Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A Package Assembly, A Blank And A Method Of Manufacturing A Packagg_
Assembly
Technical Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a package assembly, a method of
manufacturing the package assembly and to a blank for forming a carton forming
part
of the package assembly. The package assembly is particularly, though not
exclusively, suitable for packaging perishable goods such as food, including
confectionery and snack items.
Background to the Invention
It is known to package goods, and in particular perishable goods such as
foodstuffs including confectionery and snacks such as biscuits, crackers,
cheese and
meats and the like, in a tray which is initially sealed by means of a flexible
film. The
film can be peeled away from the tray to gain access to the products but,
prior to first
opening, the film hermetically seals the tray so that the contents are
protected. The
tray typically comprises a base, a side wall region extending generally
upwardly about
the periphery of the base to define a volume in which the contents are
contained and
has a flange projecting outwardly from an upper edge of the side wall region
to which
the film is sealingly bonded after the contents have been introduced.
Conveniently, the
tray is thermoformed or vacuum-formed from a plastics material but other
materials
can be used.
Whilst this type of packaging has proved to be very effective at maintaining
the freshness of perishable goods and is easy to manufacture and fill, it is
not
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particularly aesthetically pleasing to the end user. It is known, therefore,
to place the
sealed tray inside a carton box made from a blank of foldable material to form
a
package assembly which is more aesthetically pleasing to consumers. The box
can be
printed on to provide information regarding the product as well as trademarks
and
other attractive design features. Usually, the tray has to be removed from the
carton to
be opened and the carton then discarded. This is suitable for goods that are
to be
consumed in one sitting or where the tray is to be placed in a refrigerator or
the like
after opening. However, for use with goods such as confectionery and snack
foods that
are to be consumed gradually over a period of time and where it is desirable
that the
package assembly can be left on display, the known packaging arrangements are
less
than ideal.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative package
assembly which overcomes, or at least mitigates, the drawbacks of the known
packaging.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative
package assembly which is easier to use than the known packaging.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an alternative
package assembly which is easier to manufacture than the known packaging.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide an
alternative
blank for forming part of a package assembly which meets the objectives
outlined
above.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative
method
of manufacturing a package assembly which overcomes, or at least mitigates,
the
drawbacks of the known methods
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Summary of the Invention
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a
package
assembly comprising: a carton having a main body including a bottom wall, a
top
wall, a front wall and a rear wall which define an interior volume in which a
tray is
retained, the tray having a base and a peripheral side wall region extending
upwardly
from the base to define a volume for holding product and a flange extending
outwardly about an upper peripheral edge of the sidewall region, the tray
being closed
by means of flexible film peelably secured to the flange; an opening defined
in the top
wall of the carton main body, the arrangement being configured to allow access
to the
tray through the opening such that the film can be wholly or partially removed
from
the tray whilst the tray is contained in the carton; wherein the bottom wall,
top wall,
front wall, and rear wall of the carton define a tubular sleeve, the flange of
the tray is
located below the top wall of the carton and the front wall of the carton has
a
supporting region in which a supporting structure is located below a first
portion of
the flange on the tray.
The main body of the carton may also comprise a pair of opposed side walls, at
least one side wall comprising a plurality of foldable flaps and/or tabs.
The bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall may be defined by a
series
of panels interconnected by fold lines.
An uppermost extent of the supporting structure may be spaced below the top
wall, the spacing being configured to provide sufficient clearance that the
tray can be
slid into the sleeve from one side, with the first portion of the flange
locating between
the top wall and the supporting structure. The spacing between the top wall
and the
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upper extent of the supporting structure may be in the range of 2 mm to 6 mm.
The
tray may not be bonded to the carton.
In an embodiment, the front wall includes a pair of laterally spaced regions
either side of the supporting region in which the front wall panel extends
between and
is connected by fold lines with the top wall panel and the bottom wall panel.
In this
embodiment, the supporting structure may comprise a front wall outer wall
portion
extending upwardly from an edge of the bottom wall, an upper wall portion
extending
inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall portion and an inner wall
portion
extending downwardly from an inner edge of the upper wall portion to the
bottom
wall. The carton may have at least one glue tab on an edge of the inner wall
portion
which is bonded to the bottom wall.
