CZ20032359A3 - Wraparound carton and blank - Google Patents

Abstract

A wraparound article carrier and a blank for forming a wraparound article arrier for packaging an article (A) such as a pot of foodstuffs, for example, the carrier comprising opposed top and base walls (18, 14) interconnected by opposed side walls (16; 12, 20) thereby forming a tubular structure. An perture (36) is provided in the base wall panel (14) to accommodate a portion of the article. A bracing tab (34) is struck from the aperture (36) and folded so as to act as a spacer thereby causing the top and base (18, 14) to be spaced by a predetermined distance.

Description

Wrapping cardboard cover and blank

Technical field

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wrapping carton and blank. In particular, the invention relates to a wrapping carton and a blank for packaging articles such as food jars, for example yoghurt, in which the base of the article penetrates an opening in the base of the carton.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cardboard packages for packaging such products are known.

US 2,926,781, to Dickhens et al., Discloses a carton for packaging a pair of articles such as a food container in which there are two openings through which the top of the containers can protrude, the blank being further provided with openings in the side walls through which labels are visible containers.

US 3,189,215, Currie, discloses a wrapping carton for packaging bottles in which slotted apertures across the width of the top wall are configured to receive the necks of two bottles.

When assembling wrapping cartons in which a portion of the product or products to be packaged passes through one of the walls of the carton, it is often difficult to ensure that the carton is assembled with side walls of equal height when the ends of the blank are side walls which they should be secured together and so that the top wall and the base wall of the carton are parallel.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least reduce the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention provides an article wrapper for packaging an article such as a food crucible, wherein the carton comprises opposing top and base walls interconnected by opposite side walls to form a tubular structure. The base wall panel is provided with an opening for receiving a portion of the article. A reinforcing strip is punched out of the base wall panel to form an aperture and is bent to act as a spacer, causing the top wall and the base wall to be spaced apart at a predetermined distance, the reinforcing strip extending into one of the panels forming and is rotatably connected thereto.

Preferably, the one side wall panel is a locking tab that is secured to the outer side wall panel. The distance between the free edge of the locking flap and the bending line of the reinforcing strip is preferably less than the distance between the free edge and the bending line of the locking flap.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the reinforcement strip extends to the product flange or panel opposite the base wall panel.

A second aspect of the invention provides a blank for forming a wrapping carrier for packaging a product such as a food cup, wherein the blank comprises a first top panel, a first side wall panel, a base wall panel, and a second side wall panel rotatably connected to each other to form · ·

- 3 tubular structures. The base wall panel is provided with an opening for receiving a portion of the article, wherein a reinforcing strip is punched out of the base wall panel to form an aperture and is bent to form a spacer when assembled thereby affecting the top wall and base wall panels to be positioned away from the base wall. the reinforcing strip extends into the locking flap and is pivotally connected to the locking flap. The solution may further comprise a locking tab pivotally connected to the base wall panel.

According to an optional feature of the second aspect of the invention, the distance between the free edge of the locking flap and the bending line of the reinforcing strip is less than the distance between the free edge and the bending line of the locking flap.

A third aspect of the invention provides an article wrapper for packaging an article such as a primary carton package, wherein the carton package comprises opposing top and base walls joined together by first and second side walls to form a tubular structure. The base wall panel is provided with an aperture for receiving a projecting portion of the article, the aperture extending into a panel adjacent the top wall to facilitate bending of the top wall over the projecting portion during the construction of the carton.

Optionally, the panel adjacent to the top wall is a locking tab configured to secure the top wall to one of the first and second side walls. Preferably, the securing tab is disposed on the outer surface of the side wall, and a portion of the side wall is disposed within the aperture to retain the article in the aperture.

• · • ·

A fourth aspect of the invention provides a blank for forming an encircling support for an article for packaging a product such as a bag, wherein the blank comprises a first side wall panel, a base wall panel, a second side wall panel, a top wall panel and a locking tab; a hole is punched in the wall for receiving a projecting portion of the carton in use. The opening extends into a panel adjacent to the top wall panel to facilitate bending of the top wall panel over the protruding portion during bending of the blank to form the carton. Preferably, the adjacent panel is a locking tab.

A fifth aspect of the invention provides a method of forming a wrapping carton comprising a first side wall panel, a second side wall panel, a top wall panel, and a locking tab that are rotatably connected to each other to form a tubular structure, the top wall panel having an article receiving opening it is punched out of it and leads into a securing flap, whereby according to the method, the article is inserted into the carton, the top wall panel is bent and a flap around the first fold line is rotatably connected to the second side wall panel, and the protruding portion of the product is inserted into the opening the wall while bending the top wall and securing the flap, thereby allowing the flap to receive the article.

