Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 95/25048 ~ ~ PCTIUS95/01030
ROUNDED BOTTOM ENCLOSED CARRIER
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to enclosed sleeve-type article
carriers. More particularly, it relates to a construction
which facilitates closing the end glue flaps of the carrier
~ and enables the corner area between the side and end panels
to better conform to the contour of adjacent packaged
articles.
Backaround of the Invention
When forming a fully enclosed carrier such as one used
to package long neck bottles, the upper portions of the end
panels are often tapered so as to better follow the contour
of adjacent bottles. To accomplish this the bottom panel
is made longer than the top panel and the side panels are
made longer at the bottom than at the top. The lower
portion of the side panels is of constant length and the
upper portion is tapered. Although such a carrier conforms
to the shape of the bottles better than a nontapered
carrier, there are still gaps between the bottles and the
corners of the carrier. Further, there is often a
relatively large space between the upper portion of the
side panels and the bottle necks.
While it would be desirable to more tightly fit long
neck bottles in an enclosed carrier, the nature of sleeve
type carriers, which are conventionally used to package the
bottles, has prevented it. Sleeve-type carriers are formed
from a blank which is delivered to a packaging machine in
the form of a collapsed sleeve. After the sleeve is
erected, bottles are loaded through one or both open ends
of the sleeve and the ends of the carrier are closed. The
end panels of the carrier are formed by folding in dust or
glue flaps from the side panels to which they are
connected, and then gluing upper and lower end panel flaps
to them. This arrangement results in the undesirable
~ 35 corner gaps.
The glue flaps hinged to the end edges of the side
panels are basically comprised of a single flap containing
a wide notch extending in from the outer edge of the flap
to a point near the juncture of the tapered upper edge of
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the side panel and the straight lower edge portion. This
creates a narrow connecting strip between the upper and
lower segments of the glue flap. The combination of the
notch and a score line in the connecting strip allows the
two segments of the glue flaps to shift as necessary when
folded into place in order to accommodate the segments to
the tapered shape of the end panels. Because folding of
the upper segment of the glue flaps is resisted by the
angled relationship of its fold line to the fold line of
the lower segment, folding of the glue flaps can be
dif f icult .
It would be desirable to be able to form a tapered
carrier which is capable of more closely following the
contours of long neck bottles or other tapered articles in
order to more tightly hold the articles within the package .
The goal is to not only provide end panels which more
closely conform to the shape of the bottles, but to
actually contact the bottles in the corner areas. In
addition, it would be desirable for the side panels of the
carrier to more closely follow the contour of adjacent
bottles. It is therefore an object of the invention to
provide a sleeve-type carrier which is capable of forming
a tighter package of long neck bottles or other tapered
articles.
Brief Summary of the Invention
The carrier of the invention is particularly adapted
to package articles having lower curved portions and upper
narrower portions. The basic structure of the carrier is
similar, to a point, to conventional designs in that top
and bottom panels are connected to side panels along fold
lines to form a sleeve configuration, with end panels being
comprised of overlapping upper and lower end panel flaps
connected by fold lines to the top and bottom panels.
According to the invention, however, instead of the end
panel flaps being adhered to conventional glue flaps
extending from the side panels, dual glue flaps consisting
of upper and lower flap portions are provided. The upper
glue flaps are foldably connected to the side panels while
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the lower glue flaps are an integral extension of the side
panel. Each lower end panel flap is connected on either
side to the adjacent lower glue flap by a gusset tab, and
portions of the lower glue flaps are curved about the lower
. 5 curved portions of adjacent articles in the carrier.
A bevel panel may be provided between each upper glue
flap and the associated side panel, connected by a fold
line to the side panel and a fold line to the upper glue
flap. The bevel panel is adapted to tightly fit about the
l0 upper tapered portion of the corner articles. The carrier
is further made to conform to the shape of tapered articles
by short sloped portions at the top of the side panels and
outwardly tapering side and end panels.
Cutouts in the glue flaps and adjacent slits in the
15 side panels allow a smooth transition between the curving
of the lower glue flaps and the folding of the upper glue
flaps and bevel panels. As explained in detail below, the
gusset connection between the lower glue flaps and the
lower end panel flaps causes both the upper and lower glue
20 flaps to automatically close upon the lower end flap being
pivoted down from its initial position prior to loading
articles into the carrier sleeve.
The carrier design not only permits the corner areas
of the carrier to better conform to the shape of the
25 adjacent bottles or other similarly shaped articles, but
also facilitates fabrication of the carrier from a unitary
blank. These and other aspects and benefits of the
invention will readily be apparent from the more detailed
description of the preferred embodiments of the invention
30 which follows.
