US3815809A

US3815809A - Carton with integral reinforced handle

Info

Publication number: US3815809A
Application number: US00264934A
Authority: US
Inventors: C Walters
Original assignee: Interstate Folding Box Co
Current assignee: Interstate Folding Box Co
Priority date: 1972-06-21
Filing date: 1972-06-21
Publication date: 1974-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-11

Abstract

A one-piece paperboard carton structure having a reinforced carrying handle, the carton structure being particularly suited for packaging relatively large consumer sales units of bulk materials and having enclosing body walls and a multiple thickness carrying handle integrally connected to one of the body walls, with a plurality of the end closure flaps adjoining the handle acting to reinforce and strengthen the structure so as to resist peeling and tearing forces encountered when the filled carton is carried by its handle.

Description

United States Patent Walters June 11, 1974 [54] CARTON WITH INTEGRAL REINFORCED 2,923,455 2/1960 Tingley 229/52 B HANDLE 3,074,614 l/l963 Mofi'at.... 229/52 B 3.133.689 5/1964 Rossi 229/17 R [75] Inventor: g k lester alt 1d o n, 3,182,913 5/1965 Brian 229/52 B [73] Assignee: The Interstate Folding Box 'l Exami' er winiam Price Company, Middletown Ohio Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Attorney, Agent, or Firm-.lohn W. Melville; Albert E. Flledi J 1972 Strasser; Stanley H. Foster [21] Appl. No.: 264,934

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U 8 Cl 229/37 E 229/52 B A one-piece paperboard carton structure having a re- [511 5/08 B65d 5/46 inforced carrying handle, the carton structure being [58] Fieid 229/52 B R 37 E particularly suited for packaging relatively large consumer sales units of bulk materials and having enclosbody walls and a multiple thickness carrying han- [56] References Cited mg dle mtegrally connected to one of the body walls, with v UNITED STATES PATENTS a plurality of the end closure flaps adjoining the han- 685,325 10/1901 Dye 229/37 R dl a ting toreinfor e and strengthen the structure so 13231232 4/1917 as to resist peeling and tearing forces encountered 1 238 53 when the filled'carton is carried by its handle. 2,659,524 11/1953 Meslweeml 10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures SHEEI 10F 3 PATENTEUJUN 1 1 1914 PATENTEDJUN 1 I 1914 We; e8)

SHEET 3 OF 3 CARTON WITH INTEGRAL REINFORCED HANDLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to paperboard cartons, and has to do more particularly with relatively large size cartons adapted to contain a substantial quantity of contents. There are numerous consumer products, such as gross seed, laundry powders, dog food, and the like,- which are normally sold in relatively large sales units, ranging from to pounds or even more. Such large sales units pose a packaging problem in that the package should desirably be one which can be readily handled and carried by the purchaser. While many such products have been packaged in bags, the bags are not only difficult to handle but additionally pose a problem to the store owner in stacking and display.

In recent years there has been a trend toward the use of large size paperboard cartons to package bulk products, the cartons being provided with a carrying handle. Generally speaking, however, such earring handles have been unsatisfactory and have also added materially to the cost of the carton. For example, a common form of handle in use today comprises a flexible paper or paperboard strap or bail, usually strengthened with strand reinforcement, which is adhered at its opposite ends to a boxboard insert which, in turn, is adhered to an underlying closure flapof the carton, with the insert and the overlying closure flaps slotted to permit the purchaser to raise the strap handle to a hand engaging position. Such handles require separate assembly, the strap being first adhered to the insert, and the handle insert so formed fed into registry and attached to the carton blank as an incident of its folding and gluing. In addition to adding to the cost of the carton, the handles are not wholly reliable and are subject to tearing and peeling, the utility of the handle being completely lost if either of its ends becomes detached from the carton.

Other types of carrying handles have proven equally ineffective, such as plastic straps having tongues at their opposite ends engageable with cutouts in the carton end closure flaps, as well as various types of wire bails having their ends configured to engage the cartons. Handles of this nature, being detachable, are readily lost and also tend to interfere with the stacking of the cartons one upon the other for storage or display.

In contrast to the foregoing, the present invention contemplates a carton structure having an integral handle which projects from a side edge of the carton end closure, the handle being adapted to lie flat against the carton when not in use and yet readily available when it is desired to carry the carton.

