GB2085407A - Easter egg carton - Google Patents

Abstract

A carton for an article such as an Easter Egg is constructed from a cut and creased blank of sheet material to have a pair of concave sides 10, 12 with the apertures 14, 16 in which the article engages. The resilience of the concave sides 10, 12 holds the article in position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to packing containers This invention relates to carton constructions and in particular concerns cartons for the reception of fragile articles, such as Easter Eggs. The cartons are specifically designed for mechanised loading of same with the contents to be held thereby.

Traditionally, chocolate Easter Eggs are placed in their display cartons by hand, but the cost of labour has caused producers of Easter Eggs to examine the possibility of insertion of the Easter Eggs into the cartons by machinery, and automatically. This has meant that Easter Egg cartons have had to be redesigned in order to make them suitable for the receipt of the Easter Eggs by automatic replacement machinery.

The present invention discloses two embodiment of carton construction suitable for holding Easter Eggs, but it is to be pointed out that the invention is not be considered as being limited to cartons for Easter Eggs, in that the invention can be adapted for the holding of other fragile articles, such as light bulbs.

In accordance with the present invention, which will be described in relation to the packaging of Easter Eggs for the sake of simplicity of description, cut and creased carton blanks are erected by a punch and die operation, in order to define a base and side wall means, said side wall means leading to an open top through which the Easter Egg can be inserted, and in addition there are top closure means which can be folded over to close the carton with the Easter Egg in position therein.

The said side walls preferably are provided with retention apertures through which the egg projects when in the carton, and by which the egg is held firmly in displayed position.

In a particularly novel adaption of the invention, when the carton is held in the partly erected condition with the base and side walls, the said side walls may include a pair of opposite side walls which are located, at least in the central region, closer together than the width dimension of the egg, so that said walls must be deflected by the insertion of the egg, until it registers with the said apertures, when the walls can spring back ready for closuring by the top closuring means.

In the above, wherein reference is made to bottom side walls and top closure means, these designations refer to when the carton is in the partially erected condition. After the egg has been inserted in the carton, and the carton is closed by the top closure means, then its disposition may be altered for example when in transit or on display so that the side walls become the base and top.

The cartons are preferably adapted to be partially erected by a punch and die arrangement, and to be glued in the partially erected condition. The top closure means preferably is adapted to glued to the remainder of the carton to complete the closing of same.

Three embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank erectable into a carton according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blank of Fig. 1 in partially erected condition; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the partially erected blank of Fig. 1 ready to receive an Easter Egg; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the completely erected blank, with an Easter Egg therein; Figure 5 is a side view of the erected carton shown in Fig. 4; Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank erectable into a carton according to a second embodiment of the invention, the blank being such that when erected into a carton, the carton will have the identical appearance to the carton shown in Figs. 4 and 5;; Figure 7 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of the blank of Fig. 6 when in partially erected condition; Figure 8 is a plan view of a blank erectable into a carton according to a third embodiment of the invention; and Figures 9 and 10 respectively show the blank of Fig. 8 in partly and fully erected condition.

The blank shown in Fig. 1 comprises two identical lozenged shaped panels 10 and 1 2 each having an aperture 14, 16 therein. The panels 10 and 1 2 are connected by means of a generally I-shaped panel 1 8 having transverse crease lines 20 and 22 to divide the panel 1 8 into three sections namely a rectangular section 1 8A, and two end trapezoidal panels 18B and 18C.

To the free edges of the lozenged panels 10 and 1 2 are glue flaps 22A, 24, 26 and 28, 30 and 32. The two lozenged panels 10 and 1 2 and the adjoining panel 1 8 have end flaps 34, 36 and 38, and the flaps 34 have trapezoidal extension panels. 40 with glue flaps 42.

In the drawing, the convention that the full lines indicate edges or cut lines, and the chain dotted lines indicate crease lines, has been adopted.

It is to be noticed that the panels 34, 36 and 38 are of equal length so that the resulting carton erected from the blank will have square ends, as will be explained herein.

In order to erect the blank shown in Fig. 1, to make it suitable for receiving an Easter Egg, the blank is first partially erected by a punch and die operation, the punch engaging the panel 18, and the die being such as to cause upward folding of the lozenged panels 10 and 12, and the end panels 34, 36 and 38, until the carton reaches the position shown in Fig. 2. Because the panel 1 8 is of the I-shape illustrated, in the partially erected condition shown in Fig. 2, the lozenged panels 10 and 1 2 will in fact be pulled inwardly and are closest together in a central transverse plane as indicated by the sectional elevation of Fig. 3.The extension panels 40 of panels 34 and the glue flaps 22A-32 serve as a the top closuring means, and are glued together automatically by machinery after insertion of the egg into the partially erected blank. The egg is shown in position in Fig. 4 and 5, and if reference is made to Fig. 3, it is to be expiained that the egg width dimension will be greater than the spacing of the panels 10 and 12 in the central region, so that in fact the said panels are deflected apart as the egg is pushed into the partially erected blank. The egg is inserted by means of a holder comprising a pair of gripping fingers, which grip the ends of the egg, the spacing between such fingers being such that the fingers clear the ends of the partially erected carton after insertion of the egg, and after release of the clamping action on the egg.

The panels 34, 36 and 38 are in fact glued together as the blank is moved to the partially erected condition, and the said panels 34, 36 and 38 overlap as indicated in Fig. 2, to the inside of the partially erected carton.

The panels 34 are of square configuration so that the resulting partially and completely erected carton has square ends.

The configuration of the completely erected carton is most clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In one direction, the carton has a lozenged shape as defined by the panels 10 and 12, whilst in the other direction, the carton has an I configuration.

