JP2006151468A - Top-grip-type carton - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive carton capable of surely containing an article with a simple assembly process, and a carton blank. <P>SOLUTION: A top-grip-type carton for carrying a plurality of articles such as cans includes an article cover structure and a pair of sidewall panels. The article cover structure includes at least one top wall panel and a pair of article fixing panels each having an article engaging slit. Each of the pair of sidewall panels is connected to a lower end of the pair of article fixing panels. Ends of the adjacent sidewall panels are connected to each other at the front end and the rear end of the carton. Fixing members extending from the front end and the rear end to fix the article are formed on the carton. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a carton that accommodates a plurality of articles such as cans, and more particularly to a carton that is easy to assemble and can greatly reduce raw material costs.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, cartons for storing a plurality of articles such as beverage cans such as soft drinks for distribution and use by consumers have been provided. When a consumer purchases such an article in a carton unit, the consumer carries the carton by a gripping means formed on the top of the carton, and takes out the article by destroying the carton when taking out the article.

  In general, a carton for storing articles is composed of a box-shaped carton comprising a top wall panel, a bottom wall panel, front and rear side walls, and a top wall panel, a bottom wall panel, and a pair of side wall panels. A so-called round-up carton or the like having a cylindrical structure in which is opened is used.

  However, in such a box-shaped carton or a round-up carton, it is necessary to cover the entire article to be accommodated, so that a large amount of cardboard or the like used as a raw material is used, and improvement in cost has been demanded. .

  In response to this problem, a top gripping carton is proposed in which the entire can can be fixed and accommodated by fixing only a part of the article to be accommodated, for example, only the upper end of the can, and the amount of raw materials used is small. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  However, although the top gripping carton described in the above document is fixed at the upper end of the can, there is no support means at other portions, for example, the side or bottom of the can, so the carton When gripping and transporting, the lower part of the can moves in the horizontal direction. As a result, the upper end of the can is unfixed and the can falls off the carton.

  In order to solve this problem, in addition to fixing the upper end of the can, a top gripping carton including a side wall panel and side wall panel fixing means has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 3). According to this carton, after fixing the upper end portion of the can, the side wall panel can be brought into close contact with the side surface of the can, and further, the side wall panel can be fixed at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton. It can be suppressed from moving out of the carton.

US Pat. No. 3,245,711 (drawings, abstract) US Pat. No. 3,432,202 (drawings, abstract) US Pat. No. 5,355,999 (drawings, abstracts)

  However, the side wall panel fixing means of the carton described in Patent Document 3 requires a plurality of panel folding steps for connecting the side wall panels at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton, and the assembly of the carton is complicated. Had. In addition, a plurality of panels that connect the side wall panels may be loosened during use of the carton if they are simply folded, causing the articles to fall off. There is a problem that a process is required and it is difficult to achieve automation of a carton assembly process using a machine.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can reduce costs by using a small amount of raw materials, can securely fix and store articles, and can be automated by an easy assembly process. The object is to provide a top gripping carton and its carton blank that can also be achieved.

  The present invention is a top gripping type carton for holding a plurality of articles such as cans, comprising an article cover structure and a pair of side wall panels, wherein the article cover structure includes at least one top wall panel, A pair of article fixing panels having article engagement slits, each of the pair of side wall panels being connected to the lower end of the pair of article fixing panels, and the ends of the adjacent side wall panels being The front end portion and the rear end portion are connected to each other to form a fixing member that extends to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton and fixes the article.

  In the top gripping carton of the present invention having the above configuration, the article can be fixed mainly by the top wall panel and the side wall panel, and the end portions of the adjacent side wall panels can be connected to each other to form a fixing member. In addition to the fact that the article can be securely fixed and accommodated, the raw material cost can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional carton that requires the front and rear end panels and the bottom wall panel. Moreover, since the connection means of the side wall panel is simplified as compared with the conventional carton, assembly automation can be achieved by a mechanized line.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to the carton and carton blank of the form demonstrated below.
FIG. 1 shows a blank 1a for forming a carton for accommodating a plurality of articles such as cans, which is made of cardboard or a similar foldable sheet material. In FIG. 1, the blank 1 a includes a first side wall panel 10 a, article fixing panels 11 and 13, a first top wall panel 12, a gripping panel 14 a, article fixing panels 15 and 17, and a second top wall panel 16. And a second side wall panel 18a, which are continuously connected by fold lines 20 to 28 so as to be foldable. By folding these panels, the top of an article such as a can is fixed by the article fixing panel and the top wall panel, and a carton that supports the side of the article by the side wall panel is formed. Various flaps and slits described below are formed on the panels 10a to 18a and on the edges of the panels.