Preferably, the method may further comprise, prior to bending the top wall panel and securing the flap around the first fold line, placing the article on the top panel and bending the base wall and the second side wall around the article.

• ·

The method of the fifth aspect may further comprise bending the reinforcement strip out of the plane of the base panel prior to the bending and insertion step and the step of bringing the reinforcement strip into contact with the product flange or top panel before bending the securing tab to the opposite panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of examples of many possible solutions, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton according to an embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the blank of FIG. 1 during the successive stages of the process of assembling the carton and the packaging of the product with the inverted carton and the articles,

Fig. 4a is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of Fig. 1, which is fully assembled and comprises articles,

Fig. 4b is a cross-sectional view of the carton shown in Fig. 4a along lines X-X,

FIG. 5 shows a blank for forming a carton according to a second embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 5 showing one phase of the assembly process with the carton and the articles reversed,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of FIG. 5, which is fully assembled and comprises articles;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton according to a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 8 in one phase of the assembly process with the carton and the articles shown in the inverted state; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of FIG. 8, which is fully assembled and includes articles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4, and in particular Figure 1, is shown which shows a blank 10 of cardboard or other bendable sheet material to form a wrapping carton. The blank comprises a plurality of panels for forming a top wall, a base wall, and opposing side walls. In this embodiment, the blank 10 comprises a base wall panel 14, a first side wall panel 16, a top wall panel 18, and a second side wall panel 20 that are rotatably connected to each other along the fold lines 24, 26 and 28. Preferably, the blank further comprises an inner side wall panel or locking tab 12 that is pivotally connected to the base wall panel 14 along the fold line 20.

The solution may further comprise one or more orifice elements. In Fig. 1, a pair of aperture elements 30 and 32 are punched out of the base wall panel 14 and in this embodiment extends into the locking tab 12. Each element is substantially identical and therefore only the aperture element 30 is described in more detail below.

The solution further comprises a spacer (or reinforcement) strip 34 punched from the base wall panel 14 and extending into the spacer.

The flap 12 is pivotally connected to the locking flap 12 by the fold line 38. The strip is defined by a shear line 58, each end of which is connected to the fold line 38 by relatively short mutually parallel shear lines 59a, and 59b. Of course, the position of the shear lines is not limited to said position, and in some embodiments the shear lines 59a and 59b can be dispensed with. The end of the strip 34 spaced from the fold line 38 in this embodiment is substantially parallel to the fold line 38 to define the engagement portion with the article flange or article carrier panel.

Opposite pairs of engagement structures 42, 44, 46, 48 are preferably disposed along the fold lines 26 and 28 and are arranged to interrupt the aforementioned fold lines. Each engagement structure is substantially identical and therefore only the structure 46 will be described in more detail. From FIG. 1, it can be seen that the structure 46 comprises a protruding portion 50 of the top wall panel 18 arranged to break the fold line 28 and defined by a curved cutting line 52.

The structure further comprises a pair of separate parallel cutting lines 54 and 56, which in this embodiment are arranged substantially perpendicular to the fold line 28, extending downwardly from the curved cutting line 52 partially in the panel 20. The cutting lines 54 and 56 thus define the tape portion 57.

It is contemplated that any embodiment of carton of the invention creates a series of sequential folding and gluing operations in a machine with direct process so that the carton is not necessarily a casing or pivot turn to complete his · • • • · ··· · ¹ · «I · ♦ ··

- 8 construction. The bending process is not limited to the process described below and can be varied according to specific manufacturing requirements.

From Fig. 2, where the carton and article A are reversed for clarity, it can be seen that the top wall panel 18 is positioned to overlap the planar top face of the article A. All directions should be understood as a blank and the products stood upright. The top wall panel 18 in this embodiment is dimensioned such that the flange portions F of the products A extend beyond the fold lines 26 and 28.

The spacer strips 34 are then bent downwards out of alignment with the locking tab 12, thereby completely opening the opening 36. Subsequently, the first side wall panel 16 is bent inwardly out of alignment with the top wall panel 18 and the base wall panel 14 is bent inward and upward. around the fold line 24 out of alignment with the first side wall panel 16. The elongated design of the apertures 36 allows the base wall panel 14 to bend over the base of the articles A without damaging the securing tab 12.

