Patent Application
20210403198
The disclosures of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/043,192, which was filed on Jun. 24, 2020, and U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/756,578, which was filed on Oct. 29, 2020, are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in their entirety.
The present disclosure generally relates to shipping and dispensing constructs and/or cartons for holding and dispensing containers or other types of articles. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a shipping and dispensing construct for holding and dispensing a plurality of containers such as product holding containers, the shipping and dispensing construct having features to facilitate dispensing one or more of the product holding containers.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a shipping and dispensing construct for engaging a plurality of product holding containers. The shipping and dispensing construct can comprise a plurality of panels comprising at least a front panel, a first side panel, a back panel, and a second side panel. Attachment features can be for attaching the shipping and dispensing construct to the plurality of product holding container. The attachment features can be in one or more panels of the plurality of panels. Dispensing features can be for removal of respective product holding containers of the plurality of product holding containers from the shipping and dispensing construct. The dispensing features can be in one or more panels of the plurality of panels.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a construct blank for forming a shipping and dispensing construct for engaging a plurality of product holding containers. The construct blank can comprise a plurality of panels comprising at least a front panel, a first side panel, a back panel, and a second side panel. Attachment features can be for attaching the blank to the plurality of product holding containers. The attachment features can be in one or more panels of the plurality of panels. Dispensing features can be for removal of respective product holding containers of the plurality of product holding containers from the shipping and dispensing construct formed from the construct blank. The dispensing features can be in one or more panels of the plurality of panels.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a package that can comprise a shipping and dispensing construct comprising a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior of the shipping and dispensing construct, attachment features in one or more panels of the plurality of panels, and dispensing features in one or more panels of the plurality of panels. The package further can comprise a plurality of product holding containers attached to the shipping and dispensing construct at the attachment features. The dispensing features can facilitate removing the product holding containers of the plurality of product holding containers from the package.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method that can comprise obtaining a construct blank comprising a plurality of panels comprising at least a front panel, a first side panel, a back panel, and a second side panel, attachment features in one or more panels of the plurality of panels, and dispensing features in one or more panels of the plurality of panels. The method further can comprise attaching a plurality of product holding containers to the attachment features and forming the construct blank into a shipping and dispensing construct. The dispensing features can facilitate removing the product holding containers of the plurality of product holding containers from the shipping and dispensing construct.
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 generally relates to constructs, cartons, carriers, clips, sleeves, or the like, and packages for shipping and dispensing articles such as containers, cartons, constructs, sleeves, etc. that hold a product. The containers can be product holding containers used for packaging consumer products such as soap, but the product holding containers could hold other products such as food and beverage products, or any other suitable product. The product holding containers can be made from materials suitable in composition for packaging the particular consumer product or item, and the materials include, but are not limited to, paperboard, composite paperboard, and the like; plastics such as PET, LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PVC, EVOH, and Nylon, or any combination thereof, or any other suitable material.
Constructs 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 product holding containers (e.g., paperboard cartons having closed ends such as cuboid paperboard boxes) as associated with the shipping and dispensing construct embodiments and/or as disposed within the construct embodiments. In this specification, the terms “inner,” “interior,” “outer,” “exterior,” “lower,” “bottom,” “upper,” and “top” indicate orientations determined in relation to fully erected and upright constructs and cartons.
In one embodiment, twelve product holding containers C are contained in the construct 5 and can be arranged in two rows of six containers (e.g., a first row R1 and a second row R2 as shown in
The construct blank 3 has a longitudinal axis L1 and a lateral axis L2 and a first longitudinal edge 28 and a second longitudinal edge 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the construct blank 3 has a front panel 31 foldably connected to a first side panel 33 along a first lateral fold line 35, a second side panel 37 foldably connected to the front panel 31 along a second lateral fold line 39, and a back panel 41 foldably connected to the second side panel 37 at a third lateral fold line 43. An attachment flap 45 is foldably connected to the first side panel 33 along a fourth lateral fold line 47.
In one embodiment, the back panel 41 has attachment features in the form of attachment tabs 51 that are for receiving glue or other suitable adhesive to attach a respective container C to the shipping and dispensing construct 5. In one embodiment, each attachment tab 51 is formed by a generally circular cut 53 interrupted by four nicks 55 that facilitate connection of the attachment tab to the back panel 41. While the attachment tabs 51 and the cuts 53 are shown as being circular in the figures, the attachment tabs 51 and/or the cuts 53 could be any suitable shape without departing from the disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the back panel 41 includes two rows 57, 59 of six attachment tabs 51 that correspond to the two rows R1, R2 of six containers C, but the attachment tabs can be otherwise arranged to correspond to any alternative arrangement of the containers. The attachment tabs 51 can be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured and/or can be formed by other lines of weakness (e.g., tear lines, cuts, etc.) without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the blank 3 includes dispensing features in the form of two tear strips 61, 63 to allow removal of a respective product holding container C from the shipping and dispensing construct 5. The first tear strip 61 is formed by two lateral tear lines 65, 67 extending across the back panel 41 from the first longitudinal edge 28 to the second longitudinal edge 30, and the second tear strip 63 is formed by two lateral tear lines 69, 71 extending across the back panel from the first longitudinal edge 28 to the second longitudinal edge 30. In one embodiment, the first tear strip 61 includes six attachment tabs 51 in the first row 57 and the second tear strip 63 includes six attachment tabs 51 in the second row 59. The attachment tabs 51 are removably attached to the tear strips 61, 63 by the nicks 55 interrupting the cuts 53, but the cuts 53 and nicks 55 could be replaced by a tear line or other line of weakening without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the attachment tabs 51 can be separable from the respective tear strips 61, 63 and from the back panel 41 along the respective lines of weakening (e.g., along the cuts 53 after breaking the nicks 55). Further, the tear strips 61, 63 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the shipping and dispensing construct 5 can be formed from the construct blank 3 as shown in
A package 75 of the present disclosure is formed by the shipping dispensing construct 5 with the product holding containers C attached to the construct. The package 75 can be shipped to a point of sale vendor (e.g., department store, grocery store, etc.) for sale to a consumer. The package 75, shipping dispensing construct 5, and/or construct blank 3 can have other features and can be alternatively shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.
In one embodiment, the product holding containers C can be dispensed from the shipping and dispensing construct 5 of the package 75 by tearing one or both of the tear strips 61, 63. For example, the tear strip 63 can be removed as shown in
The tear strips 61, 63 could be removed from the package 75 in any order or could be removed at the same time by tearing along at least one of the tear lines 65, 67, 69, 71. In one embodiment, at least some of the attachment tabs 51 can be separated from the back panel 41 while one or both of the tear strips 61, 63 remains connected to at least a portion of the back panel 41 by pulling the back panel 41 away from the containers C to tear the nicks 55. For example, after the second tear strip 63 is removed as shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the package 75 of the present disclosure has a shipping and dispensing construct 5 comprising paperboard material that is attached to the product holding containers C and eliminates and/or reduces the use of plastic over wrap around the product holding containers. The front panel 31 provides a suitable surface for graphics such as advertising or other indicia, and the back panel 41 has the release features for allowing selective dispensing of one or more of the product holding containers C from the shipping and dispensing construct 5.
In general, the blanks of the present disclosure 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 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 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 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. 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. 63/043,192, filed on Jun. 24, 2020.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63043192 | Jun 2020 | US |
