It is also desirable to have a cardboard box which after the contents of the articles have been consumed can be used to return the empty items to a point of recycling. The present invention seeks to provide means for displaying the articles or a portion of articles in combination with access means for the removal of the articles wherein the access means leave the carton with sufficient integrity for the replacement of articles for the purpose of Return to a recycling point.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention in a cardboard box of the type comprising an open top container and a separate top closure, the top closure has a plurality of openings, each to receive a portion of article retained within the container, each opening has a frangible connection to at least one other opening to facilitate the removal of the articles, so that in use the removal of the articles breaks the frangible connection, the arrangement is such that The integrity structure of the carton is maintained substantially in the removal of the items. Preferably, the plurality of openings are arranged in rows, each opening of a row has a J
Connection . frangible to at least one other opening of the same row and / or different row. Preferably, each opening at the end of a row can be connected to an edge of the top closure by an additional frangible connection. Additionally, a frangible connection between two openings can intersect a frangible connection between two other openings. Preferably, the arrangement is such that after the removal of the articles no material is removed from the top closure. The plurality of openings can also be arranged in three rows, a central row that is offset from the other rows and openings of the central row having a frangible connection to at least two other openings in each of the other two rows. According to a second aspect of the invention, in a cardboard box of the type comprising an open top container and a separate top closure, the top closure having a plurality of openings, each to receive a portion of an article. retained within the container, each opening has a frangible connection to at least one other opening to facilitate the removal of the articles, such that in use the removal of the articles breaks the frangible connection, the arrangement is such that the The structural integrity of the carton is maintained substantially after the removal of the articles, wherein the carton further comprises at least one reinforced handle structure, the arrangement is such that the or each reinforced handle structure is a multilayer construction, wherein at least one layer is provided by the open top container and at least one additional layer is proportional cioned by the top closure. Preferably, the open top container comprises side walls, the layer provided by the open top container being glued to one of the side walls. A layer of the reinforced handle structure can be provided by a handle panel hinged to the top closure. Additionally, the handle panel is hinged to the top closure can be secured in flat face contact with an inner face of the layer attached to one of the side walls. Alternatively or additionally, an additional layer of the reinforced handle structure may be provided by the top closure and hinged to a handle panel. According to a third aspect of the invention, a carton of the type comprising an open top container and a separate top closure, wherein at least one of the walls of the open top container has a folded top flap to extend downwardly. to the open top container, wherein the upper closure comprises a coupling tongue to engage with the upper wing, in such a way that the coupling tongue is arranged in face-contact relationship between the wall and the upper wing, the arrangement is such that the Upper closure is locked in a lowered position under the upper part of the open upper container. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, a two-part preform for forming a carton of the type comprising an open top container and a separate top closure, a first part of the preform is erected to form the open top container and a second part of the preform is erected to form an upper closure having a plurality of openings, each to receive a portion of an article held within the container, each opening having a frangible connection to at least one other opening to facilitate the removal of the articles, such that in use the removal of the articles breaks the frangible connection, the arrangement is such that the structural integrity of the assembled carton is substantially maintained in the removal of the articles. According to yet a further aspect of the invention, a two-part preform for forming a cardboard box of the type comprising an open top container and a separate top closure wherein a first preform is erected to form the open top container and a second preform is erected to form the upper closure, the upper closure having a plurality of openings, each to receive a portion of an article held within the container, each opening having a frangible connection to at least one other opening to facilitate removal of the articles, the removal of the articles breaks the frangible connection, the arrangement is such that the structural integrity of the carton is maintained substantially in the removal of the articles, wherein the assembled carton "further comprises At least one reinforced handle structure, the arrangement is such that the reinforced handle structure It is of multilayer construction, wherein at least one layer is provided by the open top container and at least one additional layer is provided by the top closure. Preferably, the first preform comprises side walls, wherein at least one layer of the reinforced handle structure is bonded to one of the side walls. The second preform may comprise at least one handle panel to form, in a mounted cardboard box, the layer provided by the top closure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure IB illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 1C is a perspective view of the front, side and upper part of a cardboard box constructed of the preforms of Figures 1A and IB; Figure 2A illustrates. a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 2B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 2C is a perspective view of the front and side of a cardboard box constructed of the preforms of Figures 2A and 2B; Figure 3A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 3B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 3C is a perspective view of the front and side of a cardboard box constructed from the preforms of Figures 3? and 3B; Figure 3D is a top view of the cardboard box of Figure 3C, showing the removal of a bottle from the carton; Figure 4? illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; Figure 4B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to "a fourth embodiment of the invention;" Figure 5 illustrates a first part of a preform to form a cardboard box according to a fifth embodiment of the invention: Figure 5B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; Figure 5C is a perspective view of the front and side of a cardboard box; constructed from the preforms of Figures 5 and 5B; Figure 5D is a top view of the cardboard box of Figure 5C showing the removal of a bottle from the carton;
