KR20050113591A - Tubular carton with article retention tabs and blank therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A carton includes a tubular structure (27) for surrounding at least one article (3a, 3b) and an article- retaining structure for engaging a recess (16) of an article (3b) to prevent the article from dislodging from one of opposite open ends of the tubular structure. The article-retaining structure includes a retention tab (18) hingedly connected to the tubular structure along a first fold line (25), and a spacer tab (23) disposed adjacent to the retention tab (18) and hingedly connected to the tubular structure along a second fold line (21) that is juxtaposed to the first fold line (25). The retention tab (18) is folded more than 90 degrees inwardly along the first fold line (25) to define an acute angle with respect to the inside surface of the tubular structure (27). The spacer tab is folded more than 90 degrees inwardly along the second fold line (21) to be disposed between the retention tab (18) and the inside surface of the tubular structure (27).

Description

TUBULAR CARTON WITH ARTICLE RETENTION TABS AND BLANK THEREFOR}

Background

The present invention relates to a carton for packaging an article and a blank for forming the carton, in particular a tubular carton with wrap-around carton with an article retaining tab engaged with the concave end of the article and a blank for forming the carton. It is about.

Tubular cartons and wraparound cartons are well known as means for packaging articles, such as cans and bottles, to facilitate movement of one or more articles from one place of purchase to another. Patent No. 2,571,833 discloses one of the conventional cartons for packaging cylindrical articles of similar size, such as steel cans having cylindrical sidewalls, circular tops, circular bottoms and circular chimes, each formed around a can end. .

FIG. 12 shows a blank of a conventional carton designed to wrap a steel can, and FIG. 13 shows a cross sectional view of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 12. The carton of Figure 13 houses a steel can. The carton blank 62 is a top wall panel 63, a pair of sidewall panels 65, 65 and a fold line 66 connected to opposite side edges of the top wall panel 63 along the fold lines 64, 64. And a pair of bottom wall panels 67a and 67b connected to the side wall panels 65 and 65 along the line 66. The bottom wall panels 67a and 67b are designed to be joined to each other at each free end in an overlapping form to form multiple bottom walls 68 of the carton 61. A pair of chestnut-shaped top retaining tabs 69, 69 having similar shapes along each end edge of the top wall panel 63 is provided. Each of the retaining tabs 69, 69 is aligned side by side and hingedly connected to each end edge along the fold line 70. Semi-circular lower retaining tabs 71 are provided at each end edge of each bottom wall panel 67a, 67b. The lower retaining tab 71 is hingedly connected to each bottom wall panel along the fold line.

To assemble the carton 61 from the blank 62, the blanks are folded along the fold lines 64, 66, and the bottom wall panels 67a, 67b are joined together to form a tubular structure. The upper and lower retaining tabs 69, 71 fold inward along the respective fold lines 70, 72 so that each retaining tab is disposed inside the tubular structure. The assembled carton 61 is designed to accommodate six cans 74 arranged in two rows each containing three cans. The packaging container in which the article is contained is indicated by the reference numeral '73' in FIG.

Folded tabs 69 and 71 tend to be restored to their original position because of the elasticity of the sheet material, such as cardboard forming the blank. As a result, retaining tabs 69 and 71 are pressed against respective end walls 75 and 76 of associated end cans 74 and engage respective can chimes 77 and 78. Usually, the can chime of a steel can has a cylindrical inner surface perpendicular to each can end. Thus, the free end of each retaining tab is held in stable engagement with the inner surface 79 of each chime. This allows the can to remain stable in the carton.

The conventional carton has the disadvantage of being difficult to receive articles having hemispherical concave ends. Examples of articles include aluminum cans. Aluminum cans generally have a hemispherical concave bottom continuous to the cylindrical can sidewalls. The concave bottom forms a gentle curve forming a domed ceiling. There is no chime between the bottom and side walls. It is difficult to keep this type of concave bottom in engagement with the folded retaining tab. In FIG. 14, the concave bottom 80 of the aluminum can 81 extends in all directions to the perimeter 82 of the bottom of the can. The free end edge of the lower retaining tab 71 is thus positioned adjacent to the concave bottom 80 and slides toward the circumference 82 during transport, so that the tab 71 is the bottom wall 68 of the carton. Folded flat on. This can cause the can to come out of the carton.

