US3186545A

US3186545A - Fully enclosed bottle package

Info

Publication number: US3186545A
Application number: US236193A
Authority: US
Inventors: David E Conrades
Original assignee: ST Regis Paper Co
Current assignee: ST Regis Paper Co
Priority date: 1962-11-08
Filing date: 1962-11-08
Publication date: 1965-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1982-06-01

Description

June 1965 D. E. CONRADES 3,186,545

FULLY ENCLOSED BOTTLE PACKAGE Filed NOV. 8, 1962 FIG 3 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. DAVID E. CONRADES BY sy hmmn A T m A/E VS June 1, 1965 D. E. CONRADES.

FULLY ENCLOSED BOTTLE PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 8, 1962 INVENTOR. DAVID E. comp/105s B071, MAJ-Jab;

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,186,545 FULLY ENCLQSED BOTTLE PACKAGE David E. Comrades, Menlo Park, Calif., assignor to St. Regis Paper Company, a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 236,193 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates generally to a full enclosed container package, and more particularly to a carrier fully enclosing an assembly of capped bottles for carrying the bottles as a unit.

An object of this invention is to provide a rnul ticontainer package which is aesthetically pleasing and provides maximum available printing area for advertising and display purposes.

Another object is the provision of a package of capped bottles that includes a carrier which fully encloses the bottles with only a small portion of the caps projecting externally of the package.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a package for a plurality of containers, which package is formed from a permanently connected sleeve with releasably connected sidewall closures.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a multi-bottle package that includes a carrier in the form of a single, economically made, cardboard blank, and

' which'carrier includes as an integral part thereof means securing the bottles against movement within the package.

A still further object is to provide a package of at least one row of bottles in side by side relation, including a carrier which is adapted to be wrapped around the ends of the row for fully enclosing the bottles, where by the bottles may be removed from the package through the sidewalls of the carrier.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1. is .a perspective view of the fully assembled package of this invention, with a corner portion cut away to show interior details;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cardboard blank from which the carrier of this invention is formed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional'view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional View taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

7 FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the partially assembled package with the sidewalls on one side of the package inan open position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the of FIG. 1; a I

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 of'FIG. 6. r 7

Referring to FIG. 1, the package of this invention is indicated generally at 19, and comprises a carrier formed from a single, elongated, cardboard blank 11 (FIG. 2). The blank 11 is formedwith longitudinally spaced folding creases extending transversely across the blank to provide a first panel 15, a second panel 16, a third panel line 6-6 17, and. a fourth panel 18, extending longitudinally 1 across blank 11 from left to right, as viewed in FIG. 2. j The panel 15 includes a pair of spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending

folding creases

19, 20 providing a bottom wall 21 between

creases

19, 20, and a pair of opposed lower

partial sidewalls

22, 23 articulated or integrally joined to the-lateral edges of bottom wa'l'l'21 along

creases

19, 2!). The bottom wall 21 has an integr-al extension 24 connected thereto by a laterally extending folding crease 25 having one surfacethereo-f de- 3,186,545 Patented June 1, 1965 subsequently described. Lower

partial sidewalls

22, 23 each have a pair of spaced, laterally outwardly extending, wing-

type locking tabs

27, 28, respectively, integrally connected thereto for use in maintaining the package in an assembled state, as will be later described.

The third panel 17 is formed with an inner pair of spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending folding creases 29 providing a planar top wall 30 therebetween. A pair of opposed upper partial sidewalls including

upper sections

31, 32 are articulated to the lateral edges of top wall 30 at creases 29, and are integrally joined by an outer pair of folding creases 33, spaced outwardly from and parallel to creases 29, to the pair of

middle sections

34, 35 of the upper partial sidewalls which extend laterally outwardly from top wall 30 on opposite sides thereof.

The second panel 16 has a pair of longitudinally extending folding creases 36 providing an end wall 37 therebetween. A pair of laterally outwardly extending

extensions

38, 39 are formed on opposite sides of end wall 3'7. A pair of triangular gussets 40 connect end wall 37 to the

upper sections

31, 32 of the upper partial sidewalls by converging creases 41.

