Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 95/23745 ~ ~ PCTIL1S95/01028
BOTTLE NECK CARRIER
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bottle carriers of the type
that employ foldable tabs to engage the underside of bottle
flanges . More particularly, it relates to carriers of this
type which have partial side and end panels.
Background of the Invention
Certain types of articles, such as food or beverage
containers, are commonly sold either as individual units
or in a multi-container carton. Each article is normally
marked with a pricing code to enable it to be scanned and
automatically totaled at a retail outlet when sold as an
individual item. When packaged in conventional open-ended
wrap-around carriers, pricing errors can occur if the
scanner sees the pricing code on one of the articles
instead of the code on the package itself. One way to
prevent this from happening is to package the articles in
a completely enclosed carton or carrier. An enclosed
carrier is quite expensive, however, due to the greater
amount of stock required. Another way is to package the
articles in wrap-around carriers having partial end panels
of a size sufficient to cover the pricing code on the end
articles in the package. Although such a design requires
less stock than a fully enclosed carrier and is more
economical to produce, the cost is still too great for
certain markets. Further, while the design of a wrap-
around carrier permits a short end panel extending up from
the bottom panel to cover pricing codes located near the
bottom of the end articles, this would not be practical for
articles whose pricing codes are located more centrally or
even higher. It would be preferable in those cases to
provide a partial end panel extending down from the top
panel. The requirements of such a design is that the
- partial end panels be minimal in size, not interfere w'_th
the fabrication and packaging methods of the carrier, and
be locked in place after being formed.
A more economical carrier for beverage bottles is the
bottle neck carrier that employs so-called starburst
support tabs surrounding the bottle neck openings in a
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carrier support panel. These tabs support the bottles by
contacting the underside of the flange or shoulder that
projects out from the bottle neck. Such carriers, however,
do not lend themselves to the provision of partial side and
end panels to cover pricing codes. In addition, if the
bottles rotate while the package is being carried, the user
often perceives them to be swinging, suggesting less than
adequate support.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bottle
neck carrier which covers the pricing code of the bottles.
Another object is to provide a carrier of this type which
snugly holds the bottles in place to prevent them from
rotating.
Brief Summary of the Invention
The invention is incorporated in a bottle neck carrier
which includes support tabs extending up from the periphery
of bottle openings in a support panel. The support tabs
engage the underside of an outwardly projecting shoulder
on the bottles to support the bottles in conventional
fashion. In addition, the carrier includes side and end
panels foldably connected to the support panel and gusset
panels foldably connected to adjacent side and end panels.
The gusset panels and end portions of the end panels
underlie and are adhered to the side panels, and end
portions of the end panels extend around, and conform to
the curvature of, adjacent bottles.
Preferably, cutouts are provided in the end panels,
with portions of the cutout periphery defining edges of the
gusset panels and the side panels . Also, the outer support
tabs are preferably connected to the support panel along
fold lines which are substantially coincident with the fold
lines connecting the support panel to the side and end
panels. In addition, the outer support tabs adjacent the
side panels are preferably of greater height than the
opposite tabs of the bottle neck opening to compensate for
lifting stresses.
The carrier is inexpensive to produce and apply, yet
not only has side and end panels which cover the pricing
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code on the bottles but is capable of snugly holding the
bottles in place to prevent rotation during carrying. The
features which enable the carrier to function in this
manner are brought out in more detail in connection with
the description of the preferred embodiment, wherein the
above and other aspects of the invention, as well as other
benefits, will readily become apparent.
