COFFRET DE TRANSPORT POUR EMBALLAGE D'ARTICLES DE TYPE BOITE

CARRIER FOR A PACKAGE OF BOX-LIKE ITEMS

Abrégé français

La présente invention concerne un coffret de transport (1) pour un emballage d'articles de type boîte (6). La partie supérieure dudit coffret comprend une poignée (2, 18) et la partie inférieure (4), qui permet de ceinturer les articles de type boîte (6), est munie d'une languette (32) qui se place de façon amovible contre l'emballage.

Abrégé anglais

A carrier (1) for a package of box-like items (6). An upper portion includes a
carry handle (2, 18) and a lower portion (4) forming a surround around the box-
like items (6) having a tab (32) which releasably engages the package.

Revendications

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WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A carrier for a package of box-like items, such as boxes of
photographic film, including an upper portion forming a carry handle, a lower
portion for fitting around the package of box-like items, wherein the lower portion
includes means for releasably engaging the package of box-like items.
2. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the means for
releasably engaging the package of box-like items includes a tab for insertion
between facing surfaces of the box-like items in the package.
3. A carrier as claimed in Claim 2, wherein at least two tabs are
provided for insertion between facing surfaces of the box-like items in the
package, wherein the tabs are oppositely located on the carrier.
4. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1, formed from a relatively stiffly
flexible material, wherein the upper and lower portions are formed by panels of
the sheet material which are joined along fold lines.
5. A carrier as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the upper portion
forming a carry handle comprises two facing panels joined along an upper fold
line with each panel including an aperture, and wherein the lower portion
comprises at least four panels for surrounding the package of box-like items andincludes cooperative means for securing the lower portion as a surround, whereintwo of the at least four panels each depend from one of the facing panels along a
fold line and form side panels of the carrier.
6. A carrier as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said cooperative means
includes a connection tab and a slit for receiving the tab upon fitting the lower
portion around a package of box-like items to thereby form a surround.

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7. A carrier as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the means for
releasably engaging the package of box-like items comprises two tabs, each
depending, along a fold line, from a panel of the at least four panels comprising
the lower portion, wherein the tabs are oppositely located on the carrier for
insertion between facing surfaces of the box-like items in the package.
8. A carrier as claimed in Claim 5, wherein there are six panels for
forming the lower portion comprising said two side panels and four flap sections,
wherein each flap section extends from a side of said side panels, wherein said
side panels are for extending along opposite sides of a package and the four flap
sections are for extending over opposite ends of the package, wherein one flap
section overlaps another to form each end of the carrier.
9. A carrier as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the means for
releasably engaging the package of box-like items comprises two tabs, each
depending from an opposite flap section along a fold line for insertion between
facing surfaces of the box-like items in the package.
10. A carrier as claimed in Claim 9, wherein a slit is formed along
the fold line between each side panel and the flap section that includes a tab for
insertion between facing surfaces of the box-like items, and wherein the other two
flap sections include a connection tab for insertion in a corresponding said slit, to
thereby form a surround on a package of box-like items.
11. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the lower portion
includes a depending section for obscuring a surface or part thereof of the package
of box-like items.
12. A carrier as claimed in Claim 1 in combination with a package
of box-like items, wherein the means for releasably engaging the package

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comprise two oppositely located tabs inserted between facing surfaces of the
box-like items.
13. A combination as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the box-like
items are surrounded by a shrink wrap to form the package, and wherein the shrink
wrap does not cover the package adjacent the facing surfaces of the box-like items
between which the tabs are received.
14. The combination as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the box-like
items are boxes containing rolls of photographic film.
15. A blank of cardboard or other relatively stiffly flexible sheet
material capable of being folded into a carrier as claimed in Claim 10.

Description

CA 02262082 1999-01-27
W O 98/04475 PCT/AU97/00472
CARRIER ~OR A PACKAGE: OF BOX-LIKE ITEMS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a carrier for a package of box-like
items. In an example application of the invention to be described herein, the
5 carrier is for a package of boxes containing rolls of photographic film. However,
the described example application is not to be understood as limiting on the
invention because it is applicable to packages of any box-like items. The
invention also relates to a carrier and a package of box-like items in combination.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lay or casual photography is very popular and relatively cheap,
pocket size, compact and fully automatic cameras are readily available to tourists
and others to facilitate such photography. In this environment, individuals are
tending to buy increased stocks of film for such cameras in a single purchase, for
example, up to about 20 boxes of film may be purchased at the one time. To meet
this demand, photographic film suppliers are now supplying their boxes of film in
packages containing a reasonably large number, say 8, 12 or 20, of the boxes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a convenient choice to
customers for carriage of such a package of boxes or of box-like items.
According to the invention there is provided a carrier for a package
of box-like items including:
an upper portion forming a carry handle; and
a lower portion for fitting around the package of box-like items,
wherein the lower portion includes means for releasably engaging the package of
box-like items.
Preferably the lower portion of the carrier is for fitting around a top
section of the package.
Terrns such as "upper", "lower", "top section" or the like in this
specification are to be construed with reference to the carrier in a normal use
orientation. However, it is to be understood that the carrier can have other

