Patent Application
20130037432
Currently, disposable absorbent articles such as diapers and training pants are packaged in smaller quantities for retail sale in bags or sealed packages formed of polymeric films, or, in larger quantities, boxes formed of cardboard. Since diapers and training pants may be used by a consumer at the rate of up to 6 or more per day per child, many consumers prefer to purchase such articles in larger quantities, and therefore, purchase box packages.
The outer surfaces of such larger-quantity retail box packages may be somewhat smooth and slippery, as a result of the manufacturer's desire to provide an attractive print design and finish. The packages may also be found by consumers to be relatively large and bulky for purposes of carrying. For example, a example of a box package containing 124 size 3 disposable diapers may have outside dimensions of approximately 28 cm high (bottom to top)×25 cm deep (front to back)×41 cm wide (side to side) (11 in.×9.8 in.×16.1 in.). For this reason, manufacturers of such box packages may provide them with a handle configuration. In a currently marketed configuration, handle cutouts are provided at the sides, near the top, to enable insertion of the fingers of the hands through the side panels at each side, hooking of the fingers about the upper edges of the cutouts, and two-handed carry.
However, it is believed that consumers may prefer to carry such packages using only one hand. It has been observed that consumers tend to grasp and lift such a package by grasping it at only one handle cutout, on one side of the package. The box material surrounding the cutout may have insufficient strength and tear resistance to support the weight of the box from just one such handle cutout, and tearing of the box upwardly from the handle cutout may result. This may result in a loss of utility of the handle cutout and/or a negative consumer perception of product quality. It may also result in a partially opened or defaced and damaged package of reduced value on a store shelf, in the event a consumer removes the package from the shelf and then replaces it after inadvertently tearing it at the handle cutout, perhaps after examining the package and changing her mind about her selection.
The manufacturing of such disposable absorbent articles is necessarily a relatively capital-intensive, high-volume, low margin-per-unit business. In order to stay competitive, manufacturers of such articles must maintain close control over costs of materials and manufacturing. Incurring additional costs, or saving costs, of even very small amounts per unit may be very significant when multiplied by the volumes of sales typically needed for competitive operation.
Thus, a need for an improved, cost-effective package and handle configuration for a diaper package presents itself.
The description herein will identify elements with respect to the horizontal and vertical, as if the package configuration described were assembled and resting on a horizontal surface in its normally upright position.
The box described herein is contemplated for use as a box container of packages of disposable absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and training pants. Non-limiting examples include disposable diapers and training pants of the kind marketed by The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, under the PAMPERS and LUVS brands. Two or more packages of such articles in folded stacks wrapped by, or within, a polymer film bag or wrapper, may be contained within the box described herein. Due to the nature of the materials of which such articles are made and the manner in which they are manufactured and packaged, such packages are typically compressible to varying degrees. The degree of compressibility may be adjusted by adjusting the degree to which the articles are compressed when packaged within their film packages.
Respective panels 20-22 may be formed of single layers or several layers of cardboard material, and each layer may be formed of a single section or multiple sections of cardboard material. In the example shown, horizontal panel 22b is formed of four sections which include exterior flaps 22c, 22d, each of which form approximately half of an outer layer of horizontal panel 22b.
Each of exterior flaps 22c, 22d may have a handle cutout 30 therein. In the assembled package handle cutouts 30 may be disposed substantially opposite each other across the respective adjacent flap edges 23a, 23b. It will be appreciated that a consumer may lift and carry the package by inserting fingers of one hand through one of the handle cutouts 30 and curling the fingers under so as to attain a grasp of the package at the top panel, possibly supplementing her grasp by inserting the thumb through the other handle cutout and curling it under, toward the fingers.
It may be desirable that the package configuration 10 be stackable (i.e., the package will support the weight of a number of additional packages stacked on top of it, without crushing or collapsing) for purposes of efficiency in shipment and storage, and purposes of maintaining an attractive appearance for presentation on store shelves. Unlike packages containing relatively hard or rigid articles such as metal cans or glass bottles which provide rigid structural support in a stacked configuration, the package contemplated herein will contain relatively compressible packaged materials, e.g., disposable absorbent articles, substantially filling the space within the box structure between the respective opposing vertical panels and from bottom to top. Thus, it may be desirable that the box be formed of a cardboard having suitable rigidity and strength to provide stackability. Accordingly, for the package weights contemplated herein, it may be deemed important that the package configuration be formed of a corrugated cardboard comprising two outer layers of flat linerboard sandwiching an inner corrugated (fluted) layer, having flutes of size C or larger. In order for the package to best sustain vertical loads, it may be desirable that the flutes be oriented in direction FO (flute orientation), i.e., vertically relative the sides of the assembled package sitting in its normally upright position on a horizontal surface. (This means that the flutes form channels within the cardboard that extend along direction FO, i.e., vertically relative the sides of the assembled package sitting in its normally upright position on a horizontal surface.)
