EP1773680B1

EP1773680B1 - Carton with retention means for bottles

Info

Publication number: EP1773680B1
Application number: EP05749549A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martinus C M Bakx
Original assignee: Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems LLC
Current assignee: WestRock Packaging Systems LLC
Priority date: 2004-05-14
Filing date: 2005-05-13
Publication date: 2008-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-13
Also published as: PT1773680E; ATE400513T1; TW200540078A; ES2310831T3; EP1773680A1; SI1773680T1; AR048849A1; DE602005008068D1; WO2005113369A1; GB0410810D0; DK1773680T3; PL1773680T3

Description

Background of the Invention

This invention relates generally to article carriers for use with articles such as bottles, and more particularly it relates to apertures in top-gripping article carriers for engaging articles by the neck for improved retention.
Top-gripping article carriers are well known, various methods of retaining an article within the carrier are known in the art. The present invention is concerned with a retention means sometimes, and hereinafter, referred to as a "Sunburst" aperture. In a sunburst aperture, a plurality of tabs are,arranged around the circumference of an aperture.
"Sunburst" apertures are known; as shown in CA2339532 , they comprise a circular aperture and a plurality of cut lines extending radially away from the aperture. The cut lines create a plurality of tabs which create an annular series arranged around the circumference of the aperture; in use these tabs engage a radial protrusion of the bottle or bottle closure to retain the article within the carrier.
Greater retention and/or stability of the article within a "Sunburst" aperture may be desired. "Sunburst" apertures known in the art may be limited in the degree of retention they are capable of providing. One possible reason for this may be that a "Sunburst" aperture is constructed such that the annular series of tabs can create an aperture large enough to allow a radial protrusion of the article to pass through. The radial protrusion is engaged by the tabs to retain the article, an undesirable consequence of this however may be that only a small portion of each tab engages the article. This arrangement may still allow movement of the article about the point of contact and so the articles are not always held securely.
Furthermore, when the article is received, the material from which the "Sunburst" aperture is constructed may be weakened as it folds. This weakening of the material may permit movement of the tabs about that fold whichwhich further reduces the stability of the article within the aperture.
US 5,960,945 to Sutherland discloses a bottleneck carrier designed to hold long neck bottles, in which long support tabs are provided to extend up to a bottle flange and short tabs are provided to contact only the side of the neck.
US 4,448,452 to Wood discloses a bottle carrier of the neck through, top gripping type formed of semi rigid material comprising a frame structure in which a plurality of collars are formed, each collar having at least one pair of lift tabs, upwardly inclined to engage a flange of a bottle and a pair of stabilizing tabs integrally formed with the frame structure for engaging a bottle shoulder.
The present invention seeks to overcome the problems of the prior art by forming a "Sunburst" aperture which increases the retention and/or stability of an article within it.