Subsequently, the locking flap 12 is bent upwardly and inwardly around the fold line 22 and the second sidewall panel 20 is folded downwardly and inwardly around the foldline 28 as shown in FIG. 3. The spacing strips 34 are thus guided between the second sidewall panel 20 and the side of the respective product A and are thus brought into contact with the underside of the flange portion F of the products A to limit the relative movement of the product A shown in FIG. 4b. In some embodiments, the outer face of the locking flap 12 is brought into face contact with the inner face of the panel 20 of the second side wall. The panels 12 and 20 preferably come together.

9 is fixed by gluing or using other suitable means known in the art.

Inwardly bending the panels 16 and 20 of the first and second side walls inwardly causes the flange portions F to extend transversely beyond the fold lines 26 and 28, and the thickness of the flange portions causes the bands 57 to bend out slightly beyond the plane of the panels 16 and 20 and second side walls. The strips 57 thus engage the underside of the flanges F as shown in Figs. 4a and 4b, and assist in retaining the articles Ά in the carton. The carton is now in a fully assembled and filled state, as shown in Figure 4.

It will be appreciated that the spacing strips 34 are sized such that their placement under the flanges F during the bending operation ensures that the free edge of the second side wall panel 20 extends in the lateral direction substantially as far as the fold line 28 when the locking tab 12 is introduced. the front side panel 20 of the second side wall, thereby ensuring in this embodiment that the base and top wall panels 14 and 18 are substantially parallel since the first side wall 16 has the same width W as the resulting second wall formed by the locking tab 12 and the panel 20 second side walls. An alternative arrangement to achieve such a parallel arrangement with a relatively small interface tab requires the tab to be attached to the outer face of the panel 20 of the second side wall. A disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the side wall surface is interrupted and therefore the display of information and / or advertising is complicated.

In other embodiments, the free edge of the spacer strip may abut the inner surface of the top panel to achieve the same effect. This is particularly useful for products without flanges. None • · · · · ·

It is necessary that the free edge of the side wall panel 20 extend as far as the fold line 22, for example, when the side wall panel is narrower and the locking tab is wider, then the spacer strip would be used to secure the overlap position of the locking tab and the other side panel. walls.

A second embodiment of the invention will now be discussed, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, and in particular the blank shown in Figure 5. The first and second embodiments are similar and, where possible, similar reference numerals are used for like parts with the same reference numerals. by adding the prefix “1. Therefore, only the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment are described below.

The second embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from the first embodiment predominantly with respect to the opening elements. In this embodiment, due to the shallower products A, the orifices 130 and 132 are completely contained in the base wall panel, as it is not necessary that the orifices 136 are elongated to prevent deformation of the locking tab 112 on the base of the product A.

As can be seen from FIG. 6, the assembly procedure is substantially identical to that of the first embodiment, and as before, the strips 134 act as a spacer to ensure that the top and base walls are parallel as shown in FIG. 7.

8 to 10, and in particular the blank shown in FIG. 8. Again, the blank of the third embodiment is similar to the blank of the first embodiment, and therefore, where possible, they are used. for similar parts, similar reference numbers with the addition of ¹ · 9 <

♦♦ 99

- 11 • · 9 * 9 9 • 999 prefix „2. Therefore, only the third embodiment and the first embodiment are described below.

Differences between

As can be seen from FIG. 8, the blank of FIG. 8 differs from that of FIG. 5 in that the spacer strip 234 does not follow the shear line 258 defining the opening 236, but its side edges are defined by extensions of the shear lines 259a and 259b.

The procedure of assembling the blank to form a complete carton package of the third embodiment is substantially identical to that of the first and second embodiments, and FIG.

Fig. 10 shows a fully assembled and loaded cardboard package formed from the blank of Fig. 8.

It is contemplated that the invention can be applied to a wrapping carton or end-loading carton with only minor structural modifications. For example, the reinforcing strip could be punched completely out of the securing flap of cardboard packages without product openings. The width of the locking flap (and therefore the reinforcing strip) can be adjusted according to the size of the cardboard package.

It should be noted that the terms used in this description describing the direction as "top," "base," "end," "side," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" do not limit the respective panels to this orientation. of these panels. Any reference to a bend connection should not be regarded as necessarily referring only to a single bend line, and it is understood that the bend connection can be realized, for example, from one or more elements such as a groove line, a frangible line or a bending line without this has departed from the scope of the invention.

