EP0264174B1

EP0264174B1 - Tamper-evident carton

Info

Publication number: EP0264174B1
Application number: EP19870307088
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoshiharu 801 Naniwa-Green-Heights Ogura
Original assignee: OGURA ART PRINTING CO Ltd
Current assignee: OGURA ART PRINTING CO Ltd
Priority date: 1986-09-17
Filing date: 1987-08-11
Publication date: 1992-02-19
Also published as: DE3776745D1; EP0264174A2; EP0264174A3

Description

The present invention relates to a carton. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carton which is so constructed that any tampering therewith is immediately noticeable.
Generally, cartons are tubular constructions having a rectangular cross-section. Such cartons generally comprise front and back panels interconnected by left and right side panels. The open ends of the structure produced by these panels are closed by a top cover panel and a base panel. The box is formed from a blank in which the front, back and side panels are delineated from one another by fold lines. The top and base plates are generally formed on the front plate and are delineated therefrom by further fold lines.
If such cartons are intended to contain medicaments, it is now considered essential to provide means which provide evidence of tampering if an attempt is made to pilfer or abuse the contents.
For this reason, much attention has been paid to the top cover and base panel portions which are the most common points of attack on the carton.
One such known tamper-evident carton is disclosed in European Patent Specification No. EP-A-162678. This prior document describes a tamper-resistant carton wherein an outermost closure flap is provided with a sealing flap. At least a portion of the sealing flap functions as a tuck flap which passes between a front panel and a terminal inner panel of the carton. The tuck flap portion is bonded on its inner surface to the outer surface of the inner terminal panel in an inaccessible position whereby the carton cannot be opened without rupturing this adhesive joint to the extent that tampering would be apparent.
Many known cartons have a double construction in the top cover plate and base plate portion so that tears can easily be detected if an unauthorised attempt is made to open the carton. However, the structure of such known cartons is complicated, and there remains the risk that the contents can be removed without the top cover plate or base plate being noticeably damaged if they are torn carefully by means of a sharp knife or the like in the overlap region where the adhesive is located.
The present invention seeks to provide a carton in which the above-mentioned problems are obviated or at least minimised. More particularly, the present invention seeks to provide a carton in which the adhesive surface is formed on an overlapping portion of an insert tongue in such a location that it cannot be attacked from externally once the carton has been closed.
According to the present invention, there is provided a tamper-evident carton comprising a front panel, a back panel and two opposed side panels delineated from one another by fold lines and jointly defining a tubular structure having a rectangular cross-section; a first fold flap forming top panel member carried by and connected to one end of one of said panels defining the tubular structure and shaped so as to close one end of said tubular structure and a further fold flap forming a base panel carried by and connected to the opposed end of the same said panel or to the opposed end of the panel opposed to said panel carrying said first fold flap so as to close the second end of said tubular structure contact panel members; tongue flaps at the free end of each fold flap for connecting said free end connected to the opposed ends of the two panels carrying said fold flaps or to the opposed ends of the panel opposed to said panel carrying both said fold flaps, and contact plates carried by and connected to the remaining ends of the front and back panel plates, characterised in that each said contact plate defines an aperture for receiving one of said tongue flaps, said tongue flaps each being bonded by an adhesive layer in their free end regions to the inner surface of the contact plate in a non-accessible position and a perforated portion having a centrally disposed cut-out portion is disposed in the junction region of said first fold flap with the panel carrying it to permit authorised opening of the carton and to give a visible indication of tampering if the opening is unauthorised.
The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a blank for forming a carton in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank shown in Fig. 1 after initial folds have been effected.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the blank after further constructional steps have been carried out;
Fig. 4(a) is a longitudinal sectional side view of an almost completed carton and
Fig. 4(b) is a perspective view of a detail of Fig. 4(a).
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a completed carton but with the top cover plate opened.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a carton blank used for forming a carton in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank shown in Fig. 6 in a partially constructed shape.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view, similar to Fig. 3, of the blank shown in Fig. 6 showing a further stage in the construction of the carton;
Fig. 9(a) is a longitudinal sectional side view of an almost completed carton formed from the blank shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 9(b) is a perspective view of a detail of Fig. 9(a).
Fig. 10 is a plan view of a third embodiment of a carton blank utilised for forming a carton in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 11 is a plan view similar to Figs. 2 and 7 showing a first stage of the formation of a carton from the blank shown in Fig. 10.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view similar to Figs. 3 and 8 showing a further stage in the construction of the carton; and
Fig. 13(a) is a longitudinal sectional side view of an almost completed carton formed from the blank shown in Fig. 10 and
Fig. 13(b) is a perspective view of a detail shown in Fig. 13(a).