The opening may be defined generally in a central region of the top wall and
extending from the rear wall to the front wall such that the top wall
comprises a pair
of spaced top wall portions, one on either side of the opening, each top wall
portion
overlying a portion of the flange. In this case, where the front wall includes
a pair of
laterally spaced regions either side of the supporting region in which the
front wall
panel extends between and is connected by fold lines with the top wall panel
and the
bottom wall panel, in each of the pair of laterally spaced regions the front
wall panel
may extend between the bottom wall and a respective one of the top wall
portions.
The film may have a tab which can be grasped to initiate opening of the tray,
the tab being accessible through the opening. The film may not extend fully to
the
outer edge of the flange at one side edge of the tray, the tab being located
at or
adjacent said one side edge and positioned such that it can be grasped by a
user
through the opening in the top wall to initiate opening of the tray. In an
embodiment,
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the film does not extend fully to the outer edge of the flange at both of
opposed sides
of the tray, the flange portions not covered by the film each being located
under a
respective one of the top wall panel portions. The flange at each of said
opposed sides
may have a greater depth than the flange along front and rear edges of the
tray.
5 The carton may be formed from a single unitary blank of foldable
material
such as cartonboard or the like.
The carton may have a lid connected with the rear wall, the lid being movable
between a closed position in which it overlies the top wall so as to at least
partially
cover the opening and an open position in which it is displaced away from the
top
wall to expose the opening.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a
package assembly comprising: a carton formed from a blank of foldable
material, the
carton having a main body with a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall, a rear
wall, and
opposed side walls which define an interior volume within which a tray is
retained,
.. the tray being closed by means of removable flexible film; an opening
defined in at
least the top wall, which opening is configured to allow access to the tray
such that the
film can be wholly or partially removed from the tray whilst the tray is
contained in
the main body; wherein the bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall
are defined
by a series of panels interconnected by fold lines to define a tubular sleeve,
at least
one of the ends of the sleeve being closed by means of a plurality of flaps
and/or tabs
which define a side wall of the main body.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a blank
of
foldable material for the manufacture of the carton of the package assembly
according
to either of the first and second aspects of the invention, the blank
comprising in
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sequence: a first glue tab panel, a top wall panel, a front wall panel, a
bottom wall
panel, and a rear wall panel, adjacent ones of said panels being connected by
a fold
line; an opening being defined in the top wall panel; the blank further
comprising one
or more supporting structure panels foldably connected with the front wall
panel.
The blank may also have a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by
respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a
pair of
second side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along
opposing side
edges of the bottom wall panel.
The opening in the top wall panel may be located generally in a central region
of the top wall extending from the first glue tab panel towards the front wall
panel
such that the top wall panel comprises a pair of top wall panel portions, one
on either
side of the opening, each top wall panel portion extending between the first
glue tab
panel and the front wall panel. The opening may be defined in part by a pair
of spaced
cut lines extending longitudinally across the top wall panel from the first
glue tab
panel to the front wall panel, the cut lines extending into the front wall
panel by a
distance to define a supporting region in the front wall panel, the front wall
panel
having a pair of planar front wall panel portions either side of the
supporting region,
each planar front wall panel portion extending between the bottom wall panel
and a
respective one of the top wall panel portions.
In an embodiment, the front wall panel in the supporting region has a depth
measured from its connection with the bottom wall panel which is less than the
depth
of the planar panel portions on either side, the blank having a front wall
upper wall
portion panel connected by means of a fold line along one edge to an upper
edge of
the front wall panel in the supporting region and connected at an opposite
edge to a
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front wall inner wall portion panel by means of a further fold line, the blank
having at
least one further glue tab panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge
of the
front wall inner wall portion panel.
The blank may comprise a lid panel connected by means of a fold line to an
.. edge of the rear wall panel. The blank may comprise a first lid panel
connected by
means of a fold line to an edge of the rear wall panel and a second lid panel
connected
by a further fold line to the first lid panel.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method
of manufacture of the package assembly according to either of the first and
second
aspects of the invention using the blank according to the third aspect, the
method
comprising the steps of:
a. folding the blank along the fold lines which separate the first glue tab
panel, the top wall panel, the front wall panel, the bottom wall panel, and
the rear wall
panel in a constant direction to form a sleeve open on either side and
affixing the glue
.. tab panel to an inner surface of the rear wall panel;
b. forming the supporting structure in the front wall supporting region;
c. inserting the tray into the sleeve through the opening on one side.
