Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a package which incorporates
at least one container having a top flange which
receives the container lid. More usually a package
according to the invention takes the form of an article
5 carrier which holds a plurality of such containers
together in a group.
~he package or article carrier is formed from a blank of
foldable sheet material such as paperboard and is formed
10 into a top-gripping "clip". Setting up the clip from a
flat blank is completed by the introduction of the or
each article with which it is to receive and thereafter
each artic;Le cooperates with portions of the paperboard
material to hold it in its completed form thereby
1~ dispensing with the need for glue or other secondary
securing means.
~he invention provides a package which accommodates at
least one article which package comprises a wrapper
20 having a top panel overLying the top end of each
article~ side wall panels depending from and hinged to
opposed side edges of said top wall and an end wall
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construction at each of two other opposed side edges of
said top wall and wherein said wrapper is held in its
completed form to retain each article therein by
cooperation between each of said end wall constructions
5 and the article afi~ acent thereto and by retaining means
to ma~ntain each of said adj acent articles in
cooperation with said end wall constructions such that
portions of said end wall constructions are held
disposed between said top wall and a respective one of
10 said adj acent articles .
According to a feature of the invention, each of said
end wall constructions may comprise a pair of end wall
panels which extend from respective ones of said side
15 wall panels towards one another so as to form end wall
means at each of the opposite ends of the carrier which
at least partially hides wall portions of the article
adj acent thereto . In article carriers where this
feature is adopted, each of said end wall panels may be
20 hinged to a respective one of said side wall panels and
to gusset panel means said gusset panel means being
folded substantially flat and disposed between the top
of said adj acent article and said top panel of the
carrier. Preferably, the gusset panel means are
25 hinged to at least one end flap so that the gusset
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panels and thereby the end wall panels can be folded
simultaneously, by movement of said end flap and wherein
each said end flap is hinged to an end edge of said top
panel. Each end flap may be folded substantially flat
5 and disposed between said gusset panels and said top
panel of the carrier.
According to another feature of the invention, said
retaining means may comprise at least one slit formed
10 substantially at the junction between said top wall and
each of said side wall panels. In packages according to
the invention where this feature is adopted, the
articles may comprise one or more containers such as
pots, ~ars or cans having a flange or other rim means at
15 or ~Ldjacent their tops which are engaged in and retained
by an opposed pair of said retaining means.
Two packages embodying the invention will now be
described, by way of e~ample, with reference to
20 the accompanying drawings, in which:-
FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a paperboard blank forforming an article carrier according to the invention
for holding a plurality of top flanged container
2~ together in a unit,
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FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blank of Figure 1
partly formed into the carrier and in which a flanged
container is bein~ introduced into the carrier;
5 FIGURE 3 is another perspective view of the carrier
partly formed but almost in its completed condition;
FIGURE 4 is a perspective Yiew of the completed carrier
holding together two like containers; and
FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a blank for forming a package
which incorporates but a single f langed container .
Referring first to Figures l to 4, a top gripping
15 article carrier or clip AC is formed from a
substantially rectilinear blank 10 of paperboard or like
foldable sheet material. Blank 10 comprises a central
panel 12 which forms the top panel of the clip in use to
the opposite longitudinal edges of which is hinged a
20 side wall panel 14 and 16 along interrupted longitudinal
fold lines 18 and 20 respectively. Fold line 18 is
interrupted by a pair of substantially arcuate cut lines
which form spaced slits 22 and 24 and likewise spaced
slits 26 and 28 interrupt longitudinal fold line 20.
25 Slits 22 and Z6 together provide r tention apertures
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well known per se in the multiple r~k~ n~ art, for
receiving diametrically opposed flange portions of a
container such as a plastics cup "C" having a top flange
" f " ( Figure 2 ) . Similarly, slits 24 and 28 provide
5 retention ap~l Lul~s for the flange portions of a further
container Cl ( Figures 3 and 4 ) .
