Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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CARTON AND TWO-PART CARTON BLANK
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carton for containing a plurality of
similar articles, such as
bottles and a means for retaining the bottles within the carton and in
particular to a means of
accessing the articles.
Cartons for encasing multiple articles are useful for enabling consumers to
obtain and
1o transport a desired quantity of individual articles such as soft drinks or
other beverages. Such
cartons need to be strong enough to support multiple articles, especially if
the articles are
bottles. It is also desirable for such cartons to be easy to handle and be
portable.
It is often desirable for the articles contained within the carton to be
displayed and also for
the carton to have large areas which can be printed with advertising graphics.
It is also often
desirable for the articles to be easily accessible and it is also preferable
for the articles to be
secured in place within the carton, especially if the articles are fragile,
for example glass
bottles. It is however undesirable for articles to be accessed too easily, for
example, before
being purchased.
It is also desirable to have a carton which after the contents of the articles
have been
consumed can be used to return the empty articles to a recycling point.
The present invention seeks to provide a means for displaying the articles or
a portion of the
articles in combination with an access means for removal of the articles where
the access
means leaves the carton with sufficient integrity for replacement of articles
for the purpose of
returning to a recycling point.
Summary of the Invention
According to a first aspect of the invention, a carton for containing a group
of similar
articles, such as bottles, the carton comprising a top panel, bottom panel,
opposing side and
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end walls, wherein the carton is constructed by combining opposing
complementary U-
shaped structures, one of the U-shaped structures comprising a bottom panel
and opposing
end walls and the other of the U-shaped structures comprising a top panel and
opposing side
walls.
Preferably the top panel is at an elevation below that of an upper extremity
of the end wall
and/or opposing side wall.
Additionally one of the U-shaped structures comprises flaps which provide
support to the
side walls of the carton and additionally a surface to which the side walls
can be secured.
Preferably the top panel comprises apertures for receiving the articles or a
portion thereof,
wherein each aperture has a frangible connection with at least one other
aperture to facilitate
removal of the articles. The carton may further comprise at least one
reinforced handle
aperture being struck from one of said opposing walls.
Preferably upon removal of the articles, the carton retains sufficient
structural integrity such
that it can be re-used for returning empty articles.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a two part blank comprising a
first part
comprising a bottom panel and opposing end walls and a second part comprising
a top panel
and opposing side walls to form opposing complementary U-shaped structures
when the
carton is in a setup condition.
Preferably the first part of the blank comprises flaps which provide support
to the side walls
of the carton and additionally a surface to which the side walls can be
secured.
Preferably the top panel is at an elevation below that of an upper extremity
of the end wall
panels.
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Additionally the top panel comprises apertures for receiving the articles or a
portion thereof,
wherein each aperture has a frangible connection with at least one other
aperture to facilitate
removal of the articles.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a unitary blank for forming a
carton comprising
opposed side and end walls and top and bottom panels, wherein a plane of the
top panel in a
setup carton is lower than an upper edge of the opposed end walls and wherein
there further
comprises handle apertures struck from said end walls.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of
example only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;
Figure 1A illustrates a first part of a blank for forming a crate style carton
according to a first
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 1B illustrates a second part of a blank for forming a crate style
carton according to a
first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 1 C shows a first step in the process for erecting the crate style
carton formed from the
blanks of Figs. 1A and 1B;
Figure 1D shows a second step in the process for erecting the crate style
carton formed from
the blanks of Figs. 1A and 1B;
Figure 1E shows a third step in the process for erecting the crate style
carton formed from the
blanks of Figs. 1A and 1B;
3o Figure 1F shows the crate style carton formed from form the blanks of Figs.
1A and 1B;
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Figure 2A illustrates a first part of a blank for forming a crate style carton
according to a
second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2B illustrates a second part of a blank for forming a crate style
carton according to a
second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2C illustrates a step in the process to erect a crate style carton from
the blanks of Figs.
2A and 2B;
Figure 2D shows the crate style carton formed from form the blanks of Figs. 2A
and 2B
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1A -1F. Figs. 1A
and 1B, show
a first and a second part respectively, of a two-part blank for forming a
crate style carton 30,
made from paperboard or similar foldable sheet material. In the first
embodiment of the
invention two blanks 10 and 20, of Figs. 1A & 1B are formed into a tray and a
cover
respectively. Together the tray and cover form a crate style carton 30 which
is shown in Fig.
1F. The invention is designed to receive similar articles, such as bottles,
but it is envisaged
that the present invention could be used to contain other articles, without
departing from the
scope of the invention.
Turning to Figure 1A, the tray blank 10 comprises a first end wall 16, a
bottom panel 24 and
a second end wall 18, hingedly connected, one to the next in series, along
fold lines 44 and 48
respectively. Handle apertures 54 are struck from the first and second end
walls 16, 18 and
finger gripping tabs 58 protrude inward from the upper edges of the handle
apertures 54. The
finger gripping tabs enable the erected crate style carton 30 to be easily
grasped and lifted by
the handle apertures 54.
