MXPA96006158A - Carrier with articu distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a package comprised of an article carrier, containing a plurality of adjacent articles, having sides of similar height and ends of similar widths, this carrier comprises: top, bottom, side and end panels, connected together to form an enclosure, one of the panels abuts the side of an adjacent article, another of the panels abuts the side of an adjacent article and extends from a first edge of the first panel substantially straight angles; a subsequent panel abuts with the end of an adjacent article and extending from a second edge of the first panel substantially straight angles, an opening of the article distributor in the first panel, this opening has a length at least as long as the height of the articles and a width , through a substantial portion of the opening, which is less than the width of the articles, and the subsequent panel incl. uye an opening adjacent to at least one end portion of an adjacent article, this opening extends into the distributor opening in the first pan

Description

CARRIER WITH ARTICLES DISTRIBUTOR Field of the Invention This invention relates to carriers, which contain a plurality of layers of articles in a stacked relation. More particularly, it relates to a carrier of this type, which includes an article distributor. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sleeve carriers have long been used to package beverage containers and other items. Basically, the top, bottom and side panels of the carrier are connected to form a sleeve configuration with open ends. The articles, which are to be packed, such as beverage cans, are loaded through one or both of the open ends, so that their axes are parallel to the bottom panel and their ends abut the side panels of the carrier. The end panels of the carrier are then formed from fins connected to the ends of the sleeve. The carriers of this type, sometimes, have been provided with a distributor, adjacent to the bottom panel, to allow removing one container at a time. A typical dispenser design is comprised of a tear strip, which, when removed, creates an opening slightly smaller than an adjacent beverage can. The size of the opening is small enough to prevent an adjacent can from rolling away from it, but large enough to allow the can to be gripped and pulled past the flexible edges of the aperture. Cuff-type carriers have been more recently designed to retain two layers of beverage cans in a stacked relation, as a way to more efficiently pack larger numbers of cans. In such an arrangement, the cans are inserted into the carrier sleeve, with their axes parallel to the side panels, so that the lower ends of the cans in the bottom layer abut the bottom panel and the upper ends of the cans. cans in the top layer abut the top panel. With these large carriers, a suitable distributor is necessary as a means to conveniently remove the cans one or two at a time.

One approach of such a dispenser is found in U.S. Patent No. 5,368,194, which provides two dispenser openings in an end panel, each opening being adjacent to an end beverage can in each of the two stacked layers of cans. The openings are separated from each other by a portion of the end panel, which makes the length of the opening less than the height of the beverage cans. The width of the openings varies from a minimum at the corners of the carrier to a maximum at the internal ends of the openings, so that the height at the corners is less than the diameter of a can, while the height of the inner end can be approximately equal to the diameter of the can. Due to the dimensions of the opening, the portions of an end can abut the portions of the end panel, to retain the can in the carrier until it is removed. The removal of the can requires that it be rotated through the larger portion of the inner end of the distributor opening. Although this approach works satisfactorily on the carrier for which it is designed, it would be convenient to supply double distributors for multilayer packages, which simplify the process of removing the can. Additionally, it would be convenient to provide distributor openings that do not need to be separated by a section of the end panels.

Brief Compendium of the Invention The basic opening of the dispenser, used in the carrier of the invention, is an opening in one of the panels, which abuts the side of an adjacent article. The opening extends within a panel, which abuts the end of the article. The opening has a length at least as long as the height of the articles and a height through a substantial portion of the opening, which is less than the width of the articles. Preferably, the opening is covered by a tear-off section, connected to the panels by tear lines. In a package containing two stacked layers of articles, the distributor opening is substantially as long as twice the height of the articles, and the distributor cover includes a tear line, which is substantially aligned with adjacent abutting ends of the article. the adjacent stacked items.

The dispensing opening may be provided in either a side panel or an end panel. If the opening is in a side panel, the carrier rests on an end panel, when in the distribution mode. If it is on an end panel, the carrier rests on a side panel, when in the distribution mode. When the opening is in an end panel, a release cover section is provided not only on the fins of the end panel, but also on the rubber flap of the underlying end panel, in order to provide access to the interior of the carrier The articles are easily removed through the opening of the distributor from one or both layers, and still prevent premature exit of them from the carrier due to the narrow width of the opening. Any carrier is easily formed from a single preform of economic design.

