CA1149352A

CA1149352A - Article carrier

Info

Publication number: CA1149352A
Application number: CA000369000A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Prentice J. Wood
Original assignee: Mead Corp
Current assignee: Mead Corp
Priority date: 1980-03-07
Filing date: 1981-01-21
Publication date: 1983-07-05
Also published as: MY8700765A; JPH0217424B2; DE3164808D1; AU534687B2; AU6662481A; DK100781A; EP0035884A1; JPS56131150A; EP0035884B1; ES8206345A1; PH18702A; MX150832A; ES500179A0

Abstract

ARTICLE CARRIER
ABSTRACT

A cellular article carrier of the basket type formed from a single blank and comprising a series of cells provided on opposite sides of a longitudinal medial partition, the cells of each series being separated from an adjacent cell by a transverse partition structure including a main transverse partition panel hinged to the longitudinal medial partition and a supplementary transverse partition panel hinged in overlapping relationship to the main trans-verse partition panel, the overlapped faces of all the supplementary partition panels being presented towards one and the same end of the carrier.

Description

~1~935Z

ARTICLE CARRIER

This invention relates to a cellular article carrier of the type which i~ fabricated from a ~ingle blank of flexible sheet material, the blank being cut and crea~ed ~o that it i8 divided into a number of panels which thereafter are folded and 5 secured in a predetermined relationship with respect to one another 80 as to provide an article carrier having a multiplicity of article accommodating cells.

Cellular bottle carriers have ~een designed for u~e in connection with the marketing of bottled beverages and have 10 been fabricated from relatively lightweight ~tock ~uch that the individual cells are ~eparated by the thickness of material required in order to meet railroad ~hipping regulations. In order to achieve this, some ~uch carriers include the provision of a two_ply thickness of material between individual cells.
15 However, in some ~onstruction~ in order to meet thi~ provision a complicated folding technique iB involved in fabricating the carrier from the ~tock. The pre~ent invention achieves the required result with relatively few folding operations while at the same time achieving ~n economical u~e of material.

The invention provides a cellular article carrier fabricated from a unitary blank and comprising a bottom wall, spaced side walls hinged to opposite edges of the bottom wall, end wall panels hinged to the end edges of said side walls and extending inwardly therefrom, a medial partition structure at each end of the carrier, each medial partition structure extending medially inward of the carrier and comprising a pair of medial panels foldably joined respectively to adjacent ones of said end wall panels along the edges thereof remote from said side walls, each of said medial panels having struck therefrom a transverse partition structure comprising a main transverse partition panel hinged to that medial panel, a supplementary transverse partition panel hinged to said main transverse partition panel and folded into overlapping relation-ship with at least a portion of said main transverse partitionpanel, and an anchoring tab hinged to said supplementary transverse partition panel and secured to the adjacent side wall, characterized in that all of said supplementary transverse partition panels and anchoring tabs associated therewith are arranged on the blank so as to extend toward one and the same end of said blank and that all of said supplementary transverse partition panels are hinged to said main transverse partition panels so as to be rotated and folded in one and the same direction when the carton is formed.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is now made to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an article carrier shown in set up empty condition and with a portion thereof broken away;

~9352 _ 3 --Figure 2 i8 a plan view of a blank from which the article carrier shown in Figure 1 i8 formed; and Figures 3, 4, and 5 depict intermediate stages through which the blank of Figure 2 is manipulated in order to form a complete and collapsed article carrier as ~hown in Figure 6 of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designate3 a side wall of the article carrier to the bottom edge of which a glue flap 2 i8 hinged along a fold line 3. An end wall panel 4 iB
hinged to one edge of the side wall 1 along a fold line 5 and~
a similar end wall panel 6 is hinged to the opposite edge of the side wall panel 1 along a fold line 7. Medial panels B and 9 are hinged to the end wall panels 4 and 6 respectively along fold lines 10 and 11. The medial panel B is provided with a projecting locking tab Ba.

The lGwer portion of ~he blank is similar to that just described and includes a ~ide wall 12 to opposite ~ide edges of which end wall panels 13 and 14 are hinged respectively along fold lines 15 and 16. A medial panel 17 i8 hinged to the end 20 wall panel 13 along a fold line 18 and a medial panel 19 is hinged to the end wall panel 13 along a fold line 20. A bottom panel 21 is hinged to the bottom edge of the side wall panel 12 along a fold line 22 and the bottom panel 21 i8 divided into two parts by a medial fold line 23. The medial panel 17 includes a projecting locking tab 17a and the bottom panel 21 is formed with a generally triangular locking notch 21a.

