NZ248777A

NZ248777A - Package for beverage cans has a divider within a carton to arrange the beverage cans into two vertically aligned tiers

Info

Publication number: NZ248777A
Application number: NZ248777A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Will L Culpepper; James R Oliff
Original assignee: Mead Corp
Priority date: 1992-10-27
Filing date: 1993-09-27
Publication date: 1995-07-26
Also published as: JPH06211233A; BR9304365A; CA2109152A1; KR940009018A; MX9306665A; AU5023493A; EP0595602A1

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> • *• 248777 P»'k.f;«y Date(s): ComnH>te Specification Filed: Cla.-s; (5)..J; Pubto.:*rtl»n Date: 2.fLv!UJL1995 P.O. Journal, No: J.^?.Vfc NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, J953 No.: Date: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION TWO TIER CAN PACKAGE ^r/we, THE MEAD CORPORATION, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Ohio, United States of America, of Courthouse Plaza, Northeast, Dayton, Ohio 45463, United States of America hereby declare the invention for whichJT! we pray that a patent may be granted to p»€/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement. - - 1 - (followed by page la) ; j / <*' 4 - a~- 7 *7 - la - Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to cartons formed from paperboard material for packaging beverage 5 containers such as cans, and more particularly to such cartons for packaging beverage cans in two or more tiers. In modern beverage packaging, one of the most common forms of primary packaging is the drawn aluminum or steel can, most frequently holding twelve fluid ounces of 10 beverage. Such cans include a generally cylindrical side wall with a lower end formed integrally with the side wall and connected to the side wall along a generally large radius of curvature to define a lowermost, generally circular base. The base is typically domed inwardly in its 15 central portion for pressure resistance. An upper end is connected to the side wall, seamed thereto along a generally circular outer flange of a diameter greater than that of the base. The upper end includes a top surface recessed inwardly with respect to the uppermost portions of the 20 flange. It is common to market such beverage cans in secondary, paperboard packages containing a multiple of cans. Such cans are normally arranged in a single tier, with a common multiple being twelve cans, arranged in a 3 x 4 array. 25 However, higher multiples such as 24 or more cans may also be packaged in a single carton. Especially at such higher multiples, the carton can become awkwardly large in certain dimensions, and the single-tier arrangement also leaves four of six carton sides of relatively short height for the 30 printing of graphics. One solution to this problem is to package multiples of cans in two or more tiers. For example, a carton of 24 cans can be arranged as two tiers of 3 x 4 arrays in vertical alignment. Such a carton has the convenient perimeter of a twelve-pack carton, but double-height graphic area on its sides. A multiple-tier can carton is not without 5 disadvantages, however. Modern, high-speed packaging equipment requires the loading of cartons through one or both ends of a paperboard sleeve. In many machines, this results in the sliding or conveying movement of cans as they are loaded into the carton. For multiple tiers, either the 10 cans are moved in a stacked condition, or the cans of upper tiers roust be moved over the cans of an already arranged lower tier. However, this is difficult as a result of the can construction described above, as the cans will "nest" with the base of an upper-tier can fitting within the flange 15 of the top of a lower-tier can. This problem can be overcome by moving already-stacked cans within the packaging machine, but the can-to-can contact and relative motion between stacked cans resulting in such an approach may be objectionable. 20 A second solution to this problem may be had by placing a divider panel between tiers of cans so that no vertical can-to-can contact occurs. Such an approach is generally known, as discussed in US-A-3,351,264. There, a formed thermoplastic divider is used. However, especially for 25 waste disposal and recycling reasons, it is preferable that the divider be made from paperboard sheet. The disadvantage to this solution is that while the outer carton may at first be tightly wrapped about the stacked cans, over time the upper tier of cans will depress the paperboard divider panel 30 into the recessed top panel of the lower tier of cans. This will in effect "shrink" the height of the carton contents, yielding a looser carton. What is needed, therefore, is a solution to the problem of separating multiple tiers of cans while avoiding the 35 disadvantages resulting from collapse of the paperboard - 3 - 2 4 H 7 7 divider panel over time into the recessed portions of the cans upon which the divider panel rests. Of course, any such solution must not unduly complicate the packaging operation or the overall carton design or function. 