CARTON FOR A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES AND BLANKS THEREFOR

CARTONS D'EMBALLAGE ET DECOUPES

English Abstract

2091988 9302943 PCTABS00019
There is provided a carton for receiving a plurality of cans
(12). The carton has apertures in its side walls (21, 22) for
receiving the heel portions of the cans (12) and gusset portions between
each side wall (21, 22) and the top panel (13). When assembled,
one panel (35) of each gusset portion extends partially across
the open end area of the carton to prevent dislodgement of the tops
of the cans (12).

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un emballage en carton conçu pour recevoir une pluralité de boîtes métalliques (12). L'emballage en carton présente des ouvertures sur les parois latérales (21, 22) pour recevoir les bords inférieurs des boîtes métalliques (12), et des goussets (35, 36) situés entre chaque paroi latérale (21, 22) et la partie supérieure (13) de l'emballage. Une fois l'emballage en place, un rabat (35) de chaque gousset s'étend sur une partie de l'extrémité ouverte de l'emballage afin d'éviter que les parties supérieures des boîtes métalliques (12) ne sortent dudit emballage.

Claims

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The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A carton for containing a plurality of cylindrical beverage cans with
each can having a heel portion, said carton having two open ends defining a
generally
open-ended sleeve shape of said carton, said carton comprising:
a top panel having opposed side edges and opposed end edges;
spaced side panels each having a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposed
end edges;
an upper side panel joining the top edge of each of said side panels to a
corresponding side edge of said top panel, said upper side panels said side
panels, and
said top panel defining two upper corner portions at each of the open ends of
said
carton;
a bottom panel joining and extending between said bottom edges of sid
side panels;
four independent gussets, each gusset extending between an end edge
of one of said side panels and a corresponding end edge of said top panel,
each gusset
spanning a corresponding upper portion of an open end of said carton;
each gusset being hingedly attached to an end edge of said side panel,
hingedly attached to a corresponding end edge of said top panel, and separate
from the
adjacent upper side panel;
each gusset having a single fold line intermediate its hinged
attachments to the side and top panels, said fold line subdividing said gusset
into a
first portion attached to the top panel and a second portion attached to the
side panel;
each gusset being folded along its fold line to position the second portion of
the gusset
against its corresponding side panel with the first portion of said gusset
extending
across; and
cut out sections formed in the bottom and side panels for receiving and
retaining the heel portions of beverage cans grouped in the carton.



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2. The carton of claim 1 and wherein said bottom panel is formed by a
first bottom panel section extending from the bottom edge of one of said side
panels
and a second bottom panel section extending from the bottom edge of the other
one of
said side panels, said first and second bottom panel sections being joined
together to
form said bottom panel.

3. The carton of claim 1 and wherein said second portion of each gusset is
sized and configured such that, when folded against its corresponding panel,
it
becomes sandwiched between said side panel and a beverage can contained in
said
carton whereby the beverage can holds the gusset in place with its second
portion
extending across an upper corner portion of an open end of said carton to
retain the
can beverage in the carton.

Description

w o 93/02943 . 2 0 919 8 8 PCT/GB92/01471

Carton for a plural1ty of art~cles and blank therefor.
~ "
This invention relates to cartons and blanks
therefor.
Various cardboard sleeves for multipacks are
' 5 known, but generally have apertures at the junction of
the side and top panels for receiving the top edges of
the articles. With certain articles, especially cans,
the necessary aperture is located very close .o the
end edge of the sleeve and thus render the remaining
- 10 strip of card vulnerable to tearing whenever the pack
is handled. Tearing of course seriously affects the
usefulness of the sleeve, but compactness of carton is
;~ essential not only from an aesthetic point of ~iew but
' also from a business point of view. Clearly it is
; 15 desirable to use as little cardboard as possible
whilst retaining structural integrity and also bulkier
'~ cartons occupy more space and increase transport
'~:
~, costs.
According to a first aspect of .he present
; 20 invention there is provided a carton for receiving a
I plurality ~of articles, which carton comprises a top
portion, a bottom portion, two side portions, the side
and/or bottom portions being provided with formations
-- for engaging the heel portions of at least some of
` 25 said articles, and gusset portions provided between
~ - the side portions and the top portion so as to extend
; across at least part of each end area of the carton.
- Preferably two gusset portions are provided at
;each end of the carton between each side portion and
3- each~ top portion. The formations for engaging -the
heel portions are in the form of apertures in each of
. which is received and retained a heel portion.
~ !.J ;.; In a preferred emboaimen. each gusset portion
;. ~ ---- comprises two panels, the first of which is hingedly
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W093/02943 PCT/G892/01471
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connected to the top portion and the second of which
' is hingedly connected to the associated side portion,
:
both panels being hingedly connected together such
' that one of said panels is bent towards its associated
portion to allow the other panel to extend across the
open end area of the carton.
It is a preferred feature that no further
hinges are provided in said other panel of each gusset
~:portion. Also said one panel of each gusset portion
is held against its associated top or preferably side
~ portion by one of said articles.
'1:`' Preferably, the top portion is hingedly
connected alona opposite side edges to the side
':~` portions and each side portion is hingedly connec~ed
' to a bottom panel, the two bottom panels being secured
together to constitute said bottom portion.
In one arrangement the two bottom panels are
formed with interengaging formations to effect their
securing together. Alternatively, the two bottom
panels could be adhesively secured together.
~''- 'Conveniently the carton is adapted to receive
~' two 'rows of articles so that two articles-face each
.~ open end and the articles are retained in-the carton
'' ' by the'gussetted portions and the heel engaging
; ~' formations, one of which is provided for each article.
25Ideally, the cartons are formed from cardboard
'`~ ' and the'hinged'connéctions 'may be constituted by fold
~' lines, `scor'e lines or skip/score lines. ~
' ` '''' According` to"''a second aspect- of the present
invention,' there'is'provided à blank for p'roducing a
~'. 3carton for receiving a `plurality of articlès, which
blànk provides paneis for constituting a top portion,
. two~'sidé'portions''ànd-a bottom po'rtion, which panels
'`'' aré''hinqedly connected togèther,~ said blank providing
''at least' one'gusset portion between a side~portion and
~'`';~ `35 the top portion at each end thereof, each gusset
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W093/02943 PCT/CB92/01471
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portion being constituted by two panels, the first of
'' which is hingedly connected to the associated side
portion and the second of which is hingedly connected
to the top portion, both panels of the gusset portion
being hingedly connected together.
Embodiments of the invention will now be ' -'
described in more detail. The description makes
,~ reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in
~ which:
,,; 10 Figure 1 shows a blank according to the
present invention,
~', Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blank of
,~ Figure 1 being assembled into a carton,
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a carton
', 15 according to the present invention made from the blank
shown in Figure 1, and
~, Figure 4 is an end view of the carton shown in
Figure 3. ,
' Figure 1 shows a blank 10 for forming a carton
11, as shown in figures 2 to 4, around a plurality of
articles which in-this case is six cans 12 for
'' beverages arranged in two rows of three. The carton
' 11 has a top portion 13 formed with two finger holes
''"~ 14 for facilitating the carrying of'the carton.
' 25 Hingedly connected to each side edge of the' top
' portion along fold lines 15, 16 are upper side panels
17,--18 which are adapted 'to conform to the~bevelled
, ' `uppër`surfaces of-thé cans 12.'~Hingedly connected to
'~ '`each side 'of the upper side panels 17, 18 along fold
'' 3 lin'és i9, 20 are main side--panels 21, 22. Hingedly
' ' '' 'connected to the lower èdges of the side panels 21, 22

