CA2413626C - Carton for beverage containers - Google Patents

Carton for beverage containers Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2413626C
CA2413626C CA 2413626 CA2413626A CA2413626C CA 2413626 C CA2413626 C CA 2413626C CA 2413626 CA2413626 CA 2413626 CA 2413626 A CA2413626 A CA 2413626A CA 2413626 C CA2413626 C CA 2413626C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
top panel
line
carton
weakness
panel
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 2413626
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2413626A1 (en
Inventor
Bruce Smith
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Molson Canada 2005
Original Assignee
Molson Canada 2005
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Molson Canada 2005 filed Critical Molson Canada 2005
Priority to CA 2413626 priority Critical patent/CA2413626C/en
Publication of CA2413626A1 publication Critical patent/CA2413626A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2413626C publication Critical patent/CA2413626C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D71/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D71/06Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers
    • B65D71/12Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank
    • B65D71/36Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2571/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D2571/00123Bundling wrappers or trays
    • B65D2571/00129Wrapper locking means
    • B65D2571/00135Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper
    • B65D2571/00141Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper glued
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2571/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D2571/00123Bundling wrappers or trays
    • B65D2571/00432Handles or suspending means
    • B65D2571/00438Holes
    • B65D2571/0045Holes for hands
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2571/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D2571/00123Bundling wrappers or trays
    • B65D2571/00555Wrapper opening devices
    • B65D2571/00561Lines of weakness
    • B65D2571/00574Lines of weakness whereby contents can still be carried after the line has been torn
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2571/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D2571/00123Bundling wrappers or trays
    • B65D2571/00648Elements used to form the wrapper
    • B65D2571/00654Blanks
    • B65D2571/0066Blanks formed from one single sheet
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D2571/00Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D2571/00123Bundling wrappers or trays
    • B65D2571/00709Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element
    • B65D2571/00722Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element tubular with end walls, e.g. walls not extending on the whole end surface
    • B65D2571/00728Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element tubular with end walls, e.g. walls not extending on the whole end surface the end walls being closed by gluing

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)

Abstract

A carton for beverage containers has interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and sealable ends. An improved opening structure is configured in the top panel comprising a paid of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-line thereof. The mid line is a punch open line of weakness.
The opening flaps are substantially rectangular, flanked on their side edges by structural support panels, and joined to the stiffening panels by lines of weakness.

Description

CARTON FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS
Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of packaging. In particular, the present invention provides an improved carton for beverage containers, in particular, bottles.
Background of the invention A common type of carton for packaging bottles, especially in the brewing industry, is the 3 x 4 twelve pack. That is, the carton holds twelve bottles, in a three wide by four long arrangement. As shown in applicant's Canadian patents Nos.
2,045,825 and 2,095,808, this type of carton is preferably an end-load carton with a tear open top panel. The know tear open top panel typically comprises two opening flaps, one at each end of the carton, separated by a mid-line extending from side to side that divides the top penal into two halves. Each flap is hinged to an end of the top panel, and has side edges co-extensive with the side edges of the top panel. A
triangular gusset panel in each corner of the top panel is provided to maintain structural rigidity when the top panels are ripped open. The opening structure as described above is shown in detail in Canadian Patent No. 2,095,808.
A problem associated with the opening structure described in Canadian Patent No. 2,095,808, is that the gusset panels in the corners are not large enough to ensure good rigidity when the package is handled roughly. However, merely making the gusset panel larger is not a viable alternative, because that would tend to cover the cap of the bottle in each corner, thereby making it difficult to access the contents of the carton.
Moreover, the rip top openings of cartons as described in Canadian Patent No. 2,095,808 are defined by a series of line die cuts through the material from which the carton is fabricated. Each such cut is shaped as a shallow V or chevron, with one arm of the chevron aligned with the intended tear line, and the other, inner arm extending into the opening flap. The chevrons are aligned such that the inner arm faces the midline of the carton. This ensures that as the carton is ripped open, any slight tear into the carton will terminate at a chevron arm, and the tear will be re-directed to the intended tear line.
Such a series of chevron shaped cuts functions quite welt to direct a tear line along the edges of the carton, but where the tear line bends, to define the corner gussets of the top surface, control of the direction of tear is somewhat problematic.
That is, since the intent is to angle the tear, and there is room for only one or two cuts, the first cut is angled along the gusset edge, meaning that the arm of the chevron forming the cut becomes directed into the interior of the top panel at about 90° from the side edge. Propagation of this cut toward the interior by further ripping will not, moreover, be prevented by interception of the propagation by the next chevron arm, because the next cut meets the end of the carton, so must be a straight cut thereto. This is illustrated in Figure 1 hereto, where the arrow A shows the possible angle of propagation of a tear at the end edge of a carton top.
It is not feasible to simply straighten out the die cuts in the corner, and eliminate the chevron arm of the first cut into the corner. This would bring the outer end B of the first cut too close to the inner end C of the next, last, cut (see Figure 1 ).
When these ends are too close together, they will cause a tear during shipping and handling, which can affect the rigidity of the package during subsequent handling by a consumer. In particular, opening of the end tear lines can cause handle failure if a full carton is picked up by one end only (as is typical).
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to produce a carton with an improved opening structure.
The present invention provides two improvements in the opening structure of the cartons. First, the opening structure is narrower than in conventional cartons, and secondly, the lines of weakness along which the opening structure is opened are improved so that the top can be opened without unintended damage to same.