A first embodiment of a carton in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. In these Figures, the carton blank from which the carton is formed is generally referenced A. The blank A, a front panel portion 1, a left side panel portion 2, a back panel portion 3 and a right side panel portion 4 which are delineated from one another by a series of parallel fold lines 11. The panels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all substantially rectangular and the fold-lines 11 are provided along their lateral edges. On the opposed ends of the front panel portion 1, top and base panel members 5 and 6 respectively are formed which are delineated from the panel 1 by fold lines. The free end edges of panel members 5 and 6, that is to say, the edges remote from the panel 1, are provided with flap members 51 and 61 respectively.
On the left side panel 2, fold flaps 21 are provided on the top and bottom edges. Similar fold flaps 41 are provided on the opposed top and bottom edges of right side panel 4. A mounting flap is provided on the free lateral edge of the front panel portion 1 which, after the blank has been folded, is connected, by means of an adhesive, to the right side panel 4 to form a tubular carton of rectangular cross-section.
In this embodiment, contact panel portions 7 are provided on the top and bottom edges of the back panel portion 3. The panel portions 7 are each provided with a layer of adhesive so that, when folded inwardly, they adhere to the back panel portion 3. The contact panel portions 7 each have an insert aperture 71 formed therein into which the tongue flaps 51, 61 on the top panel portion 5 and the base panel portion 6 respectively are inserted. The contact plates 7 also have guide flaps 72 formed adjacent the apertures 71 so that the tips of tongue flaps 51, 61 can easily be inserted into the apertures 71. Adhesive layers 53 and 63 are then applied to a surface of the inserted tongue flaps 51, 61 to bond such flaps onto the inner surface of the contact panel portions 7. The construction of the carton from the blank shown in Fig. 1 will now be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the contact panel portions 7, provided at the upper and lower ends of the rear surface panel 3 are folded inwardly of the panel portion 3 and, by means of the adhesive layers 73 shown in Fig. 1, are glued to the internal surface of the panel 3. The basic shape of the carton is then produced, in a conventional manner, by folding the front panel 1, back panel 3, and the left and right side panels 2, 4 along the fold lines 11. This produces an open-ended tubular carton of rectangular cross-section. The fold flaps 21 and 41 respectively are folded inwardly. Thereafter, the top cover panel 5 and the base panel 6 are folded inwardly to close the open ends of the carton. The tongue flaps 51, 61 provided along the free end edges of the top cover plate and base plate respectively are then inserted into the insert apertures 71 formed in the contact plates 7 and are bonded to the contact plates 7 by means of the adhesive layers 53 and 63 respectively applied to the back surface of the tongue flaps. The fold and adhesion steps are readily apparent from Figs. 3, Figs. 4a and 4b shows cross-sectional views of the folded and glued carton. A perforation 52 is provided between the top cover panel 5 and the front panel 1 and the carton is opened by pulling up a cutout potion 12 in the middle of the perforation 52. Cutting out the perforation does not, however, permit repeated closure of the cover plate 5.
In the second embodiment, shown in Figs. 6 to 9, each of contact plates 7 has a length which is sufficient to enable the tips thereof to be lapped and bonded to one another independently of the back panel 3. The bonded contact plates 7 are slightly resilient and define a space, albeit a small space, between the back panel 3 and the contact plates 7 such that the tongue flaps 51, 61 on the front panel 1 can easily be located in the insert apertures 71.
In a third embodiment, shown in Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive, the top panel 5 is connected to one end of the front panel 1 whilst the base panel 6 is connected to the opposed end of the panel 3. The contact plates 7 are provided on the ends of the panels 1 and 3 not occupied by the top panel 5 and the base panel 6. Fold flaps 21 and 41 are provided, respectively, on the right-hand side plate 4 and on the left-hand side plate 2. By locating the contact plates 7 in an offset manner in the carton blank, the possibility of lower contact plate and the tongue flaps being separated by, for example, a pointed object such as the tip of a paper-knife inserted from the top is obviated. Other parts of the carton are as described hereinbefore.
Since the adhesive coated surface of the shut-off tongue flaps 51, 61 are bonded onto the rear surface of the shut-off contact plates 7 the insertion of an edge tool such as a knife from the mounting base side of the shut-off tongue flaps into the fabricated box cannot cause the adhesive coated surface to be affected. The box body can, therefore, be constructed in a manner substantially identical to that used for manufacturing conventional boxes, except for the provision of the shut-off contact plates 7 and an automatic system of fabrication can be achieved.

Claims

A tamper-evident carton comprising a front panel (1), a back panel (3) and two opposed side panels (2,4) delineated from one another by fold lines (11) and jointly defining a tubular structure having a rectangular cross-section; a first fold flap (5) forming top panel member carried by and connected to one end of one of said panels defining the tubular structure and shaped so as to close one end of said tubular structure and a further fold flap (6) forming a base panel carried by and connected to the opposed end of the same said panel or to the opposed end of the panel opposed to said panel carrying said first fold flap so as to close the second end of said tubular structure contact panel members; tongue flaps (51, 61) at the free end of each fold flap for connecting said free end to the opposed ends of the two panels carrying said fold flaps or to the opposed ends of the panel opposed to said panel carrying both said fold flaps, and contact plates (7) carried by and connected to the remaining ends of the front and back panel plates, characterised in that each said contact plate (7) defines an aperture (71) for receiving one of said tongue flaps, said tongue flaps each being bonded by an adhesive layer in their free end regions (53,63) to the inner surface of the contact plate (7) in a non-accessible position and a perforated portion (52) having a centrally disposed cut-out portion (12) is disposed in the junction region of said first fold flap (5) with the panel (1) carrying it to permit authorised opening of the carton and to give a visible indication of tampering if the opening is unauthorised.
A tamper-evident carton as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the two fold flaps (5,6) are carried by opposed ends of the front panel (1) and the contact plates are disposed on opposed ends of the back panel (3), wherein the contact plates (7) have a length sufficient to overlap one another and to be bonded together by an adhesive (73).
A tamper-evident carton as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first flap member (5) is carried by the top end of the front panel (1) and the second flap member (6) is carried by the bottom end of the back panel (3), the contact plates (7) being disposed on the bottom end of the front panel (1) and the top end of the back panel (3).
A tamper-evident carton as claimed in any preceding claim wherein projecting guide flaps (72) are provided in the edge regions of the apertures (71) formed in the contact plates (7).