Figure 6A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a sixth embodiment of the invention; Figure 6B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a sixth embodiment of the invention; Figure 6C is a top view of a cardboard box constructed from the preforms of Figures 6A and 6B; Figure 7A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; Figure 7B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; Figure 7C is a perspective view of the front and side of a cardboard box constructed from the preforms of Figures 7A and 7B; Figure 8A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to an eighth embodiment of the invention; Figure 8B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to an eighth embodiment of the invention; Figure 8C illustrates a first step in the folding process of the preform shown in Figure 8B; Figure 8D illustrates a first step in the process of folding the preform shown in Figure 8A; Figure 8E illustrates a step in the erection of a cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures 8A and 8B; Figure 8F is a perspective view of the front and top of a cardboard box constructed from the preforms of Figures 8A and 8B; Figure 9A illustrates a first part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a ninth embodiment of the invention; Figure 9B illustrates a second part of a preform for forming a cardboard box according to a ninth embodiment of the invention; Figure 9C illustrates a step in the erection of a cardboard box formed from the preforms of Figures 9A and 9B; Figure 9D is a perspective view of the front, side and top of a cardboard box constructed from the preforms of Figures 9? and 9B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Figures 1A and IB show a first and a second part of a two part preform, respectively II
to form a cardboard box 30, made of cardboard and similar foldable sheet material. It is contemplated that a unitary preform could be used instead, without departing from the scope of the invention. In the first embodiment of the invention, two preforms 10 and 20 of FIGS. 1A and IB are formed into a tubular box and a cover respectively. The. The cover is inserted into the tubular box to form the cardboard box 30 of the first embodiment, which is shown in Figure 1C. In the embodiments to be described, it will be recognized that minor variations to the invention could be made, for example a crushed bottom of the type known in the art could be used without deviating from the scope of the invention. The invention is designed to receive similar articles,. such as bottles, but it is contemplated that the present invention could be used to contain other articles, without deviating from the scope of the invention. Returning to Figure 1A, the preform 10 comprises a first side wall 12, a front panel 14, a second side wall 16 and a rear panel 18, hingedly connected to the next one in series along fold lines 42, 44, 46 and 48, respectively. Mango openings 54 are glued to the front and back panels 14, 18. Finger grips 58 protrude inwardly from the upper edges of the handle openings 54. Finger grips allow the cardboard box erected is easily held and lifted by the handle openings 54. The preform further comprises fins of the lower end 72 and 74 hingedly attached to each of the first and second side walls 12, 16 along fold lines 62 and to each of the front and rear panels 14, 18, along of fold lines 64. The lower end flaps 72, 74 provide means for closing the lower end when the preform is erected to a carton. It is contemplated that other lower end closure means could be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Upper end flaps 76 are also provided and are hingedly connected to the first and second side walls 12, 16 opposed to the end flaps 72. The upper end flaps 76 can provide reinforcement to the first and second side walls 12, 16 when the preform is erected in the box. cardboard 30. The preform 10 also comprises a glue fin 88 which is hingedly connected to the rear panel 18, along the fold line 48. Returning to the construction of the tubular cage from the preform 10, a series of sequential folding and gluing operations, which preferably can be. performed in a machine in a straight line, such that the cage and / or preform 10 is not required to be rotated or inverted to complete the construction. The folding process is not limited to the one described below and can be altered accordingly. with particular manufacturing requirements. The first step is to apply glue to the outer edge of the glue fin 88 and then to fold it 180 ° around the fold line 48, such that it falls in a face contact relationship with the inner face of the back panel 18. The panel front 14 is then folded around the fold line 44 to fall flat on the inside face of the second side panel 16. This causes the first side panel 12 to come in flat face contact relationship with the back panel 18 and the glued outer edge of the glue flap 88, such that the first side panel 12 is glued to the glue flap 88, thereby joining the first side panel 12 and back panel 18. The preform 10 can then be erected to a tubular structure and using a similar series of folding and gluing stages, the lower end flaps 72, 74 'can be secured to form lower end closure means. In this embodiment of the invention, the end flaps 76 are glued and folded, into the cage 180 ° about. fold line 66 to provide reinforcement to the upper edges of the first and second side panels 12, 16. In other embodiments of the invention, the upper end flaps 76 may be hingedly joined to panels of the second preform 20. A second preform 20 is shown in Figure IB, which can be formed to a cover for the tubular cage formed from the preform 10 of Figure 1A. The preform 20 comprises a main panel 22, which is either on one side or the other, hingedly attached to inner handle panels 24, along fold lines 32. The handle openings 54 are glued to the panels of inner handle 24 and fingers gripping tabs 58 protrude inward from the upper edges of handle openings 54. Inner handle panels 24 are hingedly joined, along fold lines 34, to outer handle panels 26, which have grip tongues 58 with fingers integrally formed at their edges. The outer handle panels 26 are recessed and formed in such a way as to complement the shape of the handle openings 54 glued from both of the inner handle panels 24 and those glued to the front and rear panels 14, 18. End fins cover 28 is hingedly attached to main panel 22 along fold lines 38 and may provide structural rigidity, also as aesthetic appeal to carton 30, when assembled.
