MXPA97008648A

MXPA97008648A - Array to relieve the enva asia effort

Info

Publication number: MXPA97008648A
Application number: MXPA/A/1997/008648A
Authority: MX
Inventors: T Stout James
Original assignee: The Mead Corporation
Priority date: 1995-05-11
Filing date: 1997-11-10
Publication date: 1998-02-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for packaging articles, comprising a plurality of container walls interconnected in a collapsible manner to form said container, one of the container walls having a pair of opposite side edges, a pair of opposite end edges , and a first opening for the hand that is used to lift said container, each of said lateral edges and any of said end edges defining between the mimes a corner of said container wall, said container wall is formed with a first dividing line disposed transversely of an imaginary line extending between said opening for the minus and one of said corners, in order to avoid concentration of the stress in a region of said opening for the hand when lifting said container, said line of dion extends from said container wall and terminates therein, so that the opposite ends of said dion line disposed in the s separate positions of said lateral and lateral edges

Description

ARRANGEMENT TO RELIEVE THE PACKAGING HANDLE EFFORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to cartons or cartons for use in packaging items such as cans or bottles for beverages. More particularly it relates to a handle for such containers that is associated with the dividing lines to relieve the effort. Items such as cans or bottles for beverages that include soft drinks, beers, juices and the like are commonly sold in multiple quantities packed in a carton. For consumer convenience, the container is often provided with a handle, which is commonly included as a primary feature, one or two slots or other openings formed in the container. The user inserts the hand or fingers into one or both slots to lift the container or box. Many varieties of handles are known in the art. Lifting a box containing cans or beverage bottles introduces considerable effort to the carton from which the container or box is formed. The region around the groove or grooves especially tends to be subjected to a stress concentration. For this reason, in order to avoid breaking the cardboard, the container is deteriorated, it is known to design handles for the container with various arrangements for distribution and relief of effort. This is often achieved by providing lines or slits in the container wall where the handle slots are provided. An example of this type of arrangement for distributing the effort can be seen in U.S. Patent No. 5,307,932. While such conventional arrangements have experienced considerable success, it is still difficult to eliminate minor breaks and fractures in the area of the handle groove. Breaks or minor fractures usually do not result in a deterioration of the handle. However, the consumer can see these undesirables and do not buy the packages with such breaks or breaks. Therefore, what is needed is a container that has a carrying handle with an arrangement to relieve the improved effort. Such a container should eliminate or reduce breakages or fractures and particularly those breaks and minor fractures that detract from the appearance of the container. The present invention, in one aspect, provides a package comprising a plurality of container walls that are interconnected in a collapsible manner to form the package. One of the walls having a pair of opposite side edges, a pair of opposite end edges and an opening for the hand that is used to lift the container. Each side edge and any end edge of a container wall defines therebetween a corner of a container wall. A wall of the container is formed with a dividing line disposed transversely of an imaginary line extended between the opening for the hand and one of the corners of the container wall, in order to avoid concentration of stress in the region of the opening for the hand when lifting the container. The dividing line extends from a container wall and terminates therefrom, so that the opposite ends of the dividing line are disposed at positions spaced apart from the lateral and end edges. To lift the container by holding it close to the edge of the hand opening, stress is introduced into a container wall. However, the division line works to alleviate the area of the hand opening of the effort, and therefore reduces or even eliminates fractures and minor breaks in the container. The invention is particularly useful when it is incorporated in packages that have the so-called guide band handles. In a package with a guide band handle, a container wall is provided with a second hand opening in a position separate from the first hand opening such that the first and second openings define between them a handle strip. In this arrangement, the dividing line is provided in a position between the handle strip and each corner of a container wall. To distribute the effort