-` ' aiong-fold lines 23,- 24-are lower'side panels'25, 26
wh`ich''in turn are connected~along fold lines 27, 28 to
' bottom panels 29, 30.
The panels 21, 25, 29; 22, 26, 30 are formed
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., with apertures 31 and formations 32 for engaging and
-~ retaining heel portions of the cans 12. As can be
seen in figure 4, the heel of the can protrudes to
.~. some extent through the aperture 31 and this serves to
.,.-' prevent to a great extent transverse movement of the,`. 5 can 12 within the carton 11.
. .
The bottom panels 29, 30 are provided with
''. various formations 33 which are arranged so as to
.' interlock and interengage so as to close the blank 10
to form the sleeve-like carton 11.
10The blank 10 is also formed with gusset
, portions 34 which interconnect each side panel 21, 22
~'' with the top portion 13. Each gusset portion 34 has a
'~ first panel 35 hingedly connected to the top portion
;, 13 and a second panel 36 hingedly connected to the
~` 15side panel 21, 22 along the fold line 37. The first
~' - and second panels 35, 36 are also hingedly connected
.,.~; together along fold line 38. The upper side panel 17,
18 is bypassed by the provision of a hole 39.
~-~ When forming the carton 11 around the cans 12,
'' 20 the top portion is placed across the tops of the cans
, and .the side panels and bottom panels are folded
'. around the cans 12. During the folding the second
'~ panels ,6 of the gusset portions 34 are tucked in
~. behind their associated side panels 21, 22 and the
.:.': 25 bottom panels 29, 30 are.connected together. These
. ~ second panels 36 and the lower part of the first
.. : ,portions 35 are,.in the finished carton 11, sandwiched
,:', .~in~position between the cans~12 and the side panels
'',. ~ ,- -21, 22-and cannot readily~ be pulled out., In the
`~; 30.~finished carton ll,the.first.panels 35 of the gusset
, oortlons 34 partially block the open end~areas of the

~': . .carton,and thereby prevent the tops of the ,cans from
, ., , ~;. being.removed from the carton. This_is clearly shown
. in figure 4.
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~It will be appreciated that articles other
'~than beverage cans can be used in the above described
carton. For example, the carton could be adapted for
use with bottles. Also different types of can would
require slightly modified panel arrangements. For
example, if the cans do not have an upper bevelled
surface then the upper side panels 17, 18 may be
-omitted to leave the main side panels 21, 22 hingedly
connected directly to the top portion 13. In addition
it will be appreciated that other bottom panel
securing techniques are envisaged, for example
different formations 33 may be used or the two panels
may simply be secured with adhesive. Also the
connection between the ends of the blank has been
shown as being in the bottom portion, but it will be
,appreciated that it could be located in a side or the
top portion if required. Further modifications may
include further fold lines in the first gusset portion
if desired or in any other panel so as to accommodate
features of the articles being contained.
The carton is ideally suited to manufacture
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'~ from paperboard but other semi-rigid or rigid sheets
~- could be used. Also fold lines could also encompass
- 25 score lLnes or àny combinatlon of fold lines and score
~' lines. ~
;~The above described typë of carton provides a
secure package for a plurality of articles and does
not rely on apertures for retaining the tops of the
articles. The weak spots between the endmost top
apertures and the end edge of known cartons are
therefore eliminated without adding bulk to the
carton.
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Representative Drawing