  An article fixing flap 31 is punched and formed on the article fixing panels 11 and 13 by an article fixing slit 41 made of a cut line. The article fixing slit 41 is formed so as to protrude on the crease lines 21 and 22 which are the boundary lines between the first top wall panel 12 and the article fixing panels 11 and 13. A plurality of pairs of the article fixing slits 41 and the article fixing flaps 31 are formed in pairs. Similarly, an article fixing flap 31 is formed on the article fixing panels 15 and 17 by punching an article fixing slit 41 made of a cut line, and the article fixing slit 41 is formed between the second top wall panel 16 and the article. A plurality of pairs are formed so as to protrude on the crease lines 26 and 27 which are boundaries between the fixed panels 15 and 17 and in pairs.

  In the assembled state of the carton, these article fixing flaps 31 are brought into contact with the top surfaces of the articles, and at the same time, the end portions of the top surfaces of the articles are hooked on these article fixing slits 41 and the article fixing flaps 31 and the article fixing slits 41 are placed. The product is supported by the pinching of and prevents it from falling out of the carton. Since this support mechanism fixes the top surface of the article, the article can be prevented from falling off in the vertical direction.

  A slide lock flap 30 is formed on the front end side (left side in FIG. 1) and the rear end side (right side) of the second side wall panel 18a. In addition, slide lock flap receiving slits 40 are formed by punching on the front end side and the rear end side of the first side wall panel 10a.

  In the assembled state of the carton, the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a are respectively inserted into the slide lock flap receiving slit 40 by inserting the slide lock flaps 30 formed at the end portions thereof, and A fixing member extending at the rear end and supporting the article is formed. The fixing member supports the side surface of the article and restrains the article in the horizontal direction, and can prevent the article from falling off the carton.

  On the two gripping panels 14a, gripping flaps 32a are respectively formed by punching. These gripping flaps 32a form gripping means (handle) in the assembled state of the carton, and the user can easily carry the carton containing the article by gripping the gripping means.

  In order to assemble the carton from the blank 1a shown in FIG. 1, a continuous folding operation is performed. The bending operation is performed without reversing or rotating the blank or carton with a linear machine line. The following shows the procedure, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

  First, a method of placing the can on the top wall panel with the upper end of the can facing down will be described. Articles such as cans are placed one by one on the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 16 of the blank 1a placed horizontally. Next, the article fixing panel 11 and the first side wall panel 10a are bent upward (inward of the carton) along the crease line 21, and one row is formed in the gap formed between the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41. Insert the end of the top of the can. Similarly, the article fixing panel 17 and the second side wall panel 18a are folded upward along the crease line 27, and the end portion of the top surface of the cans in the other row is inserted. Subsequently, the grip panel 14a is brought close to each other so that the crease line 24 moves downward (outward of the carton) and the crease lines 23 and 25 move upward (inward of the carton). Then, the article fixing panels 13 and 15 are bent upward (inward of the carton), and the other end portion of the top surface of the can is inserted into the gap formed between the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41.

  Finally, the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a are bent so as to wrap around the outer periphery of the can and are brought into close contact with the side surface of the can, and the slide lock flaps 30 formed at both ends of the second side wall panel 18a are opposed to each other. The first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a are connected by being inserted into slide lock flap receiving slits 40 formed at both ends of the first side wall panel 10a, and used as a fixing member. Thus, a package in which a plurality of cans are loaded in a carton as shown in FIG. 11 is completed.

  In the above method, the cans were first placed in two rows and the cartons were assembled symmetrically. However, as another embodiment, the cans were first placed on one top wall panel. Then, both ends of the top surface of the can are fixed by the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41, and then the can is placed on the other top wall panel, and the can is fixed by the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41. The top surface may be fixed sequentially.

