Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS 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
  • B65D71/00—Bundles 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
  • B65D71/40—Bundles 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 comprising a plurality of articles held together only partially by packaging elements formed by folding a blank or several blanks
  • B65D71/42—Bundles 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 comprising a plurality of articles held together only partially by packaging elements formed by folding a blank or several blanks formed by folding a single blank into a single layer element

Definitions

• a blank constructed and arranged to form, upon appropriate folding, a carrier or cover according to the first aspect.
• the carrier is in the form of a cluster clip which is conveniently U-shaped.
• the carrier is particularly suited to the retention and/or display of articles such as foodstuffs containers including radially protruding flanges.
• the products to be retained and/or displayed can be single or multiple-attached dairy cups such as yoghurt or dessert pots, which may be in single or double row.
• the product to be retained can be a unitary article, such as a pre-packed ready meal typically of rectangular formation and including an uppermost peripheral flange, or a single pack dessert product which can be of circular cross section.
• the carrier or cover blank most conveniently provides a partial aperture which can fold easily and relatively quickly over the articles, such as cups or pots, and which after folding into product retention configuration simultaneously causes the side panel(s) to be retained in an appropriate and preferred downwardly depending configuration.
• the lower edge of the or each side panel is preferably in contact with a side surface of a retained article.
• the side panel(s) preferably extend at an angle of less than 90° relative to the top panel.
• the article-engagement edge is provided at least in part by the side panel.
• a major portion of the article-engagement edge can conveniently be provided by the side panel. More preferably, the article-engagement edge can be provided substantially wholly by the side panel.
• the anchoring tab can be capable of being urged resiliently against the edge of the protruding part of the article. Conveniently, an upper edge of the anchoring tab can be urged outwardly away from the engagement edge upon insertion through the engagement edge of a protruding part of an article.
• the article-engaging edge can be disposed closer to the longitudinal exterior edge of the side panel than the upper edge of the anchoring tab.
• the anchoring tab is formed at least in part from the top panel.
• a major part of the anchoring tab is formed from the side panel.
• the article-engaging edge can comprise part of an article retention tab, and the article- retention tab can be disposed immediately adjacent the anchoring tab.
• the article retention tab can be formed from the side panel.
• the retention tab can be separated from the anchoring tab by a slit extending downwardly from the engagement edge.
• the engagement edge and the upper edge of the anchoring tab are disposed on opposite sides of a notional, but more preferably actual, fold line defining the hinged connection between the top and side panel.
• the carrier preferably includes at least one pair of spaced co-linear engagement edges disposed either side of the anchoring tab.
• the upper edge of the anchoring tab is spaced from the fold line by a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the fold line and the engagement edge.
• the structure defining the anchoring tab most conveniently commences at a terminal portion of the or more preferably a pair of article engagement edge(s).
• the present invention embraces arrangements of carried or covered articles, wherein the carrier or cover as defined above is provided in combination with one or more articles including a flange, preferably a radially extending flange at or at least in the region of the uppermost portion of the article, wherein at least one projecting portion of the article(s), such as a flange, projects through an engagement edge.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank suitable for forming a carrier or cover according to the first aspect of the present invention
• Figure 2 is an isometric view from the end and one side of a carrier or cover folded into a use configuration and comprising a pair of retained articles therein;
• Figure 3 is an alternative view of the Figure 2 arrangement, showing the underside of flanges of the retained articles projecting through slots formed in the carrier or cover, and
• Figure 4 is an elevation of the Figure 2 and 3 arrangements, from one end and a side of the retained articles.
• a blank 1 of paperboard or like foldable sheet material for example plastics material or the like.
• the blank 1 is divided into a top panel 2 and a pair of opposing side panels 3.
• the side panels 3 are hingedly connected to the top panel 2 by means of interrupted, linear fold lines 12 and 13 respectively.
• a pair of co- linear engagement edges are provided by way of cut lines defining engagement edge 4 forming an uppermost part of an article engaging tab 10 in the side panels 3.
• the tabs are formed by a minor cut line 17 disposed across the fold lines 12 and 13, a slot providing the engagement edge 4 and a cut line 11 disposed at each side of an anchoring tab 6 remote from the minor cut line 17.
