US2888135A

US2888135A - Can sleeves

Info

Publication number: US2888135A
Application number: US485244A
Authority: US
Inventors: Guyer Reynolds
Original assignee: Waldorf Paper Products Co
Current assignee: Waldorf Paper Products Co
Priority date: 1955-01-31
Filing date: 1955-01-31
Publication date: 1959-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-26

Description

R. GUYER CAN SLEEVES May 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1955 INVENTOR w .w m W& W A 62% s 0 W a. AM. Y

May 26, 1959 R. GUYER 2,888,135

' CAN SLEEVES v Filed Jan. 51, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I INVENTOR Reyna/d5 Gayer' ATTORNEY United States Patent CAN SLEEVES Reynolds Guyer, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Waldorf Paper Products Company, Ramsey County, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application January 31, 1955, Serial No. 485,244

7 Claims. (Cl. 20665) This invention relates to an improvement in can carriers and deals particularly with an improvement in the type of can carrier in which the cans are held in place in a sleeve of paperboard by tabs or flaps which engage into the recessed ends of the cans and against the chimes of the cans to prevent accidental-removal of the cans.

During the past few years many millions of can carriers have been produced which comprise a single sleeve or a double sleeve of paperboard of a size to encircle the bodies of the cans. These sleeves are normally shorter in length than the plurality of cans supported so that the ends of the last cans of the series project from the sleeve. Flaps are provided which are folded inwardly from two opposite panels of the sleeve which enter the recessed ends of the cans and engage against the can chimes to hold the cans from sliding from the sleeve.

While such carriers have been found entirely practical and useful, they must ordinarily be constructed of relatively stiff paperboard so that the flaps or tabs will be strong enough to retain the cans in the sleeve. As a result, the cost of such carriers are considerably greater than if the sleeves can be formed of lighter or flimsier board. An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a sleeve of the type described formed of light weight paperboard but having tabs or flaps of increased thickness. Asa result, the portion of the carrier which must be strong and stiff possesses the necessary qualities while at the same time the cost of the paperboard forming the sleeve is materially reduced.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a can sleeve designed to encircle a series of cans and having a pair of flaps on at least one panel of the sleeve designed to fold inwardly to overlie the recessed ends of the end cans of a plurality of aligned cans. These tabs are of double thickness so as to provide strength and rigidity.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a can sleeve having a pair of flaps of the type described above formed of two thicknesses, the two thicknesses being produced by folding portions of the material upon the tabs to produce two thicknesses of paperboard adhered together over a substantial portion of the tab area. A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of tabs preferably formed by connecting the end of each tab to a foldable reinforcing portion along a line of fold. By folding and adhering the reinforcing portion to the surfaces of the tabs, a tab is provided which is substantially more than double the strength of a single thickness tab due to the rigidity produced by connecting the two parts by adhesive.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can carrier showing the new construction.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the sleeve is formed.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a series of cans in place in the sleeve.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the can carrier.

The can sleeve A is formed as best illustrated in the drawings for holding a series of cans B. While in the particular arrangement illustrated the sleeve is constructed to hold three cans in alignment, it is obvious that any desired number Within practical limits may be enclosed and connected from two cans to a considerable number, depending upon their weight and size. Furthermore, while in the particular construction described, a single sleeve is illustrated, it should be understood that a double sleeve arrangement including two or more parallel rows of cans could similarly be employed, the

purpose of the construction illustrated being to disclose the manner of forming the tabs.

In the construction shown the can sleeve includes a side wall panel 10, a top wall panel 11, a side wall panel 12 and a bottom wall panel 13, connected in series by

parallel fold lines

14, 15 and 16. A glue flap17 is connected to the bottom panel 13 along a fold line 19 and this glue flap 17 overlaps the panel 10 and is adhered I thereto. The description of the

panels

11 and 13 as top and bottom panels, respectively, is only to simplify the explanation as any of the panels might be uppermost in actual practice.

A pair oftabs 20 and 21 are connected to opposite ends of the top panel 11 along parallel fold lines 22 and 23, respectively. These fold lines 22 and 23 might be in line with the edges of the

panels

10 and 12 if it is desired that one-half the body of the end cans B. of the series project from the sleeve. It is usually preferable to oifset the fold lines 22 and 23 inwardly so that the sleeve extends slightly past the center point of the end cans.

The tabs 20 and 21 usually include

parallel side edges

24 and 25 and a partially arcuate outer edge 26 which is shaped to follow the contour of the recessed end of a can B. Foldably connected along a chord of the arcuate edge 26 is a reinforcing tab 27 which is also provided with a partially arcuate edge 29. The fold, line 30 is parallel to the fold line 22 so that when the rein forcing flap 27 is folded onto the tab 20, and is adhered thereto, a tab of double thickness is provided.