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orientations, and thus, the terms in question are not to be applied to limit the scope
of this disclosure to any particular orientation for the invention.
Preferably, the means for releasably engaging the package of box-
like items includes tabs for insertion between facing surfaces of the box-like items
S in the package.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the carrier
is formed from a relatively stiffly flexible material, such as a cardboard blank,
which is folded to effectively simultaneously both forrn the carrier and assemble it
with the package of box-like items. During this folding operation, the tabs are
inserted between facing surfaces of the package of box-like items and the lower
portion is fitted around the package to form a surround. Preferably, a tab extends
from the lower end of each of two opposite sides of the surround, and the surround
is formed by inserting at least one tab of another form, that is a connection tab, on
the blank into a complimentary slit in the blank. Preferably, the lower surroundportion of the carrier is a firm fit around the package such that the tab and slit
connection for the surround will be more tightly held together by the pressure
between the package and the surround.
Preferably, the lower portion of the car~ier includes a depending
section for obscuring a surface, or part thereof, of the package of box-like items.
This feature ensures that printed information such as, for example, a bar code or
the like outer facing surface of the box-like items can be obscured. When
purchasing a package combined with the carrier, this feature ensures there is nodanger that a bar code relevant to only one of the box-like items will be scanned to
give a price or other indication for the one item only and not the package.
The invention also includes a carrier as described above in
combination with a package of box-like items. Preferabiy, the box-like items aresurrounded by a shrink-wrap to form the package and the shrink wrap does not
cover the package adjacent the facing surfaces of the box-like items between
which the tabs are received. Thus, the shrink wrap does not have to be pierced to
insert the tabs into the package.

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The invention also includes a blank of cardboard or like material
for folding to form the carrier.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of
non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIh:F Dl~SCRIPTION OF THI~ DRAWINGS
Figure l shows a carrier according to an embodiment of the
invention assembled with a package of box-like items.
Figure 2 shows a cardboard blank for forming the carrier of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows the blank of Figure l partially assembled about the
package of box-like items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A carrier l according to the invention as illustrated in Figure l
includes an upper portion 2 forming a carry handle and a lower portion 4 that fits
around the top portion of a package of box-like items 6. The package of box-likeitems 6 preferably comprises rectangular section boxes 8 of rolls of photographic
film. For example, the package may include twenty boxes 8 arranged in a stack
that is five boxes long and four boxes high. Other arrangements of the box-like
items are encompassed within the scope of the invention. The stack of boxes is
preferably formed into a package by being wrapped with a shrink wrap material 10such as cellorap film. Preferably, this shrink wrap material does not cover the
opposite sides 12, 14 of the package 6 at areas adjacent the facing surfaces
between two rows of boxes 8 where ready access to those facing surfaces is
required. Such access is required for insertion of a tab, as will be described below.
The carrier 1 may be formed by folding an applol),iately shaped
cardboard blank, a shape for which is illustrated in plan in Figure 2. The upperportion of the carrier includes two panel sections 16 which include cut-outs 18,and which are folded about a central fold line 20 into a ridged roof-like structure
for placement over the package 6. Panel sections 18 may also be folded along fold
lines 22 to give some flexibility to the handle structure, for example to allow the
cut-outs to move more closely together.

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The lower portion of the carrier 1 includes front and rear panels 24,
26 which are an extension of panel sections 16 and formed by folding about fold
lines 17, and opposite side walls 28, 30 which are for fitting around a top section
of the package 6. In the particular example of the invention which is illustrated,
the lower portion 4 of the carrier 1 (comprising panels 24, 26, and walls 28, 30)
fits around the top two rows of boxes 8, however, the invention includes
arrangements where the lower portion of the carrier fits around a single row or
multiple rows of the box-like items, and the term "top section" of the package is to
be understood in this light.
As best seen in Figures 2 and 3, the opposite side walls 28, 30
comprise flap sections 28a, 28b and 30a, 30b respectively, with the sections 28aand 30a having tabs 32 depending from their lower edges and which are foldable
about fold lines 34 to lie substantially normally to the plane of flap sections 28a
and 30a. Tabs 32 provide means for releasably engaging the package 6 by
insertion between the facing surfaces of two rows of the boxes 8, i.e., at the
locations indicated by reference 36. The tabs 32 are curved in an approximately
semicircular shape to facilitate their insertion between boxes 8 at the locations 36
as the flap sections 28a and 30a are folded about fold lines 38 to lie adjacent the
opposite sides 12 and 14 of package 6. The tabs 32 may also extend or bulge
slightly outwardly of the width of the flap sections 28a and 30a, as indicated at
references 40, to improve their engagement with the package 6. That is, these
portions 40 of the tabs 32 will extend slightly outwardly of the package 6 to
contact the shrink wrap 10 and thus provide the improved engagement.
The flap sections 28b, 30b include connection tabs 42 for insertion
in slits 44 (formed along fold lines 38). Flaps 28b, 30b are folded about fold lines
46 to lie over flap sections 28a and 30a, respectively, and connection tabs 42 are
inserted into slits 44 to complete the assembly of the carrier l on the package 6.
Slits 44 may include a short side cut at each end as shown by reference 48 to
facilitate insertion of the tabs 42. Also the tabs 42 may include sloping sides 50
and a small undercut 52 where the sides 50 meet the edge of each respective flap

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section 28b, 30b. This structure provides for a relatively positive retention of the
connection tabs 42 in slits 44.
One of the side wall flap sections, for example section 28b, may
include a depending section 54 for obscuring at least a part or all of the surface of
5 a side wall 12 (or 14) of the package 6 to hide any printed information, such as a
bar code, on each box-like item 8 along that side wall.
It will be appreciated that the lower portion 4 of carrier ] forms a
surround for the package, which surround is formed by the fitting of panels 24, 26,
and walls 28 (comprising flap sections 28a and 28b) and 30 (comprising flap
sections 30a and 30b) around the package 6. The surround is completed by the tab42 and slit 44 connections, which provide an example co-operative means for
securing the lower portion 4 of the carrier I as a surround for the package 6. The
surround is a firm fit around the package 6 and this enhances the securement
between the tabs 42 and slits 44 in that there is some pressure between the facing
15 surfaces of the package and the panel sections of lower portion 4 between which
the tabs 42 are located.
The invention described herein is susceptible to variations,
modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to
be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or
20 additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the above description.

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