RESUME OF THE INVENTION sure flaps and a pair of essentially half-width innermost closure flaps. Closure flaps are also provided at the upper ends of the carton body walls, at least two of the top closure flaps being full-width flaps, with a third of the top closure flaps having an integrally formed carry ing handle. The handle is ofdouble thickness and is arranged so that its bottom side edge lies alongand coincides with the upper edge of one of the carton body walls, the arrangement being such that the closure flap with which the handle is integrally associated comprises an innermost flap, the two full-width top closure flaps being adapted to overlie the handle carrying closure flap, thus serving to effectively anchor the handle in a manner to resist forces tending to tear or peel the handle when the filled carton is being carried.

The construction of the'carton is such that the structure may be readily fabricated using conventional folding and gluing equipment which can be readily moditied to accomplish the folding and gluing of the handle forming parts as the knocked-down carton structures are formed. Similarly, the cartons may be erected and their bottom end closure flaps sealed in conventional fashion. Even the top closure may be sealed in essentially conventional fashion using sweeps and kickers to sequentially infold the various closure flaps and the handle.

Since the carrying handle extends along an uppermost side edge of the carton, the handle may be readily folded into contact with the underlying carton body wall during shipment and storage, and yet the handle may be readily moved to the carrying position when it is desired to carry the carton. When the carton is being carried, the handle preferably will be disposed in a sidewise direction, i.e.; from side-to-side rather than from front-to-rear, thereby placing a vertical side edge of the carton immediately adjacent the side of the person carrying the carton. Since the carton is suspended from a handle which extends along one of its upper side edges, the weight of the contents will cause the carton to pivot so that it is tilted in a direction at right angles to the length of the handle, thereby effectively placing the handle at or near the vertical center line of the tilted carton. In other words, when the carton is in the tilted carrying position, its weight load is effectively distributed on opposite sides of the handle, thereby minimizing the forces which would tend to tear or peel the handle relative to the carton.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cut and scored blank for forming a carton structure in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the carton blank of FIG. 1 in its knocked-down flat-folded condition.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carton structure in erected condition with its bottom end closed and sealed and with a first of its top closure flaps infolded.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the infolded position of the next to be infolded end closure flaps.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 4 with the infolding of the top closure flaps completed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the carton structure in its carrying position.

. 3- FIG. 7 is a plan view of a cut and scoredblank for forming a-modified carton structure in accordance with the invention. I v I FIG. 8 is a plan view ofthe carton blank of FIG. 7 illustrating the initial folding of the top closure flap incorporating the carrying handle.

. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the blank of FIG. 8 in the knocked-down flat-folded condition.

FIG.'10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the knocked-down carton of FIG. 9 in erected condition with an opposing pair of the end closure flaps in their infolded positions.

FIG. 11' is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the carton structure of FIG. in the fully assembled condition.

FIG. 12 is a perspectivefview illustrating the modifie carton structure in its carrying position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a cut and scored blank is provided which comprises body walls 1, 2, 3- and 4 in side-'by-side articulation in the order named, the body wall 4 having a longitudinal glue flap 5 extending along its outermost side edge. In this embodiment, the body wallsl through 4 are preferably of I equal width so that the resultant carton is essentially wall 2, thereby bringing the parts to the condition illustrated in FIG. 2, with the free edge of body wall 1 overlying and adhesively secured to longitudinal glue flap 5. FIG. 2 thus illustrates, the carton structure in its knocked-down flat-folded condition in which it is shipped to the user for subsequent erection and filling.

In the hands of the 'u'ser,-the flat-folded blanks are squared-up or tubed, followed by the infolding and gluing of the end closures, which may be accomplished in indifferent order. In the case of the bottom closure flaps 6 through 9, the flaps 7 and 9are first infolded,

. ermost portion of full-width closure flap 11 overlies body walls 1, 2 and 3, respectively, there being a one-.

half width closure flap l3 hingedly articulated to the upper edge of the remaining body wall 4. A first handle part 14 is hingedlyfconnected to the outermost edge of top closure flap l1, and a second handle part 15 is hingedly connected to an end edge'of the handle part 14, the handle part 15 lying-beyond but separated from top closure flap l0 ..ln the embodiment illustrated, a pair of U-shaped finger hole forming tabs' 16 and 16a gerhole forming tabs 17 and 17a are formed in handle part 15. As will be evident, the carton blank, including the handle forming parts, utilizes only slightly more boxboard than does a conventional seal end carton;

, parts together to form a double thickness handle. The

carton body wall 4, together with 'glue flap 5, will be infolded along the line of articulation connecting body wall 3 to adjoining body wall 4, followed by the infolding of body wall 1 along its line of articulation to body are formed in handle part 14, and a mating pair of finand is preferably adhesively secured to the underlying closure flap 13, the

handle forming parts

14 and 15 projecting outwardly beyond the uppermost side edge of body wall 4. The remainingfull-width end closure flaps l0 and 12 are then infolded in indifferent order and adhesively secured to each other and to the underlying full-width closure flap 11, thereby completing the end closure and bringing the parts to the condition illustrated in FIG. 5. v j