Where the blank has a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by
respective fold
lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second
side wall
closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of
the
bottom wall panel, the method may comprise forming side walls closing the
sleeve by
folding the first and second side wall flaps on either side of the sleeve,
step c being
carried out before the side wall on said one side is formed.
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Steps a and b can be carried out at a first location, the partially formed
carton
being transferred to a different location where step c is carried out.
Where the blank has a front wall panel in the supporting region having a depth
measured from its connection with the bottom wall panel which is less than the
depth
of the planar panel portions on either side, the blank having a front wall
upper wall
portion panel connected by means of a fold line along one edge to an upper
edge of
the front wall panel in the supporting region and connected at an opposite
edge to a
front wall inner wall portion panel by means of a further fold line, the blank
having at
least one further glue tab panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge
of the
front wall inner wall portion panel; step b may comprise folding the blank
about the
fold lines connecting the front wall panel in the supporting region, the front
wall upper
wall portion panel, and the front wall inner wall portion panel in constant
direction to
form the supporting structure, folding the blank about the fold line
connecting the
front wall inner wall portion panel and the at least one further glue tab
panel and
bonding the further glue tab panel to an inner surface of the bottom wall
panel.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method
of manufacture of the package assembly according to either of the first and
second
aspects of the invention using the blank according to the third aspect, the
method
comprising the steps of:
a. providing a partially erected blank in which the blank has been folded
along the fold lines which separate the first glue tab panel, the top wall
panel, the front
wall panel, the bottom wall panel, and the rear wall panel in a constant
direction to
form a sleeve open on either side and the glue tab panel is affixed to an
inner surface
of the rear wall panel and the supporting structure has been formed.
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b. inserting the tray into the sleeve through the opening on one
side of the
sleeve.
Where the blank has a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by
respective fold
lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second
side wall
closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of
the
bottom wall panel, the method may forming the side wall on said one side by
folding
the first and second side wall flaps on that side of the sleeve to at least
partially close
the opening and securing the flaps in position. In which case, step b may be
carried
out before either of the side walls is formed or it may carried after one of
the side
walls is formed.
Detailed Description of the Invention
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood an embodiment
thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is perspective view of an embodiment of a package assembly of the
present
invention comprising a carton and a tray held in the carton.
Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a blank of the present invention
which
may be used to form an embodiment of a carton forming part of the package
assembly
of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a partially formed carton forming part of the
package
assembly of the present invention produced from the blank of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an exploded view of the package assembly of Figure 1 during
construction.
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Figure 5 is a perspective view of the package assembly of Figure 1 during
construction.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the package assembly of Figure 1
illustrating a
method of opening the package assembly.
5 Figure 7 is a plan view of a tray forming part of the package assembly of
Figure 1.
An embodiment of a package assembly 2 in accordance with an aspect of the
present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. The package assembly
2 is
particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for packaging food and other
perishable
10 products, including snacks and confectionery.
Relative directional terms such as upper and lower as used herein refer to the
package assembly 2 when positioned as shown in Figure 1 and should be
construed
accordingly. When applied to component parts of the package assembly, such
terms
refer to the orientation of the parts when used in the package assembly in its
illustrated
position. It will be appreciated, however, that the package assembly and its
parts
could be used in other orientations.
The package assembly 2 includes a carton 4 which encloses an inner container
in the form of a tray 6. The carton 4 is made from a blank of foldable
material such as
cartonboard or the like and, in the present embodiment, the tray 6 is
thermoformed or
vacuum-formed from a plastics material. However, the carton and tray 6 could
be
manufactured from other suitable materials.
The tray has a base 8 and a peripheral side wall region 10 extending upwardly
from the base to define a volume in which the contents of the package are
received. A
peripheral flange 14 extends outwardly from the upper edge of the side wall
region of
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the tray. The tray is closed by means of a flexible film 16 which is
releasably secured
to the flange 14 in a known manner to seal the contents in the tray. The film
16 can be
fully or partially removed by peeling it away from the flange 14 to gain
access to the
contents. An outer edge portion of the film 16 is not secured to the flange 14
and in at
least one region, a relatively large outer edge portion of the film is un-
bonded to form
a tab 18 which can be grasped by a user to aid opening of the tray. In the
present
embodiment, the tray is generally rectangular in plan and the tab 18 is
located at a
corner of the tray at one side. Alternatively, a tab may be formed by
attaching an
additional portion of material to the upper surface of the film or where the
film is a
laminate, the tab may be provided by a portion of an upper layer of the film
which is
not bonded to a lower portion.
