Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2073712
CARTON MANUFACTURE
The invention is concerned with the manufacture of
packaging cartons. Particularly but not exclusively, the
invention finds use in the field of outer cartons, i.e.
packaging of goods in multiple groups, for example, where
each item in a group is separate or is already
individually packaged.
For example, in the liquor and soft drinks industry it
is convenient to handle containers, cans or bottles, in
batches of four, six or twelve using an outer sleeve or
box carton. Advantageously the carton may afford complete
packaging protection for the individual containers
therewithin.
It will be appreciated that in the handling and
distribution of cartons there is an optimum size of carton
which is preferred for ease of loading/unloading in
warehouses, lorries and the like. However, a size which
is suitable under such circumstances may not be acceptable
in a situation where-a retailer or a consumer is involved,
from the point of view of weight and dimensions. Thus the
use of a size small enough to permit handling by, for
example, a sales assistant in an off-licence premises will
entail unacceptably high handling costs of wholesale
distribution.
It is an object of the invention to provide packaging
cartons which are economically acceptable throughout the
product handling and distribution system from manufactura
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to retail sales.
The invention provides, in one of its several aspects,
a compound packaging carton assembly comprising at least
two erected carton blanks each forming a complete or
substantially complete carton adapted to enclose in use
contents therewithin, and a p~nel member comprising a main
body portion and at least one edge flange, said flange(s)
being in-turned about the cartons so as to maintain the
cartons in a side-~y-side condition yoked together by said
panel member, the latter being provided with a parting
zone to allow parting of the panel member into panel
member portions and to facilitate separation of said
cartons one from another, the parting zone of the panel
member traversing the or each edge flange and the body
portion thereof.
The invention provides, in another of its several
aspects, a machine for assembling compound packaging
carton assemblies comprising conveyor means adapted to
convey groups of erected cartons each group comprising two
or more cartons to a carton assembly zone of the machine,
holding means to maintain each said group of cartons
successively at said zone in a predetermined
configuration, supply means to supply to a location
adjacent to a group of cartons held by said holding means
a panel member having a parting zone provided therein,
aligning said parting zone lengthwise with contiguous wall
portions of adjacent cartons in said group, folding means
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adapted to fold an edge flange of said panel member
inwardly about said cartons to yoke the latter together,
there being further provided means to secure said panel
edge flanges to at least one of further wall portions of
the cartons.
Conveniently, each group of cartons may comprise
between two and six cartons.
Advantageously, the flange(s) and the body portion may
be bonded to the carton wall portions by means of an
adhesive cement.
While it will be understood that in the examples to be
described below, the panel member comprises two edge
flanges on opposed sides of the main body member, it is
also possible to pro~ide a panel member which have one,
deep, flange inturned with respect to the main body
portion. The depth of the flange, which in practice is
usually greater than that of either of a pair of flanges,
will be such as to bond to a sufficient area of the side
wall of the carton to ensure that the cartons remain yoked
together.
In some circumstances, it may be found advantageous to
provide temporary bonding means between contiguous side
wall portions of adjacent cartons in a group, preferably
at a location spaced from the panel member.
In the present specification, it will be understood
that the term side walls includes any one of four walls
arranged to abut each other at side edges thereof to
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enclose rectangular volume. End walls may be either top
or bottom walls (bases) and these terms may be used as
appropriate according to the orientation of the cartons
during the formation of the assembly.
The invention further provides a compound packaging
carton as described in the fifth paragraph of the
specification wherein there are at least two erected
carton blanks, said blanks each comprising an incomplete
carton, wherein at least a portion of said panel member
acts to supplement each of the blanks comprising
incomplete cartons to complete the assembly of each
carton,the panel member being provided with a parting zone
to allow parting of the panel member into panel member
portions and also to facilitate separation of said cartons
from one another, the construction and arrangement being
such that each separated carton retains a panel member
portion as an integral part of its assembly.
In this specification, the term "incomplete carton"
refers to the absence of a side wall or top or bottom wall
or end wall thereof or the lack of one or more securing
flange(s) which would normally secure together two or more
side, top, bottom or end walls of the carton, leaving
walls of the carton unsecured if said panel member portion
were not present.
There will now be described several examples of
packaging cartons according to the invention. It will be
understood that the description, which is to be read with
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reference to the drawings, is given by way of example only
and not by way of limitation.