These and other features and aspects of the invention, as well as other benefits, will be readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, described below.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is an illustrative view of a sleeve-type carrier, according to the present invention, with a portion of the carrier separated to show the interior; Figure 2 is a plan view of a preform, for manufacturing the carrier of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial illustrative view of the carrier of Figure 1, shown in an intermediate training stage; Figure 4 is a partial illustrative view of the carrier of Figure 1, showing the carrier with the distributors in the operative position; Figure 5 is a partial elevation of the side panel of the carrier, containing the openings of the dispenser, with a portion of the side panel separated to reveal the cans packed behind the distributors; Figure 6 is a partial illustrative view, similar to that of Figure 4, but showing the holder with one of the covers of the dispenser opening removed; Figure 7 is a partial side elevation of the carrier shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a partial side elevation, showing the carrier with both distributor covers separated; Figure 9 is an illustrative view, similar to that of Figure 1, but showing a modified carrier; Figure 10 is a plan view of a preform for manufacturing the carrier of Figure 10; Figure 11 is a partial illustrative view of the carrier of Figure 9, shown in an intermediate training stage; Figure 12 is a partial illustrative view of the carrier of Figure 9, showing the carrier with the distributors in the operative position; and Figure 13 is a partial end elevation of the carrier of Figure 9, with a portion of the distributor covers removed to reveal the lower ends of the rubber flaps of the end panel. Detailed Description of the Preferred Modalities Referring to Figure 1, package 10 is comprised of a sleeve-like carrier 12, having a top panel 14, side panels 16, end panels 18 and a bottom panel 20. Two layers of beverage cans C they lodge in the carrier and are aligned so that the cans in the upper layer are in a stacked relationship with the cans in the lower layer. The upper ends of the cans in the upper layer are adjacent to the upper panel 14 and the lower ends of the cans in the lower layer are adjacent to the bottom panel 20. The end panels are comprised of fins, 22 and 24, of the panel of end, connected to the top and bottom panels, respectively. The handle openings 26 are provided in the fins 22 of the end panel, to allow the carrier to be raised at its ends. A large detachment section 28 extends from the top panel into the remote side panel 16, to provide access to the interior of the carrier, in order to remove all the cans from the package as a group. Although not visible in this view, an alternative detachment section is also provided in the far end panel. According to the invention, two adjacent sections 30 of detachment in the near side panel, adjacent to the end panel 18, function as manifold covers which, when removed, allow one beverage can to be taken at a time from either or both layers. Referring to Figure 2, a preform 32 for manufacturing the carrier is comprised of cardboard or other material, having sufficient strength and flexibility to be folded in place and function as a carrier material. The section 20 of the bottom panel is connected on the opposite sides by the fold lines 34 to the sections 16 of the side panel, one of which is at the end of the preform and the other is inside the preform. The inner section 16 of the side panel is connected by the fold line 36 to the section 14 of the top panel, which, in turn, is connected by the fold line 38 to the rubber tab 40. The section 14 of the upper panel and the rubber flap 40 include part of the detachment section 28, while the section 16 of the side panel at the end of the preform includes the remaining part.

Connected to the ends of the section 20 of the bottom panel, by the fold lines 42, are the lower fins 24 of the end panel, one of which includes an alternative section 44 of detachment. The upper fins 22 of the end panel, including the handle openings 26, are connected similarly to the section 14 of the upper panel by the fold lines 46. The dust fins or rubber fins 48 of the end panel are connected to the sections 16 of the side panel at one end of the preform, by the fold lines 50, while the rubber flaps 51 and 52 of the end panel are connected to the sections 16 of the side panel at the opposite end of the preform by the fold lines 53 and 54, respectively. The handle clips 56 are included in each of the rubber flaps of the end panel. These rubber flaps 48 are recessed at 58 to provide access to the interior of the carrier, when the release section 44 is removed.

