second handle feature for forming a handle. The first handle is in the first end flap and the second handle feature is in the second end flap. The first and second handle features re configured for directing stress and controlling tearing of the carton formed from the blank when force is applied to the handle.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of forming a carton. The method for forming a carton comprises obtaining a blank comprising a plurality of panels, a first end flap foldably connected to a first panel of the plurality of panels, a second end flap foldably connected to a second panel of the plurality of panels, a first handle feature in the first end flap and a second handle feature in the second end flap. The method comprises forming an interior of the carton at least partially defined by the plurality of panels and inserting a plurality of articles into the interior of the carton. The method further comprises at least partially overlapping the first end flap and the second end flap with respect to one another to at least partially form a closed end of the carton. The method further comprises forming a handle in the closed end from the handle features. The first handle feature and the second handle feature are configured for directing stress and controlling tearing of the carton when force is applied to the handle.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the below-listed drawing figures. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the above-discussed aspects be provided both individually and in various combinations.
According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.
Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings.
The present disclosure generally relates to cartons that contain articles such as containers, bottles, cans, etc. The articles can be used for packaging food and beverage products, for example. The articles can be made from materials suitable in composition for packaging the particular food or beverage item, and the materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum and/or other metals; glass; plastics such as PET, LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PVC, EVOH, and Nylon; and the like, or any combination thereof.
Cartons according to the present disclosure can accommodate articles of any shape. For the purpose of illustration and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of the disclosure, the following detailed description describes beverage containers (e.g., glass beverage bottles) as disposed within the carton embodiments. In this specification, the terms “lower,” “bottom,” “upper,” and “top” indicate orientations determined in relation to fully erected and upright cartons.
The carton blank 3 has a longitudinal axis L1 and a lateral axis L2. In the embodiment of
The bottom panel 15 is foldably connected to a first bottom end flap 33 and a second bottom end flap 35. The first side panel 17 is foldably connected to a first side end flap 37 and a second side end flap 39. The second side panel 21 is foldably connected to a third side end flap 43 and a fourth side end flap 45. The top panel 25 is foldably connected to a first top end flap 47 and a second top end flap 49. In one embodiment, when the carton 5 is erected, the end flaps 33, 37, 43, 47 close the first end 7 of the carton, and the end flaps 35, 39, 45, 49 close the second end 9 of the carton. In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, different flap arrangements can be used for closing the ends 7, 9 of the carton 5.
The end flaps 33, 37, 43, 47 extend along a first marginal area of the blank 3, and are foldably connected at a first longitudinal fold line 61 that extends along the length of the blank.
The end flaps 35, 39, 45, 49 extend along a second marginal area of the carton blank 3, and are foldably connected at a second longitudinal fold line 63 that also extends along the length of the blank. The longitudinal fold lines 61, 63 may be, for example, substantially straight, or offset at one or more locations to account for blank thickness or for other factors. The ends of the carton 5 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured (e.g., at least partially tapered) without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the carton 5 may have article protection flaps 13 in the bottom panel 15 for protecting the plurality of containers B. The article protection flaps 13 are movable between a first position coplanar with the bottom panel 15 (
As shown in
In one embodiment, the carton blank 3 includes eight article protection flaps 13 arranged in a 2×4 arrangement in the bottom panel 15, but the blank could have more or less than eight article protection flaps, and the flaps could be otherwise arranged in other suitable row/column arrangements or in a random configuration on the bottom panel 15, including a single row or single column configuration, or any other suitable configuration. In other embodiments, the carton blank 3 can include article protection flaps that are different, similar, or identical to other article protection flaps without departing from the disclosure. In the embodiment of
As shown in
As shown in
(
As illustrated in
In the embodiment of
In one embodiment, each outer handle flap 73 includes a longitudinal score 81 extending in the hand contact portion 82. As illustrated in
As shown in
In one embodiment, when the handles 10 are formed, the hand contact portions 82 of the outer handle flaps 73 generally overlap the respective folding portions 100, and the folding portions 100 cooperate with the respective hand contact portions 82 to help form the wider contact areas of the handles. As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the handle features also include cutouts or handle openings 102 in the side end flaps 37, 39, 43, and 45. In one embodiment, the openings 102 cooperate to provide an opening at a respective closed end 7, 9 to allow a respective outer handle flap 73 and inner handle flap 89 to be inwardly folded at a respective end. The side end flaps 37, 39, 43, 45 can also include respective upper portions 103 disposed on one side of the lateral fold line 41, 42 and lower portions 104 on the other side of the lateral fold line 41, 42. The openings 102 have an upper edge 105 extending inwardly from the edge of the upper portion 103, an inner edge 107, and a lower edge 109 extending from the inner edge 107 to the edge of the lower portion 104 of the end flap 37, 39, 43, 45. In one embodiment, the openings 102 may include a force directing notch or opening 110 generally in the upper edge 105 of the opening 102.