Accordingly, there is a need for a tubular or wraparound carton that stably receives an article having a hemispherical end edge and effectively prevents the article from exiting through the open end of the carton.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention a carton is provided for packaging one or more articles. The carton may comprise article retaining means for engaging a recess in one of the one or more articles to prevent the escape of one article from one of the tubular structures surrounding the one or more articles and the opposing open ends of the tubular structures. Include. The article holding means is hingedly connected to the tubular structure along a second fold line parallel to the first fold line and is disposed adjacent to the retaining tab. A spacer tab. The retaining tab is folded at least 90 ° inward along the first fold line to form an acute angle with respect to the inner surface of the tubular structure. The spacer tab is folded at least 90 ° inward along a second fold line to be disposed between the retaining tab and the inner side of the tubular structure. In this arrangement, a spacer tab serves as a spacer interposed between the retaining tab and the tubular structure, wherein the spacer tab is positioned at a sharp angle with the inner surface of the retaining tab from an inner surface of the tubular structure. The retaining tab is retained. At such an angled position the retaining tab projects inward from the inner side of the tubular structure such that the retaining tab remains engaged with the recess of the associated article.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the spacer tab is formed from a portion of the tubular structure between the first and second fold lines, and the retaining tab is formed from the outer material of the tubular structure. By such arrangement, the holding tab and the spacer tab can be folded in the same direction, thereby facilitating the mechanization of the tab folding process. When the retaining tab and the spacer tab are designed to be folded toward each other, the spacer tab may unexpectedly emerge from the space between the retaining tab and the tubular structure. Arrangement as in the present invention can eliminate such an accident. In this embodiment, a portion of the spacer tab can be formed from the retaining tab. In other arrangements, the spacer tabs are folded slightly in advance so that the spacer tabs automatically fold when the retaining tabs are folded. This arrangement also facilitates the mechanization of the tab folding process.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the maximum distance between the first fold line and the free end edge of the retaining tab is greater than the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line. This causes the spacer tab to be positioned between the retaining tab and the tubular structure when the retaining tab and the spacer tab are folded over 90 °. In this embodiment, the maximum distance is greater than the sum of the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line and the distance between the second fold line and the free end edge of the spacer tab. This arrangement allows the retaining tab to cross the free end edge of the spacer tab so that not only part of the spacer tab but also the entirety of the retaining tab is between the retaining tab and the tubular structure.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a carton blank for forming the carton discussed so far. The blank includes a plurality of panels continuously hingedly connected to form a tubular structure for enclosing one or more articles and article holding means for engaging the recess of one of the one or more articles. The article holding means comprises a retaining tab hingedly connected to a panel of the blank along a first fold line and a spacer tab hingedly connected to a panel along a second fold line parallel to the first fold line. The retaining tab extends away from the first fold line with respect to the second fold line while the spacer tab extends from the second fold line toward the first fold line. The maximum distance between the first fold line and the free end of the retention tab is greater than the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line.

In an embodiment of the blank according to the invention, at least part of the spacer tab is formed from part of one panel between the first and second fold lines. The retaining tab is formed from the outer material of one panel. In this embodiment, at least some of the spacer tabs are formed from retention tabs.

In yet another embodiment, the maximum distance between the first fold line and the free end edge of the retention tab is greater than the distance between the first and second fold lines. In this embodiment, the maximum distance is greater than the sum of the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line and the distance between the second fold line and the free end edge of the spacer tab.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

1 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a first embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a view showing an end portion of a carton in which the blank shown in FIG. 1 is half mounted, showing one step of raising the blank; FIG.

3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a packaging container formed from the carton of FIG. 2 and a number of articles (ie cans) loaded thereon;

4 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

5 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a third embodiment of the present invention,

6 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention,

7 is a cross sectional view of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 6, FIG.