away from the area of the handle strip, reinforcement bending lines according to the invention can be used. Such bending lines may be provided to extend from each dividing line in the direction of the adjacent corner of a container wall. A group of doubles lines can emanate from each division line and mutually diverge as that of the approach of the adjacent corner. Alternatively, only one fold line can emanate from each division line. The present invention, in another aspect, provides a package comprising a generally rectangular top wall having a pair of separate hand openings. The hand openings are arranged to define between them a hand strap for use when lifting the container. The top wall is provided with a fold line extending from one region of each corner of the top wall towards the handle strip and further with a dividing line extending transversely of each fold line. Each division line is interposed between the handle strip and the respective fold line so that each fold line ends in the respective division line. The present invention also provides a preform for forming the package. The preform comprises a plurality of interconnected wall panels in a foldable manner. One of the wall panels is generally rectangular in configuration and has openings for the hand formed therein. A wall panel is provided with a fold line extending from a region of one of the corners of a wall panel towards the opening for the hand and furthermore with a dividing line extending transversely of the fold line, the division line is interposed between the opening for the hand and the fold line, so that the fold line ends at the dividing line. A wall panel can be a full size panel to form the entire top wall of the container. Alternatively, a wall panel may be a partial panel to form an upper composite wall of the container in cooperation with another partial panel. The objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a preform from which a package according to the invention is formed; Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the upper wall panel in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the package formed from the preform in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a preform for forming a package of another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the package formed from the preform in Figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES A package 10 can be observed for use in connection with the present invention in the form of the preform with reference to Figure 1, which shows the internal surface of the preform. The package or case includes an upper wall panel 12 connected to a side wall panel 14 along the fold line 16. A lower wall panel 18 is connected to the side wall panel 14 along the line of division 20, and on its opposite side to a side wall panel 22 along the fold line 24. A major end skirt 30 is connected at an end edge of the top wall panel 12 along the line of bending 32, while a second major end panel 34 is connected at the opposite end of the upper wall panel 12 along a fold or fold line 36. A glue skirt 38 is connected to the upper wall panel 12. along the fold line 40. A handle reinforcing structure is connected to each of the major end flaps 30 and 40 and comprises an end portion 42 connected to the major end skirt 30 along the line fold or crease 44, and an end portion 46 is connected to the major end skirt 34 along the fold line 48. A central portion 50 interconnects the end portions 42 and 46. An auxiliary handle reinforcement strip 52 is connected to the central portion 50 along the fold line 54. Details of the loop reinforcement structure including torsion relief slots 60 can be found as a reference in US Patent Application No. 08 / 281m549 and Patent No. 5,320,277, which they are incorporated herein by reference. The side wall panel 14 includes a removable access panel 62 defined by a perforated tear line 63. Attached to an end edge of the side wall panel 14 along the fold line 64 is a lower end skirt 65. , and connected by a fold or fold line 66 at an opposite end edge is a lower end skirt 67. The lower wall panel 18 has a major end skirt 68 connected along the fold line 70 at a end edge thereof, while a second major end skirt 72 is connected at an opposite end edge along the fold line 74. The side wall panel 22 includes a lower end skirt 76 connected at one edge at the end along the fold line 78, and a lower end skirt 80 connected along the fold line 82 at the opposite end edge. As best seen in Figure 2, the upper wall panel 12 includes a pair of separate elongated hand openings 26 and 27 to define between them a handle strip 100 which is a portion of the container carrying handle. The handle strip 100 is generally disposed near the center of the upper wall panel 12 and extends generally parallel to the side edges 16 and 10 of the upper wall panel 12. A pair of cushion skirts 84 and 86 are joined in a collapsible manner in the handle strip 100 along the fold lines 88 and 90, respectively.

