Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CARTON
Background of the Invention
S This invention relates generally to cartons useful to package articles such
as cans, and more
particularly to a carton having a strap handle by which it may be carried.
A type of conventional carton includes a base panel, a pair of side wall
panels hingedly
connected to the opposed side edges of the base panel, a top panel hingedly
connected to the
l0 upper edge of one of the side wall panels and a pair of partial end wall
panels foldably
connected to the opposed end edges of the top panel and extending toward the
base panel.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-502148 discloses a carton of the above type,
having a
handle strap connected to the partial end wall panels along vertical fold
lines so that the
carton may be carried by the strap handle. The handle may be formed from the
material
15 located adjacent to the top panel at an end of the carton blank. This is of
benefit because a
second top panel such as shown in US Patent No. 5,639,017 may be omitted from
the blank,
which would save the cost of the carton material. The handle strap of the
above Japanese
publication, however, is glued to the underside of the top panel as well as to
that of the so-
called "suitcase handle" formed integrally with the top panel. As a result, it
is required in
20 order to grip the strap that the carton (the top panel in particular) be
forcibly deformed within
its tolerance to create a hand room under the handle strap. This is a drawback
from a
standpoint of an end user because it is simply difficult to grip the handle
strap.
What is needed, therefore, is a carton that facilitates formation of a hand
room under a handle
2S strap and allows a user to easily access the handle strap so that he can
carry the carton.
Summary of the Invention
According to the present invention, there is provided a carton including a
base panel, a pair of
30 side wall panels hingedly connected to the opposed side edges of the base
panel, a top panel
hingedly connected to the upper edge of one of the side wall panels, a pair of
end flaps
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hingedly connected to the opposed end edges of the top panel and extending
toward the base
panel, a finger aperture defined in the top panel, and a strap handle disposed
slidably with
respect to the underside of the top panel and exposed to view within the
finger aperture. The
strap handle includes a main strap having a medial portion extending parallel
to the opposed
side edges of the top panel. The opposite ends of the main strap are hingedly
connected to the
end flaps along fold lines. Each of these fold lines extends parallel to a
notional line
extending between the top and base panels. Because the strap handle is
disposed slidably
with respect to the top panel and exposed to view within the finger, a part of
the strap handle
may bow upwardly and protrude through the finger aperture when the end flaps
are folded into
1o their closing positions and thereby the strap handle becomes slack. By this
means, formation of
a hand room under the strap handle can be facilitated.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the strap handle may
include an
outside strap disposed along the upper surface of the main strap. The outside
strap may be
formed from the top panel, extend longitudinally across the finger aperture
and connected at
its opposite ends to the top panel by tear lines respectively. The outside
strap prevents the
uncoated side of the handle material of the main strap from being exposed to
view.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the strap handle
may include a
2o reinforcing strap extending along and hingedly connected to the main strap.
The reinforcing
strap may be adhesively secured to the main strap. The reinforcing strap may
be disposed at
the underside of the main strap. This arrangement allows the main strap to be
directly
secured to the inside surfaces of the end flaps without the reinforcing strap
being interposed
therebetween, which in turn allows a greater surface of the end portions of
the main strap
effectively secured to the end flaps. Accordingly, it is insured that the
strap handle is strongly
attached to the end flaps.
According to a further preferred embodiment, a second top panel may be
hingedly connected
to the upper edge of the other side wall panel and it is secured to the
underside of the first top
3o panel. The strap handle may include a secondary strap formed from the
second top panel.
The secondary strap may extend along the underside of the main strap. In such
an
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arrangement, the strap handle is less bulky than it would be when the
secondary strap were
formed from material adjacent to the first top panel.
According to a still further preferred embodiment, the reinforcing strap may
be secured to the
upper surface of the main strap, the outside strap may be secured to the upper
surface of the
reinforcing strap, and the secondary strap may be secured to the underside of
the main strap.
This arrangement provides a handle with an excellent physical strength because
each strap of
the strap handle is secured to a next adjacent strap would.