The inner section 16 of the side panel also includes two distributor release sections 30 adjacent to the fold line 53. The sections 30 are identical, extend from the common line of tear 60 to the fold lines 34 and 36, as along the tear line 62. This tear line 62 continues in the adjacent sections, 14 and 20, of the top and bottom panel, such as the arcuate tear lines, ending at the intersection of the fold line 53 with the lines fold lines 34 and 36. It will be understood that the connection fold line 53 is also a tear line, comprised of slits 64, separated by integral bands 66 of material, to form an easily perforated tear line. Each tear section 30 includes a tab 68, which is connected to the main body of the detachment section by the fold line 70. To fabricate a carrier from the preform, the top panel, bottom and side sections are folded along the fold lines 34 and 36, to form a sleeve configuration and the rubber strip 40 adhere to the opposite section 16 of the side panel to secure the structure in place. Typically, the sleeves, thus formed, are transported in the folded form to a packing plant, where these sleeves are erected and the manufacturing process continues. The beverage can layers are then introduced through the open ends of the erected sleeve, after which the end rubber flaps, 48, 51 and 52 are bent and the fins of the end panel, 22 and 24, are They gum up them, to complete the carrier's package. Figure 3 shows a carrier end in an intermediate forming step, after the rubber end flaps 51 and 52 have been folded in place, but before the fins 22 and 24 of the end panel have been folded in place. folded and gummed. The handle clips 56 on the rubber fins 51 and 52 come together to form an opening which is aligned with the handle opening 26 when the fin 22 of the end panel is in its final position. The distributor release sections 30 may extend within the side panel 16, adjacent the fold line 53. The formation of the carrier package is completed by gumming the fins of the end panel, 22 and 24, to the rubber fins 48. , 51 and 52.

To use the dispenser, the carrier is positioned so that it rests on the end panel, adjacent to the release sections 30, as shown in Figure 4. It can be seen that one of the release sections 30 extends into the adjacent upper panel 14. A similar arrangement exists with the other release section, which extends into the adjacent bottom panel, hidden from view in this figure of the drawing. As best seen in Figure 5, the tear line 60 is equally spaced from the top and bottom panels and is substantially aligned with the inner ends of the can layers C. The length of an opening of the dispenser after it has been removed the detachment cover section, therefore, is substantially equal to the height of a can. Except for the tongue portion 68 of the release section 30, the tear line 62 is spaced from the bottom panel by a distance such that the width of a distributor opening is less than the diameter of a can. When it is desired to remove a can from the package, one of the tabs 68 is pushed and bent down around the fold line 70, allowing the cover section to be grasped and separated from the carrier. Adjacent cans do not interfere with movement within the tab 68, since this tab moves in the space created by the curvature of the side walls of adjacent cans in the layer. The carrier at this point is as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Although the entire length of the adjacent can is exposed, because its diameter is greater than the width of the opening along a substantial portion of its length , the can is restricted from rolling out through the opening. To remove the can, it is merely necessary to grab it and pull it out. The side panel of the upper edge of the dispenser opening is easily bent upward, as the can is pulled to a point that allows it to move through the opening. As the can is removed, the next can on top of it falls to occupy the same position. This second can is restricted and prevented from leaving, however, since the flexibility and memory of the side panel causes it to return immediately to its original condition, once the first can has passed through the opening. The grip of the can is facilitated by the fact that the opening of the illustrated dispenser extends within the bottom panel of the carrier, exposing a portion of the end of the can. The cans can be removed from both layers, removing both release covers 30, to expose both distributor openings, as shown in Figure 8. Although this exposes the full length of both adjacent cans, they can not roll out of the carrier due to which can not be moved by passing the restraining side panels on the upper edge of the openings. The removal of one or both of the adjacent cans is easily accomplished as explained above.Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 9, in which the package 72 comprises the carrier 74 which houses two layers of cans C of beverages. The upper panel 76 of the carrier is comprised of two overlapping fins of the upper panel, 78 and 80, which are gummed together in the overlapped area: The fins are connected by the fold line to form the upper fin 82 of the end panel, the which, together with the adjacent lower fin 84 of the end panel, form the carrier end panels. The side panels 86 extend between the end panels and are connected by the fold lines to the top and bottom panels. The handle openings 88, in the upper panel, allow the carrier to be raised by one hand, while the marking lines 89 of strain relief, extend from the handle openings to the corners of the carrier, to better distribute the stresses lifting and transport. As in the first embodiment, the detachment sections, 28 and 44, provide access to the interior of the carrier if it is desired to remove all the cans at the same time, while the tear sections 30 in the near end panel allow the removal of a can at a time from each of the layers.