The fourth panel 18 is similar but reversed in position to panel 16, and has a pair of longitudinally extending folding creases 42 providing an end wali 43 therebetween terminating in right marginal edge 44. A pair of laterally outwardly extending

extensions

45, 46 are formed on opposite sides of end Wall 43 and are integrally joined thereto along creases 42. A pair of triangular gussets 47 connect end wall 43 to the opposite ends of

upper sections

31, 32 by converging creases 48.

The carrier is preferably partially formed by the manufacturer thereof by folding the blank centrally about crease 13. The flap 26 is folded about crease 25 and permanently secured to the marginal edge 44 of end wall 43 by glue or other suitable adhesive. The partially formed carrier is shipped in a fiat, doubled-over form to the user of the carrier, such as a brewery, where the carrier is set up to accommodate the bottles and form the package It). I

The carrier is set up from such doubled-over form by pulling the top thickness comprising panels 17, 1'8 upwardly to fold end wall 37 about crease 12 and end wall 43 about crease 14 until the two end walls are substantially vertical and parallel to each other and the top wall 3% is substantially horizontal and parallel to the bottom wall 21. The bottlesare then inserted through the open sidewalls of the carrier and positioned on the horizontal bottom wall 2 1 and under the spaced, parallel top wall 30.

The bottom wall 21 is adapted to support at least one row of containers, such as bottles 49, in parallel, side by side relation. The bottles 49 are of the type having generally cylindrical lower body portions 50 and neck portions 51 thereon coaxial with and extending upwardly from body portions 50 providing sloping shoulders 52. The upper open end of each bottle is closed by a removable cap 53 (FIG. 4) which is secured on the bottle by crimping to provide each cap with an axially downwardly facing surface 54 around the upper end of each neck portion 51.

' ,.With the blank illustrated, there are three bottles 49 fining a glue strip 26 for forming the carrier, as will be in each of two rows, and partially stamped from the bot-' tom wall 21 are three spacer tabs 55 (FIG. 2) that are adapted to be bent upwardly along aligned creases 56 that are substantially midway between

creases

19, 20. Tabs 55 are positioned to extend between the adjacent bottles in the two rows, as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, thus spacing the rows of bottles apart.

Two other pairs of tabs 57 that are longer than the tabs 55 are partially stamped from bottom wall 21, and are integrally connected with said wall along creases 58. The creases 58 are positioned so that the tabs 57 when folded upwardly at right angles to the bottom wall will be between the lower body portions 50 of the adjacent bottles in each row (FIGS. 6, 7).

When the bottles 49 are thus positioned on the bottom wall 21, the end bottles of'the rows'will be along creases 25, 12, respectively, with the end wall 37 extending across and substantially in engagement with the end bottles of said one end of the rows. The

extensions

38, 39 are folded inwardly to tangentially engage a portion of the opposite, laterally outwardly facing sides of the said end bottles (FIG. 6). The end wall 43 extends across and substantially in engagement with the end bottles of the other end of the rows. The

extensions

45, 46 are folded inwardly to tangentially engage a portion'of the oppo- 'site, laterally outwardly facing sides of the said end bottles.

The

upper sections

31, 32 of the upper partial sidewalls each have a row of openings 59 formed therein by arcuate cuts 60 along creases 29 in alignment with caps 53 through each of which openings a small outwardly facing portion of a cap projects (FIG. 1). The openings 59 are formed by folding

upper sections

31,32 downwardly and outwardly from top wall 30 about creases 29 to define tab members 61 extending laterally outwardly in the plane of topwall and seated on top of their respective caps to facilitate the vertical stacking of other packages 10. It is not necessary that atab member 61 be provided for each opening 59, as a tab member adjacent each of the four corners of top wall 30 is sufficient for stacking purposes.

