MXPA97003598A - Carrier of articles with asa integ - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a preform for manufacturing an article carrier, comprising: a section of the bottom panel, connected by fold lines to the opposite sections of the side panel, one of the sections of the side panel is connected to a first fin of the upper panel by means of a fold line, and the opposite section of the side panel is connected to a second fin of the upper panel by means of a fold line; fins of the end panel connected by means of fold lines to the ends; opposite ends of the side panel sections and the first and second fins of the upper panel, means for defining a handle strip in each of said first and second fins of the upper panel, each handle strip having opposite ends, each handle strip is connected at the ends thereof to the associated fin of the upper panel substantially in the fold lines connecting said associated fin of the upper panel to an associated fin of The end panel, said means allows each handle strip to rise above the associated fin of the upper panel between the ends of the handle strip, and a reinforcing flap connected to the second fin of the upper panel by means of a fold line, the reinforcement flap extends beyond the width of the handle strip associated with the second flap of the top panel, when it is folded around said connection fold line, the dimensions of the fins of the top panel and the strips of handle are such that at least a portion of the first flap of the top panel overlaps at least a portion of the second flap of the top panel in a carrier manufactured from the preform, and the handle strip in the first flap of the top panel overlaps the handle strip on the second flap of the top panel, in this holder

Description

CARRIER OF ARTICLES WITH INTEGRAL ASA Field of the Invention This invention relates to article carriers which incorporate integrally formed handles. More particularly, it relates to a carrier of this type which has a handle extending the length of the carrier. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Article carriers are normally provided with a handle for convenient lifting. Although it can take many forms, depending on the type of carrier involved, a satisfactory handle should be designed so that it can be easily grasped, comfortable at hand and able to lift the wearer without tearing it. For portados of heavy loads, such as cans or bottles of beverages, it is often necessary to reinforce the handle by its manufacture of a construction of multiple folds or layers. For example, in fully enclosed, sleeve-like carriers, the top panel is often formed by overlapping the fins of the top panel, located at the ends of a preform. Each flap contains a handle opening, arranged so that the top panel of the carrier includes two spaced openings. This arrangement is sometimes referred to as a "suitcase handle", since the fascia portion of the top panel, between the handle openings, is gripped in the shape of a suitcase handle. Although the belt is made stronger by this two-fold construction, the lifting stresses are still concentrated within a small area at the ends of the short belt and the edges of the handle openings. An alternative to the type of suitcase handle is an elongated sash, which extends from one end panel to the other. This has the advantage of distributing the lifting stresses to the ends of the carrier, where they spread more easily with less risk of tearing the carrier. However, such an arrangement can introduce other problems. If the handle is formed as an integral part of the top panel, it is separated from this top panel when it rises, leaving an opening in the top panel, through which dirt and dust can enter. If the handle is attached as a separate unit, the top panel can remain intact, but the carrier manufacturing process is more complicated. An attempt to provide an integral handle that leaves the upper panel substantially intact is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,328,081. In the described design, the carrier is made from a preform, in which the upper panel section is an inner part of the preform and 1 handle is formed from portions of the upper panel, which are accordion-folded and gummed each. The handle is of a two-fold construction, which extends for the entire length of the carrier, and the upper panel remains intact when the handle is lifted during hoisting. The problem with this design, however, is that it requires extra bending and gumming steps to form the handle from the upper panel section. It would be highly desirable to be able to provide a carrier with an integral multi-fold handle, which extends from one end of the carrier to the other, leave the top panel intact when used and does not require the inside of the top panel section to be bent and sticker, as in the holder of the US patent, No. 5,328,081. Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an integral handle which meets these objectives. Brief Summary of the Invention The invention is incorporated in a carrier comprising opposite side panels connected to an upper panel, a bottom panel and opposite end panels. The top panel is comprised of overlapping fins of the top panel, which adhere to each other in the overlap area. Each fin includes a handle strip in the overlap area, connected at its ends, but which can be separated from the fin between the ends of the handle. In addition, a reinforcing sheet adheres to the inside face of the inner flap of the top panel on the opposite sides of the handle strip, but not on the inner side of the handle strip. With this arrangement, when the carrier is lifted by the handle, the attached handle straps are separated from their fins on the top panel. However, because the reinforcing sheet adhered to the inner flap of the upper panel extends to the opening left by the separate handle straps, the upper panel continues to provide a closed cover for the items packed in the carrier. Preferably, the handle strips extend in the upper fins of the end panel to the fins of the top panel, and the reinforcement sheet is a fin, which is connected, in a foldable form, to the internal fin of the top panel. Likewise, the handle can be further reinforced to obtain a three-fold construction, if desired. The carrier is simple to manufacture and does not use handle strips formed from the continuous section of the top panel, as in the prior art, thus avoiding the problems caused by such design. The features of the invention that make it possible to provide the desired results are set forth in more detail in the description of the preferred embodiments, in which the above aspects and another of the invention, as well as other benefits, will be readily apparent.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is an illustrative view of a sleeve-type carrier which incorporates the handle of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a preform for manufacturing the carrier of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial plan view of the preform of Figure 2, after the initial step of bending and gumming; Figure 4 is a plan view of the preform, after a second bending step; Figure 5 is a plan view of a folded carrier, formed as a result of a third bending step; Figure 6 is an enlarged view, in cross-section, of the upper panel of the carrier, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a partial illustrative view of the carrier of Figure 1, showing the handle in the operative condition; Figure 8 is an enlarged view, in cross-section, of the upper panel of the carrier, taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a partial end view of the carrier shown in Figure 7; Figure 10 is a partial plan view of a preform for making a modified handle; and Figure 11 is an enlarged view, in cross section, similar to that of Figure 6, but showing the upper panel of the modified carrier. Detailed Description of the Preferred Modes With reference to Figure 1, a carrier 10 is comprised of side panels 12 connected to the top panel 14 and to a bottom panel which is hidden in this view. The carrier also includes end panels 16, formed of end panel fins connected to the top, side and bottom panels. The main end fins 18, which connect to the side panels, are visible in this view. Included in the top panel is the handle 20, which extends between the end panels and is multi-pleat construction, as described in more detail below. Referring now to Figure 2, a preform 22, generally rectangular, from which the carrier is manufactured, is comprised of a section 24 of the bottom panel, connected by opposite fold lines 26 and 28 to the sections 12 of the side panel . The fold lines 30 connect the sections 12 of the side panel to the fins 18 of the end panel, while the fold lines 32 connect the section 24 of the bottom panel to the bottom fins 34 of the end panel. Connected by the fold line 36 to the section of the side panel to the right of the preform, is the fin 38 of the top panel. Another flap 40 of the top panel is connected to the side panel section to the left of the preform by the fold line 42, and the reinforcement flap 44 to the end of the preform is connected to the flap 40 of the top panel by the line 46. The upper fins 48 of the end panel are connected to the fin 40 of the upper panel by the fold lines 50. Similarly, the upper fins 52 of the end panel are connected to the fin 38 of the upper panel by the lines fold 54. Bending lines 30, 32, 50 and 54 are aligned and form continuous fold lines. Located on the fin 40 of the top panel is the handle strip 56, which is defined by spaced slits 58. These slits are parallel to the end portions of the handle strip and converge to the central handle grip portion 60, where, in conjunction with the parallel fold lines 62 define the handle grip flaps 64. The end portions, parallel and spaced apart from the slits, extend for a short distance in the upper fins 48 of the end panel. The flap 38 of the top panel incorporates the handle strip 66, which is similar in size and configuration to the handle strip 56, except that only one side is defined by the slit 68, the other side being defined by the edge 70 of the fin 38 of the upper