The film 16 may be a plastics film but can be made of other flexible materials
such as paper, foil or the like. The film 16 could also be a laminate
structure
comprising layers of different materials including any of the above. At least
part of the
film may be transparent so that the contents of the tray can be viewed through
the film
and/or at least part of the film 16 may be printed on. The film may be bonded
to the
flange of the tray by means of an adhesive or it may be welded to the tray in
a peelable
manner. Where an adhesive is used, the adhesive may be heat or pressure
sensitive or
it may be a cold seal adhesive. The film 16 may be bonded to the tray using a
reclosable or resealable adhesive which allows the film to be reattached to
the flange
14.
The carton 4 has a main body portion 20 which defines a relatively shallow
rectangular box in which the tray 6 is held. The main body portion 20 has a
top wall
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22, a bottom wall 24, a front wall 26, a rear wall 28 and side walls 30, 32.
An opening
34 is provided in the top wall 22.
The opening 34 is located substantially centrally between the side edges of
the
top wall 22 and extends frilly from the rear wall 28 to the front wall 26.
Laterally, the
opening 34 extends over the majority of the width of the top wall so that the
top wall
is made up of a pair of narrow top wall portions 22a, 22b, one on either side
of the
opening, each extending between the rear wall 28 and the front wall 26. When
the tray
6 is located in the carton, each of the top wall portions 22a, 22b overlies
the flange 14
on its respective side edge 14a, 14b of the tray so as to retain the tray 6 in
the carton
whilst exposing the majority of the upper surface of the tray. The flange
portions 14a,
14b at the side edges of the tray which locate under the top wall portions
22a, 22b are
wider than the flange portions 14c, 14d along the front and rear edges of the
tray and
the film 16 does not cover the whole of the extended portions 14a, 14b so that
outer
regions of these portions are not covered by the film. The tab 18 is located
at one of
the side edges of the tray so that it can be grasped by a user through the
opening 34 to
initiate opening of the tray. This arrangement ensures that the film 16 can be
easily
removed from the tray through the opening 34 whilst the tray is securely
retained by
the uncovered regions of the extended flange portions 14a, 14b locating under
the top
wall portions 22a, 22b.
In the present embodiment, the opening 34 has straight edges but it will be
appreciated that the opening could be profiled to have a different shape to
alter the
appearance of the package assembly and that the shape may reflect to nature of
the
product and/or any images printed on the carton and/or the film.
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The front wall 26 has a supporting region 26a positioned substantially
centrally between the sides of the carton main body in alignment with the
opening 34
in the top wall. Within the supporting region 26a, the front wall 26 is double
skinned
to form a supporting structure which locates below a front edge portion 14c of
the
flange on the tray. In the supporting region, the front wall has an outer
front wall
portion 36 extending upwardly from an edge of the bottom wall, an upper wall
portion
38 extending inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall portion below the
flange
14c and an inner wall portion 40 extending downwardly from an inner edge of
the
upper wall portion to the bottom wall 24. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, a
glue tab
42 is connected to the lower edge of the inner wall portion 40 by a fold line
and is
bonded to the inner surface of the bottom wall 24 to secure the upper wall
portion 38
and the inner wall portion 40 in position.
Either side of the supporting region 26a, the front wall is single skinned,
having planar front wall portions 26b, 26c which extend fully from the bottom
wall 24
to the top wall 22 and which connect with the respective top wall portions
22a, 22b.
The supporting region 26a of the front wall 26a is shorter than the planar
front wall
portions 26b, 26c on either side. The arrangement is such that the upper wall
portion
38 is located below the flange 14c along a front edge of the tray which
overlies the
upper wall portion 38.