Referring to Figure 10, a preform 90 for manufacturing the carrier of Figure 9 is comprised of a section 92 of the bottom panel, centrally positioned, connected to the sections 86 of the side panel by the fold lines 94 and the fins 84. of the end panel by the fold lines 96. One of the sections of the side panel is connected to the flap 78 of the top panel by the fold line 98 and the other side panel section is connected to the flap 80 of the top panel by the fold line 100. The handle reinforcement flap 102 is connected to the flap 100 of the top panel at the edge opposite the adjacent section 86 of the side panel by the fold line 104, which is interrupted by the slits 105. The reinforcing flap 102 includes a recessed area 106, centrally positioned. The rubber flaps 108 of the end panel are connected, in a foldable form, to the opposite ends of the side panel sections by the fold lines 110, while the rubber flap 112 of the end panel is connected by the fold line 114. This fold line 114 is similar in construction to the fold line 53 of the first embodiment in which it is comprised of spaced slits, which function as a tear line as well as a fold line. The rubber flap 112 includes a tear line 116, which is interrupted by the cutout 118, and the tear line 120, which extends between the fold line 114 and the tear line 116, substantially parallel to and half between the fold lines 94 and 100.

Connected by the fold lines 122 to the opposite ends of the flap 78 of the top panel, are the fins 124 of the end panel. The fins of the end panel 126 are similarly connected by the fold lines 128 to the opposite ends of the fin 80 of the top panel. Note that the fold lines 128 extend through the reinforcing flap 102 of the handle. The release sections 30 are placed on the fin 84 of the end panel and the fin 126 of the top panel, adjacent the end rubber flap 112. As in the first embodiment, the release sections 30 are formed by the tear lines 62, which include the tabs 68, and the extensions 63 of the tear line.

In order to manufacture a carrier from the preform 90, the reinforcing flap 102 is bent and gummed to the inner surface of the flap 80 of the top panel, and the upper, bottom and side panel sections are folded, as in FIG. the first mode, to form a cuff. The outer flap 78 of the top panel overlaps and gums the inner flap 80 of the top panel, with the reinforced portion of the flap 80 of the top panel being between the handle openings 88. The fins 126 of the end panel also overlap and gum the fins 124 of the end panel, to form the fins 82 of the end panel, shown in Figure 9. As described above, the layers of the beverage cans are then introduced and the end panels are formed from the rubber fins, 108 and 112, of the end panel and from the fins, 82 and 84, of the end panel. Figure 11 shows one end of the carrier in an intermediate forming step, after the end rubber flaps, 108 and 112, have been folded in place, but before the fins of the end panel 82 and 84, they have been folded in place. folded and gummed. The detachment section in the flap 112 is positioned to be aligned with the release sections 30, after the fins of the end panel, 82 and 84, are folded in place, with the tear line 120 being aligned with the edges of the flap. end of the fins of the end panel, 82 and 84. The cutout 118 on the fin 112 is designed to be aligned with the tab 68 on the fin of the end panel 84, while the tab 68 on the fin of the end panel 82 it is positioned to be spaced inwardly from the inclined inner edge of the flap 112. The distributor release sections 30 extend into the top and bottom panels. To use the dispenser, the carrier is positioned so that it rests on the side panel adjacent the release sections 30, as shown in Figure 12. As best seen in Figure 13, the tear line 120 is likewise spaced from the side panels and is substantially aligned with the inner ends of the layers of the cans C. It will be understood that the relative dimensions of the distributor openings are similar to the dimensions of the distributor openings in the first embodiment and that it is used the same procedure to remove a can from the package. In this case, when a cover 30 of detachment of the distributor is removed, the detachment section detracted from it in the rubber flap 112 is also gripped and removed, with the last section of detachment being separated in the tear line 120.