A handle structure for the arti~le carrier comprises handle panels 24 and 25 which are hinged respectively to the medial panels 9 and 19. The handle panels 24 and 25 are mirror image~ of each other about a central fold line 28. Hand _ 4 --gripping aperture~ 26 and 27 are resp~ctively formed in handle panels 24 and 25 and are provided with cushioning flaps 29 and 30.

In order to provide for the individual article cells of the ~arrier, a tran~verse partition ~tructure iB provided and include~ main transver~e partition panels 31, 32, 33 and 34.

To ensure adequate separation between articles accommodated in adjacent cells gupplementary transverse parti-tion panels are provided. Thege are designated numeral~ 51, 52, 53 and 54. The transverse partition panel 31 i8 hinged respe~tively to supplementary transverse partition panel 51 along a fold line 55 and to medial panel 8 along fold lines 56 and 57. The transverse partition panel 32 i~ hinged to the supplementary transverse partition panel 52 along a fold line 58 and to the medial panel 17 along fold lines 59 and 60. At the opposite end of the blank the transverse partition panel 33 i~
hinged to the supplementary transver~e partition panel 53 along a fold line 61 and to the medial panel 19 along fold lines 62 and 63. The tran~verse partition panel 34 is hinged to the supplementary tranYverse partition panel 54 along a fold line 64 and is further hinged to the medial panel 9 along fold lines 65 and 66. As can be seen each suppl~mentary tran~verse partition panel i8 struck partly fr~m its as~ociated main transverse partition panel and partly from the adjacent medial panel.

Anchoring tab 35 i8 hinged to the supplementary tran~verse partition panel 51 along fold lines 36 and 37 whi~h are joined together by a semi_circular line of cut 3B.
Similarly, an anchoring tab 39 i8 hinged to the ~upplementary -5--t\

transverse partition panel 52 along fold llnes 40 and 41 which are separated by a semi-circular line of cut 42. At the opposite end of the blank an anchoring tab 43 is hinged to the supplementary transverse partition panel 53 along fold lines 44 and 45 which are connected together by a semi-circular line of cut 46. Similarly, an anchoring tab 47 is foldably joined to the supplementary transverse partition panel 54 along fold lines 48 and 49 which are connected together by a semi-circular line of cut 50. Each of the anchoring tabs are struck from the adjacent medial panels as best seen in Figure 2 of the drawings. As will be noted by an inspection of the blank arrangement shown therein, transverse partition panels 31 and 32, supplementary trans-verse partition panels 51 and 52 and anchoring tabs 35 and 39 associated therewith are arranged entirely within the boundaries of the medial panels 8 and 17, respectively. It is to be noted, also, that anchoring tabs 35 and 39 extend in the same direction, e.g. to the left as illustrated, as do anchoring tabs 47 and 43 at the other end of the blank.
As a result, all supplementary transverse partition panels will be rotated 180 and folded in one and the same direction when the carton is formed.

In order to provide additional strength in the area of the handle, a stepped tab projects into a scalloped area struck from the left hand end of the blank as viewed in Figure

2. The projecting tab is formed from a finger 67 integral with the medial panel 8 and a somewhat longer finger 68 integral with the medial panel 17. Fingers 67 and 68 are hinged together joined along a fold line 69. Similarly, at the right hand edge of the blank as viewed in Figure 2 a stepped tab projects into a scalloped area struck from the blank. The stepped tab comprises a finger 70 integral with the medial panel 9 and a finger 71 integral with the medial panel 19. The fingers are hinged together along a fold line 72. When the blank is manipulated to form the completed A~352 -5a-carrier the fingers 67, 68, 70 and 71 inter-digitate centrall~
of the handle structure.

In order to form the completed carrier from the blank shown in Figure 2 an application of glue is first made to each of the main transverse partition panels 31, 32, 33 and 34 along a marginal part adjacent the free edge of the panel as shown in strippling alongside the fold llnes 55, 58, 61 and ~93~Z

- 6 ~

64 respectively. Thereafter, each of the supplementary transverse partition panels 51, 52, 53 and 54 together with their respective anchoring tabs are caused to be moved out of the plane of the blank, hinged about thelr respective fold lines 55, 58, 61 and 64 and rotated towards the right 180, as viewed in Figure 2, so as to occupy the positions shown in Figure 3. The overlapping faces of the transverse partition panels 31 and 51 adjacent the fold line 55 are then adhered and similarly the overlapping faces of the transverse partition panels 32 and 52 adjacent the fold line 58 are adhered together. Likewise the overlapping faces of transverse partition panels 33 and 53 adjacent the fold line 61 are adhered together as are the overlapping faces of transverse partition panels 34 and 54 adjacent the fold line 64. At this stage, the first folding operation is completed. As is apparent from Figures 2 and 3, the overlapping face contacting portions of each and every one of the main transverse partition panels 31, 32, 33 and 34 of each and every one of the supplementary transverse partition panels 51, 52, 53 and 54 are areas which are initially present on one and the same face of the blank.