  Next, a method of arranging the carton blanks on top of the cans will be described. The blank 1a is mounted on the cans arranged in two rows horizontally by aligning the positions of the article fixing slits 41 on the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 16 of the blank 1a. Next, the article fixing panel 11 and the first side wall panel 10a are bent downward (inward of the carton) along the crease line 21, and one row is formed in the gap formed between the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41. Insert the end of the top of the can. Similarly, the article fixing panel 17 and the second side wall panel 18a are bent downward along the crease line 27, and the end portion of the top surface of the cans in the other row is inserted. Subsequently, the gripping panel 14a is brought close to each other so that the crease line 24 moves upward (outward of the carton) and the crease lines 23 and 25 move downward (inward of the carton), and the fold lines 22 and 26 are brought close to each other. Then, the article fixing panels 13 and 15 are bent downward (inward of the carton), and the other end portion of the top surface of the can is inserted into the gap formed between the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41.

  Finally, in the same manner as described above, the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a are bent so as to wrap around the outer periphery of the can and are closely attached to the side surface of the can, and slides formed at both ends of the second side wall panel 18a. The lock flap 30 is inserted into slide lock flap receiving slits 40 formed at both ends of the opposing first side wall panel 10a, and the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a are connected to serve as a fixing member.

  In the carton of this embodiment, the top end surface of the article is fixed by the top wall panel and the article fixing panel to fix the article in the vertical direction, and the article is provided by the side wall panel and a fixing member formed of the end of the side wall panel. Is restrained in the horizontal direction, so that dropping of articles can be reliably suppressed despite the use of less raw materials compared to conventional box-shaped cartons and round-up cartons. In addition, since the method of forming the fixing member including the end portion of the side wall panel is simplified by inserting the slide lock flap into the slide lock flap receiving slit, not only the assembly can be easily performed but also the assembly line Can also be automated. In addition, since the slide lock flap is engaged with the slide lock flap receiving slit and cannot be easily removed, the occurrence of loosening with use as in the conventional carton is suppressed.

  Next, a carton blank 1b according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the blank 1b includes a first side wall panel 10a, an article fixing panel 11, a first top wall panel 12, a grip panel 14, a second top wall panel 16, an article fixing panel 17, and a second one. And a side wall panel 18a, which are continuously connected to each other by fold lines 20 to 28 so as to be foldable. The difference from the blank 1a in FIG. 1 is that the article support panels 13 and 15 in FIG. 1 are omitted and integrated with the gripping panel, and the gripping panel 14b has a function as an article support panel. These panels are bent, one end of the top surface of the article is fixed by the article fixing panel and the top wall panel, the other end of the top surface of the article is fixed by the grip panel and the top wall panel, and the side surface of the article is further fixed by the side wall panel. A supporting carton is formed. Various flaps and slits described below are formed on the panels 10a to 18a and on the edges of the panels.

  Similar to the blank 1a, an article fixing flap 31 is formed by punching an article fixing slit 41 made of a cut line on the article fixing panels 11 and 17, and the article fixing slit 41 is formed by the first top wall panel 12 and the article. It is formed so as to protrude on a crease line 21 that is a boundary line with the fixed panel 11 and a crease line 27 that is a boundary line between the second top wall panel 16 and the article fixing panel 17. Further, the article fixing flap 31 punched and formed by the article fixing slit 41 made of a cut line is a boundary line 22 between the first top wall panel 12 and the gripping panel 14b, and a boundary between the second top wall panel 16 and the gripping panel 14b. It is formed so as to protrude also on the line 26, and a plurality of pairs are formed in pairs.

  Similarly to the blank 1a, slide lock flaps 30 are formed on the front end side and the rear end side of the second side wall panel 18a, and slide lock flaps are received on the front end side and the rear end side of the first side wall panel 10a. A slit 40 is formed by punching.

  On the two gripping panels 14b, a finger hooking hole 42 and a finger hooking flap 32b are formed by punching. The finger hooking hole 42 is for a user to insert a finger in a state in which the carton is assembled, and can easily carry the carton containing the article. The finger hook flap 32b is provided to alleviate the sharp edge of the blank being pressed by the finger when the finger is inserted into the finger hook hole.