Brief Description of the Drawing
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the carrier of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank used to form the
35 carrier;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the portion enclosed by
the oval 3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of an open end of a carrier
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WO 95!25048 PCT/US95/01030
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sleeve in condition to be loaded with articles;
FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the open end of the
carrier sleeve of FIG. 4, with the lower end panel flap
shown in vertically lowered position and the glue flaps in
partially closed position;
FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the open end of the
carrier sleeve of FIG. 4, with the end panel flap shown in
interim horizontal position in the course of being moved
into final closed position:
FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the carrier;
FIG. 8 is an end elevation of the carrier; and
FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial pictorial view of upper
and lower glue flaps during movement toward their closed
position.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to FIG. 1, a carrier 10 includes side panels
12 connected to top panel 14 and to a bottom panel , not
visible in this view. The carrier includes end panels 16
comprised of .upper and lower end panel flaps 18 and 20
overlying upper and lower glue flaps which extend
transversely from the side panels 12. A portion of the
lower glue flap 22 can be seen through the notch in the
lower end flap 20. The upper glue flap is hidden in this
view by the upper end f lap 18 . Bevel panels 24 connect the
upper glue flaps to the side panels 12. The lower glue
flaps, however, comprise a continuous extension of the side
panels . Because the connection between the side panels and
the lower glue flaps is unbroken, the lower end corner area
of the carrier is able to conform to the contour of the
cylindrical barrel of an adj acent bottle, while the tapered
end panels and the bevel panels extend in to the bottle
necks. Handle openings 26, which are covered by a hinged
flap 28, are provided in the top panel in order to lift and
carry the carrier.
The carrier is formed from the blank 30 shown in FIG.
2, wherein like reference numerals to those used in FIG.
1 refer to similar elements. The blank is comprised of
flexible sheet material of suitable strength, such as
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paperboard of conventional carrier thickness, divided into
various sections. A bottom panel section 32 is connected
to the side panel sections 12 by fold lines 34, and a top
panel section 14 is connected to the interior side panel
section by fold line 36. Connected to the end edges of the
top panel section along fold lines 38 are the upper end
panel flaps 18, and connected to the outer side edge of the
top panel section along fold line 40 is a glue flap 42.
The lower end panel flaps 20, which are adapted to overlap
the upper end panel flaps in a carrier, are connected to
the end edges of the bottom panel section along fold lines
44.
Referring to FIG. 3 as well as FIG. 2, the lower end
panel flaps 20 are connected to the adjacent side panel
sections 12 by a gusset panel or tab 46. The tabs 46 are
connected to the lower end panel flaps 20 along fold lines
48 located between the fold line 44 and the end of the
lower end panel flap 20, and to the side panel sections 12
at the end portion of the side panel section along fold
line 50. The tab fold lines 50 are substantially aligned
with the fold lines 34, while the tab fold lines 48 are
angled so that, if extended, they would form an acute angle
with extensions of the fold lines 44. The configurations
of the tabs 46, the lower end panel flaps 20, the bottom
panel section 32 and the side panel sections 12 are such
that cutouts 52 are defined by spaced edge portions of
these elements, which is made possible by the fact that the
fold line 44 is shorter than the width of the bottom panel
section 32. Preferably, the corners of the bottom panel
section, which form an edge of the cutouts 52, are rounded
to provide a curved bottom panel. Because the tab fold
lines 48 are inwardly spaced from the side edges of the
lower end panel flap 20, the lower edge of the tabs 46
extending from the fold line 48 is formed by slits 54 in
the lower end panel flap. If the side edge of the lower
end panel flap extended directly from the inner end of the
tab fold line 48, there would, of course, be no need for
the slits 54.
WO 95/25048 ~ ~ ~ ~ PCT/US95/01030
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The interior side panel section 12 includes a short
panel section 56 bounded by the fold lines 36 and 58. The
side panel section at the end of the blank includes a
similar short panel section, but in this case the short
panel section is defined by the fold line 58 and the end
edge 60 of the blank. In a carrier fabricated from the
blank the short panel sections form sloped side panel
portions extending out from the top panel. A score line
62, which extends parallel to and is located between the
fold lines 34 and 58, terminates at a pair of aligned slits
64. The slits terminate at a triangular cutout 66 spaced
a short distance from the end of the side panel sections.
Score lines 68 and 70 connect the cutouts to the end edges
of the side panel sections. Extending from the
intersection 72 of the slit 64 and the cutout 66 to the
intersection of the fold lines 36 and 38 is a fold line 74.