A marginal portion of the upper'sections 31, 32 around each of the openings 59 is slit radially by cuts 62 fromthe edge of eachof said openings to provide a pair of yieldable sections 63 which snap under a cap 53 into en-. 'gagement with the downwardly facing surface 54thereof (FIG. 4). By this means the

upper sections

31, 32 are maintainedin position against the sloping shoulders of the bottles, and the upper ends of the bottlesare secured against movement Within the carrier.

' The gussets 40, 47am folded inwardly between the shoulders of the end bottles of .therows and the respective ends of

upper sections

31, 32, as shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 5, and maintained therebetween by the

upper sections

31, 32 when the said upper sections are in the above-described position. v

' The middle sections 34, of the upper partial sidewalls are folded downwardly about creases 33 to extendin generally vertical,,parallel relation against the out-' wardly, oppositely facing sides of the bottles from ,the

shoulders thereof to a point intermediate the shoulders and the bottom .ofthe, bottles ,(FIG. 7). The lower

partial sidewalls

22, 23 are then folded upwardly about

creases

19, 20, respectively, against the outwardly facing -lower' portions 513 of the, bottles, with the marginal portion adjacent the laterally extending free edge of lower

partial sidewalls

22, 23 overlapping a similar portion of

middle sections

34, 35, respectively.

Each middle section "34,35 has a pair of locking means 64, 65,- respectively, formed by converging cuts 66, 67, and arcuate scored lines 68, 69, respectively, adapted to 'be' pushed inwardly by locking

tabs

27,28, respectively,

to maintain the lapping relation between.

middle sections

34, 35 and lower partial sidewalls 22,l23,respectively,'

a thereby releasably connecting

partial sidewalls

22', 31, 34 and 323,: 32, 35 to form opposed composite sidewallsi;

The top wall 313 is formed with a'pair of fingeropena 7o" j ings by partially stamping tabs 71'out of the top wall. 1 intermediate folding creases 13,14 and the pair ofcreases;

'71 are pushed downwardly bytwo fingers of the lifting hand, and the lifting pressure will be along the creases 72 Where'the openings 70 are reinforced by tabs 71.

Each lower

partial sidewall

22, 23 is provided with a tear strip 73, 74, respectively, to facilitate opening the package for access to the bottles. Tear strip 73 in lower partial sidewall 22 is formed by cuts 75 providing lines of weakness, and terminates at one end in a pull tab 76. A channel-shaped cut 77 in extension 33 (FIG. 2), allows a person to easily grasp the pull tab 76 and tear the strip 73 from lower partialsidewall 22.

Tear strip 74' is similar and generally parallel to strip 73. Strip 74 is formed by cuts 78 terminating in pull tab 79. A channel-shaped cut 80 in extension 45 permits easy. removal of tear strip 74 from lower partial sidewall23. .7 w a When the package 10 is thus formed, the walls of the carrier completely covering the bottles afford adequate protection to the bottles and provide a maximum amount of available space for advertising? and other printed mat ter.

While the package and carrier of, this invention have been '(lescribedwith specific reference to the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will a be understood that various modifications and changes may be made 'within the skill and understandingof persons skilled in the art without de'parting. from the, spirit and scope of the invention as'defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1.fA multi-container package,comprising:

sloping shoulders, in substantially side-by-side I613:

tion; (b) a carrier for saidicontainers including asingle elongated blank formed with folding creases extending transversely thereof and spacedlongitudinally of said blank to providea top,, a bottom, and a pair of end .wall' panels extending in end-to-end relation longitudinally of the blank; e i (c), means connectingthe ends ofsaid blank to form a sleeve encompassing said 'row ofv containers with said bottom panel supporting said containers thereon, said top panel extending across andin engagement with the tops of the caps of said containers, and said end wall panels extending across and substantially in engagement 'with' the oppositely outwardly facing sides of the end containers in said row; j. i Y (d); said blank furtherdnclu'ding apair of upper and a pairfof lower partial sidewall panels respectivelyintegrally joined valong longitudinally extending folding creases to said top and bottom panels; (e) said partial sidewallpanels being folded down- 7 wardly and upwardly respe'ctivelyfrom said top and bottom panels to positions extending across and substantially in engagement with the oppositely outwardly facing sides of theicontainers of said row; 1 (f) means connecting adjacent edges of said upper and 'lower partial sidewall panels forforming'composite sidewall panels therefrom; p. 2 7 (g) said ,upperpartial sidewallgpanels includingv upper and middle sectionsintegrally joinedt'o each other along longitudinally extending foldingcreases; (h) said upper sections extending: outwardly downwardly from said top panel'at generally. the same I I slope as saidshoulders of; said containers; and, (i) triangular gusset sectionsintegrally joined along transversely extending foldingcreases to said upper capped containers, having sloping shoulders, ,in' substan- 29; The tabs 71 are integral with the top wall along parit .allel folding creases 72 that extend laterally" of the blank. When a person wishesjto carry the package,-'th e;" tabs tially side-by-side relation, saidcarrier. comprising:

(a) a single elongated blankgformed with folding creases extending transversely thereof and spaced longitudinally of said blank to provide a top, a bottom, and a pair of end wall panels extending in end-to-end relation longitudinally of the blank;

- (b) means connecting the ends of said blank to form a sleeve for encompassing said row of containers with said bottom panel being adapted to support said containers thereon, with said top panel being adapted to extend across and be in engagement with the tops of the caps of said containers, and with said end wall panels being adapted to extend across and be substantially in engagement with the oppositely outwardly facing sides of the end containers in said row; (c) said blank further including a pair of upper and a pair of lower partial sidewall panels respectively integrally joined along longitudinally extending folding creases to said top and bottom panels; (d) said partial sidewall panels being folded downwardly and upwardly respectively from said top and bottom panels to positions adapted to extend across and be substantially in engagement with the oppositely outwardly facing sides of the containers of said; 7

(f) said upper partial sidewall panels including upper and middle sections integrally joined to each other 7 along longitudinally extending folding creases;

(g) said upper sections extending outwardly downwardly from said top panel at generally the same slope as said shoulders of said containers; and,

(h) triangular gusset sections integrally joined along transversely extending folding creases to said upper sections and said end panels and folded oppositely inwardly between said upper sections and said shoulders.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,968,877 8/34 'Cubberley 20665 X 2,008,443 7/ Froehlig 229-31 2,171,615 9/39 Wessehnan. 2,899,123 8/59 Currie 206- 2,982,400 5/61 Andre 206--65 2,990,997 7/61 Weiss 206-65 3,054,550 V 9/62 Comstock 229- 31 3,090,520 5/ 63 Wuerthner 220-112 3,108,414 10/63 Schleichler et al. 206-65 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

Claims

2. A MULTI-CONTAINER CARRIER FOR AT LEAST ONE ROW OF CAPPED CONTAINERS, HAVING SLOPING SHOULDERS, IN SUBSTANTIALLY SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION, SAID CARRIER COMPRISING: (A) A SINGLE ELONGATED BLANK FORMED WITH FOLDING CREASES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF AND SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BLANK TO PROVIDE A TOP, A BOTTOM, AND A PAIR OF END WALL PANELS EXTENDING IN ENDTO-END RELATION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BLANK; (B) MEANS CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID BLANK TO FORM A SLEEVE FOR ENCOMPASSING SAID ROW OF CONTAINERS WITH SAID BOTTOM PANEL BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID CONTAINERS THEREON, WITH SAID TOP PANEL BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND ACROSS AND BE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOPS OF THE CAPS OF SAID CONTAINERS, AND WITH SAID END WALL PANELS BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND ACROSS AND BE SUBSTANTIALLY IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OPPOSITELY OUTWARDLY FACING SIDES OF THE END CONTAINERS IN SAID ROW; (C) SAID BLANK FURTHER INCLUDING A PAIR OF UPPER AND A PAIR OF LOWER PARTIAL SIDEWALL PANELS RESPECTIVELY INTEGRALLY JOINED ALONG LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FOLDING CREASES TO SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PANELS;