  Since the continuous bending operation for assembling the carton from the blank 1b conforms to the blank 1a described above, description thereof is omitted. The grip panel 14b which is different from the blank 1a is bent so that the crease line 24 moves inward of the carton. FIG. 12 shows a package in which a plurality of cans assembled with the blank 1b are loaded.

  A carton blank 1c according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3, and 1d is shown in FIG. Since the panels, crease lines, flaps, and slits constituting the blanks 1c and 1d conform to the blanks 1a and 1b, the description thereof is omitted. The difference from the blanks 1a and 1b is both ends (the right side and the left side in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a corresponding to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton. This portion serves as a gluing portion, and when connecting the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a, gluing is performed on one of the two and the panels can be connected to form a fixing member.

  Carton blanks 1e to 1h according to other embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. In the blanks 1e to 1h, the first side wall panel 10a and the second side wall panel 18a in the blanks 1a to 1d are replaced with a first shortened side wall panel 10b and a second shortened side wall panel 18b, respectively. FIGS. 13 and 14 are perspective views of a package in which a plurality of cans are loaded on the blanks 1e to 1h. As shown in the drawing, the shortened side wall panel is fixed in close contact with only a part (center) of the cans to be accommodated.

  As the procedure for assembling these cartons, each panel constituting the carton is the same as the procedure described above except that cans are placed one by one only in the central portions on the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 16. The first shortened side wall panel 10b and the second shortened side wall panel 18b are brought into close contact with the periphery of these two cans, and slides formed at both ends of the first shortened side wall panel 10b and the second shortened side wall panel 18b. The first shortened side wall panel 10b and the second shortened side wall panel 18b are connected to each other by a locking flap or glued connecting means to form a fixing member. Finally, the cans are arranged at the remaining portions on the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 16 and fixed by the article fixing flap 31 and the article fixing slit 41.

  According to the blanks 1e to 1h described above, the cans arranged at the central portions on the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 18 are fixed to each other at both ends of the shortened side wall panel and the shortened side wall panel. Since it is restrained by the member, the first top wall panel 12 and the second top wall panel 16 are fixed to each other and cannot be separated. As a result, the horizontal movement of all cans fixed to the carton can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the shortened side wall panel is used, the raw material cost of the carton can be further reduced, which is preferable.

  In the above embodiment, examples of the engagement and gluing of the slide lock flap and the slide lock flap receiving slit have been described as the method of forming the fixing member, but the present invention is not limited to these, and any connection is possible. Measures can be taken.

  An example of such other connecting means is a plunger locking mechanism shown in FIG. In FIG. 9A, reference numeral 33 denotes a plunger lock flap formed at the end of the second side wall panel 18a, b, and reference numeral 43 denotes a punched out end at the end of the adjacent first side wall panel 10a, b. The plunger lock flap receiving slit. As shown in FIG. 9B, the plunger lock flap 33 is overlapped with the plunger lock flap receiving slit 43, the plunger lock flap 33 is pressed perpendicularly to the extending direction of the plunger lock flap 33, and the plunger lock flap receiving slit is pressed. The fixing member can be formed by being inserted into 43 and engaged.

  Still another example of the connecting means is a heel and toe lock mechanism shown in FIG. In FIG. 10A, reference numeral 34 denotes a toe flap formed at the end portion of the second side wall panel 18a, b, and reference numeral 35 denotes an inward punching formation from the end portion of the second side wall panel 18a, b. Reference numeral 44 denotes a heel and toe lock flap receiving opening formed by punching at the end of the adjacent first side wall panel 10a, b. In this mechanism, first, the toe flap 34 is inserted into the receiving opening 44 and slid, and the first side wall panel and the second side wall panel are overlapped so as to be in the position shown in FIG. Engage with one end of the receiving opening 44. Subsequently, the fixing member can be formed by pressing the heel flap 35 vertically and inserting it into the receiving opening 44 and engaging with the other end of the receiving opening 44. This heel and toe lock mechanism is suitable in that both the toe flap and the heel flap are engaged with both ends of the receiving opening, and a strong fixing member is obtained.