5 summary of the Invention In meeting the foregoing needs, the present invention provides a package including a plurality of beverage cans arranged into a group of at least two vertically-aligned tiers. Each can has a generally cylindrical side wall 10 defining a cylindrical axis, and a lower end connected to the side wall along a generally large radius of curvature and defining a lowermost generally circular base of a first diameter. An upper end is connected to the side wall and includes a generally circular outer flange of a second 15 diameter greater than the first diameter and a top surface recessed inwardly with respect to the flange. A carton is disposed around the exterior of the group of the cans and has side panels disposed substantially adjacent to the side walls of the cans of the group along opposite sides thereof, 20 a top panel disposed substantially adjacent the upper ends of the cans of an uppermost of the tiers and foldably connected to the side panels, and a bottom panel disposed substantially adjacent the lower ends of the cans of a lowermost of the tiers and foldably connected to the side 25 panels. The invention further includes a paperboard divider panel disposed between and in contact with the cans of adjacent ones of the tiers. The divider panel defines a plurality of apertures, each of the apertures defined by a 30 generally circular edge concentric with the cylindrical axis of upper and lower adjacent ones of the cans and having a diameter smaller than the first diameter. The divider panel further defines a plurality of slits arranged to extend radially outward from each circular edge to a distance at 35 least equal to the second diameter. - 4 - 2 4 7 7 In use, the slits create a plurality of tabs located between the lowermost portion of a can lower end and the recessed top surface of the can immediately beneath. This permits the tabs to collapse to fit the curvature of the can 5 upper and lower ends, so that a carton sleeve corresponding to the collapsed height of the cans and divider panel may be used. No vertical "shrinking" of carton contents will then occur within the loaded carton, and a tightly-packed carton will remain in such a condition. 10 In the package of the invention, each of the cans may include an opening means defined in the top surface and confined within a notional circle concentric with the cylindrical axis of the can and having a third diameter smaller than the first diameter, and wherein the circular 15 edge is of a diameter greater than the third diameter. According to an alternate definition, the invention may provide a carton for packaging a plurality of beverage cans as previously defined arranged into a group of at least two vertically-aligned tiers. The carton includes an exterior 20 carton portion disposed around the exterior of the group of the cans. The paperboard divider panel is disposed between and in contact with the cans of adjacent ones of the tiers. The divider panel defines a plurality of apertures, each of the apertures defined by a generally circular edge 25 concentric with the cylindrical axis of upper and lower adjacent ones of the cans and having a diameter smaller than the first diameter. The divider panel further defines a plurality of slits arranged to extend radially outward from each circular edge to a distance at least equal to the 30 second diameter. Other advantages and objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. - 5 - 2 4 -n 7 ^ ~ / / Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is an elevational, partially sectional view of a typical beverage can as used with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a two-tier arrangement 5 of cans for placement within a carton in accordance with the present invention, showing the divider panel positioned between the tiers; FIG. 3 is a plan view of the divider panel; FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing placement of the 10 divider panel between a stacked pair of cans; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outer surface of a blank from which a carton in connection with the present invention may be formed; FIG. 6 is an erected sleeve formed from the blank of 15 FIG. 5; and FIG. 7 is a completed package in accordance with the present invention. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment The present invention is intended primarily for use 20 with drawn aluminum or steel cans of the type used in packaging beverages. A typical example of such a can is shown in FIG. 1, wherein can 10 includes a generally cylindrical side wall 12. Formed integrally with the side wall is a lower end 14 having a portion 16 connecting with 25 side wall 12 which is of a relatively large radius of curvature. The bottommost surface of can 10 is domed inwardly. At the upper end of side wall 12 is a necked-in portion 18, to which is attached the upper can end 20, seamed onto 30 the can side wall along a flange 22. The can end includes a top surface 24 which is recessed below flange 22 and a further recessed countersink 26 may be positioned between surface 24 and flange 22 for added strength. A conventional 24 8 7 opening means 28, such as an attached pull-tab, is provided in the central portion of surface 24. The lowermost portion of lower end 14 defines a circular base for the can having a diameter Dl. Flange 22 5 at the upper end 20 of the can is of a diameter D2 which is greater than the base diameter Dl (although less than the overall can diameter DC) . Thus, when stacked, the can base will nest within the upper end of the underlying can so that either the base rests on top surface 24 or the curved 10 connecting portion 16 rests against the inner surface of flange 22. It should also be noted that opening means 18 is contained on top surface 24 within a notional circle of diameter D3 which is smaller than either Dl or D2. 