Another fold line 76 extends from the latter intersection
to a point on the fold line 62 spaced a short distance from
the interior end of the slit 64. Both fold lines are
angled with respect to the fold line 38. The area between
the fold lines 74 and 76 and a line connecting the
intersection point 72 and the intersection between the fold
lines 76 and 62 comprises the bevel panel 24, while the
area between the fold line 74, the combined cutout 66 and
score line 68 and the panel edges comprises an upper glue
flap 78. The lower portion of the side panels beneath the
cutout 66 comprises the lower glue flap 22.
It can be seen that the width of the top panel
section, as measured between the fold lines 36 and 40, is
less than the width of the bottom panel section, as
measured between the fold lines 34 , causing the side panels
to angle out toward the score lines 62. Also, the length
of the top panel section, as measured between the fold
lines 38, is less than the length of the bottom panel
section, as measured between the fold lines 44, causing the
end panels to angle out to approximately the lower edge of
the upper glue flaps.
To form a carrier from the blank, the blank is folded
WO 95/25048 ~ PCT/US95/01030
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about the inner fold line 58 and the outer fold line 34 so
that the end of the blank at the right of FIG. 2 overlies
the glue flap 42 and terminates at the glue flap fold line
40. Adhesive on the glue flap, illustrated by stippling,
adheres the overlapped ends of the blank together. This
produces a collapsed sleeve, which is subsequently
introduced to a packaging machine where the sleeve is
squared up and erected in a manner well known in the art.
The resulting erected sleeve is illustrated in FIG. 4,
wherein the lower end panel flap 20 is substantially an
outward extension of the bottom panel 32, and the upper
glue flaps 78, the bevel panels 24 and the lower glue flap
areas 22 are extensions of the side panels 12. The upper
end panel flap 18 typically is folded up at this point so
as not to interfere with the introduction of the articles
to be packaged.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, after the articles, such as
the long neck bottles B, have been loaded through the open
ends , the end panels are formed by f first pivoting the lower
end panel flap 20 down about the fold line 44 so that the
lower end panel flap forms substantially a right angle with
the bottom panel 32. Downward movement of the lower end
panel flap 20 causes the gusset tabs 46 to fold up about
their fold lines 48, which in turn causes the upper glue
flaps 78 and the bevel panels 24 to pivot inwardly as a
unit about the bevel panel fold lines 76 to a position
somewhat short of their fully closed position. At the same
time, the side panel extensions which form the lower glue
flap areas 22 are pulled around the barrel portions of the
corner bottles. This movement of the glue flaps brings the
fold lines 50 of the gusset tabs 46 into substantially
horizontal position, so that when the lower end panel flap
20 is subsequently pivoted back up into its original open
' position, as shown in FIG. 6, the tabs 46 fold up about the
fold lines 50. This causes the upper glue flaps 78, their
connected bevel panels 24 and the lower glue flap areas 22
to move to their final closed position. It will be
understood that the biases created at the fold lines 48 and
WO 95125048 PCT/L1S95/01030
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50 by this folding action result in the gusset tabs and
glue flaps being essentially locked into place.
The final step in closing the ends of the carrier in
order to produce the package of FIG. 1 is to fold the upper
end flaps 18 down about their fold lines 38 and the lower
end panel flaps 20 up about their fold lines 44 to adhere
them to the glue flaps and to each other in their
overlapping areas by adhesive applied to the upper and
lower end panel flaps. The adhesive will preferably be
applied to the gusset tabs as well, to adhere both the tabs
and the lower end panel flaps directly to the glue flaps.
As can be seen from FIG. 6, the tabs 46 in the final
carrier configuration will lie directly between the lower
end panel flap 20 and the lower glue flaps 22 in face-to-
face relationship with both. Either the upper or the lower
end panel flap may overlap the other, although it is
preferred that the lower flap overlap the upper so that
there are no exposed edges on the end panels to interfere
with loading the carriers into a packing tray.
The angled fold lines 74 and 76 connecting the bevel
panels 24 to the upper glue flaps 78 and the side panels
12, respectively, permit the bevel panels to flex around
the curved contours of adjacent bottles and to contact the
bottles at an angle designed to engage both the shoulder
of the bottles and the top portion of the bottle necks .