It will now be clear that the invention provides an improved dispenser, which is particularly useful in packages containing more than one article layer, but which can be used in single layer packages as well. The distributor opening is as long as the height of the article, thus facilitating the removal of this article and avoiding the restrictive design need for a centrally located section between the adjacent openings of the distributor. In addition, the concepts of the invention can be employed if the dispensers are provided in a side panel or in an end panel, making possible a selection of the handle designs.

A package formed from the carrier of the invention may, if desired, include a separating sheet between the article layers, in which case, the distributor openings may be slightly larger than the height of an article, to compensate for the thickness of the separation sheet. Although the articles themselves have been identified in the description as beverage cans, other types of articles, which are adapted to be stacked and removed through an opening of the dispenser, can also be packaged in the manner described.

Obviously, although the invention has been described in connection with a carrier designed to hold eighteen beverage cans in each layer, the principles of the invention can be incorporated into carriers designed to retain different numbers of items. Because the invention is not necessarily limited to all the specific details, described in relation to the preferred embodiments, except as they may be within the scope of the appended claims, changes in certain characteristics of the preferred embodiments are considered, which do not alter the general basic function and the concept of the invention.

Claims (22)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following is claimed as property: CLAIMS 1. A package comprised of an article carrier, containing a plurality of adjacent articles , having sides of similar height and ends of similar widths, this carrier comprises: upper, bottom, side and end panels, connected together to form an enclosure; one of the panels abuts the side of an adjacent article; another of the hill panels with the side of an adjacent article and extending from a first edge of the first panel at substantially right angles; a further panel abuts the end of an adjacent article and extends from a second edge of the first panel at substantially right angles; an opening of the article distributor in the first panel, this opening has a length at least as long as the height of the articles and a width, through a substantial portion of the opening, which is less than the width of the articles; and the further panel includes an opening adjacent to at least an end portion of an adjacent article, this opening extends into the distributor opening in the first panel.
2. 2. A package, as defined in the claim 1, in which the first panel includes a cover of the dispenser opening, connected to this first panel by a tear line.
3. A package, as defined in claim 2, wherein the cover of the dispenser opening includes a tab, which extends into the first panel by a distance greater than the width of the articles.
4. 4. A package, as defined in claim 3, in which the tongue includes a fold line, which extends transversely of the subsequent panel, this fold line is spaced from the other panel by a distance substantially equal to the width of the articles.
5. 5. A package, as defined in the claim 2, in which the subsequent panel includes an opening cover, connected to this subsequent panel by a tear line.
6. 6. A package, as defined in claim 1, wherein the package contains two layers of articles in a stacked relationship, the opening of the article distributor in the first panel has a length which is substantially as long as twice the height of the articles.
7. 7. A package, as defined in claim 6, in which the first panel includes a cover of the distributor opening, connected to the first panel by a tear line, this cover includes a tear line, which is substantially aligned with the tear lines. adjacent abutting ends of the adjacent stacked articles.
8. 8. A package, as defined in claim 7, wherein the package includes an additional panel, spaced from and substantially parallel to the subsequent panel, this additional panel includes an opening adjacent to at least an end portion of an adjacent article, this opening it extends into the distributor opening in the first panel and the additional panel includes an opening cover, connected to this additional panel by a tear line.
9. 9. A package, as defined in claim 2, wherein the first panel is a side panel and the other panel is an end panel.
10. 10. A package, as defined in claim 2, wherein the first panel is an end panel and the other panel is a side panel.
11. 11. A package, as defined in claim 10, wherein the end panel is comprised of end rubber flaps, connected to the side panels and fins of the end panel connected to the top and bottom panels, these fins of the panel e end adhere to the rubber end flaps.
12. 12. A package, as defined in claim 11, wherein the cover of the dispenser opening is in one of the fins of the end panel, the rubber end flap adheres to the first fin of the end panel, which includes a detachment section, substantially aligned with the cover of the dispenser opening.