15 In accordance with the invention, a package is provided wherein a plurality of cans 10 is loaded into a carton in a multi-tiered arrangement. An example of such a can arrangement can be seen by reference to FIG. 2. As shown therein, two-tiers of six cans each are arranged to provide 20 a package containing twelve cans. Of course, it will be recognized that the invention may be used with any arrangement of cans for each tier and may also be used for can arrangements having greater than two tiers. In order to eliminate metal-to-metal contact between 25 the tops and bottoms of the stacked cans, a divider panel 30 is placed between the tiers of cans, resting upon the top surfaces of the cans in the lower tier, while supporting the can bottoms of the upper tier. The divider panel 30 may be seen in plan view in FIG. 3. Panel 30 is provided with a 30 plurality of apertures 32, one aperture for each stacked pair of cans in the can arrangement. As shown in FIG. 3, divider panel 30 is configured for use with the two-tier, 2x3 array of cans shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, the surface area of panel 30 is approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of a horizontal section of one tier of cans. Each aperture 32 includes a circular edge 34. Extending outwardly from each circular edge 34 is a plurality of slits 36. Circular edge 34 defines a diameter D4 which exceeds the diameter 03 containing the opening means 28 for a can, but is smaller than the diameter Dl of the lower can end. The outermost portions of slit 36 define a diameter D5 which is at least as great as the diameter D2 of the flange 22 on the can upper end. The divider panel 30 may be seen in partial section, positioned between a pair of stacked cans by reference to FIG. 4. Because the diameter of the circular edge 34 exceeds that of the portion of the can upper end containing the opening means 28, divider panel 30 is not buckled or bulged as a result of any contact with the opening means 28. Since the diameter of circular edge 34 is smaller than that of the can lower end, paperboard material extends completely between the adjacent lower end of an upper can and upper end of a lower can, which would otherwise be in contact. The provision of slits 36 (not shown in FIG. 4; refer back to FIG. 3) effectively define a plurality of tabs 38 which may be bent downwardly by the upper can as it is positioned on the lower can. This eliminates the downward compression of a solid divider panel under influence of the weight of the upper can, which would result in a disadvantageous "shrinking" of the height of a completed can arrangement. To further facilitate the downwardly folding movement of tabs 38 when positioned between cans, a circular fold line 39 may circumscribe the outer ends of slits 36 for each aperture 32. To complete the package, the can arrangement and divider panel 30 shown in FIG. 2 are placed into the 2 4 °77 - 8 - , , . . , *7 ' • y v t ' interior of a sleeve-type carton, which may be an otherwise conventional carton used in the packaging of beverage cans. A blank for one such carton may be seen by reference to PIG. 5. The carton includes a bottom panel 40 and a top 5 panel 42, each connected along fold lines 44 and 46 respectively to a side wall 48. At its opposite side, bottom panel 40 is connected along fold line 50 to partial side wall panel 52, while top panel 42 is connected along fold line 54 to partial side panel 56. 10 End closure structure, in part, is provided for the carton in the form of end flaps 58 and 60 which are foldably joined to the end edges of bottom wall 40 along fold lines 62 and 64 respectively. In addition, end flaps 66 and 68 are foldably joined to the end edges of top wall 42 along 15 fold lines 70 and 72 respectively. End flaps 74 and 76 are foldably joined to the end edges of side wall 48 along fold lines 78 and 80 respectively. Additional end closure structure is provided in the form of partial end flaps 82 and 84 which are foldably joined to the end edges of partial 20 side wall 52 along fold lines 86 and 88 respectively. Likewise, partial end flaps 90 and 92 are foldably joined to the end edges of partial side wall 56 along fold lines 94 and 96 respectively. Additional fold lines 100 are formed in end flaps 74 25 and 76 and partial end flaps 82, 84, 90 and 92 to define bevelled corner panels 102. In addition, each end flap 74 and 76 and partial end flaps 82, 84, 90 and 92 are foldably interconnected by a web structure 104 to the adjacent one of end flaps 58, 60, 66 and 68. Each web structure 104 is 30 defined by a fold line 105 which is substantially collinear with the fold line connecting the top or bottom panel 40 or 42 to the respective one of the side panels 48, 52 or 56. Web structure 104 is further defined by a fold line 106 which extends at an angle inwardly with respect to the 35 corresponding one of end flaps 58, 60, 66 and 68. 