8 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention,

9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 8;

10 is a plan view of a carton blank according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross section of a portion of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 10;

12 is a plan view of a blank for forming a conventional carton,

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIG. 12, with a double dashed line showing a steel can loaded on the carton;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the carton shown in FIG. 13, illustrating the bottom of an aluminum can loaded on the carton. FIG.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be described based on various embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 11.

In the following embodiment according to the invention, a can with a hemispherical concave bottom, such as an article in the form of an aluminum can, is wrapped in the blank or carton of the invention. The cans used in the cartons or blanks of each example have similar sizes. Each can has a cylindrical sidewall, a circular top and a circular bottom. The top of the can is connected to the upper end of the side wall by a can chime while the bottom of the can is integrally formed with the side wall. The bottom is concave or curved to form a domed ceiling. Examples of such a can are shown in Figs. 3, 7, 9 and 11. However, the article usable in the present invention is not limited to an article in the form of an aluminum can, and a bottle having an article in the form of a steel can and a bottom recess is also possible.

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the carton blank 1 in the form of an elongate rectangle is formed of a sheet material that can be folded, such as cardboard or sheet plastic. A rectangular top wall panel 2 is provided around the blank. The width W1 of the top wall panel 2 corresponds to N × d1, where N is a positive integer, preferably 2, and d1 is a top of a can 3 of a size suitable for a carton formed from the blank 1. Is the diameter. The length of the top wall panel 2 is M × d 1, where M is a positive integer, preferably 2, and d 1 is the diameter of the top of the can 3. Although L1 is M × d1, cans of M + 1 can also be housed in the carton along each side edge of the top wall panel 2, with half of each end can being exposed to the naked eye for each carton end Protrudes from.

A pair of hemispherical top retaining tabs 5, 5 is hingedly connected to each end edge of the top wall panel 2 along the fold line 6. Each pair of upper retaining tabs 5 is arranged side by side along the fold line 6. The diameter of each upper retaining tab 5 is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the upper diameter of the can 3.

The pair of side wall panels 8, 8 are hingedly connected to opposite side edges of the top wall panel 2 along the fold line 9, respectively. The height H1 of each sidewall panel 8 is equal to the can 3 height or length. Opposite end edges of each side wall panel 8 draw a concave curve towards each other. Each sidewall panel 8 is formed with a middle fold line 10 which is arranged side by side with the fold line 9 and crosses the sidewall panel 8.

The pair of right angled bottom wall panels 12a, 12b are hingedly connected to the lower edges of the side wall panels 8, 8, respectively. The bottom wall panels 12a, 12b are designed to be joined in a superimposed manner to form multiple bottom walls 14 when the blanks are assembled into a carton. The width W2 of each bottom wall panel determines its size such that the width of the multiple bottom walls 14 is N × d2, where N is a positive integer, preferably 2, and d2 is the width of the can bottom. Diameter.

The hemispherical lower retaining tabs 18 are hingedly connected to the end edges of the respective bottom wall panels 12a and 12b along the fold line 25. The diameter of each lower retaining tab 18 is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the bottom 16 of the can 3.

Hemispherical spacer tabs 23 are provided adjacent each lower retaining tab 18. Each spacer tab 23 is formed by a hemispherical cut 22 in part from an adjacent retaining tab 18 and in part from an adjacent end of each bottom wall panel 12a or 12b. . Each spacer tab 23 is hingedly connected to each bottom wall panel 12a or 12b along the fold line 21 and past the fold line 25 of the adjacent retaining tab 18 and adjacent retaining tab 18. Extend toward. The fold lines 21 and 25 are parallel to each other.

The maximum distance between the fold line 25 of each retaining tab 18 and the free end edge of the retaining tab 18 is greater than the sum of D2 and D3, where D2 is between the fold line 25 and the adjacent fold line 21. And D3 is the maximum distance between the adjacent fold line 21 and the free end edge of the adjacent spacer tab 23.

The process of forming the packaging container 30 (FIG. 3) from the blank 1 will now be described.