  In the embodiment of the present invention described above, a carton having a pair of top wall panels and containing two rows of cans has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to these, for example, The present invention can be applied to a carton that has a single top wall panel and accommodates articles of one row, or a carton that accommodates articles of any number or number of rows such as three rows or four rows.

  In the embodiment of the present invention described above, an example of a carton having a grip panel for forming the grip means has been described. However, the grip means is not an essential component, and the present invention omits the grip panel. The present invention can be applied to a carton having a shape or other arbitrary gripping means.

  The terms used in the above description for directions such as top, bottom, edge, front, back, inside, and outside do not limit each panel to such a direction, but simply distinguish the panels from each other. It is only for the purpose. The term crease line does not necessarily refer to a single crease line, and can easily be one or more score lines, for example lines perforated or thinned by press embossing, etc., without departing from the scope of the present invention. It may be a line that bends or bends. The present invention can also be applied to cartons of articles of various arrangements without departing from the scope of the invention.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce costs by using a small amount of raw materials, to reliably fix and store articles, and to achieve automation through an easy assembly process. Also possible top gripping cartons and carton blanks can be provided.

It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a holding means (handle) and a slide lock flap connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a finger hooking means and a slide lock flap connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a holding means (grip) and a gluing connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a finger hooking means and a gluing connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a shortening side wall panel, a holding means (handle), and a slide lock flap connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a shortened side wall panel, a finger hooking means, and a slide lock flap connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a shortened side wall panel, a holding means (handle), and a gluing connection means. It is a top view which shows the carton blank which is embodiment of this invention which has a shortened side wall panel, a finger hooking means, and a gluing connection means. It is a schematic diagram which shows a plunger lock flap connection means. It is a schematic diagram which shows a heel and toe lock flap connection means. It is a perspective view which shows the carton of FIG. 1 in the state which accommodated the articles | goods. It is a perspective view which shows the carton of FIG. 2 in the state which accommodated the articles | goods. It is a perspective view which shows the carton of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 of the state which accommodated the articles | goods. It is a perspective view which shows the carton of FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 of the state which accommodated the articles | goods.

Explanation of symbols

1a ~ 1h carton blank
10a 1st side wall panel 10b 1st shortened side wall panel 11 goods fixed panel 12 1st top wall panel 13 goods fixed panel 14a, b grip panel 15 goods fixed panel 16 2nd top wall panel 17 goods fixed panel 18a 2nd side wall panel 18b Second shortened side wall panel 20 to 28 Folded line 30 Slide lock flap 31 Article fixing flap 32a Holding flap 32b Finger hook flap 33 Plunger lock flap 34 Toe flap 35 Heel flap 40 Lock flap receiving slit 41 Article fixing slit 42 Finger hook hole 43 Plunger lock flap Receiving slit 44 Heel and toe lock flap receiving opening

Claims (5)

A top gripping carton for holding a plurality of articles such as cans,
The carton includes an article cover structure and a pair of side wall panels,
The article cover structure includes at least one top wall panel and a pair of article fixing panels each having an article engagement slit,
Each of the pair of side wall panels is connected to a lower end of the pair of article fixing panels,
The end portions of the adjacent side wall panels are connected to each other at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton, and extend to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the carton to form a fixing member that fixes the article. A top gripping carton characterized by the above.   2. The top gripping carton according to claim 1, wherein the pair of side wall panels and the fixing member are fixed so as to surround an outer periphery of all accommodated articles.   The top gripping carton includes at least a pair of top wall panels, and the pair of side wall panels and the fixing member are attached to one of the top wall panels among the articles accommodated in contact with the at least one pair of top wall panels. 2. The top gripping carton according to claim 1, wherein the top gripping carton surrounds and accommodates an outer periphery connecting a side surface of the fixed article and a side surface of the article fixed to the other top wall panel.   The connecting means includes a slide lock flap having a wide engaging portion at an end portion of the pair of side wall panels, and a receiving slit into which the engaging portion of the slide lock flap is inserted and engaged with each other. The top gripping carton according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The top gripping carton according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting means is a glue for connecting the side wall panels to each other.

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