The lower glue flaps 22 curve about the outer barrel
portions of adjacent corner bottles, extending upward at
substantially right angles to the bottom panel. Since the
lower end panel flaps are adhered to the lower glue flaps
22, they also are substantially at right angles to the
bottom panel, while the upper end panel flaps, being
adhered to the angled glue flaps 78, lie at a slight
outward angle to the top panel. The upper portion of the
end panels is thus at an angle generally corresponding to
the slope of the bottles from the top of the barrel portion
to the top of the bottle neck, and the lower portion of the
end panels is substantially perpendicular, as is the barrel
portion of the bottles. This is in keeping with the fact
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that the length of the top panel is slightly less than the
length of the bottom panel. These relationships are
. illustrated further in FIG. 6. In addition, the upper
portion of the side panels tapers slightly outwardly down
. 5 to the score line 66 in the side panels, while the lower
portion of the side panels is substantially perpendicular,
thus causing the side panels to also generally follow the
shape of adjacent bottles. This is also consistent with
the fact that the width of the top panel is slightly less
than the width of the bottom panel. The short sloped side
panel portions 62 assist in allowing the side panels to
closely follow the contour of adjacent bottles. These
relationships are illustrated further in FIG. 7.
It will be appreciated that the change in geometry
from the continuous path of the lower glue flap extension
22 to the angularly folded glue flaps 78 and bevel panels
24 would normally create stresses which would mitigate
against a smooth transition between the two end panel
areas. To prevent this from occurring, the cutout 66 and
the score lines 68 and 70 allow the glue flaps to fold or
f lex in this area . By providing cutouts , the length of the
fold lines 68 and 70 is reduced, thereby offering less
resistance to the flexing of the glue flaps. In addition
to providing this function, the cutouts also allow the
upper glue flaps 78 to better follow the contour of the
shoulder of adj scent bottles , with the edges of the cutouts
providing a "bite" to more readily grip and hold the
bottles in place.
The function of the slits 64 is best understood by
referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 9. When the lower end flap 20
is folded down to cause the gusset tabs to pull the glue
flaps into place, the lower glue flaps 22, being closer to
the gusset tabs 46, are pulled with more force than the
upper glue flaps 78. Also, the lower glue flaps are not
connected to fold lines, as are the bevel panels, and
therefore provide more resistance to this movement than do
the bevel panels. Thus the transition area between the
lower glue flaps 22 and the bevel panels 24 tends to buckle
WO 95/25048 PCT/US95/01030
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or fold as a result of these different stress levels. The
slits 64 relieve these stresses by allowing the lower glue
flaps 22 initially to be pulled by the gusset tabs to a
greater extent than the bevel panels. This can be seen in
FIG. 9, which illustrates the upper and lower glue flaps
as they are being pulled into closed position. The upper
portion of the lower glue flap 22 adjacent the cutout 66
and the upper portion of the side panel 12 immediately
beneath the slit 64 are shown as being pulled out of the
plane of the upper glue flap 78 and the bevel panel 24,
respectively, by the closing stresses. After the glue
flaps are in place the folding and securing of the end
panel flaps to their final position pushes the material on
opposite sides of the slit 64 substantially back into their
original planar condition, as the end panel folding
stresses are no longer present.
It should be understood that the particular shape and
location of the cutouts are functions of the contour of the
packaged bottles, and as such may be different than as
illustrated in the drawing. Although the presence of
cutouts is preferred when the bottles have shoulder
portions that can readily extend through the cutouts,
cutouts are not essential when a tight closure can be
obtained without them. The presence of the slits 64,
however, is preferred in all cases in order to assure a
smooth end panel forming operation which does not damage
or mar the appearance of the carrier. It is also preferred
in all cases that the score lines 68 and 70 be provided to
allow the transition area between the upper and lower end
glue flaps 78 and 22 to flex as necessary during the
folding process. If cutouts are not present the slits 64
would be made longer so as to extend out to meet the score
lines 68 and 70.
The carrier has been illustrated as being designed to
hold twelve beverage bottles arranged in three rows
containing four bottles each. The invention is not
restricted to carriers designed to hold any particular
number of bottles or other articles but would apply to any
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carrier containing curved articles at the corners. Other
features unrelated to the details of the invention may be
included in the carrier depending on its size and content,
such as, for example, a reinforcing strip between the
handle openings and a tear strip to facilitate removing
articles from the carrier.
It will be appreciated that the invention provides for
automatic closing of the glue flaps as a result of the
pivoting movement of the end panel f laps , which is made
possible by the gusset tabs that connect the lower end
panel flaps to the glue flaps. The unique arrangement of
upper and lower glue flaps allows the corner areas of the
carrier to engage the corner articles and also provides for
engagement of the end panels with the tapered portions of
adjacent articles.
It should now be apparent that the invention is not
necessarily limited to all the specific details described
in connection with the preferred embodiments, but that
changes to certain features of the preferred embodiments
which do not alter the overall basic function and concept
of the invention may be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention defined in the appended
claims.