• the blank incorporates an arrangement of four article receiving formations each of which is substantially identical in form, shape and construction and hence only one of these article retention means is described in detail. Of course, it is envisaged that other article groupings can be used without departing from the scope of invention.
• the article retaining arrangement includes an anchoring tab 6 formed partly from the side panel 3 and partly from the top panel 2 being defined between a pair of cut lines 11 each forming a side edge of the said article retention tab 10.
• the anchoring tab 6 has an upper edge 9 spaced from but parallel to the said engagement edges 4.
• the upper edge 9 is spaced from a notional continuation of the fold line 12 or 13 in one direction, whereas the said engagement edges 4 are also spaced from a notional continuation of fold line 12 or 13 but in the opposite direction thereto.
• the distance from the said notional continuation of fold line to the said upper edge 9 of the anchoring tab 6 can be the same as or greater than the distance between the same notional continuation of fold line 12 or 13 and the engagement edge 4.
• the outermost edges 8 of the side panels 3 are generally parallel and in the set up configuration will define lowermost edges of the assembled carrier.
• the article retaining arrangement cut lines 17, 4, 9 are struck from the blank 1 by conventional means which are well known in the art.
• the blank 1 of Figure 1 has been folded about a pair of conjoined articles, namely a pair of conjoined dairy pots 14 each of which include an uppermost radially projecting flange 15.
• the flange 15 projects through the article retaining arrangement whereby the outer edge of the flange 15 contacts in abutment the anchoring tab 6 whereby the uppermost edge 9 of the anchoring tab is generally co-planar with the uppermost surface of the flange 15 or projects above the uppermost surface of the flange 15.
• the anchoring tab being formed at least in - 6 - part from the side panel, is capable of pressing against the outer edge of the protruding part of the article 14.
• means are provided which are capable of urging the downwardly depending side panels 3 into their preferred downward orientation location, and preferably urged towards and/or even in contact with the side walls 16 of the retained articles 14.
• the article retention tabs 10 which have in this view an uppermost surface comprising the said engagement edge 4, engage the underside of the projecting flange 15 as the flange is caused to project through the slot comprising this edge which has been struck into the corresponding blank.
• the combined carrier and retained articles is depicted in a different view showing more clearly the underside of the projecting flange 15 and the engagement of the uppermost surface (comprising the said engagement edge) 4 of the article retention tabs 10.
• the anchoring tabs 6 have been pressed away from the side panel from which they are partly formed to become partially separated from the adjacent article retention tabs 10 by means of the slits 11 at each side of the anchoring tabs 6. Also in this Figure it is more readily apparent that in this set-up configuration the side panels 3 become urged downwardly and against the respective side walls 16 of the dairy pots 14.
• the end user forces the side panels 3, thereby releasing the flanges from abutment with the retention structure.
• One or more articles can then be removed from the clip.
• top-engaging carrier or cover is provided from a unitary blank which can be conveniently folded about multiple or unitary articles to be covered in a simple and straightforward operation to facilitate their packaging.
• top-engaging carriers or covers according to the invention can be produced to include more containers and in arrays - 7 - of more than one row of containers for example in arrays of 2 x 2, or 2 x 3, or even larger configurations as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art.
• the present invention and its preferred embodiment relates to a clip for providing retention.
• the invention can be applied to a variety of carriers, for example wraparound cartons, top gripping cartons or such cartons in which it is necessary for articles to be packaged having flange portions to be retained without the use of glue or other known securing means.
• the position of the retention structure may be adjusted to accommodate articles having flanges at locations other than at the sides of the clip.
• hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only: indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of one of the following, a score line, a frangible line or a fold line, without departing from the scope of invention.

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

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9955259

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2003
  • 2003-03-21 GB GB0306546A patent/GB0306546D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2004
  • 2004-03-19 WO PCT/US2004/008479 patent/WO2004085282A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2004-03-19 CN CN 200480013525 patent/CN1791536A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-03-19 EP EP04757901A patent/EP1615842A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-03-19 RU RU2005132462/12A patent/RU2005132462A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-03-19 PL PL378563A patent/PL378563A1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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