In one embodiment, when the blank is formed into a carton, the force directing notches 110 align with the two v-shaped cuts 78 and 80 to form a weakened area in the ends 7, 9. The force directing notches 110 could be other features (e.g., tear lines, cuts, etc.) or be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. The blank 3 can have other features for forming the handles 10, or the blank 3 and/or carton 5 can have one or more handles that are alternatively shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. For example, any or all of the outer handle flaps 73 or the inner handle flaps 89 could be omitted and the respective end flaps could comprises openings that align to form the handle in one or both ends 7, 9 of the carton. Further, one or both of the handles 10 can be omitted without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the lateral fold line 41 may extend from the opening 102 in the first end flap 37 across the first side panel 17 to the opening 102 in the second side end flap 39 and the lateral fold line 42 may extend from the opening 102 in the first end flap 43 across the second side panel 21 to the opening 102 in the second side end flap 45. The lateral fold lines 41, 42 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, positioned, and/or omitted without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the carton 5 can be formed from the blank 3 by folding the panels 15, 17, 21, 25 along the lateral fold lines 19, 23, 27, 31 and gluing the adhesive flap 29 to the second side panel 21 to form an open-ended sleeve 173. One or both of the ends 7, 9 can be at least partially closed by folding the end flaps 33, 43, 37, 47 at one end, and by folding the end flaps 35, 45, 39, 49 at the other end. In one embodiment, the containers B can be loaded into the carton before closing one or both of the ends 7, 9. To close the ends 7, 9 of the carton, the side end flaps 37, 43, 39, 45 are folded inwardly (
In one embodiment, when the ends 7, 9 are closed, the handle flaps 73, 89 in the bottom end flaps 33, 35 and top end flaps 47, 49 are generally aligned with the handle openings 102 of each cooperating pair of side end flaps 37, 43 and 39, 45. The v-shaped cuts 78, 80 are respectively aligned with the notches 110 in the openings 102, with the v-shaped cuts 78 of the bottom end flap 33, 35 being in an aligned and overlapping relationship with the v-shaped cuts 80 of the top end flaps 47, 49. In one embodiment, the glue lines g faun a glue seam GS (
In one embodiment, containers B can be loaded into the partially-erected carton 5 through the open second end 9, and the second end 9 of the carton 5 can be closed in a similar manner as the first end 7 by folding, respectively overlapping, and selectively adhering the side end flaps 39, 45, the top end flap 49 and the bottom end flap 35. The erected carton is shown in
In one embodiment, the inner handle flaps 89 of the top end flaps 47, 49, and the outer handle flap 73 of the bottom end flaps 33, 35 are overlapped and aligned with the handle openings 102 in the side end flaps 37, 43, 39, 45 to form the handle 10 in the ends 7, 9. The handle 10 could be formed by other or features or the features shown could be modified without departing from the disclosure. The handles 10 can be used to grasp the carton 5 by pressing against the outer handle flaps 73 to force the outer handle flaps 73 and the inner handle flaps 89 inwardly through the handle openings 102 of the side end flaps 37, 39, 43, 45 to provide a handle opening in the closed ends 7, 9 of the carton 5. For each of the handles 10, as the outer handle panel 73 and the inner handle panel 89 fold inwardly, the outer handle panel 73 and the inner handle panel can fold inwardly along the respective arcuate fold lines 75, 91. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the hand contact areas 177 of the handle 10 are adjacent a void in the interior of the carton that is created by the internal nesting of the rows of containers B. As a result of the two interior rows of containers having less amount of containers than the two outer rows, the two interior rows are spaced apart from the ends 7, 9 of the carton to allow space for a user to insert a hand at the contact area 177 of the handle to grasp the handle. As noted above, other container configurations (e.g., interior nested, fully nested, or non-nested) could be used with the handle 10 of the carton 5 without departing from the disclosure.