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 for forming the
carrier of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the initial stage of
carrier formation, showing the blank after it has been
attached to the bottles;
FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of an interim stage of
carrier formation, showing the end panels of the blank in
folded condition; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial transverse sectional
view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring to FIG. 1, the package 10 is comprised of
two rows of three bottles B and a carrier 12 for lifting
and carrying the bottles. The carrier includes.a support
panel 16 containing openings 18 through which the necks of
the bottles extend. The end edges of tabs 20, which are
connected to the panel 16 by fold lines 22 extending about
the periphery of the bottle neck openings 18, contact the
underside of the flanges F on the bottles to support the
bottles when the carrier is lifted. The support panel 16
is connected to end panels 24 and side panels 26 by fold
lines 28 and 30, respectively, which meet at the corners
of the carrier. Corner cutouts 32 extend down from the
intersection of the fold lines 28 and 30, and fold lines
34 in the end panels 24 extend between the lower edges of
the cutouts 32, forming sloped end panel sections 36 which
generally conform to the slope of the bottles in the
transition area between the bottle neck and the barrel of
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the bottle. An additional fold line 38 in the sloped panel
sections 36 and additional spaced fold lines 40 and 42 in
the side panels allow the side and end panels to more
closely conform to the contour of the bottles. The fold
lines 34 and 38 are parallel to the fold lines 28.
Similarly, the fold lines 40 and 42 are parallel to the
fold lines 30.
This construction produces a carrier having short side
and end panels which extend down to a point sufficient to
cover the pricing code on the bottles, and having rounded
corner areas adjacent the corner bottles. Finger holes 44
in the support panel 16 function as a handle to allow the
carrier to be lifted.
A blank 45 for forming the carrier is shown in FIG.
2, wherein like reference numerals to those used in FIG.._
1 denote similar elements. The blank is preferably formed
of paperboard, but may be of any suitable material having
sufficient strength and flexibility to function in the
manner of paperboard. The blank is comprised of a central
section 16 corresponding to the support panel and two
relatively long oppositely located flaps 24 corresponding
to the end panels. Relatively short flaps 26,
corresponding to the side panels, are located between the
end panel flaps 24. The end flaps 24 are connected to the
support panel section along fold lines 28, while the side
flaps 26 are connected along fold lines 30. The end panel
flaps 24 are longer than the width of the support panel
section 16, terminating beyond~the cutouts 32, while the
ends of the side panel flaps 26 are shorter than the length
of the support panel section. Gusset panels 46 connect the
end panel flaps 24 to the side panel flaps 26 along fold
lines 48 and 50, respectively, with the fold line 48 being
substantially parallel to the fold lines 28 and the fold
line 50 forming an angle of 45° with the fold lines 30 and
48.
As is conventional, the diameter of the bottle
openings 18 in the support panel section 16 is related to
the diameter of the neck portion of the bottles to be
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packaged so that the shoulder or flange of the bottle neck
is able to pass through the opening while contacting the
support tabs 20 to pivot them up about their fold lines.
The support tabs 20 comprise four contiguous tabs arranged
so that the fold lines of adj acent tabs are at right angles
to each other. Slits 52, extending at 45° to the adjacent
tab fold lines, separate the tabs and arcuate slits 54
separate the tab fold lines. The height of the tabs 20A
adjacent the side panel flaps 26, as measured from its fold
line 22A to its opposite support edge, is greater than the
height of the opposite tab 20B for the reason explained
below. In addition, the fold lines 22A of the tabs 20A
coincide with the fold lines 30, while the fold lines 22C
of the tabs 20C, which are adjacent the end panels 24,
coincide with the fold lines 28.. The fold lines 228 and
22D of the inner tabs 20B and 20D, respectively, are thus
located in the interior of the support panel 16.
The blank 45 further includes groups of parallel score
lines 56 in the end panel flaps 24. These score lines are
parallel to the fold lines 30 and extend from the cutouts
32 to the edge of the end panel flaps.
To form a package, the bottles to be packaged are
grouped together and the blank 45, after being properly
aligned, is pushed down over the tops of the bottles. The
upper portions of the bottles move through the openings 18
in the support panel section 16, pivoting the support tabs
20 up until they snap into place as the edges of the tabs
engage the underside of the bottle flanges F. The blank
at this stage is illustrated in FIG. 3. Next, the gusset
panels 46 are folded down about fold lines 50 and up about
fold lines 48 so as to contact the underside of the side
panel flaps 26. It may be preferred during this step to
pivot the side panel flaps 26 up about their fold lines 42
to the vertical, which elevates the fold lines 50 and
causes the end panel flaps to fold down about the fold
lines 28, thereby facilitating the folding of the gusset
panels.