In the drawings:-
Figure 1 shows a carton blank for use in a firstexample of a compound packaging carton according to the
invention;
Figure 2 shows a panel member blank for use in said
first example; -~
Figure 3 shows the carton of the first example during
assembly;
Figure 4 shows the assembled carton of Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows an insert suitable to be received
within said carton;
Figures 6 to 9 correspond to Figures 1 to 4 above and
relate to a second example according to the invention;
Figure 10 illustrates a third example according to the
invention and shows a group of two cartons and a panel
member in an unassembled condition;
Figure 11 shows t-he parts in Figure 10 in an assembled
condition;
Figure 12 shows an alternative design of carton, two
of which are assembled with a panel member; and
Figure 13 shows a diagrammatic layout of a machine for
the formation of the compound carton assemblies.
In Figure 1 there is shown a first carton blank 1 cut
from conventional multi-ply corrugated cardboard and
comprising, in terms of the erected carton, a base 2, a
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--6
first side wall 4 having two opposed edge flanges 6,6', a
second side wall 8 having two opposed edge flanges 10. 10'
and a top wall 12 having three edge flanges 14,14' and 16.
Figure 2 shows a panel member 17 comprising a main
body portion and two edge flanges 19, 19'. Perforations
in the member form a parting zone shown at chain-dot line
A, defining body portion areas 18 and 22 and flange
portion areas 20,24.
A compound packaging carton is shown in Figure 3,
partly assembly. The carton comprises two carton blanks 1
each folded along fold lines in a conventional manner and
glued to form the arrangement as shown. Each carton blank
is folded so that side walls 4 and 8 are upright, the top
wall 12 is folded over so that flange 16 is glued to the
upper part of the side wall 8 and the flanges 14 and 14'
are glued to end walls respectively comprised of edge
flanges 6,10 and 6',10'.
It will be observed that both cartons are incomplete
in that there is no means to secure free edge portions of
the base 2 to the lower edges of the flanges 6,10 or
6',10' comprising Ihe end walls. The carton construction
is completed by taking the panel member 17 and folding the
two edge flanges 19,19' upwardly so that the two cartons 1
are received on the panel member in a back-to-back
arrangement as shown in Figure 3, with the panel edge ..
flanges 19,19' glued to the flanges 6,10 and 6',10' of the
cartons. Thus the cartons 1 are now completed and,
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although there is no tape, strapping or other means
binding the two cartons together, they are maintained
rigidly in close proximity by the presence of the panel
member 17. It will be appreciated that the panel member
may be secured in position by adhesive applied thereto, or
a coating of pre-applied adhesive may be activated by
suitable means prior to attachment.
In use, a conventional partitioning device 26 is
inserted into each carton when partially assembled and the
carton contents, six bottles of spirits in the present
example placed in the partitioned spaces within the
carton. When fully assembled and glued, the compound
pac~aging carton contains twelve bottles and presents
these to warehouse handling equipment in a manner which is
convenient and economical.
However, where circumstances make a twelve-bottle
caxton assembly too heavy or cumbersome to handle
manually, the two cartons 1 may readily be separated by
parting the panel member 17 along the line A, leaving two
cleanly separated, entirely complete cartons which still
afford full protection to their contents and give a neat
visual appearance for retail display acceptability. Each
carton is now of a weight which can easily be carried by,
say, a junior sales assistant.
Figures 6 to 9 illustrate a second emhodiment of the
invention. Figure 6 shows a second carton blank 27
comprising, in terms of the erected carton, a base 28, a
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--8--
first side wall 32 having two opposed edge flanges 34,34',
a second side wall 38 having two opposed edge flanges
40,40'. Each side wall 32 and 38 is also provided with a
third edge flange 36 and 42 respectively, which together
will form part of a top wall as will be explained below
with reference to Figure 8.
Figure 7 shows a blank for a panel member 43
comprising a main body portion and two edge fla~ges
46,46'. Two rows of perforations are provided at B which
form a parting zone comprising a tear strip area 56, which
defines body portion areas 44 and 50 and flange portions
area 48 and 52.
A compound packaging carton is shown in Figure 8,
partly assembled. The carton comprises two carton blanks
27 each folded along fold lines in a convantional manner
and glued to form the arrangement as shown. Each blank is
folded so that side walls 32 and 38 are upright, and
flanges 34 and 40, 34' and 40' are folded so that edge
surfaces abut to form end walls. The end walls secured in
place by folding respective flanges 30,31' upwardly and
gluing the against the flanges 34 and 40, 34' and 40'
respectively.