Additionally, while the compressible contents do not provide rigid structural support, they may be packed into the box with sufficient compression so as to exert some outward pressure on the respective panels, thereby providing supplemental support to the cardboard outer structure. Accordingly, it may be desirable to have the contained contents substantially fill the box such that they exert some outward pressure on the panels, particularly the top panel (horizontal panel 22b), and thereby provide supplemental structural support. Accordingly, referring to
The handle configuration depicted in
Referring to
In order to provide a reinforced handle structure, it may be desired that the box be designed and sized such that flaps 22c and 22d overlap when in assembled and closed configuration, thus providing at least two layers of material between the handle cutouts, increasing strength and resistance to tearing. This configuration, however, requires usage of relatively more cardboard material, and also may create an uneven top surface if the overlap is only partial, i.e., does not extend across the entire top panel. Referring again to
For packages of the weights contemplated herein, it may be desirable that handle reinforcing material 24 is a strip having a tensile strength measured in the direction of its length of at least 20 pounds, more preferably at least 25 pounds, and even more preferably, at least 30 pounds, per inch width, and the strip should most preferably wide enough to extend width-wise at least 80 percent of the distance between the handle cutouts.
Additionally, where handle reinforcing material 24 is tape or other material adhered or attached to the surface of horizontal panel 22b and/or surfaces of vertical panels 20a, 20b, it may be desirable that the material have sufficient tensile strength and adhesion or attachment to the surface of panel 22b such that it may not be lifted or pulled away from the surface by use of only mechanical lifting and/or peeling force, without the package material failing, i.e., the material of which the package is formed will partially or entirely fail, tear or delaminate before the attachment between the handle reinforcing material 24 and the package surface is completely broken by mechanical lifting and/or peeling force. For example, if handle reinforcing material 24 is tape, it may be desirable that the tape may not be completely lifted and/or peeled away from the package surface without tearing at least a portion of the underlying package material along with it. This ensures that stresses caused by lifting the package are distributed broadly to as much material as possible, i.e., beyond the handle reinforcing material 24 and along and into the top and/or side panels.
To further reduce the chances for tear propagation, the handle cutouts may be designed such that they have profiles having no sharp inside corners pointing toward the flap edges, or sharp bends at or proximate their inside edges, at which stress from lifting the package would tend to concentrate.
In yet another alternative, handle cutout 30 may have a profile defined by a semicircle or lesser section of a circle characterized by a straight line segment along one edge and an arc of a circle along the opposing edge; the areas where the two geometric components meet may also be rounded. With these latter two profiles, it may be preferred by consumers that straight portions of the adjacent cutouts 30 face each other, i.e., are closest the flap edges. These latter two cutout profiles may not be quite as effective as an oval- or elliptical profile since stresses may be more apt to concentrate at the transitions between the curved sections and the straight sections. However, the greater stress concentration may be borne and distributed by an adjacent handle reinforcing material as discussed above. In another alternative, however, the profile of a handle cutout 30 may be defined by a semicircle or lesser section of a circle characterized by a straight line segment along one edge and an arc of a circle along the opposing edge; and the semicircle or lesser section of a circle may be disposed closest the flap edge and the straight line segment may be disposed furthest away from the flap edge.
In all events, it may be desirable that a top handle cutout 30 be of sufficient size to allow most consumers to conveniently and comfortably insert at least three and more preferably four fingers into the opening and curl them under, but not so large as to have adverse effects on the structural rigidity of the package configuration, or unacceptably increase the chances that contaminating dust, dirt or debris will enter the package through an overly large hole, during shipping and handling. It is believed that the most acceptable width W (for example, as illustrated in
The material within handle cutouts 30 may be completely removed during manufacture, such that the cutouts circumscribe holes through horizontal panel 22b. This may provide for a package having a neater appearance. Such holes, however, particularly if made through the top of the package, may allow contaminating dust, dirt or debris to enter the package during shipping and handling, and therefore, may be undesirable. Additionally, material completely removed from within handle cutouts can present complications during large-scale production manufacturing or shipping, since efforts must be made and/or systems installed to collect, remove and dispose of or otherwise process cutout/removed material.