1o Brief Description of the Drawings
Exemplary embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with
reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton according to a first embodiment of
the invention;
FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the carton of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank for forming the carton of FIG. l;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carton according to a second embodiment of
the invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the carton in FIG. 4, showing a condition in
which the strap
handle is pulled upward;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a blank for forming the carton of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton according to a third
embodiment of the
invention
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
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FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention, in which
FIG. 3 shows a
blank from which the carton of the invention is erected. The blank is
essentially rectangular
in shape and is formed, in this embodiment, of paperboard. However, the blank
may be
formed of similar foldable material such as a plastic sheet. The blank 1 of
this embodiment is
designed for packaging twelve 500-ml beer cans arranged in three rows of four
cans each.
The blank 1 includes a rectangular base panel 2 located about midway along the
length of the
blank. A pair of bevelled panels 4 are connected to the opposite end edges of
the base panel 2
along fold lines 3 respectively. When the blank is erected into a carton, the
bevelled panels 4
IO are disposed at an angle with respect to the base panel 2. The inclination
angle of each
bevelled panel 4 is designed to correspond to the shape of each can that is to
be packaged in
the carton. A pair of lower end flaps 6 are connected to the bevelled panels 4
along fold lines
5 respectively. When the blank 1 is erected into a carton, the lower end flaps
6 extend toward
a top panel 15 that is described later.
At the opposed side edges of the base panel 2, there are provided a pair of
rectangular side
wall panels 8A and 8B. These side wall panels are connected to the base panel
2 along fold
lines 7 and 7 respectively. Each side wall panel is provided at its opposite
end edges with
side end flaps 10A and 10B. These end flaps 10A and lOB are connected to the
respective
2o side wall panel along fold lines 9. The length of each end flap 10A and l
OB along a notional
line perpendicular to the length of the blank is about 57% of the width of the
associated side
wall panel along the length of the blank. The side end flaps 10A and 10A are
generally
rectangular in shape. Each side end flap 10A includes a vertically extending
tear strip 11 for
tearing the carton wall to access the contents of the carton. Each side end
flap 10A further
includes a pair of sloping panels 13A and 13B connected along fold lines 12
and 12
respectively. The side end flaps lOB and 10B, on the other hand, are of
generally a
trapezoidal configuration.
At the side edge of the side wall panel 8A opposite to the fold line 7, there
is provided a first
3o top panel 1 S while at the side edge of the side wall panel 8B opposite to
the fold line 7, there
is provided a second top panel 15B. These top panels 15A and 15B are connected
to the side
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wall panels 8A and 8B along fold lines 14 and 14 respectively. The top panel
15A is
rectangular in shape in a similar manner to the base panel 2. The first top
panel 15A is
provided at its opposite end edges with bevelled panels 17A and 17A. These
bevelled panels
I7A are connected to the top panel I SA along fold lines I6 and 16
respectively. A pair of
upper end flaps 19A and 19A are connected to the bevelled panels 17A and 17A
along fold
lines 18 and 18 respectively. The upper end flaps 19A are designed to extend
toward the base
panel 2 when the blank 1 is erected into a carton.
At around the center of the top panel 15A, a pair of tear lines 20 and 20 are
disposed side by
to side at a space. These tear lines 20 and 20 extend almost across the top
panel 15A. However
the ends of the tear lines 20 are spaced apart from the adjacent fold lines
16. The tear lines 20
and 20 are positioned and shaped to be symmetrical about a notional
longitudinal center line
of the top panel 1 SA. Each tear line 20 has an arched portion 21 midway
between its opposite
ends. A finger aperture 22 is defined between the arched portions 21 and 21 of
the tear lines
is 20 and 20 so that the fingers of a user may be inserted into the aperture
22 to carry the carton.
At the ends of each tear line 20, C-shaped cuts 20a are provided to prevent
undesired tear of
the top panel 15A. A fold line 23 emanates from each C-shaped cut 20a and
extends to the
adjacent corner of the top panel 15A. These fold lines 23 serve to cause
uniform deformation
of the top panel 15A when the carton is carried by a strap handle that is
described below.
