Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02413626 2005-07-22
CARTON FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of packaging. In particular, the
present invention provides an improved carton for beverage containers, in
particular,
bottles.
Background of the invention
A common type of carton for packaging bottles, especially in the brewing
industry, is the 3 x 4 twelve pack. That is, the carton holds twelve bottles,
in a three
wide by four long arrangement. As shown in applicant's Canadian patents Nos.
2,045,825 and 2,095,808, this type of carton is preferably an end-load carton
with a
tear open top panel. The know tear open top panel typically comprises two
opening
flaps, one at each end of the carton, separated by a mid-line extending from
side to
side that divides the top penal into two halves. Each flap is hinged to an end
of the
top panel, and has side edges co-extensive with the side edges of the top
panel. A
triangular gusset panel in each corner of the top panel is provided to
maintain
structural rigidity when the top panels are ripped open. The opening structure
as
described above is shown in detail in Canadian Patent No. 2,095,808.
A problem associated with the opening structure described in Canadian
Patent No. 2,095,808, is that the gusset panels in the corners are not large
enough
to ensure good rigidity when the package is handled roughly. However, merely
making the gusset panel larger is not a viable alternative, because that would
tend to
cover the cap of the bottle in each corner, thereby making it difficult to
access the
contents of the carton.
Moreover, the rip top openings of cartons as described in Canadian Patent
No. 2,095,808 are defined by a series of line die cuts through the material
from
which the carton is fabricated. Each such cut is shaped as a shallow V or
chevron,
with one arm of the chevron aligned with the intended tear line, and the
other, inner
arm extending into the opening flap. The chevrons are aligned such that the
inner
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arm faces the midline of the carton. This ensures that as the carton is ripped
open,
any slight tear into the carton will terminate at a chevron arm, and the tear
will be re-
directed to the intended tear line.
Such a series of chevron shaped cuts functions quite welt to direct a tear
line
along the edges of the carton, but where the tear line bends, to define the
corner
gussets of the top surface, control of the direction of tear is somewhat
problematic.
That is, since the intent is to angle the tear, and there is room for only one
or two
cuts, the first cut is angled along the gusset edge, meaning that the arm of
the
chevron forming the cut becomes directed into the interior of the top panel at
about
90° from the side edge. Propagation of this cut toward the interior by
further ripping
will not, moreover, be prevented by interception of the propagation by the
next
chevron arm, because the next cut meets the end of the carton, so must be a
straight cut thereto. This is illustrated in Figure 1 hereto, where the arrow
A shows
the possible angle of propagation of a tear at the end edge of a carton top.
It is not feasible to simply straighten out the die cuts in the corner, and
eliminate the chevron arm of the first cut into the corner. This would bring
the outer
end B of the first cut too close to the inner end C of the next, last, cut
(see Figure 1 ).
When these ends are too close together, they will cause a tear during shipping
and
handling, which can affect the rigidity of the package during subsequent
handling by
a consumer. In particular, opening of the end tear lines can cause handle
failure if a
full carton is picked up by one end only (as is typical).
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to produce a carton with an
improved opening structure.
The present invention provides two improvements in the opening structure of
the cartons. First, the opening structure is narrower than in conventional
cartons,
and secondly, the lines of weakness along which the opening structure is
opened
are improved so that the top can be opened without unintended damage to same.
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In a broad aspect, the present invention relates to a carton for beverage
containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and
sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel
comprising
a paid of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-
line
thereof, said mid tine being a punch open line of weakness, said opening flaps
being
substantially rectangular, flanked on their side edges by structural support
panels,
and joined to said stiffening panels by lines of weakness.
In another broad aspect, then, the present invention relates to a carton for
beverage containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom
panel,
and sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel
comprising a paid of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel
to
the mid-line thereof, said mid line being a punch open line of weakness, said
opening flaps being substantially rectangular and having side edges defined by
lines
of weakness parallel t the side edges of the top panel extending from near the
end
edges of the top panel to near the said mid-line, and connected to each of
same
inwardly angled lines of weakness, wherein said inwardly angled lines of
weakness
are die cut only part way through the material of said top panel.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In drawings that illustrate the present invention by way of example:
Figure 1 is a top view of the corner of a prior art opening structure for a
carton;
Figure 2 is a top view of a blank for making a carton embodying the present
invention; and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a carton embodying the present invention.
Detailed Description
Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the carton of the present invention includes
a top panel 1 that is joined along a common side edge to a first side panel 2.
The
first side panel 2 is joined along its opposite edge to a bottom panel 3,
which in turn
is joined along its other side edge to a second side panel 4. A glue flap 5
extends
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r
from the other side edge of the top panel 1, for gluing to second side panel
4, so as
to form a tubular structure. The side and top and bottom panels have end
panels
extending therefrom, to seal the ends of the carton, as taught in Canadian
Patent
No. 2,045,825.
The top panel 1 has an opening structure configured therein (see Figure 2),
comprising first and second rip open panels 6 and 7. Each panel 6, 7 is
defined by a
mid-line 8, and a pair of longitudinal side lines of weakness 9, which begin
at
inclined lines 15, and terminate in inclined lines 10 that extend to the end
edges of
the top panel 1. The longitudinal 9 lines are spaced from the side edges of
the top
panel, so as to form stiffening panels 11 at each side of the top panel when
the rip-
open panels are opened. Preferably, the spacing of the longitudinal lines 9
from the
side edges of the top panel is a distance less than or aqua! to half the width
of a
bottle, so removal of the contents of the carton is unimpeded by the
stiffening panels
11.
The lines of weakness 9 that run parallel to the side edge of the top panel
are
composed of a series of shallow chevrons 12, each with an arm 13 that extends
parallel to the side edge of the tp panel, and an arm 14 that is angled
inwardly. The
chevrons 12 are die cut through the top panel (which may be made of
paperboard,
corrugated cardboard, or any other suitable material).
Now, inclined lines 15 and 10 are not, according to the present invention,
formed from a series of die cuts through the packaging material, in chevron
form,
straight line form, or any other configuration. Rather, the inclined lines 10
and 15
are formed from die cuts only part way (e.g., 50%) through the packaging
material.
In this way, a straight, fairly continuous line can be formed, to avoid
propagation of a
tear into the middle of the opening flap, but the structural integrity of the
package
prior to opening is maintained. For increased structural integrity, each line
10, 15 is
preferably formed from several short straight line cuts 16 part way through
the
packaging material, interrupted by uncut gaps 17.
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Central line 8 is preferably formed from a series of straight, spaced die cuts
through the packaging material, so that it can easily be broken by a consumer.
Pre-
scored fold lines 18 are provided a short space from central line 8, to permit
the
opening flaps 6, 7 to be torn back more easily. That is, a consumer pushes in
at line
8, and the material of the flap folds in at line 18, thereby permitting a grip
to be had
on the opening flap being ripped.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention
provides an efficient, sturdy form of packaging that is unlikely to fail in
ordinary
usage.
It is to be understood that the examples 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 field of beverage package design without any
departure
from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims, properly construed,
form the
only limitation upon the scope of the invention.
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