Summary of the Invention

One aspect of the present invention provides a panel of foldable single-ply sheet material having at least one aperture for receiving a portion of an article characterised by at least two annular series of tabs being formed around the aperture, the two annular series sharing a notional common peripheral line and being adaptable to yield out of the plane of the panel when the portion of an article is received in the aperture so as to bear against the portion of an article such that tabs in each of the annular series engaging the article at different locations relative to the plane of the panel improve retention of the article within the aperture.
The at least two annular series of tabs comprise a major annular series of tabs and a minor annular series of tabs, the minor tabs being struck from the major tabs.
According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, each series of the at least two annular series of tabs may have an edge for engaging the article which edge may be concave or convex.
Preferably, the major series of tabs may be defined by a set of radial cut lines protruding from the aperture, the major series of tabs engaging with a radial protrusion of the article or article closure.
Preferably, the common periphery is substantially the same size as the size of an article to be received in the aperture.
According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, there may be eight radial cut lines defining the major series of tabs and the major series of tabs may comprise eight tabs circumferentially arranged around the aperture.
According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the tabs of the minor series are defined by an arcuate cut line.
Preferably, eight arcuate cut lines define eight minor tabs circumferentially arranged around the aperture.
A second aspect of the present invention provides an article top-gripping arrangement having an article-receiving aperture and a plurality of primary tabs defining at least a part of the aperture the plurality of primary tabs for engaging the underside of a radially protruding portion of an article received in the aperture the arrangement comprising a secondary tab for engaging a smaller diameter portion of the article, the secondary tab being formed at least in part from one of the primary tabs, wherein a cut line, for defining the secondary tab, is spaced from and interposed between an adjacent pair of slits, defining the one primary tab, when the arrangement is in its flat form.
There is further disclosed herein a single-ply panel of paperboard material comprising an aperture for receiving a portion of an article and comprising first and second series of tabs formed around said aperture, the series of tabs sharing a common periphery and the tabs of each series having edges for contacting said article, the first and second series being arranged such that the edges of the tabs in the first series contact said article at locations spaced from the edges of the tabs in the second series thereby maintaining said article within the aperture.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming a "Sunburst" aperture according to a first embodiment of the invention.
FIGURE 2 shows a perspective view of the "Sunburst" aperture from the first embodiment operatively engaging a bottle.
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention operatively engaging a bottle.
FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a blank for forming an aperture according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a blank 20 or a panel 20 of a blank having a "Sunburst" aperture 10, made from paperboard or similar foldable material. The "Sunburst" aperture 10 is intended to receive an article 30, such as a bottle, when the aperture is contained within a carton blank 20 such as that shown in figure 2. The "Sunburst" aperture 10 comprises a first cut line 12 which is substantially circular. It is envisaged that in other embodiments of the invention the first cut line 12 could be an alternative shape. The first cut line 12 forms a first aperture 14 in the blank. The first aperture 14 is preferably smaller than an article closure C (shown in figure 2) or other radial protrusion of the article 30.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in figure 1, a first annular series of eight major tabs 24 are arranged around the periphery of the first aperture 14. Each major tab 24 is defined by and separated from two adjacent major tabs 24 by two radial cut lines 16. The radial cut lines 16 extend outwardly from the first cut line 12 that defines the first aperture 14. In total there are eight radial cut lines 16. The outer extremity of the radial cut lines 16 may define a periphery of a second aperture 18 which is created upon insertion of the article 30, which has larger diameter than the first aperture 14. The first annular series of major tabs 24 may yield when the article 30 is inserted through the first aperture 14, thus forming the second aperture 18 (shown in figures 2 and 3). The major tabs 24 fold about a fold line 28. The diameter of the second aperture 18 may be substantially equal to that of the article closure C, as illustrated in figure 2. The second aperture 18 allows the article closure C to be inserted through the paperboard material of a carton blank 20.
Referring again to figure 1 arcuate cut lines 22 define edges of minor tabs 26. The arcuate cut lines 22 are interposed between an adjacent pair of radial cut lines or slits 16. The minor tabs 26 form a second annular series. Annular is used to describe the arrangement of the tabs of the first and second series 24, 26 and the aperture 14, it is envisaged that the aperture 14 in other embodiments may not be circular and therefore annular should not be construed as being only a circular arrangement The arcuate cut lines 22 may extend substantially between the outermost extremities of the radial cut lines 16. The arcuate cut lines 22 preferably terminate on the circumference of the second aperture 18. The arcuate cut lines 22 are preferably half circular in shape. The arcuate cut lines 22, radial cutlines 16 and the cut line 12 define the first and second annular series of the major tabs 24 and the minor tabs 26 respectively. The first annular series of the major tabs 24 and the second annular series of minor tabs 26 are arranged around the first aperture 14. The minor tabs 26 are at least in part struck from the major tabs 24. The major tabs 24 and the minor tabs 26 share a common periphery 18 along which they may fold when the article 30 is received by the "Sunburst" aperture 10. The major tabs 24 fold about fold line 28. The minor tabs 26 fold about fold line 32.
The second annular series of minor tabs 26 may fold along the periphery of the second aperture 18 to allow the article closure C to pass through. Once the article closure C, or other radial protrusion, has passed through the "Sunburst" aperture 10 the minor tabs 26 attempt to return to their original position until an edge 22, or other portion, of the minor tabs 26 makes contact with a portion of the article 30. Movement of the article 30 within the second aperture 18 may then be reduced, improving stability and/or retention of the article 30. The article 30 is therefore in contact with the material 20 comprising the "Sunburst" aperture 10 at two separate locations relative to the plane containing the second aperture 18.