One of the sidewall panels 8, 8 adjacent to the bottom wall panel 12b is folded along the fold line 10 so that the bottom wall panel 12b is flat with respect to the inner side of the top wall panel 12. An adhesive is applied to the inner side of the bottom wall 12a along the free end edge and the remaining side wall panels 8 fold along the fold line 10. In this way, the bottom wall panels 12a overlap with the bottom wall panels 12b, so that the bottom wall panels 12a and 12b are coupled to each other. In this way a flat tubular carton is formed. In this flat form, the carton is transported from the carton manufacturer to the packaging factory where the goods are loaded into the carton.

In the paver, the flat carton expands the side wall panels 8, 8 in the form of a complete tubular shape between the top wall panel 2 and the bottom wall 14. In order to explain the expansion process of the carton is shown in Figure 2 the half-standing carton. The spacer tab 23 is previously folded inward along the fold line 21, and then the upper retaining tab 5 and the lower retaining tab 18 are folded inward along the fold lines 6 and 25, respectively. The upper retaining tab 5 and the lower retaining tab 18 both fold at least 90 °. When the lower retaining tab 18 is folded, the spacer tab 23 is automatically folded inward along the fold line 21. The final folding of the spacer tab 23 is thus omitted when the retaining tab 18 is folded into the tubular carton 27 and the lower retaining tab adjacent to the free end edge of each of the pre-folded spacer tabs 23. It is because it is caught by the inner surface of (18). Thereafter, the opposite open ends are formed to form the cans 3 of 2 × 3 can packaging containers 3 arranged in two groups, one of which is 2 × 2 and the other of which is 2 × 1. Through a tubular carton (27). In the stacking operation, the upper retaining tab 5 and the lower retaining tab 18 engage the concave top 4 and the concave bottom 16 of the end can 3b, which is best represented in FIG. 3. . In the concave bottom 16 of each end can 3b, the associated lower retaining tab 18 is held in the folded position and is acute with respect to the inner side of the bottom wall 14. In the folded position, the lower retaining tab 18 is pressed against the domed ceiling of the recess 16 of the can 3b due to the elastic force as well as the associated spacer tab 23 under the retaining tab 18. The spacer tab 23 folded over 90 ° is pressed against its adjacent retaining tab 18 at its free end to raise the retaining tab 18. Because of the spacer tab 23, the retaining tab 18 can never be completely folded flat to the bottom wall 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the associated upper retaining tab 5 is located in the recessed upper portion 4 to engage the inner side 29 of the can chime 28 in a conventional manner. The can 3 with hemispherical concave bottom is thus kept stably in the carton 27.

4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The carton of FIG. 4 is a so-called wraparound carton that surrounds the group for applying and packing more than one group of articles. The bottom wall panels 12a and 12b are provided with mechanical locking means for connecting the panels 12a and 12b to each other without using an adhesive. The mechanical locking means comprises a male tab 36 formed by the cut 37 of the bottom wall panel 12a and a female tab 39 protruding from the other bottom wall panel 12b. do. After the panel 12a is positioned to rest on the panel 12b, the male tabs 36 are folded and inserted into the locking holes formed by the female tabs 39 so that the panels 12a and 12b overlap and engage each other. Mechanical confinement means of this type are already well known in the art. Details of the male and female taps are disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,315,123, to which the present invention is cited.

Bevel heel panels 43 are provided between each sidewall panel 8 and adjacent bottom wall panels. Each heel panel 43 is hingedly connected to adjacent side wall panels 8 and bottom wall panels 12 along fold lines 41, 42, respectively. The heel panel 43 is arranged side by side on the tapered lower part 31 of the can 3 when forming the packaging container. Reference numeral 34 in FIG. 4 denotes a finger tab formed by the C-shaped slit 33 of the upper wall panel 2. The finger tab 34 is folded inward of the carton to provide a finger hole used to lift or transport the carton.

5 is a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein the carton is provided with an adhesive tab 58 hingedly connected to one of the opposite side edges of the bottom wall 56 along the fold line 59. The adhesive tab ( 58 is used to connect the bottom wall 56 to the side wall panel 54b to form the blank 52 into a tubular carton, which is a final stacked carton similar to the first embodiment.