The tab 21 is shaped similarly to the tab 20 and is connected along a fold line 31 to a reinforcing tab 32 which, when folded onto the tab 21, is substantially coextensive therewith. Obviously the reinforcing tabs do not have to cover the entire areas of the tabs to which they are secured if less reinforcing is necessary.

The bottom panel 13 is also usually connected along

parallel fold lines

33 and 34 to flaps 35 and 36, respectively. The

fold lines

33 and 34 are usually aligned with the fold lines 22 and 23 when the blank is flat. The tab 35 is connected along a fold line 37 to a reinforcing flap 39 while the flap 36 is similarly connected along a parallel fold line 41 with a reinforcing flap 42.

In formation, the flat blank illustrated in Figure 2 is moved through a gluer and the reinforcing tabs are folded and adhered to the tabs to which they are connected. The blank is then usually moved at right angles or fed through a second gluing machine and folded along the

fold lines

16 and 14 and the flap 17 is adhered to the panel 10 to form a tubular structure.

In use, the sleeve thus formed is opened into rectangular shape and the

tabs

20, 21, 35 and 36 are folded inwardly to lie adjacent the

panels

11 and 13, respectively, to which they are attached. The cans are inserted into the sleeve, the tabs engaging the chimes 43 of the cans B which are the outermost cans of the series. The natural tendency for the tabs to fold back into their original flat condition causes the tabs to lie against the recessed ends 44 of the cans and to remain in this engagement. The reinforcing flaps are normally folded between the mainflaps or tabs and the panels to which they are hinged, thus increasing the tendency for the tabs to engage against the can ends.

Can sleeves made in the manner described may dovetail together when out from a sheet. However, if no dovetailing of the individual blanks is desired, reinforcing flanges may be provided at each end of the blank, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. When these flanges are folded inwardly from the ends of the sleeve, the sleeve is correspondingly reinforced.

The side wall panel is connected along its end edges by fold lines 45 and 46 to reinforcing

flanges

47 and 49, respectively. The panel 12 is connected along the

fold lines

50 and 51 to reinforcing

flanges

52 and 53, respectively. These

flanges

47, 49, 52 and 53 may fold inwardly and be adhered to the walls to which they are connected, or may be free and unadhered if preferred.

In the particular construction illustrated, the sleeve is designed to hold cans having two opposite recessed ends. In structures for holding crown top cans, the upper panel may be provided with openings or other means of holding the upper ends of the cans in place and only the lower panel need be equipped with reinforced tabs.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my can carrier, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A can sleeve in combination with a plurality of aligned cans, the sleeve including two opposed panels overlying the ends of the cans and two wall panels connecting the edges of the first named panels, one of :the panels arranged to overlie the ends of the can having tabs foldably connected at opposite ends of the sleeve to said one panel, said tabs including marginal portions of two thicknesses adhered together.

2. The construction described in claim 1 and in which the two thicknesses forming the tabs are foldably connected.

3. A can sleeve in combination with a series of aligned cans having at least one recessed end, the sleeve including a first panel designed to overlie the recessed ends of the cans, an opposite panel and two connecting wall panels connecting :the edges of the said one panel and opposite panel, tabs at opposite ends of said one panel along parallel fold lines, reinforcing tabs foldably connected to the ends of the tabs along parallel fold lines, said reinforcing tabs being adhered in surface contact with said first named tabs.

4. The construction described in claim 3 and in which said tabs include a partially arcuate outer edge.

5. The construction described in claim 3 and in which said opposite panel includes similar tabs connected to the ends thereof along parallel fold lines, and said similar tabs including reinforcing tabs adhered in surface contact therewith.

6. The construction described in claim 3 and including reinforcing flanges hingedly secured to. the end edges of said connecting wall panels.

7. A paperboard blank for forming a can sleeve, the blank including four wall panels foldably connected along parallel fold lines, the first and third wall panels having first tabs hingedly connected to the ends thereof along fold lines at right angles to the fold lines connecting said wall panels, and similar second tabs foldably connected to the ends of the first tabs, the tabs being contiguous when folded into superimposed relation, the connected ends of said tabs being arcuate on opposite sides of the connecting fold line, and flanges hingedly connected to the second and fourth wall panels along parallel fold lines which are at right angles to the fold lines connecting said panels, the ends of said second tabs being substantially aligned with the ends of said flanges in unfolded condition of said blank, the lines of fold connecting said first tabs to their wall panels being closer together than the fold lines connecting said flanges to their wall panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,481 Lyons Dec. 9, 1947 2,554,190 Hennessey May 22, 1951 2,571,833 Chidsey Oct. 16, 1951 2,678,767 Toensmeier May 18, 1954 2,713,451 Williamson et al July 19, 1955 2,738,055 Shanahan Mar. 13, 1956