Thus, in another alternative, referring to
When a carry handle is needed, e.g., by a consumer, the cut portion allows separation of material forming residual cutout flap 31f, and the uncut portion of the otherwise circumscribed cutout profile may form a handle fold line 31, about which material forming residual cutout flaps 30f within the cutout may fold. It may be desired that the fold line is substantially parallel to the flap edge, and/or the fold lines of the respective cutouts are substantially parallel each other. Thus, a consumer may push downwardly on material forming a residual cutout flap 30f, causing cutout flap 30f to disengage the material of panel 22b surrounding the cutout and rotate downwardly and inwardly (into the package and toward flap edge 23a or 23b) about handle fold line 31, thereby forming an opening through which fingers may be inserted and curled under to grasp the package. As suggested in
It will be appreciated, however, that this partial cut configuration may make it more difficult for a consumer to identify and/or locate a handle cutout, and push it inwardly to create a handle configuration when, as discussed above, the package has a minimum or zero top clearance TC within, as discussed above. In other words, when the contents of the package are close to, touching, and/or, in some examples, pressing upwardly against the top horizontal panel 22b, they can obstruct an attempt to push in a residual cutout flap 30f and fold it under. This is illustrated in
To address the problem of handle identification/location, the package may be marked on its top surface by printing or other mechanism to include a handle indicium about or proximate the handle cutout 30, to provide a visual signal to the consumer of a location of a handle cutout that may be pushed in to create a handle.
To address the problem of obstruction of attempt to push in cutout flap 30f, it may be desirable that the partial cut not be in perforations or segments, but rather, a continuous cut between terminal ends EC. This maximizes the ease with which the consumer may separate residual cutout flap 30f from surrounding material by pushing it. It may further be desired that the pressure inside the package configuration, between the top horizontal panel 22b, and the contained articles, be controlled via design, manufacture and/or filling of the package with its contents, so as not to be so great as to unacceptably frustrate the consumer from pushing the material forming residual cutout flap 30f inwardly and folding it around to create a handle configuration. Thus, the package may be appropriately sized relative the articles it will contain, and/or, the size(s) and/or degree of compression of the stacks or bundles within inner packages of articles 40 that will be packaged will be appropriately determined and effected, such that a consumer may push residual cutout flap 30f inwardly and fold it around and under about handle fold line 31 without undue difficulty. Referring again to
Push-In Force Test
The Flap Push-In Force necessary to push in a handle residual cutout flap on a box package sample is measured on a twin screw, constant rate of extension tensile tester with computer interface (for many boxes a suitable instrument is the MTS Alliance using Testworks 4.0 Software, as available from MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn.) using a load cell for which the forces measured are within 10% to 90% of the limit of the cell. The lower fixture to be mounted on the tensile tester is a square platform (not shown) 38 cm by 38 cm by 1 cm thick and made of aluminum. The platform is mounted on the tester via a mounting shaft of appropriate dimensions and configuration suitable to mount the platform to the stationary base of the tensile tester. When mounted the platform fits between the screws of the tester, centered on the stationary base of the tester, and is situated with a square surface in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of movement of the crosshead of the tensile tester. The upper fixture 500, as shown in
Prior to testing, condition the box package sample(s) to be tested in a room(s) maintained at, first, 40±2° C. and 20±2% relative humidity for 24 hours, and then, second, 23±2° C. and 50±2% relative humidity for another 24 hours, before testing under the second set of environmental conditions. With a marking pen, draw perpendicular lines on the cutout flap, dividing its width and length. Place the box package onto the platform, in its upright position, with either of the lines drawn on the cutout flap extending forward and backward relative to the front and rear of the tensile tester. Adjust the position of the box package on the platform and the presser bar 502 to align the presser bar 502 with its longitudinal axis over and aligned with the longer line drawn on the cutout flap and the axis of the shaft 501 centered on the shorter line drawn on the handle flap.
Set the gage length (i.e., the distance between the bottom of the presser bar 502 and the top of the carton) to 25.4 mm. The tensile tester is programmed to move the crosshead down at 127.0 mm/min. until it moves 50.8 mm. Zero the load cell and cross head position. Start the tensile tester program and collect data for force (lbs) as a function of vertical crosshead displacement (mm).
Record the maximum peak force (lbs) to the nearest 0.1 lbs. Repeat the measurement for the handle flaps on 20 cases and report the average Flap Push-In Force to the nearest 0.1 lbs.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