The upper wall panel 12 further includes four internal dividing lines 91-94 and four groups of three reinforcing fold lines 101-103, 104-106, 107-109 and 110-112. The "division line" in this application refers to a cutslit or perforated slit, which is formed in the cardboard material from which the container or box is formed and functions to divide a part of the cardboard material into two. The "perforated groove" refers to a line consisting of a plurality of small grooves aligned / arranged in separations and ready to be divided along the line when the container is lifted by holding the carrying handle. The internal division lines 91 and 92 are located adjacent to the opposite ends and spaced apart thereof from the hand opening 26, respectively, and the division lines 93 and 94 are disposed adjacent the opposite ends and spaced apart therefrom. of the opening for the hand 27. Because the division lines 91-94 are virtually identical with respect to each other, and thus the groups of the reinforcing bending lines will be described only hereinafter Division line 91 and adjacent fold line group 101-103. the dividing line 91 is disposed obliquely to the upper wall panel 12 and transversely to the group of reinforcing bending lines 101-103. The opposite ends of the dividing line 91 are disposed at spaced apart positions inward from the lateral and end edges 40 and 32 of the upper wall panel 12. One of the opposite ends, i.e., the straight end, is positioned more near the end edge 32 than the other end, that is, the curved end. The group of fold lines 101-103 extends from the straight end of the division line 91 and diverge mutually in the direction of the adjacent corner of the upper wall panel 12. The curved end of the dividing line 91 is directed towards the division line 92 or end edge 36 of top wall panel 12. Bending lines 101-103 terminate at a location spaced inward from the adjacent corner of upper wall panel 12. More specifically, fold lines 101-103 terminate in an outer division line 121 that extends diagonally between the adjacent lateral edge 40 and the adjacent end edge 32. Reference number 122-124 in Figure 2 also denotes the outer division lines that are virtually identical to the external dividing line 121. The preform of Figure 1 is manipulated in a tubular structure having open ends when bending the handle reinforcing structure provided by the portions 42, 46, 50 and 52, gluing the glue skirt 38 to the side wall panel 22 and bending the wall panels 12, 14, 18 and 22 along the fold lines 16, 20, 24 and 40 The articles such as beverage cans or the like are loaded in the tubular structure through one or both open ends, and subsequently the lower end flaps 30, 34, 65, 68, 72, 76 and 80 are bent towards the inside to close the open ends. Details of the assembly process for the package can be found by reference to US Patent Application No. 08 / 281,549. The finished package that has been loaded and sealed is illustrated in Figure 3, wherein the transportation handle is provided between the hand openings 26 and 27. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of the package according to the present invention. . Unlike the package shown in Figures 1-3, the top wall of the package is an octagonal composite wall formed by a pair of upper wall partial panels 130 and 132 that overlap each other as shown in Figure 5. The package, when it is in the shape of the preform, it has the partial panels 130 and 132 located at the opposite ends of the preform as shown in Figure 4. With respect to Figure 4, the partial panel 130 is foldably joined to a panel of wall 134 along fold line 136 and partial panel 132 is foldably joined to the other side wall panel 138 along fold line 140. An opening for hand 142 and a pair of lines of division 144 and 146 are formed in partial panel 130, and two groups of three reinforcing bending lines 148, 150, 152; and 154, 156. 158 extend respectively from the dividing lines 144 and 146 towards the bevelled corners 160 and 162 of the partial panel 130. A partial major end skirt 164 is attached to the partial panel 130 along the fold line 166, and a partial major end skirt 168 is attached to the partial panel 130 along the fold line 170. The partial panel 132 is identical to the panel 130 in all respects except that a reinforcing strip 172 is joined in a collapsible manner to the partial panel 132 along the fold line 174. The numbers used with the partial panel 132 and its associated flaps are duplicates of the numbers used in connection with the partial panel 130 except for the addition of the subscribed "a". A beveled strip 176 is foldably joined to the side wall panel 134 along a fold line 178, and a lower end skirt 180 is foldably joined to the bevelled strip 176 along the fold line 182. A beveled strip 184 is foldably joined to the side wall panel 134 along the line of FIG. fold 186, and a lower end skirt 188 joins in a collapsed manner to bevelled strip 184 along fold line 190. The strips or bands and skirts associated with sidewall panel 138 are identical to those associated with the side wall panel 134 and therefore are indicated by the same numbers accompanied by the undersigned "A" A bottom wall panel 192 is foldably joined to its side edges opposite the side wall panels 134 and 138 respectively along the fold lines 194 and 196. A major end skirt 198 is foldably joined to the lower wall panel 192 along the fold line 200, and a larger end skirt 202 is attached in a manner Folding to the bottom wall panel 192 along the fold line 204. The end flaps of the preform are interconnected in a collapsed manner by the raster panels 206-213. The preform in Figure 4 is assembled in the package or box as shown in Figure 5 when bending and gluing the preform in a known manner. The details of the assembly process for such a container can be found as a reference in US Patent No. 5,307,932 which is incorporated herein by reference. It will be readily recognized that while in the above embodiments, the present invention has been described in connection with the upper walls having groups of three lines of reinforcing doubles, the dividing lines that relieve the stress can also be used with any of the walls of the container that have slotted transport handles. Such container walls include those having one, two or more than three reinforcing bending lines extended from each internal dividing line. In some cases, the reinforcing bending lines can still be removed from such a container wall. It will also be recognized that the exact configuration of the handle openings may vary, depending on the orientation of the product, the size of the container and the like. In appropriate cases, only a single opening can be used. What is important is that the opening of the handle is associated with the internal dividing lines that separate the region of the opening from the regions of the adjacent corners of the respective container wall.