The main panel 22 further comprises openings 56 for receiving the similarly shaped articles and each opening is connected to at least one other opening by a frangible connection or notch 37. In this first embodiment, the openings 56 are arranged in two rows and each opening 56 is connected to at least one other opening 56 in the same row by a frangible connection or notch 37. In other embodiments of the invention, the arrangement of the openings 56 or frangible connections or notches 37 may differ from that described in the first embodiment of the invention. It is contemplated that many provisions could be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Once the tubular cage has been loaded with six bottles, in a 3 x 2 arrangement, the preform 20 is folded to form a cover. The internal handle panels 24 and cover flaps 28 are folded upward, away from the plane of the main panel 22, 90 ° around the fold lines 32 and 38. In this way, a complementary insert is formed which can fit inside the tubular cage. Glue can then be applied to the outer faces of the inner handle panels 24, cover end flaps 28 and external handle panels 26. The folded preform 20 is then inserted into the loaded carton, in such a way that the openings 56 of the main panel 22 are brought into register or correspondence with the bottle notches. The inner handle panels 24 and cover fins 28 can then be secured by using glue to the inner faces of the front and rear panels 14, 18 and to the inner faces of the first and second side walls 12, 16 as shown e Figure 1C. The outer handle panels 26 are then folded around fold line 34 and glued to the outer face of the front and back panels 14, 18 of the tubular cage. In this way, the structural integrity of the tubular cardboard box is improved, particularly of the handle structure, which in this embodiment of the invention is reinforced to form a three-layer handle structure. The cardboard box formed from the preforms 10 and 20 is shown in Figure 1C. It can be seen that the bottles are secured inside the cardboard box, once the cover made of the preform 20 has been secured inside the tubular cage. Access is gained to the bottles by separating the frangible connections or notches 37, this can be obtained simply by pulling on a bottle contained within the carton 30. In this way, each bottle can be accessed individually, while the structural integrity of the carton 30 is maintained. The non-withdrawn bottles are held in position by the openings 56 in the cover. Accordingly, the carton provides an adaptable carrying vessel, the structural integrity of which is not destroyed when the bottles are accessed. This allows the cardboard box to be reused for the convenient return of empty bottles. In this embodiment of the invention, when all the bottles are removed, no cover material formed from the preform 20 is actually removed from the carton 30. It can be appreciated that several changes can be made within the scope of the present invention. , for example the size and shape of the panels and openings can be adjusted to accommodate articles of different size or shape. Figures 2A-9D illustrate further embodiments of the present invention, the. which will now be described by way of example only and to illustrate some of the changes that can be made, as long as they remain within the. scope of the present invention. In the subsequent figures, similar reference numbers have been used to denote like elements, the reference numbers in the second embodiment of the invention are increased by "200" to show that they represent elements of the second embodiment. Since other modalities have elements common to the first modality described above in thisKNO
, only the differences in subsequent modalities will be highlighted. A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 2A, 2B and 2C, wherein a tubular cage formed from a preform 210 is equipped with a cover formed from the preform 220 as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment of the invention, handle openings 254 are glued to the first and second side walls 12, 16 and the fins of the upper end 76 are hingedly connected to the front and rear panels 14, 18, instead of being disposed of. first modality. The second embodiment differs from the first in that the cover contains 12 openings 256 to ensure a uniform arrangement of 12 bottles in a 3 x 4 arrangement within the carton. Access to the bottles is provided by dividing the frangible connections or notches 237, which again connect each opening 256 in a row to at least another opening -256 of the same row. Additional frangible connections or notches 237 are provided with some of the openings 256 and the edges of the main panel 222. In this way, access to the bottles adjacent to the front and rear panels 14, 18 of the carton 230 is gained more easily. The structural integrity of the carton 230 remains after the bottles have been accessed and the formed cover of the preform 220 remains substantially intact. The cardboard box 230 can be used to recycle the bottles. A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D. The cardboard box 330 formed from the preforms 310 and 320 is not rectangular as in the previous modalities. The preform 310 contains additional corner panels 390 attached loosely to each of the first and second sidewalls 312, 316 and to each of the front and rear