The top wall 22, bottom wall 24, front wall 26 and rear wall 28 are all
connected by fold lines and during formation of the carton are folded to form
a sleeve
open at either side. The tray 6 is slid into the partially formed carton so
that the front
edge 14c of the flange 14 overlies the upper wall portion 38 of the front wall
supporting region 26a until the side edges 14a, 14b of the flange underlie
their
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respective top wall portions 22a, 22b. The side walls 30, 32 of the main body
of the
carton are both formed by means of a plurality of flaps and tabs which can be
folded
into position and secured together in a known way to close the sleeve after
the tray has
been inserted. In particular, each side wall 30, 32 comprises a first major
side wall
flap 44 foldably connected along a side edge of the top wall 22, a second
major side
wall flap 46 foldably connected along a side edge of the bottom wall 24, a
first minor
side wall tab 48 foldably connected to a side edge of the front wall 26 and a
second
minor side wall tab 50 foldably connected to a side edge of the rear wall.
The double wall construction of the front wall 26 in the supporting region 26a
provides additional structural rigidity for the carton and acts as a
supporting structure
for the flange 14, especially during opening of the tray. In one method of
opening, a
user can press the flange 14 down into contact with the upper wall portion 38
whilst
peeling the film 16 open. The upper wall portion 38 is spaced below the top
wall 22
by a distance X which is selected so that the tray can be reliably slid into
the partially
formed carton from one side using conventional packaging machinery with the
flange
14 locating in the gap between the upper wall portion 38 and the top wall 22.
Typically the distance X may be in the range of 2 to 6 mm.
The carton also has a lid 52 which is pivotally connected at 54 to an upper
edge of the rear wall 28 of the main body portion by means of a fold line. The
lid 52 is
a planar member which is configured to overlay the top wall 22 of the main
body
portion in a closed position so as cover the opening 34 in the top wall. In
the
embodiment illustrated, the lid 52 is substantially the same size and shape as
the top
wall 22 so as to cover the whole of the top wall 22. However, the lid could be
differently shaped and it could be arranged so as to cover only part of the
top wall 22.
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The lid 52 could also be configured so as to also overlay at least part of the
front wall
26, especially in the supporting region 26a. As shown in Figure 1, the lid 52
can be
pivoted about hinge 54 to an open position in which the top wall 22 of the
main body
portion 14, the opening 34 and the tray 6 are exposed.
5 An
embodiment of a blank 60 used to form the outer container 4 of the present
invention is shown in Figure 2. The blank 60 comprises in order from left to
right as
shown: a first lid panel 62, a second lid panel 64, rear wall panel 66, a
bottom wall
panel 68, a front wall panel 70, a top wall panel 72, and a first glue tab
panel 74, the
various panels each being connected to adjacent panels by respective fold
lines 76, 78,
10 80, 82,
84 86. An opening 34 is formed in the top wall panel 72. The opening 34 is
generally rectangular in shape and is centrally located between opposed sides
of the
top wall panel 72. The opening 34 extends from the edge of the top wall panel
72
adjacent the glue tab panel 74 towards the front wall panel 70. The opening 34
is
defined in part by cut lines 88, 90 along either side such that the top wall
panel 72 is
15 divided
into two top wall panel portions 72a, 72b extending along either side between
and connected to the front wall panel 70 and the first glue tab panel 74. The
cut lines
88, 90 extend beyond the fold line 84 into the front wall panel by a distance
X which
determines the spacing X between the top wall 22 and the upper wall portion 38
of the
supporting structure in the completed carton. The region between the cut lines
88, 90
in the front wall panel 70 forms the supporting region 26a of the front wall
26 in the
completed carton 4. Between the cut lines 88, 90 are located in series, from
left to
right as shown, a front wall supporting region upper wall panel 92, a front
wall
supporting region inner wall panel 94 and a further glue tab panel 96. The
front wall
supporting region upper wall panel 92 is connected along a first edge by a
fold line 98
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to the upper edge of the front wall panel in the supporting region 26a and
along a
second edge opposite the first by a further fold line 100 to the front wall
supporting
region inner wall panel 94. The further glue tab panel 96 is connected to the
front wall
supporting region inner wall panel 94 by a fold line 102.
