Patent Application
20160347522
The present disclosure generally relates to carriers or cartons for holding containers.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a carton for holding a plurality of containers. The carton comprises a plurality of panels for at least partially forming an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels comprises a front panel, a back panel, and at least one top panel foldably connected to at least one of the front panel and the back panel. The at least one top panel comprising a handle portion and a retention portion. The handle portion is foldably connected to the retention portion, and the retention portion has at least one opening for receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers. A handle is positionable between a lowered position and a raised position to facilitate grasping and carrying the carton. A reinforcing structure extends between at least two containers. The reinforcing structure comprises at least one reinforcing flap comprising at least a portion of the retention portion. The reinforcing structure stabilizing the carton when the handle is positioned from the lowered position to the raised position.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a blank for forming a carton for holding a plurality of containers. The blank comprising a plurality of panels comprising a front panel, a back panel, and at least one top panel foldably connected to at least one of the front panel and the back panel. The at least one top panel comprising a handle portion and a retention portion. The handle portion is foldably connected to the retention portion, and the retention portion has at least one opening for receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers in the carton formed from the blank. Handle features are for forming a handle that is positionable between a lowered position and a raised position to facilitate grasping and carrying the carton formed from the blank. Reinforcing features are for forming a reinforcing structure extending between at least two containers in the carton formed from the blank. The reinforcing features comprise at least one reinforcing flap comprising at least a portion of the retention portion. The reinforcing structure stabilizing the carton formed from the blank when the handle is positioned from the lowered position to the raised position.
In yet another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of forming a carton for containing a plurality of containers. The method comprising obtaining a blank having a plurality of panels comprising a front panel, a back panel, and at least one top panel foldably connected to at least one of the front panel and the back panel. The at least one top panel comprising a handle portion and a retention portion. The handle portion is foldably connected to the retention portion, and the retention portion has at least one opening for receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers. The blank comprises handle features comprising the handle portion for forming a handle that is positionable between a lowered position and a raised position to facilitate grasping and carrying the carton formed from the blank and reinforcing features for forming a reinforcing structure. The reinforcing features comprise at least one reinforcing flap comprising at least a portion of the retention portion. The method comprises positioning the blank relative to a plurality of containers so that the at least one container of the plurality of containers is received in the at least one opening, forming the handle from the handle features, and forming the reinforcement structure by positioning the at least one reinforcing flap. The reinforcement structure extending between at least two containers in the carton and stabilizing the carton.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of activating a handle and reinforcing the carton as shown and/or described herein.
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 carriers, packages, constructs, sleeves, cartons, or the like, for holding, carrying, and displaying containers such as bottles, jars, cans, etc. The containers can be used for packaging food and beverage products, for example. The containers 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, glass; plastics such as PET, LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PVC, EVOH, and Nylon; and the like; aluminum and/or other metals; or any combination thereof.
Carriers or cartons according to the present disclosure can accommodate containers 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 beverage containers (e.g., glass bottles or plastic containers) at least partially disposed within the carrier or carton embodiments. In this specification, the terms “lower,” “bottom,” “upper”, “top”, “front”, and “back” indicate orientations determined in relation to fully erected carriers or cartons.
The blank 3 has a longitudinal axis L1 and a lateral axis L2. The blank 3 has a first portion 11 for forming the front portion 7 of the carton 5, and a second portion 13 for forming the back portion 9 of the carton 5. A first bottom panel 15 is foldably connected by a lateral fold line 16 or multiple fold lines to the first portion 11, and a second bottom panel 17 is foldably connected by a lateral fold line 18, or multiple fold lines, to the second portion 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 11 and second portion 13 are for being folded about a lateral centerline CL when the blank 3 is formed into the carton 5. As discussed in more detail below, the blank 3 can be formed into the carton 5 by folding the blank 3 about the centerline CL so that the first portion 11 and the second portion 13 are overlapped.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 11 is generally a mirror image of the second portion 13. Accordingly, like or similar features of the first portion 11 and the second portion 13 are given like or similar reference numbers with the features of the first portion given the suffix “a”, and the features of the second portion 13 given the suffix “b”. Also, a discussion of one of two similar features is generally applicable to the other of the similar features.
The first portion 11 has a front panel 14a foldably connected to the bottom panel 15 at respective fold lines 16 and a top panel 21a foldably connected to the front panel 14a at a lateral fold line 26a. The top panel 21a includes a retention portion 23a that is foldably connected to a handle portion 25a at a lateral fold line 24a. The retention portion 23a is foldably connected to the front panel 14a at the lateral fold line 26a and has three openings 27a, 29a, 31a. The bottom portion of the front panel 14a includes corresponding openings 33a, 35a, 37a, aligned with the corresponding openings 27a, 29a, 31a in the retention portion 23a.
The features for forming the handle 8 include two handle flaps 45a, 47a in the handle portion 25a that are foldably connected to the handle portion and partially obstruct handle openings 46a, 48a, in the handle portion. The handle portion 25a of the first portion 11 is foldably connected to the handle portion 25b of the second portion 13 at a lateral fold line 55. In one embodiment, the lateral fold line 55 is located on the centerline CL of the blank 3 and extends laterally across the blank. In one embodiment, the handle portion 25a includes a lateral fold line 53a extending from respective handle openings 46a, 46b. The handle could be formed by other features of the blank 3 without departing from the disclosure.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first bottom panel 15 includes primary female locking features 49 and secondary female locking features 51. The second bottom panel 17 includes primary male locking features 63 configured for mating with the primary female locking features 49, and secondary male locking features 65 configured for mating with the secondary female locking features 67. The bottom panels 15, 17 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured such as to be free of any locking features and could comprise panels that overlap to form a bottom of the carton, or could be otherwise configured.
As shown in
In one exemplary method of erection of the carton 5, the blank 3 is folded about fold line 55 to bring the interior surfaces of the handle portions 25a, 25b and the retention portions 23a, 23b of the top panels 21a, 21b into face-to-face contact. The handle portions 25a, 25b are adhesively attached by glue 81. The reinforcing flaps 73a, 73b are overlapped and their interior surfaces brought into face-to-face contact with the distal portion 90 of the reinforcing flap 73a being adhered to a portion of the reinforcing flap 73b by glue 83. As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, when the blank is initially folded at fold line 55, the two reinforcing flaps 73a, 73b are brought into face-to-face contact. Next, the handle portions 25a, 25b are downwardly folded at overlapped fold lines 24a, 24b to the position similar to the view shown in
The exemplary carton embodiment discussed above accommodates six containers arranged in two rows, but the present disclosure is not limited to these numbers. As one example, additional containers may be accommodated by increasing the size of the blank 3 (e.g., in the lateral direction L2 in
In general, the blank 3 may be constructed from paperboard having a caliper so that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper. The blank 3 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 3 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 blank 3 may then be coated with a varnish to protect information printed on the blanks. The blank 3 may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blank 3. The blank 3 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 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 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. 62/230,266, filed on Jun. 1, 2015. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/230,266, which was filed on Jun. 1, 2015, is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62230266 | Jun 2015 | US |