panel. As in the handle strip 56, the fold lines 62 are provided in the handle grip portion 60 to form handle grip flaps 64. The slit 68 extends in the upper fins 52 of the end panel, which preferably terminate in arched end portions 72. To form a carrier from the preform, the reinforcing tab 44 is first bent around the fold line 46 and gummed to the dotted area of the fin 40 of the top panel, resulting in the intermediate shape of the preform illustrated in FIG. Figure 3. The section 12 of the left wing side panel of the carrier and the flap 40 of the connected top panel are then pivoted as a unit around the fold line 26 to form the intermediate configuration shown in Figure 4. The final stage is to apply gum to the dot area of the handle strip 66, shown in Figure 4 and to bend the flap 38 of the top panel around the fold line 36. This causes the handle strip 66 to overlap the handle strip 56, adhering these handle straps together. The result is the flattened tube or folded carrier of Figure 5. Typically, the folded carriers are transported to the packing facility, where they are erected, loaded with the items to be packed and closed at the ends by well-known resources. in industry, to form the finished carrier of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 6, the handle strip 56 of the outer flap 38 of the top panel adheres to and overlaps the flap fascia 56. inner 40 of the upper panel, and the reinforcing tab 44 adheres to the flap 40 of the top panel, but not to the adjacent handle strip 56. To utilize the two-fold handle 20, it is first separated from the fins 38 and 40 of the top panel along the slits 58 and 60 and is grasped. When the porting rises, the user's hand bends the handle grip flaps 64 down and the weight of the carrier causes this handle to be arched upward, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. The contents of the carrier remain covered. completely by virtue of the reinforcing flap 44 which remains in place when the handle is raised. The result is a strong two-fold handle, which extends from one end of the carrier to the other, thus distributing the lifting stresses to the relatively strong end panels, rather than to the top panel. The reinforcing flap 44 also supplies the top panel with a two-fold construction on the opposite sides of the handle opening. As can be seen in the partial end view of Figure 9, the arcuate end 72 of the slit 68 prevents tearing of the upper fin 52 of the end panel. The risk of tearing is further diminished by the construction of two folds of the upper fins of the end panel. In addition, there is little or no risk of tearing at the opposite edge of the belt, since that edge corresponds to the edge 70 of the handle belt 66. If the packed load requires even more handle strength, a third fold can be added. Referring to Figure 10, the preform 73 is identical to the preform 22, except for the illustrated end portion. In this embodiment, the reinforced fastening strip 74 is connected to the outer edge of the fastening strip 66 by the fold lines 76, which correspond to the outer edge of the widest part of the fascia 66. The fastening strip 74 is lowered at 78 to make the width of the central portion of the girdle 74 substantially equal to the width of the central portion of the girdle 66. When a carrier of the preform 73 is manufactured, gum is applied to the girdle 74, as shown in FIG. shows in the dotted area in Figure 10, and the fascia is folded around the fold lines 76 and glued to the fascia 66. In addition to this difference, the fabrication proceeds in the same manner as described in relation to the preform 22. The upper panel of the resulting modified carrier is shown in Figure 11 as similar to the upper panel of the first embodiment, except that the handle is of construction of three folds, instead of two. When the carrier is elevated, the three-fold handle is separated from the top panel in the same manner as the handle in the first embodiment, leaving the tab 44 in place to cover the opening formed by the handle strip 56 removed. It may be convenient to omit at least some of the handle flaps 64 in the handle strip 56 in this embodiment, due to the construction of three handle folds. Although it is preferred to include handle flaps in at least the outer handle strip to protect the user's hand from the edge of the handle, the flaps 64 may be omitted in their entirety, if desired. It should now be apparent that the invention provides an integral handle of multiple folds of sufficient strength to lift heavy loads, with little or no risk of tearing. Because the upper panel is formed of connected fins, the handle structure can become part of the fins, thus avoiding the internal bending and gluing steps, required by the carrier described in the patent of E. U. A., No. 5,328,081. Also, the top panel is reinforced by the reinforcement flap 44, which in addition to strengthening the top panel also provides a fully closed top panel, even after the handle has been separated from the fins of the top panel and raised during the hoisting. The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific design of the described carrier, and can be incorporated into other carrier designs, in which the upper panel is formed of connected fins of the upper panel. Because the invention is not necessarily limited to all the specific details described in relation to the preferred embodiments, except as they may be found within the scope of the appended claims, changes are considered in certain features of the preferred embodiments that do not alter the general basic function and concept of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. CLAIMS 1. An article carrier, which comprises: opposite side panels connected to an upper panel, a bottom panel and opposite end panels; the upper panel is comprised of a first fin of the upper panel, connected, in a foldable form, to one of the side panels, and a second upper panel fin, connected, in a foldable form, to the opposite side panel, each fin of the upper panel has external and internal faces; at least a portion of the first fin of the top panel overlaps and adheres to at least a portion of the second fin of the top panel; each of the first and second fins of the upper panel includes a handle strip, having opposite ends and external and internal faces, each handle strip is connected at its ends, to the associated fin of the upper panel and can be separated from the associated fin of the upper panel, between its ends; the handle strip on the first flap of the top panel overlaps and adheres to the handle strip on the second flap of the top panel; and a reinforcing sheet, adhered to the inner side of the second fin of the upper panel on the opposite sides of the handle strip, in the second fin of the upper panel, the reinforcing sheet being adjacent, but not connected, to the face internal of the last handle strip.
2. 2. An article carrier, as defined in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing sheet is a fin, connected, foldably, to the second fin of the upper panel.
3. 3. An article carrier, as defined in claim 1, wherein the first flap of the top panel terminates at an edge of the handle strip, included therein.
4. An article carrier, as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the end panels is comprised of fins of end panels connected to the side panels, and an upper fin of the end panel connected to the top panel by a fold line, the adhered handle straps extend to at least the fold line connecting the top panel to the top flaps of the end panel.
5. An article carrier, as defined in claim 4, wherein the fins of a are defined in the fins of the upper panel by slits, these slits extending in the upper fins of the end panel.
6. An article carrier, as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle strip on the first flap of the top panel includes a reinforcing strip adhered to the inner face of the last handle strip.
7. 7. An article carrier, as defined in claim 6, wherein the reinforcing strip is a fin, connected, in a foldable form, to the handle strip on the first fin of the top panel.
8. 8. A preform for manufacturing an article carrier, this preform comprises: a section of the bottom panel, connected by fold lines to the opposite sections of the side panel; one of the sections of the side panel is connected to the first flap of the top panel by a fold line and the opposite section of the side panel is connected to a second flap of the top panel by a fold line; the fins of the end panel are connected by fold lines to the opposite ends of the side panel sections and the first and second fins of the top panel; each of the first and second fins of the upper panel includes a handle strip, having opposite ends, each handle strip is connected at its ends to the associated fin of the upper panel and can be separated from this associated fin of the upper panel, between its ends; and a reinforcing flap, connected to the second fin of the upper panel by a fold line, this reinforcing flap extends beyond the handle strip associated with the second flap of the top panel, when it is folded around the line of connection fold; the dimensions of the fins of the upper panel and the handle strips are such that at least a portion of the first fin of the upper panel overlaps at least a portion of the second fin of the upper panel, in a carrier manufactured from the preform and the handle strip in the first flap of the top panel overlaps the handle strip in the second flap of the top panel, in this carrier.
9. 9. A preform, as defined in claim 8, wherein the first fin of the top panel terminates at an edge of the handle strip, included therein.
10. A preform, as defined in claim 8, wherein the handle strips extend to at least the fold line connecting the fins of the upper panel to the upper fins of the end panel.
11. A preform, as defined in claim 8, wherein the handle strips are defined on the fins of the top panel by slits, these slits extending in the upper fins of the end panel.
12. 12. A preform, as defined in claim 8, wherein the handle strip on the first fin of the top panel includes a reinforcing flap, foldably connected to this handle strip.