13. 13. A package, as defined in claim 12, in which the package contains two layers of articles in a stacked relationship, the opening of the article distributor in the first panel has a length which is substantially as long as twice as long. the height of the articles and where the cover of the distributor opening is in both fins of the end panel.
14. 14. A package, as defined in claim 13, wherein the distributor opening cover is on both fins of the end panel, the end rubber tab is adhered to the fins of the end panel that include a release section, this detachment section includes a tear line, which is substantially aligned with the adjacent abutting ends of the adjacent stacked articles.
15. 15. A preform, for manufacturing an article carrier for packaging a plurality of adjacent articles, having sides of a similar predetermined height and ends of similar predetermined widths, this preform comprises: sections of upper panel, background and sides,. that have end edges; end flaps, connected to the end edges of the top panel, bottom and side sections, to form end panels of a carrier manufactured from the preform; a cover of the opening of the article distributor in a section of the side panel, this cover of the opening is connected to the section of the side panel by a tear line in the section of the side panel and by a tear line coinciding with the line of folding connecting the section of the side panel to an associated end flap, the aperture cover has a length at least as long as the predetermined height and a width, through a substantial portion of the aperture cover, which is smaller than the predetermined width; and the aperture cover extends in an adjacent, upper or bottom panel section, the extension of the aperture cover is connected to the upper or bottom section by a tear line.
16. 16. A preform, as defined in claim 15, wherein the cover of the dispenser opening includes a tab extending in the side panel by a distance greater than the predetermined width.
17. 17. A preform, as defined in claim 15, wherein the cover of the distributor opening extends in both the adjacent sections of the top and bottom panel, this cover of the distributor opening, in the section of the side panel , has a length which is substantially as long as twice the predetermined height.
18. 18. A preform, as defined in claim 17, wherein the cover of the distributor in the side panel section includes a tear line, which is spaced substantially uniformly from the adjacent sections of the top and bottom panels.
19. 19. A preform, for manufacturing an article carrier for packaging a plurality of adjacent articles, having sides of similar predetermined height and ends of similar predetermined widths, this preform comprises: side panel sections, having internal edges connected to the section of top or bottom panel, and outer edges connected to the upper or bottom partial panel fins, these sections and fins have end edges; an end flap, connected by a fold line to each of the end edges, to form end panels of a carrier manufactured from the preform; an opening cover of the article distributor, in a first end flap, connected to one of the sections of the side panel, this cover of the distributor opening is connected to a first section of the side panel by a tear line, coincident with the fold line, which connects the first end flap to the side panel section; a second cover of the article distributor opening in a second end flap adjacent to the first end flap, this second cover of the distributor opening is connected to the second end flap by a tear line; the tear lines of the first and second covers of the distributor openings extend transversely to each other; the second cover of the distributor opening has a length at least as long as the predetermined height and a width, through a substantial portion of the second cover of the distributor opening, which is less than the predetermined width; and the second cover of the distributor opening extends in an adjacent section of the top or bottom panel, the second extension of the cover of the distributor opening is connected to the top or bottom section by a tear line.
20. 20. A preform, as defined in claim 19, wherein the second cover of the dispenser opening includes a tab extending in the second end fin by a distance greater than the predetermined width.
21. 21. A preform, as defined in claim 19, including a third cover of the article distributor opening, in a third end flap, adjacent to the first end flap, this third cover of the distributor opening is connecting to the third end flap by a tear line, these tear lines of the first and third covers of distributor openings extend transversely to each other, the third cover of the opening of the distributor has a length at least as long as the predetermined height and a width, through a substantial portion of the third cover of the distributor opening, which is less than the predetermined width, and this third cover of the distributor opening extends into an adjacent section of the top panel or bottom, the third extension of the cover of the distributor opening is connected to the upper or bottom section by a line of desg giddy Up.
22. 22. A preform, as defined in claim 21, wherein the cover of the dispenser in the first end flap includes a tear line, which is substantially uniformly spaced apart from the second and third adjacent end flaps.