A strap handle 25 is connected at its opposite ends to the upper end flaps 19A
and 19A along
mutually aligned spaced fold lines 24 and 24. The strap handle 25 is generally
C-shaped,
extends along the free side edge 28A of the first top panel 15A and connected
thereto along a
tear line 27 that has its opposite ends curved toward the top panel 15A. Each
fold line 24 is
disposed at the outer end of the associated upper end flap 19A. The fold lines
24 are disposed
parallel to the fold line 14 between the side wall panel 8A and the top panel
15A. The
locations of the fold lines 14 are designed such that when the strap handle 25
is folded 180
degrees along the fold lines 24, a part of the strap handle 25 may be viewed
within the finger
aperture 22. In this embodiment, in particular, the fold lines 24 are offset
from the free side
3o edge 28A toward the fold line 14. This arrangement requires less material
than a
conventional arrangement wherein the fold lines 24 are aligned with the free
side edge of a
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top panel. The length of each fold line 24 is about 70% of the width of the
associated partial
end panel 19A.
The strap handle 25 comprises a main strap 29 formed integrally with the
aforesaid ends 26
and 26, and a reinforcing strap 31 disposed parallel to the main strap 29 and
connected thereto
by a tear line 30. The main strap 29 and the reinforcing strap 31 are of
generally the same
width. When the reinforcing strap 31 is folded 180 degrees along the partial
tear line 30, the
straps 29 and 31 are brought into a face-contacting relationship. After that,
the strap handle
25 is folded along the fold lines 24 and 24 so that the central portion of the
strap handle 25 is
to exposed to view within the finger aperture 22. In addition, the strap
handle 25 has fold lines
32 and 33 that are aligned with the fold lines 16 and 18 respectively.
The second top panel 15B is adapted to be glued to the underside of the first
top panel 15A.
The width of the second top panel 15B is about 40 % of that of the first top
panel 15A so that
the free side edge 28B of the second top panel 15B is positioned in registry
with one of the
tear lines 20 of the first top panel 15A when a carton is set up. A notch 34
is formed at a
central location along the free side edge 28B. This notch 34 is adapted to be
positioned in
registry with a part of the finger aperture 22 upon erection of a carton so
that it does not block
the finger aperture 22. The first and second top panels 1 SA and 1 SB are of
the same length.
2o A pair of bevelled panels 17B and 17B are connected to the opposite end
edges of the second
top panel 15B along fold lines 16 and 16, and a pair of second top flaps 19B
and 19B are
connected to the bevelled panels 17B and 17B along fold lines 18 and 18. The
bevelled
panels 17B and 17B axe designed to be inclined to the second top panel 15A so
that the angle
of inclination of each bevelled panel 17B corresponds to the shape of each can
to be packaged
in the carton. The second upper end flaps 19B and 19B are adapted to extend
toward the base
panel 2 in an erected carton.
A secondary strap 36 is provided along the free side edge 28B of the second
top panel 15 and
it is extended between the bevelled panels 17B and 17B. The secondary strap 36
is connected
3o at its opposite ends to the bevelled panels 17B and 17B along fold lines 35
and 35. The
secondary strap 36 has a width generally equal to that of each of the straps
29 and 31. When
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the strap handle 25 is brought into the folded position and the second top
panel 15B is glued
to the underside of the first top panel 15A, the secondary strap 36 is brought
into a face-
contacting relationship with the strap handle 25 to create a three-ply handle.
However, the
secondary strap 36 may be omitted if desired.
A web 38 is provided to connect between each side end flap and the adjacent
upper or lower
end flap and it is formed with an opening 37 to avoid crowing of material at
the respective
carton corner when a carton is erected.
to Turning to the construction of the carton C illustrated in FIG. 1, the
blank 1 requires a series
of sequential folding and securing operations which can be performed in a
straight line
machine so that the carton is not required to be rotated or inverted to
complete its
construction. The folding process is not limited to that described below and
can be altered
according to particular manufacturing requirements.