In a broad aspect, the present invention relates to a carton for beverage containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel comprising a paid of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-line thereof, said mid tine being a punch open line of weakness, said opening flaps being substantially rectangular, flanked on their side edges by structural support panels, and joined to said stiffening panels by lines of weakness.
In another broad aspect, then, the present invention relates to a carton for beverage containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel comprising a paid of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-line thereof, said mid line being a punch open line of weakness, said opening flaps being substantially rectangular and having side edges defined by lines of weakness parallel t the side edges of the top panel extending from near the end edges of the top panel to near the said mid-line, and connected to each of same inwardly angled lines of weakness, wherein said inwardly angled lines of weakness are die cut only part way through the material of said top panel.
Brief Description of the Drawings In drawings that illustrate the present invention by way of example:
Figure 1 is a top view of the corner of a prior art opening structure for a carton;
Figure 2 is a top view of a blank for making a carton embodying the present invention; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a carton embodying the present invention.
Detailed Description Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the carton of the present invention includes a top panel 1 that is joined along a common side edge to a first side panel 2.
The first side panel 2 is joined along its opposite edge to a bottom panel 3, which in turn is joined along its other side edge to a second side panel 4. A glue flap 5 extends r from the other side edge of the top panel 1, for gluing to second side panel 4, so as to form a tubular structure. The side and top and bottom panels have end panels extending therefrom, to seal the ends of the carton, as taught in Canadian Patent No. 2,045,825.
The top panel 1 has an opening structure configured therein (see Figure 2), comprising first and second rip open panels 6 and 7. Each panel 6, 7 is defined by a mid-line 8, and a pair of longitudinal side lines of weakness 9, which begin at inclined lines 15, and terminate in inclined lines 10 that extend to the end edges of the top panel 1. The longitudinal 9 lines are spaced from the side edges of the top panel, so as to form stiffening panels 11 at each side of the top panel when the rip-open panels are opened. Preferably, the spacing of the longitudinal lines 9 from the side edges of the top panel is a distance less than or aqua! to half the width of a bottle, so removal of the contents of the carton is unimpeded by the stiffening panels 11.
The lines of weakness 9 that run parallel to the side edge of the top panel are composed of a series of shallow chevrons 12, each with an arm 13 that extends parallel to the side edge of the tp panel, and an arm 14 that is angled inwardly. The chevrons 12 are die cut through the top panel (which may be made of paperboard, corrugated cardboard, or any other suitable material).
Now, inclined lines 15 and 10 are not, according to the present invention, formed from a series of die cuts through the packaging material, in chevron form, straight line form, or any other configuration. Rather, the inclined lines 10 and 15 are formed from die cuts only part way (e.g., 50%) through the packaging material.
In this way, a straight, fairly continuous line can be formed, to avoid propagation of a tear into the middle of the opening flap, but the structural integrity of the package prior to opening is maintained. For increased structural integrity, each line 10, 15 is preferably formed from several short straight line cuts 16 part way through the packaging material, interrupted by uncut gaps 17.

Central line 8 is preferably formed from a series of straight, spaced die cuts through the packaging material, so that it can easily be broken by a consumer.
Pre-scored fold lines 18 are provided a short space from central line 8, to permit the opening flaps 6, 7 to be torn back more easily. That is, a consumer pushes in at line 8, and the material of the flap folds in at line 18, thereby permitting a grip to be had on the opening flap being ripped.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides an efficient, sturdy form of packaging that is unlikely to fail in ordinary usage.
It is to be understood that the examples above are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. It is expected that numerous variants will be obvious to the person skilled in the field of beverage package design without any departure from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims, properly construed, form the only limitation upon the scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. In a carton for beverage containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel comprising a pair of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-line thereof, said mid line being a punch open line of weakness, said opening flaps being substantially rectangular, flanked on their side edges by structural support panels, and joined to said stiffening panels by lines of weakness.
2. The improved opening structure of claim 1, wherein each said stiffening panel is a strip extending from one end of the top panel to the opposite end of the top panel, of a width less than or equal to half the width of a bottle for which the carton is intended.
3. In a carton for beverage containers having interconnected side panels, top panel and bottom panel, and sealable ends, an improved opening structure configured in the top panel comprising a pair of opening flaps each extending from an end of the top panel to the mid-line thereof, said mid line being a punch open line of weakness, said opening flaps being substantially rectangular and having side edges defined by lines of weakness parallel to the side edges of the top panel extending from near the end edges of the top panel to near the said mid-line, and connected to each of same inwardly angled lines of weakness, wherein said inwardly angled lines of weakness are die cut only part way through the material of said top panel.
CA 2413626 2002-12-05 2002-12-05 Carton for beverage containers Expired - Fee Related CA2413626C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2413626 CA2413626C (en) 2002-12-05 2002-12-05 Carton for beverage containers

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2413626 CA2413626C (en) 2002-12-05 2002-12-05 Carton for beverage containers

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2413626A1 CA2413626A1 (en) 2004-06-05
CA2413626C true CA2413626C (en) 2006-06-27

Family

ID=32477004

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2413626 Expired - Fee Related CA2413626C (en) 2002-12-05 2002-12-05 Carton for beverage containers

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2413626C (en)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2413626A1 (en) 2004-06-05

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