The blank shown in Fig. 6 erects to a carton of identical outward appearance to that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but the blank construction as will be instantly recognised, is significantly different.

Two lozenged panels 50 and 52 are connected by an I-shaped panel 54, of the same general configuration as illustrated in Fig. 1, but to the other side of panel 52 is a second and similar I-shaped panel 56 with a glue flap 58 to the free edge of the panel 56.

The end panels 34, 36 and 38 are provided at the ends of panels 54, 52 and 56, and panels 36, which are square are provided at their outer edges with glue flaps 60. The panels a4, 36 and 38 are of the same length.

In thr erection of the blank shown in Fig.

6, again a punch and die operation is used, except t'-1at panel 52 becomes the base panel, and panels 54 and 56 become the side panels. The end panels 34, 36 and 38 overlap as shown clearly in Fig. 7, and are glued together, to define square ends.

In the partially erected condition shown in Fig. 7, the I-shaped panels 54 and 56 in fact are bowed outwardly, and in the condition of the blank shown in Fig. 7, the lozenged panel 52 is also caused to follow the outward bowing of the I-shaped panel 54, but the panel 52 becomes concave. The lozenged panel 52 which forms the base panel, is in fact bowed concave upwardly.

The egg is inserted into the open top of the partially erected carton, and then the lozenged panel 50 forms the top closure means. It is folded over and glued.to the extension panel 58 and the flaps 60 to complete the carton, which has an appearance identical to the carton illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring now to Fig. 8, the blank shown therein is for erection into a carton substantially of the same appearance as the carton shown in Figs. 4 and 5, except that a main lozenged shaped panel 70 has curved edges to each of which is hingedly connected an Ishaped panel 72 and 74. At the other sides of panel 70 are hingedly connected end panels 76 and 78 provided with shaped glue flaps 80 and 82.

To the other curved sides of the panels 72 and 74 are half lozenge-shaped panels 84 and 86. Panel 70 is provided with an aperture 88 for the location of an Easter egg and the half panels 84 are provided with curved cutouts 90 and 92 which together in the erected carton define an aperture similar to aperture 88.

Finally, glue flaps 94 and 96 are provided at the ends of the I-shaped panels 72 and 74.

To erect the blank shown in Fig. 8, a punch and die operation is applied with the panel 70 lowermost, so that in this operation panels 72, 74, 76 and 78 fold upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 9. Because the crease lines connecting panel 70 and panel 72 and 74 are curved as shown, so the panels 72 and 74 bow outwardly in folding to the Fig. 9 position. In Fig. 9, the panels 94 and 96 are shown as having been folded inwardly in front of the panels 76 and 78, to which they are glued.

To complete the closuring of the container, after an Easter egg has been placed therein, the half panels 84 and 86 are folded inwardly and then the glue flaps 80 and 82 are folded over and onto the half panels 84 and 86 to which they are glued, achieving the final construction clearly shown in Fig. 10. It will be clear that the constructed container shown in Fig. 10 is of generally similar appearance to the container shown in Figs. 4 and 5 except that the side view I-profile has curved edges rather than angled edges as shown in Fig. 5.

The carton constructions described are suit able for erection by machinery and for automatic machinery loading, and in one particularly suitable form of apparatus for this loading, a star wheel having four arms is used.

This Star wheel is arranged between a pair of conveyors, conveying the partially erected cartons. The star wheel is adapted to operate over an egg conveyor which conveys the eggs between the two carton conveyors. The star wheel has four arms arranged at 90 locations, and each arm is adapted to pick up an egg from the egg conveyor and transport it to one or other of the carton conveyors. When one pair of arms is depositing eggs in pair of cartons on the respective conveyors, the other pair of arms can be arranged to pick up two further eggs from the egg conveyor. The star wheel and conveyors will operate in a step by step fashion and the star wheel can be arranged to index in a unidirectional indexing motion, or in a back and forth oscillating type motion. By placing eggs two at a time, in respect of partially erected cartons on respective conveyors, so that the speed of travel of the conveyors can be halved, which provides more time for the effective handling of the fragile Easter Eggs.

Various modifications may be made without departing -'rom the scope of the invention either in the form of the carton constructions or the described apparatus.

Claims (9)

1. A carton for holding an article such as a chocolate Easter Egg, comprising a pair of concave sides between which the article is held, the said sides having apertures through which the article projects.

2. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the carton is constructed from a blank of cut and creased sheet material which in being erected is subjected to a punch and die operation and respective parts of the blank are glued together.

3. A carton for holding an article such as a chocolate Easter Egg substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 or Figs. 7 or Fig. 10 of the accompanying drawings.

4. A cut and creased blank erectable into a carton according to claim 1, wherein the blank has two lozenge shaped panels which define the said sides.

5. A cut and creased blank erectable into a carton according to claim 1, wherein the blank has a lozenge shaped panel which defines one of the said sides and half lozenge shaped panels which overlap and are glued together to define the other of said sides.

6. A cut and creased blank erectable into a carton for holding an article such as a chocolate Easter Egg substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig.

6 or Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A method of producing a package comprising a carton and an article such as a chocolate Easter Egg comprising partially erecting a blank according to claim 4 or 5, by a punch and die operation so that one of the lozenge shaped panels or the lozenge shaped panel forms or form the base of the partially erected carton, the article then being placed in the partially erected carton, and the erection then being completed.

8. A method of producing a package comprising a carton and an article such as a chocolate Easter Egg comprising partially erecting a blank according to claim 4, by a punch and die operation so that a panel connecting the two lozenge shaped panels forms the base of the partially erected carton and said sides form upwardly extending side walls, the article is inserted in the partially erected carton between the side walls, and then the erection of the carton is completed.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, substantially as any of the examples herebefore described.