US2993618A - Article carrier - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1961 F. v. KULIG 2,993,618

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed March 8, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 25, 1961 F. v. KULIG 2,993,618

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed March s, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ilill MW N \[llllll I 1 fimnlwm R NT IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 2,993,618 ARTICLE CARRIER Francis V. Kulig, Morris, 11]., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Federal Paper Board Company, Inc., Bogota, NJ., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 8, 1956, Ser. No. 570,264 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-112) This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a packaging unit comprising a container or carrier which is particularly adapted to hold a plurality of cylindrical articles such as cans of a beverage, vegetables or the like which are arranged in row formation therein.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a portable container for a plurality of cans of merchandise or like objects which container is formed from paperboard or similar material cut and scored to provide a pair of opposed side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall connecting the top and bottom edges respectively of the side walls, together with a handle formation characterized by multiple plies of material which are cut fiom the top wall and from a reinforcing panel which extends beneath a portion of the top wall;

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a merchandise container and carrier which is particularly adapted for packaging cans of liquid or similar material, and which has a body portion formed from a blank of paperboard material, with the blank being cut and scored to provide a bottom wall and upstanding side walls which terminate in top wall forming flaps, the latter being adapted to be turned inwardly of the top edges of the side walls and to be secured to each other to form the top wall of the container, one of the top wall forming flaps having a handle formation cut therefrom and also having an adjoining reinforcing panel which is reversely folded and secured on the inside of said flap with a cooperating handle forming portion cut from said reinforcing panel and folded to extend through the aperture in the top wall forming flap which results from the cutting of the handle portion therefrom and being secured to said handle forming portion in upstanding relation to the top wall.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination carrier and container of the type described which includes a top wall formed of two panel sections secured along adjoining margins, one of the panel sections having an integral reinforcing panel which is secured to the inner wall thereof, and a double ply handle formation which is cut from the one panel of the top wall and the reinforcing panel therefor and which extends in upstanding hinged relation to the top wall with the two plies being secured in face to face engagement.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrier of the type described which includes a top wall having two panel sections secured along their inner margins, with one of the panel sections having a reversely folded extension member secured to the inner face thereof and a bendable handle formation which comprises a double ply of material, one of the plies being cut from the top wall panel and folded into upstanding relation along the longitudinal center line of the carrier and the other of the plies being cut from the reinforcing extension member and projecting through the aperture provided in the top wall panel by cutting the first ply therefrom and positioned in face to face engagement with the first ply.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the form of the article carrier which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier in fully erected 7 2,993,618 Patented July 25, 1961 ICC and filled condition which embodies therein the principal features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation to an enlarged scale and with portions thereof broken away;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the inside face of a paperboard blank which has been cut and scored preparatory to forming the body of the carrier;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing the paperboard blank of FIG. 3 with portions thereof in initially folded relation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the folding of the handle forming portions of the blank; and

FIG. 6 is a section to an enlarged scale on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 a combination container and article carrier which embodies therein the principal features of the invention and which is adapted to be formed from paperboard or similar relatively flexible and bendable blank material which is capable of being cut and folded to provide the carrier walls and which has s'ufiicient strength and figidity to support the merchandise which the carrier is designed to receive. For the purpose of illustration, the invention is shown in a carrier particularly designed to accoininodate six cans of merchandise of standard size, such as canned beer or vegetables.

The paperboard blank 10 which is illustrated particularly in FIG. 3 is cut and scored to provide the walls and handle formation for the carrier. The blank 10 is generally rectangular in shape and is divided by transversely extending score lines 11, 12, 13 and 14 into a plurality of integrally connected panels of rectangular shape which are adapted to be folded into wall forming relation in the completed container. The transverse score lines 12 and 13 define between them a rectangular panel 15 which is adapted to formthe bottom of the carrier. The transverse score lines 11 and 14 cooperate with the transverse score lines 12 and 13 to define a pair of rectangular side Wall forming panels 16 and 17, which, in the set up form of the container, are in oppositely dis; posed relation. The transverse score line 11 defines with the end or marginal edge 18 of the blank a rectangular top wall forming panel or flap 19 while the transverse score line 14 and a longitudinally spaced transverse score line 20 define a generally rectangular cooperating top wall forming panel or flap 21 which has an integral reinforcing panel 22 extending between thescore line 20 and the end edge 23 of the blank. The panels 19 and 21 are adapted, in the erected position of the container, to be positioned in a plane at right angles to the side wall panels 16 and 17, respectively, and to bridge the article receiving space between the same and form the top wall of the container. The panel 19 is provided with an adhesive area 24 along its marginal edge which is adapted to be employed in securing the panels 19 and 21 into top wall forming position.

Can accommodating apertures or openings 25 are died out of the top and bottom edges of the side wall panels 16 and 17, respectively. Vertically aligned pairs of these apertures 25 are provided in each of the side walls 16 and 17 for each of the cans, there being three apertures along each edge fold line 11, 12, 13 and 14 since the-illustrated carrier is designed to accommodate two longitudinal rows of three cans each. The apertures 25 are of truncated triangular outline and the direction of orientation of the apertures in the blank alternates in the successive transversely extending zones or areas adjacent the edge forming crease lines 11, 12, 13 and 14, which zones or areas are defined between the edge forming crease lines and parallel fold lines 26, 27, 28 and 29, respectively, each of the latter being spaced an equal distance from the adjacent edge forming crease line and inwardly of the side wall panels 16 and 17. The apertures 25 which are identical are each defined by a relatively wide base margin 30, an opposed parallel margin 31 of lesser width, and convergent angular side margins 32 and 32' connecting the respective ends of margins 30 and '31. The margins 30 coincide with the edge forming crease lines 11, etc. and the margins 31 coincide with the fold lines 26, etc. and the apertures are spaced transversely across the blank in accordance with the spacing of the cans or other objects to be packaged.