The first step is to apply glue to the inside surface of the main strap 29 or
the reinforcing strap
31. The reinforcing strap 31 is then folded along the partial tear line 30
onto the inside
surface of the main strap 29. Glue is then applied to the opposite end
portions of the
reinforcing strap 31, and the straps 29 and 31 or strap handle 25 is folded
180 degrees about
2o the fold lines 24 and 24. This secures the opposite end portions of the
strap handle 25 to the
inside surfaces of the upper end flaps 19A and 19A and brings the central
portion of the strap
handle 25 to the position where it is exposed to view within the finger
aperture 22.
The next step is to apply glue to the respective outer surfaces of the second
top panel 1 SB, the
second upper end flaps 19B and 19B and the secondary strap 36 and to
manipulate the blank
1 to bring the first top panel 15A onto the outer surface of the second top
panel 15B. This
turns the blank 1 into a flat tubular structure. The flat tubular blank is
then expanded by
folding the panels 2, 8A, 8B, 15A and 15B along the fold lines 7, 7, 14 and 14
so that the side
wall panels 8A and 8B are separated to take spaced opposed positions. This
results in the
3o formation of an erected tubular structure formed from the top and base
panels and the side
wall panels 18A and 18B as well as in the formation of a three-ply strap
handle, which is best
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shown in FIG. 2. Articles such as cans are then loaded into the tubular carton
through one or
both of its opposite open ends. After that, the upper and lower end flaps 19A,
19B and 6 at
the opposite ends of the tubular structure are folded into vertical positions,
followed by the
side end flaps l OB folded inwardly into their respective closed positions.
Glue is applied to
the upper and lower end flaps 19A, 19B and 6 and the side end flaps lOB and
then side end
flaps 10A are folded to their closed positions, which results in the complete
carton C shown
in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the composite top wall 15 is formed of the first and
second top panels
l0 15A and 15B and is provided with a finger aperture 22. Among the straps 29,
31 and 36 that
constitute the strap handle 25, the topmost strap or reinforcing strap 31 is
not glued to but
simply in contact with the inside surface or underside of the top wall 15.
Therefore, when the
upper end flaps 19A and 19B are folded into their closed positions, the
tautness of the strap
handle 25 across the composite top wall 15 is reduced so that in effect, the
strap handle 25
which is free of restraint of the top wall 15 or top panels 15A and 15B
becomes slack and the
central portion of the strap handle 25 bows upwardly and protrudes through the
finger aperture
22. Thus, the central portion of the strap handle 25 is bowed upwardly proud
of the top wall 15
into a position for ready use where a hand room under the strap handle 25 is
readily available for
a user.
FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the second embodiment of the present invention. Like
reference numerals
have been used for like parts of the first embodiment and therefore only the
differences from
the first embodiment are described in any greater detail. FIG. 6 shows a blank
1A from which
the carton of the second embodiment is assembled. In the same way as the first
embodiment,
the blank 1A has a strap handle 25A of a three-ply structure including a main
strap 29,
reinforcing strap 31 and secondary strap 36. The first top panel 15A of the
blank 1A is
provided at its central area with a pair of laterally spaced tear lines 20 and
20 that extends to
the vicinities of each bevelled panel 17A. Each tear line 20 has an
intermediate arched
portion 21A. The arched portions 21A and 21A of the tear lines 20 and 20 are
concavely
3o curved toward each other to define therebetween a finger aperture 22A. The
distance between
the arched portion is greater than that between the arched portions in the
previous
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embodiment. The free side edge 28B of the second top panel 15B has a notch 34A
formed
therealong. The size of the notch 34A is also larger than that of the notch 34
in the previous
embodiment.