6 and 7 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The carton 91 (FIG. 7) of this embodiment is a tubular conveyer similar to the first embodiment. The carton 91 comprises a top wall panel 93, a pair of opposing side wall panels 95, 95 and a fold line 96, 96 connected to the top wall panel 93 along the fold lines 94, 94. A pair of bottom wall panels 97, 97 are thus connected to the side wall panels 95. The bottom wall panels are formed to be joined in an overlapping form to form a tubular carton. The carton differs from the first embodiment in that the upper retaining tab 100, the lower retaining tab 105 and the spacer tab face laterally as opposed to outward when the carton is blank. The upper retaining tab 100 protrudes from the upper wall panel 93 and is connected along the fold line 98. The fold line 98 is disposed parallel to the fold line 94. In the blank shown in FIG. 6, a pair of tabs 98 at each end of the carton extend towards each other from each fold line 98, 98. In addition, each lower retaining tab 105 protrudes from each bottom wall panel 97. Each bottom retaining tab 105 is hingedly connected to each bottom wall panel 97 along a fold line 103 parallel to the adjacent fold line 96 between the bottom wall panel 97 and the adjacent side wall panel. . Each lower retaining tab 105 carries an associated spacer tab 108, some of which is formed from the lower retaining tab 105 and some of which are formed from each bottom wall panel 97. Each spacer tab 108 is hingedly connected to each bottom wall panel 97 along the fold line 106 and extends toward an associated floor retaining tab 105. The fold line 106 of the spacer tab 108 associated with the fold line 103 of each retaining tab 105 is parallel to each other.

The retaining tab 100 and the spacer tab 105 must be held in a folded position so that the can is end-loaded during the can loading operation so that the tab properly engages with the associated can end. The tab and the spacer tab function in the same manner as the first embodiment for holding the can 101 in the carton 91. The manner in which the can is held in the carton 91 is shown in Figure 7 and the top retaining tab. 100 and lower retaining tab 105 are folded over 90 ° with respect to each bottom wall panel 93, 97, and spacer tab 108 also functions as a spacer under each lower retaining tab 105. Fold over 90 °.

8 and 9 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The carton 111 in this embodiment is an end loading carton similar to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the panels 117, 115, 113, 115, and 117 are connected to each other in a series of forms by fold lines 116, 114, 114, and 115. The bottom wall panels 117 and 117 are joined together to form a carton from the blank of FIG. 8. The carton 111 differs from the first embodiment in that the upper retaining tab 120 and the lower retaining tab 125 are formed from respective carton panels 113 and 117. In addition, the carton 111, the retaining tabs 120 and 125 and the spacer tab 128 function the same as in the first embodiment. The manner in which the can is held in the carton 111 is shown in FIG. 9, wherein the upper retaining tab 120 and the lower retaining tab 125 are folded over 90 ° with respect to the respective bottom wall panels 113, 117, and also the spacers. The tab 128 is also folded over 90 ° to serve as a spacer under each lower retaining tab 125.

10 and 11 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The carton 131 (FIG. 11) in this embodiment is also an end loading carton similar to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the panels 137, 135, 133, 135, 137 are connected to each other in a series of forms by fold lines 136, 134, 134, 136. The bottom wall panels 137, 137 are joined to each other to form the associated carton 131 from the blank of FIG. 10. The carton 131 is provided in which a pair of retaining tabs 140, 140 or 145, 145 are provided to engage each can end and a pair of spacer tabs 148 are provided to push up each pair of lower tabs 145, 145. Different from the fifth embodiment. Each pair of top retaining tabs 140, 140 is hingedly connected to the top wall panel 133 along a pair of fold lines 138, 138 extending toward adjacent end edges of the top wall panel 133. Each pair of lower retaining tabs 145, 145 is hingedly connected to each floor wall panel 137 along a pair of fold lines 143, 143 extending toward adjacent end edges of the floor wall panel 137. Each lower retaining tab 145 is accompanied by an associated spacer tab 148, some of which is formed from the lower retaining tab 145 and another of which extends from each bottom wall panel 137. Each spacer tab 148 is hingedly connected to each bottom wall 137 along the fold line 146 and extends toward the associated lower retention tab 145. The fold line 146 of the spacer tab 148 associated with the fold line 143 of each retaining tab 145 is parallel to each other.