First major side wall flap panels 104 are each foldably connected along a
respective side edge of the top wall panel 72 by fold lines 106 and second
major side
wall flap panels 108 are each foldably connected along a respective side edge
of the
bottom wall panel 68 by fold lines 110. First minor side wall tab panels 112
are each
foldably connected to a respective side edge of the front wall panel 70 by
fold lines
114 and second minor side wall tab panels 116 are each foldably connected to a
respective side edge of the rear wall panel 66 by fold lines 118.
The blank 60 may be printed upon, especially in the outer surfaces of the
blank.
A method of manufacturing the package assembly is now described.
First the blank 60 is partially erected to part form the main body sleeve 20.
Initially, the blank 60 is folded along fold line 76 such that the first lid
panel 62
overlies the second lid panel 64 and the first lid panel is secured to the
second lid
panel, say by means of adhesive. By connecting the lid panels 62, 64 a lid 52
for the
carton is formed. The blank 60 is also folded along fold lines 78, 80, 82, 84,
86 in a
constant direction to form a rectangular box-like sleeve and first glue tab
panel 74 is
affixed, say by bonding using an adhesive, to the inside surface of the rear
wall panel
66. The front wall supporting region 26a of the carton is constructed by
folding the
upper wall panel 92 inwardly about fold line 98 until it extends substantially
orthogonally to the front wall panel 70, folding the inner wall panel 94 about
the fold
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line 100 in the same direction so that it extends generally parallel to the
front wall
panel towards the bottom wall panel 68. The further glue tab panel 96 is
folded out in
the opposite direction about fold line 102 until it extends generally parallel
to the
inner surface of the bottom wall panel 68. The further glue tab panel 96 is
affixed to
the inner surface of the bottom wall panel 68 using a suitable adhesive. This
secures
the double skinned supporting region 26a of the front wall in position.
At this stage the partially erected blank 60 defines a sleeve-like main body
20
of the carton 4 which is open on either side and is ready to receive the tray
6, which is
slid into the sleeve though one side or the other as illustrated in Figures 4
and 5. Once
the tray 6 is in position inside the sleeve, the side walls 30, 32 are formed
by folding
the first and second minor tab panels 112, 116 inwardly and then folding the
first and
second major flap panels 104, 108 into position so that they overlie one
another
closing the sides of the carton. At least the overlapping flaps are bonded to
one
another to hold them closed in a known manner. When the tray 6 is secured in
the
carton 4, the flange 14 at the front overlies the upper wall portion 38 of the
front wall
of the carton and the flange portions along the sides of the tray are disposed
below the
respective top wall portions 22a, 22b.
It will be appreciated that the above steps need not be carried out in exactly
the
order described. For example, the support structure could be formed before the
blank
.. is folded to form the main body sleeve 20. It should also be noted that the
tray 6 could
be inserted before either of the side walls is formed or it could be inserted
from one
side after the side wall on the other side has been formed. It will also be
appreciated
that the steps of partially erecting the blank to form the sleeve¨like main
body 20
could be carried out at a different time and location from the later steps of
inserting
CA 02966622 2017-05-02
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18
the tray 6 and forming at least a last one of the side walls to secure the
tray in position.
For example, blanks 60 could be manufactured and partially erected by a
packaging
supplier to form the sleeve-like main body 20 with at least one side wall left
open and
the partially erected blanks transferred to a packaging location where the
filled and
sealed trays are inserted into the partially erected cartons and at least the
last one of
the side walls assembled to complete the packaging process. It will also be
noted that
the tray is not secured to the carton by bonding or adhesive but is held in
position by
the side walls once formed. This allows for ease of assembly by sliding the
tray into
the partially formed carton using conventional packaging techniques.
The lid 52 can be folded over to the closed position either before or after
the
tray is inserted. The lid 52 may further comprise an attachment means to
attach the lid
52 to a further component of the outer carton 4 in order to retain the lid 52
in the
closed position. The attachment means may comprise an adhesive such as a
releasable
adhesive, or a tab. For example, the lid may be provided with a flap for
insertion in a
slot in one of the wall panels of the main body. In addition, or
alternatively, the
package assembly 2 may be further wrapped in a transparent film to form an
outer
wrapper which holds the lid in the closed position.
In other embodiments to the one illustrated, the carton 4 may not include a
lid
52. Instead, the opening 34 may be left uncovered and in such embodiments the
opening 34 may also extend into at least a portion of the rear wall of the
carton 4.
The above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations
are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in
the
appended claims.
