The invention relates, generally, to article carriers. More particularly, the invention relates to wrap-around article carriers formed by wrapping a flat carrier blank around a configuration of containers.
Wrap-around article carriers are commonly used to package beverage containers and other articles. Basically, one type of wrap-around article carrier is formed by grouping articles in an arrangement they are desired to be in after packaging to form a product configuration, and then wrapping a flat carrier blank around the product configuration. The blank is tightly drawn about the articles and the ends of the blank are connected to each other. Cutouts are often provided at the upper and/or lower portions of the ends of the carrier to grip the exposed portions of the articles protruding through the cutouts. The cutouts allow the blank to be tightly wrapped around and to securely hold the product group. Wrap-around article carriers are economical to make and use because they typically use a smaller amount of paperboard than other carriers, and because they are stored and transported as a flat carrier blank or as a carrier sleeve. Furthermore, wrap-around article carriers are sturdy and are well-accepted by the public.
One aspect of wrap-around carriers which has been well received by the public is the ability to view at least a portion of the containers contained within the carrier. Typically, the containers have a cylindrical shape with an arcuate sidewall and at least a portion of that sidewall is often viewable through the carrier wrapped around the configuration of containers. Examples of this feature of prior art wrap-around containers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,919,266; 5,944,253 and 5,947,367, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Moreover, another feature of such wrap-around carriers which has been well received by the public is the ability to provide a sturdy and tightly packed grouping of containers. The ability for the carrier material or paperboard to conform to the arcuate profile of the containers adds to this advantageous feature while additionally minimizing the quantity of paperboard required for each carrier package.
Nevertheless, many carrier manufacturers and paperboard converters who fill the erected carrier with the containers prior to shipment to the commercial retailer and ultimate consumer have identified certain difficulties in properly loading the containers within the carrier. Various machines require added equipment and certain modifications to properly process the containers in an assembled configuration into the paperboard carrier. One aspect of known paperboard carriers which leads to these required modifications is the rounded shape or configuration of the base portion of the carrier.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved paperboard carrier which provides the above-identified and other advantages and desirable features while minimizing or avoiding the need for modifications to existing equipment for processing and filling the carriers.
These and other drawbacks in the prior art have been addressed and overcome with a carrier and associated blank of this invention. A carrier of this invention in various embodiments is constructed from a paperboard blank and includes a rounded or non-rectangular top in combination with a non-rounded or rectangular bottom. Dust flaps which extend from the top and bottom of the carrier overlap one another to form a pair of opposing composite end panels. Sides of the carton also include dust flaps which extend from the respective edges and those side dust flaps are likewise folded onto the composite end panels. One advantageous feature of the carrier according to various embodiments of this invention is that the dust flaps which are attached to the side panels include a crease or fold line adjacent to the bottom of the carrier. The crease or fold line only extends partially along the height of the carrier so that the juncture between the side flap and the associated side panel adjacent to the top of the carrier does not include a crease or fold line. As such, the side and adjacent side flap adjacent the top of the carrier can be tightly wrapped around the arcuate sidewall of the containers within the carrier to thereby provide a neat and tightly grouped package configuration. Moreover, the sturdy and tightly packed container configuration within the carrier allows for viewing ports adjacent the top panel to provide the consumer visual access for viewing the containers within the carriers without sacrificing structural integrity of the sturdy carrier.
Moreover, the rectangular configuration of the bottom resulting in part from the side flap fold lines allows for more efficient and easier processing and filling of the carrier blank in an assembled configuration thereby avoiding the need for added equipment and modifications to the existing converting machinery and processing equipment.
Other advantages and objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
Pair of bottom flaps 38, 40 is attached to and extend from opposite ends of the bottom panel 26 as shown in
Pairs of opposed side flaps 60, 62 and 64, 66 are each joined to and extend from the opposite edges of the side panels 20, 24 as shown in the blank 12 in
In one embodiment, the fold lines 30, 32, 50, 52, 36, 28 bordering the top panel 22 and joining the glue flap 34 and side panel 20 to the bottom panel 26 are creased, indented or embossed to promote the folding of the adjacent components about these fold lines. Another aspect of one embodiment of this invention is that the fold lines 42, 44, 68, 70, 72, 74 joining the bottom panel 26 to the bottom flaps 38, 40 and those joining the side flaps 60, 62, 64, 66 to the associated side panels 20, 24 are each cut crease fold lines which include a series of spaced cuts or slits 78 along the fold line as well as associated creased, embossed or indented portions intermediately spaced between the cuts 78 in the paperboard. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that alternative types of fold lines, crease lines, features or enhancements to the paperboard may be provided to allow the carrier blank 12 to be folded and erected into the carrier 10 according to various embodiments of this invention aside from those described and shown herein.