·· ···· · ·

• • •

It should be understood that a number of changes can be made within the scope of the invention in the described solutions. For example, the carton can be adapted to receive a single product or more than two products. However, the size and shape of the openings and panels can be adjusted according to the particular requirements of the products to be packaged, and other known product retention means can also be used. The present invention and its preferred embodiments relate to a cardboard package that is shaped to provide satisfactory strength for safely supporting articles such as various containers, but with some flexibility. The shape of the blank minimizes the amount of cardboard required to produce the carton. The articles can be loaded manually or automatically by machine. It will be understood that the invention is applicable to various types of carton packages or carriers and is not limited to the wrapping types of carton packages.

Claims (16)

PATENT REQUIREMENTS. ; An article wrapping carrier for packaging a product such as a food cup, wherein the carton comprises opposing top and base wall panels joined together by opposing side walls to form a tubular structure, wherein the base wall panel is provided with an aperture to accommodate a portion of the article, a reinforcing strip is punched out of the base wall panel to form an aperture and is bent to act as a spacer to act on the top wall panel and the base wall panel to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance; the strip extends into one of the panels constituting one of the side walls and is pivotally connected thereto. An article carrier according to claim 1, wherein said one panel is a locking tab that is secured to another panel forming one of the side walls. Product carrier according to claim 2, characterized in that the distance between the free edge of the locking flap and the bending line of the reinforcing strip is less than the distance between the free edge and the bending line of the locking flap. Product carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the reinforcement strip extends to the product flange or top wall panel. 5. A blank for forming an encircling carrier for packaging a product such as a food cup, wherein the blank comprises a top wall panel, a first side wall panel, a base panel. - 14 ·· ··· I * · · · · · · · < A wall and a second side wall panel rotatably connected to each other to form a tubular structure, wherein the base wall panel is provided with an opening for receiving a portion of the article, a reinforcing strip is punched from the base wall panel to form the opening and is bent to act as a spacer, causing the top wall and base wall panels to be spaced from each other at a predetermined distance, and the reinforcing strip extends into one of the panels constituting one of the side walls and is pivotally connected to the panel. The blank of claim 5, further comprising a locking tab pivotally connected to the base wall panel, the locking tab being punched out of the foundation wall panel to define the aperture, and the reinforcing strip extends into the locking tab and is pivotally connected to the locking tab. The blank of claim 6, wherein the reinforcing strip is sized to extend to the product flange or top wall panel in the assembled state. The blank according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the distance between the free edge of the locking flap and the bending line of the reinforcing strip is less than the distance between the free edge and the bending line of the locking flap. An article wrapping article for packaging an article such as a primary carton package, wherein the carton package comprises opposing panels of the top and base walls joined together by the first and second side walls to form a tubular package. 9 9 The base wall panel has an aperture for receiving a projecting portion of the article and the aperture extends into the panel adjacent to the base wall panel to facilitate bending during the construction of the carton. a base wall panel over a protruding portion. The article carrier of claim 9, wherein the panel adjacent to the base wall panel is a locking tab configured to secure the base wall panel to one of the first and second side walls. The article carrier of claim 10, wherein the securing tab is disposed on the outer surface of said one side wall, and a portion of said side wall is disposed within the aperture to receive the article within the aperture. A blank for forming an encircling article carrier for packaging an article such as a bag, wherein the blank comprises a first side wall panel, a base wall panel, a second side wall panel, a top wall panel, and a locking tab, the opening being punched from the top wall panel for receiving a projecting portion of the carton in use, and the aperture extends into a panel adjacent the top wall panel to facilitate bending of the top wall panel over the projecting portion during bending of the carton blank. The blank of claim 12, wherein the adjacent panel is a locking tab. A method of forming a wrapping carton comprising a first side wall panel, a second side wall panel, a top wall panel, and a locking tab, which are rotatably connected to each other to form a tubular structure, the top wall panel having an opening for receiving the article that is punched therefrom and leading into the securing flap, whereby according to the method, the article is inserted into the carton, bending the top wall panel and securing the flap around the first fold line pivotally connecting the second side wall panel, and introducing a projecting portion the article into the elongated portion of the aperture while the top wall is bent and locks the tab, thereby allowing the tab to secure the article. The method of claim 14, wherein before bending the top wall panel and securing the flap around the first fold line, the article is placed on the top panel and the base wall and the second side wall are bent around the article. The method of claim 15, wherein the reinforcing strip is bent out of the plane of the base panel prior to said bending and insertion step, and the reinforcing strip is brought into abutment on the product flange or top panel before bending the securing tab to the opposite panel.