The longitudinal side edges of the blank which form the end margins of the erected container are provided with integral, relatively narrow, longitudinally extending, side reinforcing panels 33 and 33' which are adapted to be folded inwardly of the blank and adhesively secured to the bottom thereof as indicated in dotted line in FIG. 3 to form an edge reinforcement for the ends of the carrier.

The top wall forming panel 21 is cut and scored to form a generally rectangular handle formation 34 and identical oval shaped hand holds 35, 35' on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the blank, the latter being cut on the C-shaped lines 36, 36' to provide tabs 37, 37 which are foldable on the crease lines 38, 38, the latter connecting the termini of the C-shaped cutting lines. The handle member 34 is cut from the panel 21 on the generally U-shaped line 39 and is foldable on a crease line 40 which extends transversely of the blank and which is interrupted by the cutting lines 36, 36' forming the hand hold cutouts 35, 35'.

The end panel 22 of the blank which is defined by the transverse score line and the end margin 23 of the blank is cut and scored to provide a handle formation 44 which may be substantially identical with the handle formation 34 and which is provided with the hand holds 45, 45' identical with the hand holds 35, 35'. The handle formation 44 is cut from the portion of the panel 22 which adjoins the transverse fold line 20 and a corresponding portion of the top wall forming panel 21 so that the aperture resulting from the cutting out of the handle formation 44 extends into the adjoining portion of the panel 21. The handle formation 44 is adapted to fold about a transverse crease line 50 of the same character as the transverse crease line 40. The panel 22 is initially folded, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, reversely about score line 20 into engagement with the inner face of the panel 21, with the handle formation 44 being first folded in the opposite direction about its hinge line 50 and extended through the aperture 39 to bring it into face to face engagement with the handle formation 34. A suitable adhesive is applied to the interengaging faces of the panels 21, 22 and the handle formations 34, 44 prior to the folding operation to secure the same in connected relation.

The blank '10 is cut, scored and folded with the application of adhesive as required to provide the collapsed form of the carrier which is illustrated in FIG. 4. V

In assembling the carrier with the cans 51 orother objects which it is adapted to receive, the cans are positioned with their ends properly located on the bottom wall forming panel 15, the latter being in the condition shown in FIG. 4. The side wall panels 16, 17 are then folded into upstanding relation along the outer side walls of the two rows of cans and the top wall forming panels 19 and 21 are folded inwardly into wall forming relation with the izrzarginal edges overlapping and secured by the adhesive In the assembled and erected condition of the carrier shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cans or other objects are securely held at the top and bottom edges in the apertures 25. The. double score lines at the top and bottom. edges of the side walls permit a double fold or double bend and insure that the edges of each aperture will be pulled into contact with the walls of the container adjoining the bottom edge or chine on the can, the distance between the score lines 11 and 12 and the score lines 13 and 14 in the completed carrier being less than the maximum width of the bottom edges of the transversely aligned cans. The double ply handle formation 34, 44 is adapted to be hinged into upstanding relation for carrying the package while it will normally tend to return to its initial position when released due to the fact that one portion thereof is integral with the reinforcing panel 22, the latter being secured in reinforcing relation beneath the inner marginal portions of the panel 21 and extending a substantial distance over the aperture 39 in the panel 21. The handle 34, 44 will not interfere with stacking of the filled carriers for storage or display purposes. The reinforcing panel 22 reinforces the aperture 39 against tearing, particularly at the corners or at the extremities of the hinge line 40. The handle 34, 44 when grasped and pulled in any direction does not tear the material at the terminal ends of the fold lines 40 and 50, each of the handle portions 34 and 44 tending to prevent the tearing of the other.

While specific materials and particular details of construction have been referred to in describing the form of the carrier illustrated, it will be understood that other materials and other details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim: a

A blank for fabricating an open ended tubular carton which is adapted to enclose, when erected, a plurality of cylindrical articles arranged in row forming relation and in longitudinal and transverse alignment, said blank comprising a generally rectangular sheet of relatively stiif bendable paperboard material which is divided by longitudinally spaced, transversely extending spaced crease lines into a bottom wall forming panel, side wall forming panels at opposite edges thereof and top wall forming panels at opposite ends of the blank, one of said top Wall forming panels having a handle forming panel member cut therefrom and a transverse score line forming a hinge about which said handle panel is adapted to be swung to an upright position normal to the plane thereof, and said last mentioned top wall forming panel being divided by a transverse score line to provide an integral reinforcing end section, a cooperating handle reinforcing member cut from said reinforcing end section and said end section having a transverse score line forming a hinge about which said handle reinforcing member is adapted to be swung, said hinge forming transverse score lines being spaced approximately equal distances in the longitudinal direction of the blank from said transverse score line which divides said last mentioned top wall forming panel, and said handle panel member and handle reinforcing member extending in the same direction from their respective hinge lines, whereby when the reinforcing section is doubled back and secured against the body of said one top wall panel the two handle forming members are positioned in superimposed relation and both said handle forming members are adapted to be swung about a common hinge to an upright position out of the plane of the panel and section from which they are cut.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS

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