To form an erected carrier 10 from the blank 12, the configuration of containers C is loaded onto the bottom panel 26 of the carrier blank 12 and is shown in a 2×2 arrangement in
One aspect of the carrier 10 according to this invention is the generally perpendicular orientation of the side panels 20, 24 relative to the composite end panels 80, 82 adjacent the bottom panel 26 due in part to the side flap fold lines 68, 70, 72, 74. However, the upper portion of each side panel 20, 24 and the adjacent portions of the respective end panels 80, 82 designated by areas 76 are formed or wrapped tightly around the upper portion of the arcuate sidewalls 14 of the containers C adjacent the viewing ports 58 of the carrier 10 as shown in
A side view of the erected carrier 10 according to certain aspects of this invention presents a rectangular profile as shown in
Referring to
Pair of flaps 138, 140 is attached to and extend from opposite ends of the fourth panel 126b as shown in
Each fold line 142, 144, 150, 152 according to one aspect of this invention extends only partially along the juncture between the associated flap 138, 140, 146, 148 and the associated panel 126b, 122 as shown in
Another aspect of one embodiment of this invention is that the fold lines 142, 144, 168, 170, 172, 174 are each cut crease fold lines which include a series of spaced cuts or slits 178 along the fold line as well as associated creased, embossed or indented portions intermediately spaced between the cuts 178 in the paperboard. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that alternative types of fold lines, crease lines, features or enhancements to the paperboard may be provided to allow the carrier blank 112 to be folded and erected into the carrier no according to various embodiments of this invention aside from those described and shown herein.
To form an erected carrier 110 from the blank 112, each container C is oriented with its longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to the panel 124 and is similarly oriented relative to one another such that each container bottom 118 is resting on the panel 124. The panel 120 is folded around about fold line 128 so that a distal portion of the panel 126a overlaps the complementary panel 126b which is then adhesively secured to the panel 126a. The side flaps 160, 162, 164, 166 are folded about respective fold lines 168, 170, 172, 174 relative to the associated panels 120, 124 after which the flaps 138, 140 are folded about their associated fold lines 142, 144 and the flaps 146, 148 are folded about fold lines 150, 152 to overlap the adjacent portion of the flaps 160, 162, 164, 166. The respective flaps 138, 140, 146, 148, 160, 162, 164, 166 are adhesively secured to one another via deposits of glue or another means as is well known in the industry. The overlapping flaps 138, 160, 146 and 164 form one composite end panel 180 of the carrier 110 and overlapping flaps 140, 162, 148, 166 and form another composite end panel 182.
One aspect of the carrier 110 according to this invention is the rectangular shape of the carrier around the bottom ends of the containers C and the upper portion of each panel 122, 126 and the adjacent portions of the respective end panels 180, 182 designated by areas 176 formed tightly around the upper portion of the arcuate sidewalls 114 of the containers C adjacent the viewing ports 158 of the carrier 110 as shown in
Referring to
A pair of bottom flaps 238, 240 is attached to and extends from opposite ends of the bottom panel 226 as shown in
Pairs of opposed side flaps 260, 262 and 264, 266 are each joined to and extend from the opposite edges of the side panels 220, 224 as shown in the blank 212 in
Another aspect of one embodiment of this invention is that the fold lines 242, 244, 268, 270, 272, 274 joining the bottom panel 226 to the bottom flaps 238, 240 and those joining the side flaps 260, 262, 264, 266 to the associated side panels 220, 224 are each cut crease fold lines which include a series of spaced cuts or slits 278 along the fold line as well as associated creased, embossed or indented portions intermediately spaced between the cuts 278 in the paperboard. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that alternative types of fold lines, crease lines, features or enhancements to the paperboard may be provided to allow the carrier blank 212 to be folded and erected into the carrier 210 according to various embodiments of this invention aside from those described and shown herein.
To form an erected carrier 210 from the blank 212 according to one aspect of this invention, the configuration of containers C is loaded onto the bottom panel 226 of the carrier blank 212 and is shown in a 2×3 arrangement in
One aspect of the carrier 210 according to this invention is the generally perpendicular orientation of the side panels 220, 224 relative to the composite end panels 280, 282 and the adjacent bottom panel 226 due in part to the side flap fold lines 268, 270, 272, 274. However, the upper portion of each side panel 220, 224 designated by areas 276 is formed tightly around the upper portion of the arcuate sidewalls 214 of the containers C adjacent proximate the shoulder 215 and the viewing ports 258 of the carrier 210 as shown in
Having described various embodiments of this invention, terms such as side, top, bottom and the like are utilized for a better understand of the invention and not as limitations on the invention. It should be further appreciated that any reference to hinged or foldable connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only. Hinged connections can be formed from one or more of one of the following: a score line, a frangible line, a cut crease line or a fold line, without departing from the scope of invention.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
This claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/648,303, filed May 17, 2012, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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61648303 | May 2012 | US |