Unlike the above difference, the carton 131, the retaining tabs 140 and 145, and the spacer tab 148 function the same as in the fifth embodiment. The manner of retaining the can in the carton 131 is shown in FIG. 11, wherein the upper retaining tab 140 and the lower retaining tab 145 are folded over 90 ° with respect to the respective bottom wall panels 133, 137, and the spacer tab. 148 is also folded over 90 ° to serve as a spacer under each lower retaining tab 145. Can 141 is end loaded into a carton in the same manner as described in connection with the first embodiment.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment as described above, various modifications and changes will be possible to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are considered to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims below.

Each upper retaining tab as well as each lower retaining tab described in the above embodiments is accompanied by a spacer tab that allows the concave top of the article associated with the upper retaining tab to engage. The cartons and blanks of the present invention can be used for the packaging of bottles or other articles with concave ends. When packaging the bottle, an open top retaining tab for engaging the bottleneck can be used with the lower retaining tab and the spacer tab. The open top retaining tab is disclosed in US Pat. No. 2,523,986, which is incorporated herein by reference. The shape and number of retaining tabs of each carton are not limited to the above embodiments, but depend on the number of articles to be packaged and the shape of the top and / or bottom of the article.

As used herein, 'top', 'bottom', 'end', 'side', 'upper' and 'lower' are used to indicate directions. The panels and / or tabs are not limited only in this direction, but simply used to distinguish the panels from each other. The hinged connection is not constituted by using only one fold line, but is formed by one or more lines of cut lines, crush lines or fold lines within a range not departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A tubular structure surrounding at least one article and article holding means for engaging the recess of one of the at least one article to prevent the one article from escaping from at least one opposite open end of the tubular structure, The article holding means is a retaining tab hingedly connected to the tubular structure along a first fold line and a spacer disposed adjacent to the retaining tab and hinged to the tubular structure along a second fold line parallel to the first fold line. A tab, wherein the retaining tab is folded at least 90 ° inward along the first fold line to form an acute angle with respect to the inner surface of the tubular structure, wherein the spacer tab is in the interior of the retaining tab and the tubular structure. It is folded inward 90 ° or more along the second fold line disposed between the side Carton for packaging one or more articles each having a recess. The method of claim 1, Wherein a portion of the spacer tab is formed from a portion of the tubular structure between the first fold line and the second fold line, and the retaining tab is formed from a material outside the portion of the tubular structure. The method of claim 2, And a portion of the spacer tab is formed from the retaining tab. The method of claim 1, And a maximum distance between the first fold line and the free edge of the retaining tab is greater than the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line. The method of claim 4, wherein The maximum distance is greater than the sum of the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line and the distance between the second fold line and the free edge of the spacer tab. To prevent the one article from exiting from one or more opposing open ends of the tubular structure when building a plurality of panels and cartons hinged together in a series of forms to form a tubular structure surrounding one or more articles. An article holding means engaged with the recess of one of the at least one article, the article holding means being connected to the at least one panel hingedly along a first fold line and a first parallel with the first fold line. A spacer tab hingedly connected to the at least one panel along a second fold line, wherein the retention tab extends away from the first fold line and away from the second fold line, and the spacer tab extends from the second fold line. Extends in a direction from the first fold line to the first fold line The free end edge up to a distance a carton blank for forming a carton for packaging at least one article each having a recess which is larger than the distance between the first folding line and the second fold lines between the tabs. The method of claim 6, A portion of the spacer tab is formed from a portion of the one or more panels between the first and second fold lines, and the retaining tab is formed from a material outside the portion of the one or more panels. . The method of claim 7, wherein And a portion of the spacer tab is formed from the retaining tab. The method of claim 6, And a maximum distance between the first fold line and the free end edge of the retaining tab is greater than the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line. The method of claim 9, And the maximum distance is greater than the sum of the distance between the first fold line and the second fold line and the distance between the second fold line and the free edge of the spacer tab.