The tray blank 10 further comprises corner flaps 66a/66b and 68a/68b hingedly
connected to
the first and second end walls 16 and 18 respectively. In this embodiment of
the invention the
corner flaps 66a/66b and 68a/68b provide additional protection to some of the
bottles
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contained within the carton. In other embodiments of the invention it is
envisaged that a
greater of lesser number of corner flaps could be used in order to provide a
crate style carton
with a specific shape, to accommodate the different types of articles which
may be contained
within a crate style carton.
In this embodiment of the invention the corner flaps 66a/66b and 68a/68b are
hingedly
connected to side flaps 76a/76b and 78a/78b along fold lines 86a/86b and
88a/88b
respectively, as shown in Fig. 1A The side flaps 76a/76b and 78a/78b provide a
means for
securing the tray formed from blank 10 to the cover formed from blank 20 in
erecting the
to crate style carton 30.
In this embodiment of the invention, the tray blank 10 further comprises
bottom end flaps 74a
and 74b hingedly connected to the bottom panel 24, along fold lines 64a and
64b. The bottom
end flaps 74a, 74b provide an additional means for securing the tray and cover
together.
is
The tray blank 10 also comprises inner handle panels 26 foldably connected to
the first and
second end walls 16, 18 about fold lines 40 and 42. The inner handle panels 26
comprise
finger gripping tabs 58 and are shaped such that upon folding the inner handle
panels 26,
180° about the fold lines 40 and 42, a 2 ply reinforced handle
structure is created.
In this embodiment of the invention the inner handle panels 26 are
additionally provided with
glue flaps 70a/70b and 72a/72b, which can be secured to the inside faces of
the corner panels
66a/66b and 68a168b respectively. In this way some additional protection of
the articles held
within the corners of the crate style carton 30 may be provided. In other
embodiments of the
2s invention it is envisaged that the glue flaps 70a/70b and 72a/72b may not
be required, or may
in fact be secured to the inside faces of the side flaps 76a/76b and 78a/78b
respectively.
A second blank, cover blank 20 is shown in Figure 1B. The cover blank 20 is
used to form a
cover for the tray formed from the blank 10 of Figure 1A. Blank 20 comprises a
top panel 22
3o which is hingedly attached to first and second side walls 12, 14 along fold
lines 34a, 34b.
The first and second side walls 12, 14 comprise fold lines 32a and 32b.
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A series of apertures 56 are struck from the top panel 22 and are structured
to receive an
upper portion of the articles which are to be contained within the crate style
carton 30. In this
embodiment of the invention the crate style carton 30 is suitable for
containing bottles and
the apertures 56 are designed to receive the necks of the bottles. In this
embodiment the
apertures 56 are circular and further comprise tabs protruding toward the
centre of each of the
apertures 56. The protruding tabs may help to provide a close fit of the
bottle necks within the
apertures 56. This may help prevent the bottles from being subject to damage,
which can
occur if bottles knock against each other. In other embodiments of the
invention the apertures
56 may not be circular and may or may not contain additional tabs.
The top panel 22 further comprises a series of weakened lines or nicks 37
which connect each
aperture 56 to at least one other aperture 56. In the first embodiment the
nicks 37 extend
between the apertures 56 in lines perpendicular to the first and second side
walls 12, 14. In
other embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that the configurations of
the nicks 37
may differ from that described, for example, the nicks 37 may not fully extend
to
neighbouring apertures 56, they may intersect each other or the nicks 37 may
extend to the
edges of the top panel 22. The top panel 22 further comprises a series of glue
flaps 36a/36b
and 38a/38b, which are used to secure the top panel 22 to the tray of blank
10.
Turning to the construction of the crate style carton 30 from the tray blank
10 and cover
blank 20, a series of sequential folding and gluing operations are required.
Preferably these
can be performed in a straight line machine, so that the blanks 10, 20 are not
required to be
rotated or inverted to complete the construction. The folding process is not
limited to that
described below and can be altered according to particular manufacturing
requirements.
The first stage is to secure the inner handle panels 26 to the inside faces of
the end wall
panels 16, 18 and secure the glue flaps 70a/70b and 72a/72b to the inside
faces of the corner
panels 66a/66b and 68a/68b. The end wall panels 16, 18 are then folded about
fold lines 44
and 48, out of the plane of the bottom panel 24 to produce a tray.
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The tray is then loaded with bottles, as shown in Fig. 1 C and the corner
panels 66a/66b and '
68a/68b and side flaps 76a/76b and 78a/78b are folded about fold lines
96a/96b, 98a/98b,
86a/86b and 88a/88b. The bottom end flaps 74a, 74b are also folded inward of
the tray.