panels 314, 318, along fold lines 342a / 342b, 344a / 344b, 346a / 346b and 348a / 348b. The tubular carton erected from the preform 310 is octagonal for the purpose of providing additional protection to the bottles contained within the carton 30. The additional corner panels 390 protect the bottles which are placed in the corners of the arrangement. bottles The cover for the tubular carton, erected from the preform 320, contains tabs 392 attached loosely to the main panel 322 specifically adapted to the shape of the complementary cover securely fits the formed tubular cage of the preform 310. tabs 392 are folded similar to the inner handle panels 324 and fins of the cover end 328. A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 4A and 4B. In this embodiment, the front panel 414, rear panel 418 and one of the end flaps 474 are provided with additional fold lines 480, 482, 484, which can be used to fold the assembled cage formed from the preform 410 to a flat position. This allows the preform to be pre-glued to form the cage, yet it provides a structure that can be folded to a flat condition, to facilitate storage and transportation before the cage will be loaded with articles. The construction of the cage from the preform 410 is similar to that in the present one described above. The gluing flap 488 is used to secure the first side panel 412 to the rear panel 418 to form a tubular cage. A composite bottom wall is formed by securing the two fins of the end 472 to each other. This can be obtained by the use of adhesive or other means n in the art. The fold lines 480, 482, 484 are aligned in such a way that the tubular cage formed of the preform 410 can be folded flat. A fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D. The preform 520 for forming the cover is similar to that of the previous modalities, but is designed to facilitate a different arrangement of bottles or other similar items. In this embodiment, the articles charged to the tubular cage, formed from the preform 510, are arranged between three rows; of 4, four, three- and four articles, respectively. The openings 556 of the central row of three are offset with respect to the openings 556 of the adjacent rows. This construction of articles or bottles provides recesses at opposite ends of the carton adjacent to the front and rear panels 514, 518. The recesses provide space inside the cage for the consumer's hands when the handle openings 554, which are glued to the front and -posterior panels 514, 518, are used to lift the cage. In order to have access to the bottles of the present modality, the panel. main 522 comprises frangible connections or notches 537 connecting each of openings 556 of the central row to at least two openings 556 in each of the other two rows as shown in Figure 5C. Additional frangible connections or notches 537 are also provided between the openings 556 which are closest to the first second side walls 512, 516 and the first and second side walls 512, 516 of the 'carton .530. Similar to the first embodiment, access to the bottles is gained by separating the notches 537 around a bottle, as shown in Figure 5D. In this way, each bottle can be accessed individually while the structural integrity of the carton is maintained. Still an additional embodiment is shown in Figures 6A, 6B and 6C. The carton erected from the preforms 610 or 620 of the sixth embodiment is shown in Figure 6C. In this mode, twelve bottles are arranged in two rows of six. The frangible connections or notch 637 connect the openings 656 of a row to at least one opening 656 of the adjacent row, such that some of the notches 637, provided in the main panel 622, intersect. The separation of the notches can be easily obtained in this embodiment by applying force at the point where the notches 637 intersect. In this embodiment, the notches 637 also extend between the openings adjacent the front and rear panels 614, 618 and the front and rear panels 614, 618 by themselves. A seventh embodiment is shown in Figures 7A, 7B and 7C. The preform 710 for forming the tubular cage is shown in Figure 7A. The first and second side walls 712, 714 are also provided with handle openings 754, such that the carton erected as shown in Figure 7C has four reinforced handle structures, which improves the versatility of the box. cardboard 730. In the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the preform 720 for forming the cover is provided with internal handle panels 724 and external handle panels 726 on each of the sides of the main panel 722 instead of only on two sides as in the first modality. The cover is secured to the cage, formed from the preform 710, similarly as the first embodiment; each of the inner handle panels 724 are folded upward, away from the plane of the main panel 722 to form the complementary insert. This fits inside the loaded tubular box. Then glue or other securing means known in the art can be applied to the outer faces of the inner handle panels 724 and outer handle panels 726. The folded preform 720 can then be inserted into the cardboard box loaded thereon. so that the openings 754 of the main panel 722 are brought in registration or coincidence with the necks of the bottles. The internal handle panels 724 are then secured to the internal faces of each of the front and rear panels 714, 718 and the first and second