Patent Application
20150197383
The present invention generally relates to carriers or cartons for holding and displaying containers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a perforation pattern for carton opening features.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed a carton having an opening feature. The carton may comprise a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels may comprise a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. The carton may further comprise a dispenser having a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line comprising a perforation pattern. The perforation pattern may comprise at least one cut having a central portion, a first distal portion extending from the central portion, and a second distal portion extending from the central portion.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a blank for forming a carton having an opening feature. The blank may comprise a plurality of panels for forming an interior of the carton formed from the blank. The plurality of panels may comprise a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. The blank may further comprise dispenser features for forming a dispenser in the carton formed from the blank. The dispenser features may comprise a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line comprising a perforation pattern. The perforation pattern may comprise at least one cut having a central portion, a first distal portion extending from the central portion, and a second distal portion extending from the central portion.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of forming a carton having an opening feature. The method may comprise obtaining a blank comprising a plurality of panels. The plurality of panels may comprise a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. The blank further may comprise dispenser features comprising a dispenser panel that is at least partially defined by a tear line comprising a perforation pattern. The perforation pattern may comprise at least one cut having a central portion, a first distal portion extending from the central portion, and a second distal portion extending from the central portion. The method can further comprise forming an interior of the carton at least partially defined by the plurality of panels, and forming a dispenser opening by at least partially removing the dispenser panel from the carton.
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.
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 relates generally to various aspects of materials, blanks, packages, cartons, constructs, etc., for holding food items, and methods of making such materials, blanks, packages, cartons, and constructs. Although several different disclosures, aspects, implementations, and embodiments are provided, numerous interrelationships between, combinations thereof, and modifications of the various disclosures, aspects, implementations, and embodiments are contemplated hereby. Cartons according to the present disclosure can accommodate packages of numerous different shapes. For the purpose of illustration and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of the disclosure, the following detailed description describes articles (e.g., containers or packages of candy, chocolate or other packaged food item) at least partially disposed within the carton embodiments. In this specification, the terms “lower,” “bottom,” “upper”, “top”, “front”, and “back,” or other terms of orientation, indicate orientations determined in relation to fully erected cartons or packages and any such indication of orientations is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure as the cartons or packages disclosed herein are capable of different orientations than shown and/or described herein.
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the top panel 21 is foldably connected to a first top end flap 45 and a second top end flap 47. The first side panel 23 is foldably connected to a first side end flap 49 and a second side end flap 51. The bottom panel 27 is foldably connected to a first bottom end flap 53 and a second bottom end flap 55. The second side panel 24 is foldably connected to a first side end flap 57 and a second side end flap 59. When the carton 15 is erected, the top end flap 45, bottom end flap 53, and side end flaps 49, 57 close a first end 65 of the carton 15, and the top end flap 47, bottom end flap 55, and side end flaps 51, 59 close a second end 67 of the carton, as illustrated in
The top end flap 45, bottom end flap 53, and side end flaps 49, 57 extend along a first marginal area of the blank 13, and are foldably connected at a first longitudinal fold line 61 that extends along the length of the blank 13. The top end flap 47, bottom end flap 55, and side end flaps 51, 59 extend along a second marginal area of the blank 13, and are foldably connected at a second longitudinal fold line 63 that also extends along the length of the blank 13. The longitudinal fold lines 61, 63 may be, for example, substantially straight, or offset at one or more locations to account for blank thickness, varying width of the blank panels, or for other factors.
In one embodiment, the side end flaps 49, 51, 57 and 59 may have several rows of longitudinal partial cuts 56 on the exterior. For illustrative purposes only,
In one embodiment, the dispenser 17 comprises a dispenser panel 71 that is removably attached to the carton at a tear line, generally indicated at 101. The tear line 101 comprises two oblique portions 75a, 75b that are spaced apart and extend from the edge 113 of the blank to a respective edge of the longitudinal portion 91a, 91b of the tear line 101. As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the dispenser panel 71 has a first portion 72, a second portion 73, and a third portion 74. The first portion 72 is in the attachment panel 35 and defined by the edge 113 of the blank 13, the oblique portions 75a, 75b of the tear line 101, and the lateral fold line 37. In one embodiment, the first portion 72 comprises an access flap 85 foldably connected to the attachment panel 35 at a lateral fold line 87. The access flap 85 comprises a portion of the attachment panel 35 that does not include glue and therefore can be lifted and/or pulled to open the carton. The second portion 73 is in the top panel 21 and is at least partially defined by lateral fold lines 25, 37, the oblique portions 75a, 75b of the tear line 101 in the top panel, the longitudinal tear lines 91a, 91b, and the oblique portion 89a, 89b of the tear line portion in the top panel. The third portion 74 is in the first side panel 23 and is at least partially defined by the portions of the oblique tear lines 89 in the first side panel and the lateral tear line 93. The dispenser panel 71, including one or more of the first portion 72, the second portion 73, and the third portion 74, could be otherwise shaped, arranged, configured without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, one or more of the portions 75a, 89a, 91a, 93, 75b, 89b, 91b, and 93b of the tear line 101 can comprise a Z-shaped perforation pattern 100. As shown in
In one embodiment, adjacent cuts 102 may be spaced apart a distance D3 in the lateral direction L2 and may be spaced apart a distance D4 in the longitudinal direction L1. The distances D3 and D4 may range, for example from at least 0.1 mm-10 mm or at least between 1-4 mm. The dimension noted herein are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure as the distances or features shown herein could be otherwise dimensioned, shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment the central portion 103 of each cut 102 may be centered along a respective fold line 61, 63 so that the central portion 103 is collinear with a respective fold line and the distal portions 105, 107 are oblique relative to the central portion and the fold line. In one embodiment, the first distal portion 105 may extend into the top panel 21 and the second distal portion 107 may extend into a respective end flap 45, 47. However, the Z-shaped perforation pattern 100 is not limited to be along corner edges of respective panels. For example, the pattern 100 may be positioned to be out of alignment with fold lines 61, 63 and can further be used to form other removable features. In another example, the Z-shaped perforation pattern 100 may also be used to form any of the tear lines 75a, 89a, 93, 75b, 89b or could be used to form other removable features in the blank 13 and/or carton 15.
In one exemplary embodiment shown in
As shown in
In general, the blank may be constructed from paperboard having a caliper so that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper. The blank can also be constructed of other materials, such as cardboard, or any other material having properties suitable for enabling the carton to function at least generally as described above. The blank can be coated with, for example, a clay coating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product, advertising, and other information or images. The blanks may then be coated with a varnish to protect information printed on the blanks. The blanks may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blanks. The blanks can also be laminated to or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections.
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 of 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.
In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, a fold line can be any substantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form of weakening that facilitates folding therealong. 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 or depressed 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. In situations where cutting is used to create a fold line, typically the cutting will not be overly extensive in a manner that might cause a reasonable user to incorrectly consider the fold line to be a tear line.
The above embodiments may be described as having one or more panels adhered together by glue during erection of the carrier 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. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments, but various other combinations, modifications, and environments are within the scope of the disclosure 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. 61/964,915, filed Jan. 16, 2014. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/964,915, which was filed on Jan. 16, 2014, is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61964915 | Jan 2014 | US |