In preparation of the final folding and gluing operations to complete the
erection of the crate
style carton 30, the cover blank 20 is folded about fold lines 34a, 34b, 32a
and 32b, as shown
in Fig. 1D. The side walls 12, 14 are folded 90° about fold lines 34a
and 34b, out of the
plane of top panel 22. The second side walls 12, 14 are then folded about fold
lines 32a and
32b to bring bottom portions of the first and second side walls 12, 14 back
into the plane of
the top panel 22 as shown in Fig. 1D.
Cover blank 20 is then brought into registry with the bottles which have been
loaded into the
tray. Top portions of the first and second side walls are placed in flat face
contact with the
inner faces of the side flaps 76a/76b and 78a/78b respectively, and may be
secured together
by adhesive of other means known in the art. The bottom portions of the first
and second side
walls 12, 14 are further folded about fold lines 32a and 32b so that the
bottom portions of the
first and second side walls are in flat face contact with upper portions of
the first and second
side walls 12, 14 and the outer faces of the side flaps 76a/76b and 78a178b
respectively. In
this way the fold lines 32a and 32b form upper edges of the side walls of the
crate style
carton 30. Again glue or other means maybe used to secure the bottom portions
of the first
and second side walls 12, 14 to the outer faces of the side flaps 76a/76b and
78a/78b and the
outer faces of the bottom end flaps 74a and 74b, as shown in Fig. 1E.
In this way a two-ply upper portion of the side walls of the crate style
carton is formed. In
other embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that the first and second
side walls 12, 14
could further be provided with handle apertures 54 struck from the first and
second side walls
12, 14. This could provide 2-ply handle structures in each wall of the erected
crate style
carton 30, in other embodiments, without departing from the scope of the
present invention.
3o The crate style carton formed from the blanks 10 and 20 is shown in Figure
1F. It can be seen
that the bottles are secured within the carton, once the cover made from blank
20 has been
secured inside the tray, erected from blank 10. Access to the bottles is
gained by separating
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the nicks 37, this may be achieved by lifting a bottle from the crate style
carton 30 or in other
embodiments it is envisaged that an initiating means may be provided to assist
in the
separation of the nicks 37.
The use of the nicks 37 allows each bottle can be accessed individually,
whilst the structural
integrity of the carton is maintained. Bottles not accessed are held in
position by the apertures
56 in the cover. Therefore the carton provides an adaptable carrying
container, the structural
integrity of which is not destroyed when the bottles are accessed. This
enables the carton to
be reused for the convenient returning of the empty bottles.
l0
It can be appreciated 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
accommodate articles of differing size or shape.
Figs. 2A - 2D illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention, which
will now be
described by way of example only. This is to illustrate some of the changes
that can be made,
without departing from the scope of the present invention. In subsequent
figures similar
reference numerals have been used to denote like features, the reference
numerals in the
second embodiment of the invention are increased by '200' to show that they
represent
features of the second embodiment. Since the second embodiment has features
common to
the first embodiment, only differences in the second embodiment will be
highlighted.
In the second embodiment of the present invention the first and second side
walls 12, 14 are
not provided with fold lines and can be sized such that when the cover from
blank 220 is
inserted into the tray formed from blank 210, the position of the top wall
panel 222 is
adjustable. To accommodate this feature the side flaps 276a/276b and 278a/278b
are also
sized to allow the top panel 222 to have an adjustable elevation once the tray
and cover have
been formed into the crate style carton 230.
The crate style carton 230 is erected by carrying out a similar arrangement of
folding and
gluing operations as previously described however the operation of folding the
first and
second side walls 12, 14 about fold line 32a and 32b, is not required in this
embodiment. The
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second embodiment can be considered as a special case of the first embodiment
wherein the
fold lines 232a, 232b are positioned along the fold lines 234a/234b. An
intermediate step in
the erection process is shown in Fig 2C.
The present invention is designed such that a crate style carton can be formed
from two
blanks wherein the elevation of the top panel 22, 222 is adjustable by
altering the depth of the
bottom portion of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214. The
depth of the
bottom portion of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214 is
defined by the
position of the fold lines 32a, 32b, 232a and 232b and the size of the first
and second side
walls 12, 212, 14 and 214.
The present invention also allows the height of the upper edge of the first
and second side
walls 12, 212, 14 and 214 to be adjustable relative to the height of the end
walls 16, 18, 216
and 218. The upper edge of the first and second side walls 12, 212, 14 and 214
is can also be
considered as being defined by the position of the fold lines 32a, 32b, 232a
and 232b.
It is envisaged that the features of the various embodiments herein described
could be altered
without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example in
other embodiments
of the invention the apertures formed within the top panel may not be circular
and may also
2o be provided with additional tabs protruding into the aperture, to aid
retention of the bottle
necks or other articles contained within the carton.
It will be recognised that as used herein, directional references such as
"top", "bottom",
"front", "back", "end", "side", "inner", "outer", "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 the following, a score line, a frangible line or a fold line
without departing
from the scope of the invention.