In the illustrated embodiment, the inwardly folding handle flaps 73, 89 can contact the upper edge 105 in the side end flaps 37, 43 or 39, 45. Accordingly, when force is applied to the handles 10 such as when lifting the carton, the weakened areas created by the v-shaped cut lines 78, 80 and the notches 110 direct the stresses in the ends 7, 9 of the carton upward from the handle 10 toward the glue seam GS which is the strongest or most tear resistant portion of the carton. In this manner the features of the handles 10 direct the stresses in the carton 5 toward the glue seam GS thus improving handle strength and resistance to tearing or other failure. The features of the handle 10 (e.g., the weakened areas formed by the v-shaped cuts 78, 80 and notches 110) of the present disclosure direct the forces in the ends 7, 9 of the carton into the area of most tear resistance and prevents or delays failure of the handle by sending the stress in the carton resulting from the lifting force in one direction (e.g., upward from the handle opening or fold lines 75, 91) and then forcing any resulting tear to redirect or form in another direction once it reaches the strongest point of the carton (e.g., glue seam). The handles 10 could be alternatively, shaped, arranged, configured, and/or reinforced without departing from this disclosure.
Any of the features of the various embodiments of the disclosure can be combined with, replaced by, or otherwise configured with other features of other embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Further, it is noted that the handle flaps with the opposing arcuate fold lines or the nonparallel fold lines of the various embodiments can be incorporated into a carton having any carton style or panel configuration. The carton styles and panel configurations described above are included by way of example. Additionally, the shapes of the handle flaps can be substantially any shape. The shapes described above and included in the figures are included by way of example.
The blank according to the present disclosure can be, for example, formed from coated paperboard and similar materials. For example, the interior and/or exterior sides of the blank can be coated with a clay coating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product, advertising, price coding, and other information or images. The blank may then be coated with a varnish to protect any information printed on the blank. The blank may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blank. In accordance with the above-described embodiments, the blank may be constructed of paperboard of a caliper such that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper. The blank can also be constructed of other materials, such as cardboard, hard paper, or any other material having properties suitable for enabling the carton to function at least generally as described herein. The blank can also be laminated or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections.
In accordance with the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure, a fold line can be any substantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form of weakening that facilitates folding there along. More specifically, but not for the purpose of narrowing the scope of the present disclosure, fold lines include: a score line, such as lines formed with a blunt scoring knife, or the like, which creates a crushed portion in the material along the desired line of weakness; a cut that extends partially into a material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series of cuts that extend partially into and/or completely through the material along the desired line of weakness; and various combinations of these features.
As an example, a tear line can include: a slit that extends partially into the material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series of spaced apart slits that extend partially into and/or completely through the material along the desired line of weakness, or various combinations of these features. As a more specific example, one type tear line is in the form of a series of spaced apart slits that extend completely through the material, with adjacent slits being spaced apart slightly so that a nick (e.g., a small somewhat bridging-like piece of the material) is defined between the adjacent slits for typically temporarily connecting the material across the tear line. The nicks are broken during tearing along the tear line. The nicks typically are a relatively small percentage of the tear line, and alternatively the nicks can be omitted from or torn in a tear line such that the tear line is a continuous cut line. That is, it is within the scope of the present disclosure for each of the tear lines to be replaced with a continuous slit, or the like. For example, a cut line can be a continuous slit or could be wider than a slit without departing from the present disclosure.
The above embodiments may be described as having one or more panels adhered together by glue during erection of the carton embodiments. The term “glue” is intended to encompass all manner of adhesives commonly used to secure carton panels in place.
The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describes various embodiments. As various changes could be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure covers various modifications, combinations, alterations, etc., of the above-described embodiments that are within the scope of the claims. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments of the disclosure, but the disclosure is capable of use in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/122,816, filed Oct. 30, 2014. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/122,816, which was filed on Oct. 30, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/997,147, which was filed on May 22, 2014, are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62122816 | Oct 2014 | US |