As a result of the folding of the gusset panels, the
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gusset fold lines 48 are brought to a position which is
substantially parallel to the fold lines 30, 40 and 42.
In the illustrated design the gusset fold lines 48 are
substantially aligned with the fold lines 40. This could
vary in other designs which, depending on the shape of the
bottles, may not include intermediate fold lines such as
fold lines 40. The end edges 58 of opposite end panel
flaps 24 are moved toward each other during this folding
sequence, causing the end portions of the end panel flaps
to curve around the adjacent bottles until they are in
their final spaced vertical position. The carrier at this
interim stage of fabrication is illustrated in FIG. 4. The
side panel flaps 26 are then folded down and glued to the
underlying portions of the end panel flaps 24 to produce
the final package shown in FIG. 1.
The score lines 56 facilitate the curving of the end
panel flaps 24 about the corner packaged bottles. Because
the flaps follow the contour of the bottles instead of
meeting in a folded corner arrangement spaced from the
adjacent bottle, the bottles are snugly held in place. The
cutouts 32 at the corners of the package eliminate material
which would tend to be compressed into unsightly irregular
creases and folds when the panel flaps 24 are folded into
place, and minimize the size of the gusset panels. They
also provide biting edges which contact the bottles,
further preventing the bottles from moving. Although
relatively large cutouts provide these beneficial results,
including minimizing the length of the gusset fold lines
48 in order to reduce resistance against folding of the
gusset panels, the gusset fold lines 50 should remain of
a length which provides enough force to pull the side panel
flaps 24 into place upon folding of the gusset panels. The
gusset panels cause the end panels to move into place so
as to snugly conform to the curvature of the corner bottles
in the package and maintain the end panels in that position
prior to gluing the side panels to the end portions of the
end panels.
When the carrier is lifted, it tends to bow up in the
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middle, with the bow extending generally along the length
of the carrier. The greater height of the tabs 20A than
the tabs 20B accommodates the bowing of the carrier by
maintaining the bottle flanges in generally horizontal
condition even though the fold lines of the innermost tabs
are higher due to the bowing than the fold lines of the
outermost tabs. This is depicted in FIG. 5. If the outer
tabs 20A were not made slightly higher, there could be a
gap between the outer tab edges and the bottle flange when
the carrier is lifted, with possible loss of support at
this point of the flange. Because the outer tabs 20A and
20C are foldably connected at the fold lines between the
support panel and the side and end panels, lifting stresses
at these critical locations are distributed directly to
these fold lines without first having to travel through
part of the support panel, and so add to the strength of
the carrier.
Although the bottles have been shown as having a
separate integral flange, the terms "flange" or "shoulder"
as used in the specification and claims are intended to
include the underside of bottle caps in bottles which do
not incorporate an integral flange. Also, although the
panels that curve around the corner bottles in the package
have been designated as "end" panels because .they are
connected to the shorter dimension of the support panel,
it will be understood that either pair of opposite panels
may be considered as the end or side panels in a carrier
whose support panel is square. It is preferred,, in
carriers whose support panel is longer than it is wide, to
connect the panel that curves around the corner bottles to
the width of the support panel since the shorter the fold
line connecting the panel to the support panel the less
resistance there is to downward folding of the panel.
It can now be appreciated that the invention provides
a unique support carrier having partial side and end panels
which extend down as far as necessary in order to cover and
block the pricing code on individual bottles. In addition,
the carrier is capable of supporting the bottles so firmly
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that rotation of the bottles in the package is prevented.
The features enabling the carrier to function in this way
are incorporated into the carrier without requiring
expensive carrier blanks or complicated maneuvers by
packaging machines. It will be understood that the
invention is not limited to all the specific details
described in connection with the preferred embodiment,
except as they may be within the scope of the appended
claims. Changes to certain features of the preferred
embodiment which do not alter the overall basic function
and concept of the invention are therefore contemplated.
