Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to the field of beverage
cartons. In particular, the present invention provides a novel
end-load carton, particularly useful for use in packaging bottles
in a 3 x 4 configuration.
The brewing industry has utilized end-~oad beer cartons for
a number of years. Basically, they are manu~actured from a blank
which is formed into a tube having opened ends. Bottles are
loaded in through the ends and then flaps extending from the top,
bottom and side panels of the carton are folded in and glued in
lo place. The top panel of the carton is perforated so that it may
be easily opened ~or access to the beer bottles inside.
Two particular disadvantayes of end-load cartons have faced
the brewing industry for some time. First, since the end-load
carton is primarily used in connection with returnable beer
bottles, it is desirable that the top of the carton, once opened,
can be re-closed. With a per~orated opening which is punched in
and pulled open, this is very dif~icult to accomplish and
therefore one is usually left with a container for empty beer
bottles which will not close properly.
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Secondly, in order to ensure that the end flaps of the
carton are securely glued so that the ends of the carton do not
ac~identally come open, it is necessary to apply substantial
pressure to the ends~of the cartons when they are glued closed.
That is, when the carton is closed, Plaps extending from the side
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panels of the carton are folded in first. These side flaps meet
in a vertical line mid-way between the sides of the carton. Then
glue is applied to the end flaps extending from the side panel~.
The end flaps extending from the top and bottom panels are then
folded over the side flaps and pressed in place. It has been
observed by the applicant thak a better adhesive bond is obtained
where the side flaps are direc~ly overlying beer bottles. This
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is because the bottles act as a backing and permit the top and
bottom flaps to be pressed harder against the side ~laps.
However, in conventional cartons, since the side flaps meet in
the centre of the middle bottle it is impossible to apply glue
in exactly the place where one wants to obtain the best adhesive
bond: on the side flaps directly over the centre of the bottle.
In this line, there are merely the edges of the side flaps, and
these edges are not susceptible of being securely glued to the
top and ~ottom flaps, because they do not present a ~lat,
continuous surface. ~ -~
The object of the present invention is to provide an end
load beer carton which overcomes the disadvantages associated in
the known end-load beer cartons, as discussed above. In
particular, an object o~ the present invention is to provide an -~
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end-1O3d beer carton with substantially reclosable top formed by
perforations.
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A ~urther object of the pre~ent invention is to provide an
end-load carton which is susceptible of being securely closed by
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the application of a layer of glue on a side flap directly
overlying the middle bottle in a row of three.
In a broad aspect, the present invention relates to a
beverage carton including: a top panel; a bottom panel; a palr
of side panels~ and a pair of vertical end flaps extending from
each of said side panels part way across each end of said carton
and meeting each other: horizontal end flaps extending from said
top and bottom panels part way down and up, respectively, each
said end, and meeting each other; characterized in that the said
vertical end flaps extending across a said end are of unequal
width and meet in a subætantially vertical line off set from ~id-
way between said side panels.
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A further object of the present invention i8 to provide an
end-load carton which is susceptible of being securely closed by ~:
the application of a layer o~ glue on a side flap directly
overlying the middle bottle in a row of three.
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In a broad aspect, the pre~ent invention relates to a
beverage carton including: a top panel: a bottom panel; a pair
of side panels; and a pair of vertical end flaps ~xtending from
each of said side panels part way across each end of said carton
and mee~ing each other: horizontal end flapG extending from said
top and bottom panels part way down and up, respectively, each
said end, and meeting each other: characterized in that the said
vcrtical end flaps axtending across a sald end are of unequal
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width and meet in a substantially vertical line off set from mid-
way between said side panels.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to
a beverage carton for holding a plurality of bottles and having
a top panel, a bottom panel, opposed side panels, opposed end
panels, and handles formed in said end panels, said handles being
elongated apertures cut through sai.d end panels along their side
and bottom edges and hinged to said end panels along first hinge
lines formed along their upper edges, whereby said handles may
be folded into said carton along their upper edges by ~inger
pressure to present an aperture ~or the insertion of a persons
fingers which may then grasp said end panel along the upper edge
o~ said handle; and in particular to the improvement in siaid
carton comprising a second hinge llne on said handles, extending
hetween the side edges thereof between the upper and lower edges
thereof.
In one preferred e~bodiment of such improvements, said hinge
lines are lines of perforation.
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In another preferred embodiment o~ such improvement said ...
hinge lines are pressure formed lines of debossing.
In either preferred e~bodiment of such improve~ent, it is . . ; : -
advantageous if said second hinge line is ~paced from said first -~
hinge line by a distance less than or equal to t~e distance
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between t~e neck of a bottle in said bevera~e carton, and said
end panel, whereby said handle will tend to fold along sald
second hinge line when the handle is folded inwardly and meets
said neck of a bottle.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to
a beverage carton for holding à plurality of beverage con~ainers
and having a top panel, a bottom panel, opposed side panels, and
opposed end panels; and in particular to the improvemen~ in such
carton comprising a generally H-shaped access opening in said top
pan~l, formed from perforations so that access to the contents
of the carton may be gained by tearing open the top of the carton
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along the cross member and legs o~ the H, the cross member of the
H including a trapezoidal extension from one side o~ the H to the
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other so that upon opening, a pair of opposed flaps are formed, -
one with a pair o~ outwardly extending ears and one with a pair ~ -
of complimentary inwardly extending notches, where~y said flaps
may be olded down and said car~on at least partially re-closed
~y insertion of said ears into said notches.