Figure 2 shows the "Sunburst" aperture 10 of figure 1 constructed within a portion of a panel of foldable sheet material 20 from which a carton may be formed. "Sunburst" aperture 10 of figure 1 is shown engaging the article 30, for example a bottle, which has been inserted through it. An edge defined by cut line 12, or a portion of the major tabs 24, engages the underside of the article closure C, which in this embodiment is a crown cork, thereby retaining the article 30 within the "Sunburst" aperture 10. An edge defined by cut line 22, or portion of the minor tabs 26, engages a portion the article 30 below the point where the major tabs 24 engage the article closure C. The major tabs 24 fold about fold line 28 and the minor tabs 26 substantially return to their original location.
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an article 30, for example a bottle, being engaged by the "Sunburst" aperture 10 shown in figure 1. The major tabs 24 engage the article 30 beneath the radially protruding article closure C. It is envisaged that the "Sunburst" aperture 10 could engage any radial protrusion of the article 30. The major tabs 24 and minor tabs 26 are shown engaging the article at different vertical locations or elevations with respect to each other, and with respect to the to the plane of the panel of foldable sheet material 20, thereby increasing the stability and/or retention of the article. It is envisaged that in alternative embodiments that one of the first or second series of annular tabs could be in substantially the same plane as the panel of foldable sheet material 20.
A second embodiment of the invention contains features which are common to the first embodiment already described and so similar reference numerals are used to represent similar features, with the reference numerals raised by a factor of 100 to denote the second embodiment.
Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of a "Sunburst" aperture 110 in plan view. An aperture 114 is formed in a blank 120 or panel 120 of a blank and defined by a first cut line 112. There are eight radial cut lines 116 extending outwardly from the aperture 114 that define a first annular series of major tabs 124 arranged around the aperture 114. A second annular series of eight minor tabs 126 are created by eight cut lines 122 of substantially the same shape as the major tab 124 from which they are struck. This gives the advantage that the minor annular series of tabs 126 have a concave edge that may contact the neck of the article. The first annular series of major tabs 124 and second annular series of minor tabs 126 again share a common periphery 118 along which they may fold when a article 30 is inserted, the major tabs 124 folding in the region 128 and the minor tabs 126 in the region 132.
The sunburst aperture 110 of the second embodiment operates in a similar way to that of the first embodiment; an upper portion of a bottle or other article is pushed into the first aperture 114. As the bottle or other article is received in the sunburst aperture 110, the major and minor tabs 124, 126 are pushed out of the plane of material containing the sunburst aperture 110. The major and minor tabs 124, 126 each fold out of the plane of the sunburst aperture 110 in the region of line 118. Once the tabs 124, 126 are folded, a second aperture 118 is formed. The second aperture 118 is greater in dimension than the first aperture 114, so that a wider portion of an article can be accommodated within the sunburst aperture 110. The major and minor tabs 124, 126 may each relax, due to the natural tendency of the paperboard material to return to its original position, until the major and minor tabs 124, 126 contact the article inserted within the aperture 114. By engaging the underside of a rim of an upper portion of an article, tabs 124 prevent the bottle from moving downwardly and being released from the aperture. The minor tabs 126 contact the bottle received in the sunburst aperture 110 at different locations to the major tabs 124, thereby providing an arrangement which restricts and limits the movement of an article. It is envisaged that each of the tabs on the second, minor series 126 may be dimensioned differently to one another, or indeed the size of adjacent tabs 126 may alternate between a shorter tab and a longer tab such that alternate minor tabs would engage or contact the bottle at different locations relative to one another. Similarly, each of the adjacent tabs of the first, major series 124 may be sized differently.
The present invention describes only two preferred embodiments, however it is envisaged that minor changes to the embodiments could be made with out departing from the inventive concept herein. One such change would be the use of more or less than eight cut lines to form more or less than eight circumferentially arranged tabs. Each of the first and second apertures need not be circular but may indeed be another shape which may not be symmetrical, and may be irregular. The two apertures may also not be similar in shape although such an arrangement is preferable. The cut line defining the minor series of tabs need not be one herein described but may be any other shape which satisfies its function, such as half of a hexagon defining a rhomboid tab. The present invention need not be limited to nesting of two series of annular tabs but through the use of further cut lines additional series of tabs could be created that engage the bottle at separate locations either radially or axially such that more than one minor series of tabs is struck from the first major series. It should also be apparent that major and minor tabs with any combination of for example concave or convex curvature at points 12, 22, 112 and 122 can be used.
It will be recognised that as used herein, directional references such as "top", "base", "end", "side", "inner", "outer", "upper" and "lower" do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish the orientation of various features from one another. Any reference to 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.
The short fold lines 28 and/or 32, or the short fold lines 128 and/or 132, described in the foregoing embodiments may be omitted as long as a foldable sheet material is used with the present invention. However, when the fold lines 28 and/or 32, or the fold lines 128 and/or 132, are employed, they may be formed in the respective panel 20 in registry with the notional common peripheral line 18, 118 such that the fold lines extend at least partially along the common peripheral line and at least some of the tabs 24, 26 124, 126 are hingedly connected to the panel by the fold lines.
Each of the short fold lines 28 and 32, and/or the short fold lines 128 and 132, may be either straight or arcuate in shape. The short fold lines 28 or 32, or the short fold lines 128 or 132, may be circumferentially disposed around the aperture 14, 114 at angular spacings about the center of the respective aperture 14, 114. Otherwise, the short fold lines 28 and 32, or 128 and 132 may be continuous (or connected together in series) as shown in Figures 1 and 4 to form a single circular fold line.