It will further be recognized that the present invention can be used with a package for packaging two rows of cans as well as can be used with a package to pack only a single row of cans, bottles, jars or other primary containers.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the invention as above, we consider what is contained in the following: CLAIMS 1. A container for packing articles, comprising a plurality of container walls interconnected in a collapsible manner to form said container, one of the The container walls have a pair of opposite side edges, a pair of opposite end edges, and a first hand opening that is used to lift said container, each not from said side edges and any said end edges defining between the same one corner of said wall of the container, said wall of the container is formed with a first dividing line arranged transversely of an imaginary line extending between said first opening for the hand and one of said corners, in order to avoid the concentration of the effort in a region of said first opening for the hand when lifting said container, said division line extending from said container wall and ends therein, so that the opposite ends of said dividing line are arranged in the separated positions of said lateral and end edges.
2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said container wall has a second hand opening formed thereon in a separate position from said first opening such that said first and second openings define between them a handle strip and said dividing line is provided in a position between said handle strip and each of said corners of said container wall. A container according to claim 2, wherein said container wall has at least one fold line extending from each of the dividing lines in the adjacent direction of one of said corners. A container according to claim 3, wherein a group of fold lines emanate from each dividing line and diverge mutually in the direction of said adjacent corner. A package according to claim 3, wherein said first and second hand openings are transversely spaced from each other such that said handle strip extends generally parallel to said side edges. A package according to claim 5, wherein one of said opposite ends of each of said dividing lines is disposed closer to an adjacent edge of said end edges than the other end of each dividing line, and at least one fold line emanates from said end of each dividing line, 7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the length of each dividing line adjacent to the other end is curved so that the other end is directed towards an edge of said end edges opposite said adjacent end edge. A container according to claim 3, wherein at least one fold line terminates at a separate location inwardly of said adjacent corner. A container according to claim 8, wherein at least one fold line terminates in a second dividing line formed in a wall of the container near said adjacent corner, said second division line extends diagonally between one and said lateral edges and adjacent one of said end edges. A container according to claim 3, wherein a container wall is generally of octagonal configuration, so that the beveled corner edges are respectively provided in said corners, and when a fold line ends adjacent to one of said beveled corner edges. A container according to claim 10, wherein said second dividing line is formed in said container along each of the beveled corner edges. 12. A package for packaging articles, comprising a generally rectangular top wall having a pair of separate hand openings formed thereinsaid hand openings are arranged to define between them a handle strip that is used to lift said container, said upper wall is provided with a fold line extending from a region of each corner of said upper wall in the direction of of said handle strip and furthermore with a first dividing line extending transversely of each of said fold lines, each of said first division lines is interposed between said handle strip and the respective fold line, so that said respective fold line terminates in said first division lines, whereby relieving the concentration of effort of the region of said handle strip upon lifting the container. A container according to claim 12, wherein each dividing line extends from said upper wall and terminates therein. 14. A package according to claim 13, wherein said hand openings are transversally spaced from one another, such that said handle strip extends generally parallel to the opposite side edges of said upper wall, one of said opposite ends of each dividing line is disposed closer to an adjacent edge of the opposite end edges of said upper wall than the other end of each dividing line, and said respective bending line terminates at one end of each dividing line . 15. A package according to claim 12, wherein each fold line emanates from a separate location towards the interior of the respective corner of said corners. A container according to claim 15, wherein each fold line emanates from a second dividing line formed in said top wall near said respective corner, said second division line extending diagonally between an adjacent edge of said edges. opposite sides of said top wall and an adjacent edge of the opposite end edges of said top wall. A package according to claim 12, wherein said top wall has beveled corner edges at said corners, and each fold line emanates from the respective edge of said beveled corner edges. 18. A preform for forming a package comprising a plurality of interconnected wall panels in a collapsible manner, one of the wall panels is of generally rectangular configuration and has an opening for the hand formed therein, said wall panel being provided with a fold line extending from a region of one of the corners of said wall panel in the direction of said opening for the hand and further with a dividing line extending transversely of said fold line, said dividing line it is interposed between said opening for the hand and said fold line so that said fold line terminates in said dividing line. 19. A preform according to claim 18, wherein said dividing line extends from said wall panel and terminates therein, so that the opposite ends of said dividing line are disposed at separate positions towards the inside of the wall. said adjacent edges of said wall panel. 20. A preform according to claim 19, wherein said hand opening extends generally parallel to the opposite side edges of said wall panel, one of said opposite ends of said dividing line being disposed closer to the adjacent edge. of said opposite end edges of said wall panel than the other end of said dividing line, and said fold line terminates at said end of said dividing line.