Flanges 36 and 42 are also folded inwardly, i.e.
towards each other, but it will be observed that each
carton is incomplete in that there is no means to secure
the flanges 36 and 42 in position and in the present
example the dimensions of the flanges 36 and 42 are such
2073712
that they do not abut. There is thus no effecti~e top
wall at this stage.
However, the construction of the cartons is completed
by taking the panel member 43 and folding the two flanges
46,46' downwardly so that the member is received over the
top of both cartons.
Flanges 46,46' are glued to the flanges 40,34,40,34
and the cartons are now completed. In this second
example, as in the first, there is no tape or strapping
binding the two cartons together since they are in effect
yoked by means of the panel member 43. The compound
packaging carton is thus ready for handling in its form as
shown in Figure 9, i.e. in a twelve-bottle arrangement.
When it is desired to handle a smaller package the
tear strip 56 may be removed by pulling upwardly on the
end portion 58 and the two cartons may then be separated.
Each carton is complete and affords full protection to its
contents, giving a neat visual appearance acceptable to a
customer.
A third example is shown in Figure 10, comprising two
conventional cartons 60, 62 in an erected condition. The
cartons are positioned side-by-side with longer ones of
side walls 64 thereof facing each other.
A panel member 66 is shown ~eneath the cartons for
~onding thereto. The member 66 is provided with up-turned
edge flanges 68 so that the member 66 acts to yoke the two
cartons together in a manner similar to that shown in
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--10--
Figure 3. The member 66 includes a parting zone
comprising a line 70 of perforations, which, when the
member is secured to the cartons 60, 62 lies at the
junction between the two cartons. Separating the cartons
is then made possible, when required, by parting the
member along the line 70.
Figure 11 shows an end view of the cartons 60, 62 and
the pan`el member 66 in the assembled condition, with the
addition, if it is considered advantageous of a portion 72
of a temporary bonding agent between the twa confronting
walls 64 of contiguous cartons. This bonding agent will
be selected to be readily releasable and visually
inconspicuous. However, its presence may be of benefit
particularly in instances in which the cartons are tall
relative to their base dimensions.
Figure 12 of the present application shows a portion
of temporary bonding adhesive 72', for example a latex
adhesive, applied between cartons made up from blanks 1.
It will be understood that the panel member may be
assembled below the cartons to an additional base panel or
may be applied to side walls or the top wall of a group of
cartons. If desired, the exterior, visible, surface of
the panel may bear printed matter, advertising or display
or the like.
Figure 13 illustrates the stages of operation in a
machine layout for use in the formation of a compound
packaging assembly indicated at 74. It will be understood
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that the cartons of assembly 74 may be for example,
incomplete cartons as shown in Figure 3 or complete
cartons as shown in Figure 10, and may be arranged to be
handled in an upright condition or lying on their sides
according to factory requirements and marketing
strategies, or indeed the nature of the carton contents.
A conveyor device 76 is arranged at stage ti) to
transfer a series of erected cartons arranged i~-groups of
two, as indicated at 78, to an assembly zone including
holding means 80 which maintain the orientation of the
cartons as they leave the conveyor device. A panel member
82 having two flanges 84 and a parting line 86 is
transferred from a stack and passed through an adhesive
applying device 88. A conveyor belt 90 is used to
position the panel member 82 on a bed member 92 at stage
(ii) below the cartons 78 so that the member adheres to
the lower surfaces of the cartons. Two side clamp~ 94
then move into positions at stage (iii) in which leading
edge portions 96 underlie the flanges 84. The bed member
92 is then lowered at the same rate and to the same extent
as are the holding means 80 to force the cartons
downwardly so as to turn the flanges 84 upwardly about the
cartons in stage (iv). The pressure exerted by the side
clamps 94 is then increased to ensure satisfactory
adhesion and the holding means is withdrawn as the clamps
are released in stage (v).
Various modifications may be made within the scope of
2073712
the invention as defined by the following claim5. For
example the parting line in the panel member may be
provided by bonding together two panel member portions by
an adhesive strip spanning adjacent margins of the
portions across its transverse dimension and incorporating
a release cord to part the strip in a lengthwise direction.