Claims

A panel of foldable single-ply sheet material (10, 110) having at least one aperture (14, 114) for receiving a portion of an article (30), the panel comprising at least two annular series of tabs (24, 26, 124, 126) formed around said aperture, the two annular series sharing a notional common peripheral line (18, 118) and being connected to the panel to yield out of the plane of the panel when said portion of an article is received in the aperture so as to bear against said portion of an article such that said tabs in each of the annular series engage the article at different locations relative to the plane of the panel to improve retention of the article within the aperture, wherein the at least two annular series of tabs (24, 26, 124, 126) comprise a major (24, 124) annular series of tabs and a minor (26, 126) annular series of tabs, characterised by the tabs of the minor series being struck from the tabs of the major series respectively.
A panel of foldable sheet material according to claim 1 wherein the major series of tabs is defined by a set of radial cut lines (16, 116) extending radially inwardly from said common peripheral line, said major (24, 124) series of tabs engaging a radial protrusion of the article (30).
A panel of foldable sheet material according to claim 2 wherein the common peripheral line has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of a top of an article to be received in said aperture.
A panel of foldable sheet material according to any one of claims 1 - 3 wherein said major series of tab has a plurality of arcuate cut lines defining said minor tabs circumferentially arranged around the aperture.
A carton comprising a panel of foldable sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims.
A blank for forming a carton comprising a panel of foldable sheet material according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
An article top-gripping arrangement having an article-receiving aperture (14, 114) and a plurality of primary tabs (24, 124) for engaging the underside of a radially protruding portion of an article (30) received in the aperture, the primary tabs defining at least a part of the aperture, the arrangement comprising a secondary tab (26, 126) for engaging a lower portion of the article below said radially protruding portion, characterised by the secondary tab being formed at least in part from one of the primary tabs, wherein a cut line (22, 122), for defining the secondary tab, is spaced from and interposed between an adjacent pair of slits (16, 116) that defines said one primary tab, when the arrangement is in its flat form.
A blank comprising an article top-gripping arrangement according to claim 7.
A carton constructed from the blank according to claim 8.
A panel of foldable sheet material according to claim 1 wherein at least one fold line is formed in said panel in registry with said notional common peripheral line, said at least one fold line extending at least partially along said common peripheral line such that some, of said tabs are hingedly connected to the panel by said at least one fold line.
A panel of foldable sheet material according to claim 10 wherein said at least one fold line comprises a plurality of short fold lines circumferentially disposed around said aperture at angular spacings, and wherein the tabs of one of the major and minor series are hingedly connected to the panel by said short fold lines respectively.
A panel of foldable sheet material according to claim 10 wherein said at least one fold line comprises a single circular fold line, and wherein the tabs of the major and minor series are hingedly connected to the panel by said circular fold line.