The cross-member of said H-~haped opening extends in the
lengthwise direction of said carton, in one preferred embodiment.
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The cross-member of said H-shaped opening extends in the
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widthwise direction of said carton, in another pre~erred
embodiment.
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In a further advantageous embodiment, at least one inwardly
directed triangular notch is provided at an end of the cross- -
mamber of said H, to facilitate the initial tearing open of said
aecess opening. -
In drawings which illustrate the present invention by way
of example~
Figure 1 is a plan view of an end load carton blank :.
according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view, partially in phantom, of an :~
end-load carton according to the present invention; ~ .:
Figure 3 is a top view of an opened end-load carton
acoording to the present invention, with a number of bottles : -
placed therein; and
Figure 4 is a sectional view through line IV-IV in Figure
3. -
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Referring now to Figure 1, it will be sean that the blan~
of the present invention is provided with ~our main panels hinged .
together along common edges. ~hese are the top panel 9, a side :
panel 8, the bottom panel 7, and another side panel 6. A short :~
connecting flap 1 extends from the top panel 9 and when the blank : :
is folded together in a tubular configuration, connecting flap
1 is glued to the topmost margin of side panel 6. As can be seen ~ -
from Figure 1, side ~laps 11 and 3 extend from one side panel 8.
In a ~olded together configuration (see Figure 2), these flaps -. :
meet side ~laps 13 an~ 5 re~pectively from the other side panel - -.
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6. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, flaps 11 and 3 are
substantially wider than flaps 13 and 5. The additional width
on 1aps 11 and 3 permits the outermost margin oE ~laps 11 and
3 to overlie the centre of a bottle in a four by three
configuration. This overlying margin, which is indicated with
shading on Figure 1, can have glue applied to it.
As can be seen from Figure 1, bot*om flaps 4 and 12 extend
outwardly from bottom panel 7 and handle flaps 10 and 2 extend
outwardly from top panel 9. When the flaps 11, 3, 13, 5, which
extend outwardly from the side panels 8, 6 are coated with
adhesive and ~olded inwardly, then the flaps which extend
outwardly from the bottom and top panel respectively may be
folded over the side flaps and pressed against same for an
adhesive bond to be formed, thereby to seal the carton. It will
be appreciated khat since side flaps 11 and 3 are wider than
complimentary flaps 13 and 5 pressure against bottom flaps 12 and
4 in the centre o~ the carton will bear directly against the
adhesive applied on the outermoSt margin of ~laps 11 and 3 and
against the vertical centre line of a bottle in a ~our by three
a~rangement in the carton. This will result in a strong adhesive
bond being developed between ~laps 12 and 4 and 11 and 3
respectively, to securely close the carton.
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As can be seen from Figure 1 and Figure 2, the top panel 9
is provided with a perforated pattern 18 which is the reclosable
top o~ the carton. Rather t~an being shaped merely as a
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rectangle, pattern 18 is provided with inwardly directed notches
19 which tend to catch the two sides of the reclosable top when
they are pushed back down against top panel 9. Also, the
trapezoidal shaped struckure 20 in the centre of the reclosable
top perforation 18 will function, upon opening, as a reclosable
tab and slot arrangement.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the end flap arrangement
discussed above is illustrated in detail. It will be seen by
providing one side flap wider than the other one achieves
substantially the same effect as one would achieve if one made
the flaps overlapping, but with a saving o~ material and ~etter
adhesive contact. That is, if the flaps did overlap, one would
not obtain solid adhesive contact between the side flaps and the
top and bottom flaps because there would not be ~lat surface to
surface contact therebetween.
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Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that
handle flaps 2 and 10 are provided with handle cut-outs 17. The
handle cut-outs correspond in location to handl~ indentations 15
~ 16 in side flaps 11, 3, 13, 5 so that, when assembled, to grasp
a carton by the handle, one merely pu~hes on cut-out 17. Cut-out
17 then folds inwardly along fold line 21, the remainder of its
peri~eter being pre-cut to breakaway easily w~en pushed in. It
will be observed that a second perforated foldline 22 is provided
down about two thirds of the width of the cut-out. This
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perforated fold line allows the handle cut-out 17 to bend easily
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as it is pushed in past a beer bottle lined up with it.
Previously, without the provision of fold line 22 on a handle
cut~out, the handle cut-out would fold awkwardly and perhaps tear
vertically as it was pushed in against a bottle. The only
solution is this annoyin~ problem heretofore known to the
applicant was to provide a narrower handle cut-out that would not
contact a bottle as it was pushed by same. This, of course,
leads to a package that is less convenient to use.
Alternatively, that portion of cut-out 17 below fold line
22 may be excised entirely, so as to provide a narrow portion of
the cut-out that actually ~olds in, while still retaining a
conveniently large handle aperture.
It is to be understood that the examples dPscribed above are
not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. It is
expected that numerous variants will be obvious to the person
skilled in the beverage carton development and design field
without any departure from the spirit of the present invention.
The appended alaims, properly construed, form the only limitation
upon the scope o~ the present invention.
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