GB2355255A

GB2355255A - Carton for placing articles

Info

Publication number: GB2355255A
Application number: GB9924051A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adele Goodwin; Andrew Glover
Original assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: David S Smith Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 1999-10-11
Filing date: 1999-10-11
Publication date: 2001-04-18
Also published as: GB9924051D0

Abstract

A carton for containing articles such as cans comprises means, such as a tear strip 5, for opening the carton such that subsequent sliding of the articles relative to at least a base 7 of the carton serves to place the articles on a surface on which the carton is situated. The base of the carton may form a tray 7 after being detached from the remainder of the carton. Preferably, an inner sleeve is provided within the carton, the base 7 being slid out from under the articles while holding the sleeve after removing the outer part of the carton and the sleeve subsequently being removed from the articles. In an alternative embodiment, the carton comprises a tube having a detachable strap spanning an end of the tube for retaining articles such as smaller cartons.

Description

2355255 CARTON FOR PLACING ARTICLES The present invention relates to a

packaging carton for placing articles on a surface such as a shelf, and to a blank or set of blanks for forming such a carton.

When a number of articles, such as cans or packets, is supplied to a store in a carton, it is time consuming to place the articles on a shelf for display one by one. A known carton therefore has a tear strip running around the carton near its base. The carton is placed on the shelf and the strip is torn, -creating a tray for the articles whilst the remainder of the carton is removed. However, this tray can be unsightly and requires separate disposal when the articles are sold.

The present invention provides a carton for containing at least one article, comprising means for opening the carton such that subsequent sliding of the or each article relative to at least a base of the carton serves to place the or each article on a surface on which the carton is situated.

The opening means may comprise a portion of one panel of the carton surrounded by perforations and attached to another panel such that tearing around the perforations separates the panels, leaving said portion attached to said other panel.

Preferably, the carton is in the form of a right parallelepiped.

In an embodiment of the invention, the carton has a tear strip running around the carton adjacent its base, tearing of the strip creating a tray f rom the base of the carton, one side of said tray not being connected to the adjacent two sides. An inner sleeve may be provided inside the carton, said sleeve being open at the openable side of the carton or tray.

In an alternative embodiment, the carton comprises a tube having a detachable strap spanning an end of the tube S for retaining the or each article. A further detachable strap may be provided at the other end of the tube. A panel of the tube may be provided with a tear strip running therealong for accessing the or each article.

The invention also provides a blank or set of blanks for forming a carton as defined above.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carton according to an embodiment of the invention, Figures 2 to 4 show stages in the opening of the carton of f igure 1 and placement of articles on a shelf; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a carton according to an alternative embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a right -parallelepipedic carton formed from a blank of stiff but foldable material such as doublefaced corrugated paperboard. End f laps 1 of the carton include perforated gluing portions 2 which are glued to side f laps 3 to close the carton. An inner sleeve 4, shown in Figures 3 and 4, open at one end and at the top and bottom and formed from a separate blank, is located inside the carton.

A tear strip 5 runs around the carton near its base.

The tear strip may be made in any conventional manner, but is conveniently formed by an 11 mm. wide strip of "Sesame" tape (trade mark of Sesame Industries Ltd., Quebec, Canada) located between the outer facing sheet of the board and the corrugated ply and another 11 mm wide strip located on the face of the inner facing sheet which faces away from the corrugated ply to lie symmetrically behind the first mentioned strip.

As shown in Figure 2, the tear strip 5 is torn bygrasping a pulling tab 6 at a point where the reinforcing tape is cut. The upper part of the carton is then removed, leaving a tray 7 f ormed by the base of the carton. The end panel 8 of the tray 7, at the end of the carton where the sleeve 4 is open, is not connected to the adjacent side panels of the tray 7, and drops down on tearing the tear strip 5.

The removed upper portion of the carton can easily be dismantled and packed flat for disposal or recycling. This is achieved by pulling the end f laps 1 so that the gluing portions 2 are detached from the remainder of the end flaps whilst remaining glued to the respective side f laps 3.

Referring to Figure 3, after removal of the upper portion of the carton, the articles previously contained in the carton are stabilised by the inner sleeve 4. In this example the articles consist of cans 9 stacked in two layers. In this condition the tray 7, sleeve 4 and articles 9 are placed on a shelf 10. The tray 7 can then be slid out by pulling whilst holding the sleeve 4. The sleeve is then removed as shown in Figure 4, leaving the articles 9 in place on the shelf 10.

Perforated gluing portions can also be provided as part of the tray 7 for ease in dismantling it.

This embodiment of the invention is particularly suitable for packaging substantially cylindrical articles such as cans and jars and provides good transit protection for such articles. It is easy to use and packaging can take place on a standard case erector/ ins e rtor machine or by hand.

An alternative carton, particularly suitable for packaging right -parallelepipedic articles such as cereal or soap powder cartons, is shown in Figure 5. It comprises an open-ended tube 11 formed from a blank and containing articles 12. A tear strip 13 runs along one panel of the tube. Straps 14 span the ends of the tube 11 and are attached to opposite panels of the tube by means of perforated gluing portions 15 of the straps. The straps 14 retain the articles 12 and provide economy in the use of the board material.

is In use, the straps 14 are firstly removed from the carton by detaching the gluing portions 15 from the straps, the gluing portions 15 remaining attached to the tube 11. At this point the tear strip 13 may optionally be torn to provide access to the articles. The carton is then placed on the shelf and either the tube is slid out leaving the articles 12 in place or the articles 12 are pushed out through the tube ii. The latter is then folded flat for easy disposal.

This embodiment of the invention is also very easy to use and provides good transit protection. It is suitable for a wrap- around machine with a separate unit or hoppers for applying the straps (Douglas Machine Corporation) or alternatively for manual erection.

It will be appreciated that cartons according to the invention allow for easy placement of the entire contents on a shelf or similar surface leaving no part of the packaging on the shelf.

The invention also provides blanks f or f orming the cartons. A detailed description of the blanks is not considered necessary as their form can be deduced from the above description of the cartons and the accompanying 5 drawings.

Claims

1 A carton f or containing at least one article, comprising means for opening the carton such that subsequent sliding of the or each article relative to at least a base S of the carton serves to place the or each article on a surface on which the carton is situated.

2. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the opening means comprises a portion of one panel of the carton surrounded by perforations and attached to another panel such that tearing around the perforations separates the panels, leaving said portion attached to said other panel.

3. A carton according to claim 1 or 2, in the f orm of a rightparallelepiped.

4. A carton acco rding to claim 1, 2 or 3, having a 1S tear strip running around the carton adjacent its base, tearing of the strip creating a tray from the base of the carton, one side of said tray not being connected to the adjacent two sides.

5. A carton according to any preceding claim, wherein an inner sleeve is provided inside the carton, said sleeve being open at an openable side of the carton or the openable side of the tray.

6. A carton according to claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising a tube having a detachable strap spanning an end of the tube for retaining the or each article.

7. A carton according to claim 6, wherein a further detachable strap is provided at the other end of the tube.

8. A carton according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a panel of the tube is provided with a tear strip running therealong for accessing the or each article.

9. A carton substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A blank or set of blanks for forming a carton 5 according to any preceding claim.