The opposite lateral ends of the blank have end panel
arrangement of like construction to one another. Thus at
10 one end of the blank a central end flap 30 of rhomboid
form is hinged to top panel 12 along transverse fold
line 32. The end panel construction further comprises a
pair of end wall panels 34 and 36 hinged to the side
panels 14 and 16 along transverse fold lines 38 and 40
15 respectively, the end wall panels 34 and 36 are
indirectly hinged to the end flap 30 by means of
triangular gusset panels 42 and 44. Gusset panel 42 is
hinged to end wall panel 34 along fold line g6 and to
end flap 30 along fold line 48 Gusset panel 44 is
20 hinged to end wall panel 36 along fold line 50 and to
end flap 30 along fold line 52. The opposite end panel
construction is similar and accordingly like parts have
been designated like reference numerals with the
addition of sufiix " ' ".
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Referring now to Figure 2 and 3 in order to form the
blank into a top gripping clip it is first pre-folded
prior to the introduction of the cups C to be packaged.
To this end, both the end flaps 30, 30' are folded
5 towards one another about their respective fold line 32,
32 ' 80 that they begin to overlap the top panel 12.
Folding of the end flaps causes the associated gusset
panels 42, 44 and 42 ', 44 ' and end panels 34, 36 and
34 ', 36 ' also to fold into a more upright attitude
10 relative to top panel 12 by virtue of tbeir mutually
hinged connections and when the side wall panels 14 and
16 are likewise urged to fold about the respective
longitudinal fold lines 18 and 20 into a more upright
attitude. This folding operation causes the end wall
15 panels 34, 36 and 34 ', 36 ' to be drawn towards each
other across the ends of the blank as shown at the left
hand end of Figure 2. Thus, while end flaps 30, 30 '
move into overlapping relationship with top panel v the
gusset panels swing inwardly to overlap the exposed face
20 of ~he respective end flap 30, 30 '
Cups C ahd Cl are introduced to the partially folded
blank so that their f langed tops are brought into f ace
contacting relationship with top panel 12. At one end
25 of the blank a segmental portion of the lid of cup C is
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urged against the exposed aces o~ the gusset panels 42
and 44 and as the side wall panels 14 and 16 are folded
further towards a more uprlght position circumferential
portions of the cup top f lange " f " are automatically
5 engaged into the diametrically opposed retaining
apertures 22 and 26. As such engagement takes place,
the gusset panels 42 and 44 are folded substantially
flat against the end flap 30 which, in turn, is thereby
folded substantially flat against top wall 12. In so
10 doing, the end wall panels 34 and 36 are brought across
the ends of the blank so that together they form an end
wall "W" of the clip. The second cup Cl is introduced
substantially slmul~n~o-nlc:l y at the opposlte end of the
blank and a like folding operation causes end wall "Wl"
15 to be erected so that the resultant completed cup and
clip combination is as shown in Figure 4. Once the cups
have been engaged in their respective retaining
apertures, the clip is maintained in its erected
conf iguration because the retaining apertures act as
20 locking means to hold the associated end flaps and
gusset panels trapped beneath the lids of the cups and
it is therefore. only forceable release of the cups which
will allow the clip to become unfolded back into a flat
blank .
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A number of Ir~ i f i (-~tions to be blank are envisaged
whereby a variety of configuration of the clip can be
achieved by varying the angular relationship and
relative sizes of the panels and flaps which constitute
5 the end panel constructions at each end of the blank.
Figure 5 shows a blank lOa formed from paperboard or
similar foldable sheet material for attachment to a
single flanged container to provide an outer information
10 bearing wrapper For the most part this blank is
similar (except, of course, that it has only single
flange retention slits for receiving diametrically
opposed flange portions of a single cooperating
container) and like parts are designated like reference
15 numerals with the addition of the suffix "a" Moreover,
the opposite ends of the blank do not have the end flaps
30, 30 ' but instead a pair of discrete end panels 30a,
31a and 30a ' and 31a ' is provided at each end of the
blank. The end panel construction is such that there is
20 no complete end wall at each end of the package when the
blank is applied to a flanged container but only a pair
of corner constructions which constitute a partial end
wall .
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In either of the embodiments described, whereas so
called cups have been referred to, it is to be
understood that the terms " cups " should be taken to
include flanged pots, Jars or cans which have at or
5 ad~acent thelr tops some form of rim or top flange.