The strap handle 25A further includes an outside strap 41 formed from the
first top panel
15A. The outside strap 41 extends longitudinally across the finger aperture
22A and is
connected at its opposite ends to the top panel 15A along tear lines 40 and
40. The outside
strap 41 is disposed on the upper or outside surface of the reinforcing strap
31 that is glued to
the upper or outside surface of the main strap 29. The outside strap 41
include a rectangular
to strap body 42 positioned directly on the reinforcing strap 31 and a pair of
cushion flaps 44
and 44 connected to the strap body 42 along fold lines 43 and 43. These
cushion flaps 44 and
44, when the strap handle is gripped, are folded downwardly along the fold
lines 43 and 43 to
be disposed over the side edges of the straps 29, 31 and 36 and thereby
prevent user's fingers
from being directly pressed against the side edges. The other parts of the
carton are virtually
identical to those of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof
is omitted. It is
appreciated, however, that the reinforcing strap 31 may be omitted from the
carton, or it may
be positioned along the underside of the main strap 29 because the outside
strap 41 can hide
the uncoated side of the main strap 29 from view.
2o The process for setting up a carton from the blank 1A is also virtually
identical to that of the
first embodiment. However, how to handle the outside strap 41 together with
its function is
described hereinafter.
During the assembly of a carton CA (see FIG. 4), the reinforcing strap 31 is
glued, at least in
part, to the underside of the outside strap 41. However, the reinforcing strap
31 that is in
contact with the underside of the first top panel 15A is free of restraint of
the top wall 15. In
other words, only connections between the strap handle 25A and the top wall 15
are provided
by the tear lines 40 and 40. Therefore, when the strap handle 25A is pulled
upwardly in the
direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, the outside strap 41 is severed from the top
wall 15 along the
3o tear lines 40 and 40. By this means, the strap handle 25A becomes
completely free of
restraint of the top wall 15. This allows a user to easily pull out the
central portion of the strap
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handle 25A through the finger aperture 22 while using the slack of the strap
handle 25A that has
already been available. The pulled-out portion of the strap handle 25A can
create a bow as
shown in FIG. 5 wherein a hand room under the strap handle 25A is readily
available for a user.
FIG. 7 illustrates the third embodiment of the invention that is applied to a
carton blank. In
this embodiment, the number of the straps that constitute the strap handle is
two instead of
three that is the case in the second embodiment. The other structure of the
carton of the third
embodiment is virtually identical to that of the second embodiment. Like
reference numerals
have been used for like parts of the second embodiment and therefore only the
differences
1o from the second embodiment are described in any greater detail.
In FIG. 7, the carton blank 1B has a strap handle 25B that includes a main
strap 29 and a
reinforcing strap 31. The strap handle 25B is not provided with a secondary
strap 36 which
was in the first and second embodiments. Therefore, the lower end edge 28B of
the blank 1B
is completely free of any carton members. The blank 1B further differs from
the blanks of
the preceding embodiments in that it is not formed with C-shaped cut 20a that
is provided at
each end of the tear lines 20 and 20 in the preceding embodiments. The other
structure of the
carton is virtually identical to that of the second embodiment.
2o It should be readily apparent that the reinforcing strap 31 may be omitted
from the carton or it
may be glued to the underside of the main strap 29. It should be also appaxent
that the second
top panel 15B may be replaced by a small-sized panel that merely serves as a
glue flap, which
would reduce the material cost of the carton.
The process for setting up a carton from the blank 1B of FIG. 7 is also
virtually identical to
that of the second embodiment except that the process for erecting the blank
1B does not
include the steps for manipulating a secondary strap 36. The carton of the
third embodiment
may be used to package lightweight articles such as those having a less weight
than the
articles packaged in the carton of the second embodiment.
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It will be recognised that as used herein, directional references such as
"top", "base", "end",
"side", "upper" and "lower" do not limit the respective panels to such
orientation, but merely
serve to distinguish these panels from one another. Any reference to hinged
connection should
not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only: indeed
it is envisaged that
hinged connection can be formed from one or more of one of the following, a
score line, a
frangible line or a fold line, without departing from the scope of invention.
It should be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of
the present
invention, for example, the size and shape of the panels and apertures may be
adjusted to
1o accommodate articles of differing size or shape, alternative top and base
closure structures
may be used.