side walls 712, 716 as shown in Figure 7C. The outer handle panels 726 can then be folded and glued to the outer faces of each of the front and rear panels 714, 718 and the first and second side walls 712, 716 of the tubular cage. An eighth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 8A-8F. In this embodiment of the invention, the carton 830 is designed to receive twelve bottles, in four rows of three, where the more rows of the end are hidden from view under the raised cover fins 828b. The main panel 822 is provided with six openings 856 in two rows of three to show the remaining six bottles. Frangible connections or notches 837 connect each of the openings 856 to at least one other opening 856. As in other embodiments of the invention, the handle panels 854 are glued to the first and second side walls 12, 16 and fins are provided. upper end 876, hingedly connected to the front and rear panels. In this embodiment, however, the fins of the upper end 876 are not secured in flat face contact with the front and rear panels 14, 18 and are secured to the preform cover 820 when the preforms 810, 820 are erected to a box carton 830. The preform 820 is provided with fins of the cover end 828a and 828b either on one side or the other of the main panel 822. For erecting the carton, the internal and external handle panels 824, 826 and end flaps 828a and 828b are folded upwardly out of the plane of the main panel 822 as shown in Figure 8C. The tubular cage to Figure 8D is erected via a similar operation of folding and gluing stages, although the fins of the upper end 876 are not secured to the front and rear panels 14, 18. The cover of Figure 8C is brought into register with the carton loaded with 8D, such that the internal and external handle panels 824, 826 are secured to the carton as described in other embodiments. The fins of the end of covers 828a and 828b are folded, as shown in Figure 8E, with the fins of the end of cover 828b being secured by adhesive of other known means to the fins of the upper end 876. In this way, two covers Rectangles are provided which protect the bottles further from the end contained within the carton 830 of the view as shown in Figure 8F. The fins of the cover end 828b also provide an area that allows the cartons 830 of the eighth embodiment to be stacked more easily on top of each other. A ninth embodiment is shown in Figures 9A, 9B and 9C. In the ninth embodiment, the reinforcement of the handle structure is provided by the internal handle panels 996 which are attached to the preform 910, to form the tubular cage, instead of being attached to the preform 920, to form the cover, as in the first embodiment.- The inner handle panels 996 are, in this embodiment, folded to the first and second side wall panels 912, 916 and foldably attached to the adjacent upper end flaps 976 The tubular cage is erected by a similar series of folding and gluing steps as previously described. However, in this embodiment, the fins of the upper end 976 can be used to secure the formed cover of the preform 920, inside the tubular cardboard box, without the need for glue. The preform 920 comprises a main panel 922 and cover wings 928a and 928b foldably attached to the main panel along the fold lines 938a and 938b. To ensure that the cover fins 928b do not obscure the handle openings 954 when the cover formed from the preform 920 is inserted into the tubular cage, the cover fins 928b are folded down out of the plane of the main panel 922 and they are obscured from view when the cardboard box 930 is fully erected. The cover wings 928a may be folded either up or down away from the plane of the main panel 922 and may or may not be secured to the tubular cage by the use of glue. If the cover flaps 928a are folded upwards out of the plane of the main panel 922, then the formed cover of the preform 920 can be locked into the tubular carton by folding the upper end flaps 976 and adjacent inner handle panels 996 around fold lines 966 and 968. This action can block the cover within the tubular cage, such that the cover fins 928a are in a flat facial contact relationship between the fins of the upper end 976 and the adjacent upper portion of the front and rear panels 314, 918. It is contemplated that the elements of the various embodiments described herein could be combined without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the formed cover of the preform 520 of the fifth embodiment could be sized to fit the tubular cage formed of the preform 410 of the fourth embodiment.
In other embodiments of the invention, the openings formed within the upper panel may not be circular and may also be provided with additional tabs protruding from the opening, to assist in the retention of bottlenecks or other items contained within the box of cardboard. It will be recognized that as used herein, referrals such as "upper", "interior", "frontal", "posterior", "extreme", "lateral", "internal", "external", "superior" and "lower" do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but only serve to distinguish these panels from each other. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only; of course, it is contemplated that the hinged connection may be formed from one or more of the following, a slagging line, a frangible line or a crease line without deviating from the scope of the invention.