An application of glue is then applied to specific areas of the side walls 1 and 12 and simultaneously to the handle panels 24, 25. The glued areas are shown by stippling in Figure 3 of the drawings. If convenient, the application of the glue to the side walls 1 and 2 and to handle panels 24, 25 can be made simultaneously with the initial gluing operation.

The second folding operation causes the medial panels 9 and l9 to be moved together upwardIy out of the plane of the blank as viewed in Figure 3 so that the panels 9 and l9 are folded 180 towards the left about the fold lines --~ 11 and 20 thereby bringing the anchoring tabs 43 and 47 into contact with one set of glued areas of the side wall panels l and 12 respectively. In this configuration which i~19~52 - 6a -is shown in Figure 4 of the drawings central areas of the medial panels 9 and 19 come into contact with the handle panels 24 and 25 and in particular the fingers 70, 71 of the stepped projection are adhered to the handle panels 24 and 25.

_ 7 _ In a similar manner the third folding operation cauees the side wall panels 4 and 13 together with their asQociated medial panels B and 17 to be hinged upwardly out of the plane of the blank about fold lines 5 and 15 and rotated 180 towards the 5 right as viewed in Figure 4 80 that the anchoring tabs 35 and 39 are brought into contact with and adhered to the other set of glued areas of side wall panels 1 and 12 respectively. The areas of the medial panels 8 and 17 which come into contact with the glued inner surfaces of the handle panels 24 and 25 e.g. the 10 fingers 67 and 68 of the projecting tab are adhered to the handle panels 24 and 25. The blank is now in the configuration ~hown in Figure 5 of the drawings.

A further application of glue i8 then made to the areas shown in stippling in Figure S of the drawings. Following this 15 the bottom wall 21 is hinged about the fold line 23 80 that the bottom wall i8 folded over on itself and generally simultaneously the portion of the article carrier blank which is disposed above the central fold line 'F' as viewed in ~igure 5 i~ elevated and folded over 180 into the position shown in Figure 6 of the 20 drawings whereby the glue flap 2 i8 adhered to the longitudinal free edge of bottom wall panel 21. The carrier then appears as shown in Figure 6 which represents the completed carrier in collapsed position.

In order to set up the carrier from its collapsed 25 condition as shown in Figure 6 into the condition as ~h~wn in Figure 1 it i8 simply necessary to secure the side walls 1 and 12 against movement towards the left and to apply a force towards the left the medial edges of end wall panel~ S and 14.
This expands the carrier and move~ the side wall~ apart.
30 Simultaneously, the bottom wall 21 folds into a 1at plane and the carrier is maintained in ~et up condition by co-operation .. , , . .... , ~ . .. . . ..

_ 8 --between the loc~ing tab formed by the ~oined projections Ba and 17a and the notch 21a formed in the bottom wall 21. $he ~arrier then appears a8 shown in Figure l.

It will be appreciated that this invention produce~ an article carrier which has a double thickne~s medial and transverse partitions at all areas in which article contact will arise. ~hu~ maximum protection iB afforded, in particular for fragile articles such a~ glass bottles.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A cellular article carrier fabricated from a unitary blank and comprising a bottom wall, spaced side walls hinged to opposite edges of the bottom wall, end wall panels hinged to the end edges of said side walls and extending inwardly therefrom, a medial partition structure at each end of the carrier, each medial partition structure extending medially inward of the carrier and comprising a pair of medial panels foldably joined respectively to adjacent ones of said end wall panels along the edges thereof remote from said side walls, each of said medial panels having struck therefrom a transverse partition structure comprising a main transverse partition panel hinged to that medial panel, a supplementary transverse partition panel hinged to said main transverse partition panel and folded into overlapping relationship with at least a portion of said main transverse partition panel, and an anchoring tab hinged to said supplementary transverse partition panel and secured to the adjacent side wall, charac-terized in that all of said supplementary transverse partition panels and anchoring tabs associated therewith are arranged on the blank so as to extend toward one and the same end of said blank and that all of said supplementary transverse partition panels are hinged to said main transverse partition panels so as to be rotated and folded in one and the same direction when the carton is formed.

2. The cellular article carrier according to claim 1 in which each of said supplementary transverse partition panels is struck partly from its associated main transverse partition panel and partly from its associated medial panel and in which each anchoring tab is struck from said medial panel.

3. The cellular article carrier according to claim 1 in which a multiple ply handle comprising a pair of hinged handle panels is secured to said medial partition structures, said handle panels being hinged to respective panels of one of said medial partition structures.

4. The cellular article carrier according to claim 1 in which the transverse partition structures associated with the medial panels at one end of the carrier are struck entirely from within the boundaries of said medial panels.