9 248777 £ 25 Further details regarding the specific construction of the carton blank may be seen by reference to US-A-4,216,861. The carton blank of FIG. 5 may be erected into a tube as shown in FIG. 6 by gluing the partial side panels 52 and 56 together to form a completed side wall. The tubular carton, as shown in FIG. 6, may then be loaded with the can arrangement and divider plate through one or both of its ends as illustrated by arrows 108. The carton end flaps are then closed and glued into position using conventional methods, thereby producing the completed package shown in FIG. 7. Further details regarding the folding sequence of the end flaps of the carton may be found by reference to the aforementioned US-A-4,216,861. It will be recognized that many variations may be made to the foregoing within the scope of the present invention. For example, alternate carton styles may be used, such as those having square corners rather than the bevelled corners as shown herein. Further, the carton design may be enhanced through the addition of handles, opening means and the like, again using structures known and understood within the art. It should be further recognized that it would be possible to replace the single divider panel 30 with two or more divider panels, each being positioned between portions of the stacked can arrangement. Such an approach may be particularly useful where higher multiples of cans are desired to be placed within the carton, and/or where loading of the carton from both of its open ends is desired. Other modifications may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> - 10 - 248777 WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A package comprising a carton and a plurality of beverage cans arranged into a group of at least two vertically-aligned tiers within the carton, said carton comprising: an exterior carton portion for disposing around the exterior of said group of said cans and having substantially vertical side panels, a top panel disposed substantially horizontally and foldably connected to upper ends of said side panels, and a bottom panel disposed substantially horizontally and foldably connected to lower ends of said side panels, said side panels each having a horizontal length defined substantially along a middle portion thereof, and said side panels being separated from each other at said middle portions by a distance representative of a carton width; and a divider panel disposed within said exterior carton portion for positioning between said tiers, said divider panel having a length substantially equal to said horizontal length and a width substantially equal to said carton width; said divider panel further defining a plurality of apertures, each of said apertures defined by a substantially circular edge, said divider panel further defining a plurality of slits arranged to extend radially outward from each said circular edge; wherein said plurality of beverage cans are arranged into a group of at least two vertically-aligned tiers, each can having a substantially cylindrical side wall defining a cylindrical axis, a lower end connected to said side wall along a substantially large radius of curvature and defining a lowermost substantially circular base of a first diameter, an upper end connected to said side wall and including a substantially circular outer flange of a second, diameter greater than said first diameter and a top surface recessed inwardly with respect to said flange; said group of said cans being disposed within exterior carton portion to have said side panels dis - 11 - 248777 substantially adjacent to said side walls of said cans of said group along opposite sides thereof, said top panel disposed substantially adjacent said upper ends of said cans of an uppermost of said tiers, and said bottom panel 5 disposed substantially adjacent said lower ends of said cans of a lowermost of said tiers; and said divider panel is disposed between aryi in contact with said cans of adjacent ones of said tiers, said divider panel being further characterized in that each of said 10 apertures has said circular edge concentric with said cylindrical axis of upper and lower adjacent ones of said cans and has a diameter smaller than said first diameter, said plurality of slits extending radially outward from each said circular edge to a distance at least equal to said .5 second diameter.

2. A package as defined in claim 1, wherein said exterior carton portion and said divider panel are separate pieces. 0

3. A package as defined in claims 1 or 2, wherein said divider panel includes a circular fold line concentric with each of said apertures and interconnecting the outermost ends of said slits extending from the respective one of said apertures. 5

4. A package as defined in claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein said divider panel is formed from a paperboard material.

5. A package as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said D cans includes an opening means defined in said top surface and confined within a notional circle concentric with said cylindrical axis of said can and having a third diameter smaller than said first diameter, and wherein said circular edge is of a diameter greater than said third diameter. i

6. A package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. fVfi V^SL&o1 Ovj 'y the authorised agents ^ 1 PARK « SON </div>