' As should now be evident, a carton structure is provided in which a carrying handle projects from the upper edge of one of the carton body walls, the handle in this embodiment being integrally connected to a fullwidth end closure flap so that lifting forces exerted on the handle will be transmitted across the top of the carton to the opposing body wall 2. The overlying

fullwidth closure flaps

10 and 12 act to reinforce the handle mounting closure flap 11 and at the same time provide reinforcement adjacent the handle acting to effectively transmit its lifting forces to the opposing body wallsl and 3, as well as to the underlying body wall 4. This action should be readily apparent from FIG. 6 which illustrates the carton structure in its carrying position. As also will be evident, the inclined or tilted position of the carton when being carried effectively serves to distribute its weight load on opposite sides of the vertical plane of the handle, so that the lifting force is distributed'to the various body walls of the carton; and at the same time the disposition of the handle relative to the carton body, particularly the top closure, is such that the peeling or tearing forces are minimized, as compared with a conventional carrying handle for a carton. wherein the peeling and tearing forces act at right angles to the top and hence are more severe than where the included angle between the plane of the handle and'the plane of the top is substantially in excess of H Referring again to FIG. 4, it will be evident that the extending handle may be readily folded downwardly into contact with the adjoining body wall 4 during shipment, storage and display of the cartons; and if desired, oneor more spots of adhesive may be employed to releasably tack the handle to the body wall.

FIG. 7 of the drawings illustrates a modification of the invention wherein the handle forming parts are confined to a single closure flap overlying one of the carton body walls. This arrangement is particularly suited for cartons which are rectangular incrosssection and have an opposing pair of relatively large body walls, with the remaining pair of opposing body walls of lesser width. Of course, if desired, the modified handle construction may be employed in a carton which is square in crosssection. In the FIG. 7 embodiment, the carton blank has enclosing

body walls

21, 22,

23 and 24 in side-by-side articulation, the

body walls

21 and 23 being of equal width and relatively narrow as compared to the equal

width body walls

22 and 24. A- longitudinal glue flap 25 is provided on the free side edge of the body wall.24; and the lower edges of the body walls are provided with bottom closure flaps 26, 27, 28 and 29, the

flaps

27 and 29 being full-width flaps, whereas the

flaps

26 and 28 are of lesser width.

The top closure for the carton structure comprises a somewhat less than full-width top closure flap 30 connected to the upper edge of body wall 21, a full-width closure flap 31 connected to body wall 22, a somewhat greater than full-width handle forming and closure flap 32 connected to the body wall 23, and a full-width closure flap 33 connected to the body wall 24. Preferably, the width of flap 30 is decreased by the added width of flap 32, so that the blanks may be nested without any waste of board.

The flap 32 is provided with spaced apart score

lines

34 and 35 which define equal width first and

second handle parts

36 and 37, respectively, each of the handle parts being provided with a plurality of U-shaped finger hole forming tabs, such as the sets of tabs 38 and 39. A closure flap portion 40 lies beyond the handle part 37. In most instances, in order for the

handle parts

36 and 37 to provide a handle of sufficient depth to be readily gripped, and at the same time to provide a closure flap portion 40 of adequate width, the over-all width of flap 32 will be somewhat greater than the width of the adjacent full-

width flaps

31 and 33, although it should be understood that the dimensions will vary depending upon the relative widths of the carton body walls.

In forming the knocked-down carton structure, the

flap 32 will be first infolded along score line 34, thereby juxtaposing the first and

second handle parts

36 and 37, with the interposition of adhesive therebetween, thereby bringing the blank to the condition illustrated in FIG. 8. Body wall 24 is then infolded along its line of articulation to body wall 23, followed by the infolding of body wall 21 along its line of articulation to body wall 22, thereby juxtaposing the free side edge of body wall 21 to the glue flap 25 to which it is adhesively secured, the parts thus assuming the knocked-down flat-folded conditionillustrated in FIG. 9.

Upon erection of the carton body, the top closure is formed by infolding end closure flap 30 and also outfolding the

handle parts

36 and 37 which causes the closure flap 40 to assume an infolded condition with respect to the carton body walls, as will be evident from FIG. 10. Thereafter, the full-width closure flaps 31 and 33 are infolded in indifferent order and adhesively secured to each other and to the underlying closure flaps 30 and 40, thereby bringing the end closure to the condition illustrated in FIG. 11.

I trated in FIG. 12 and,as was the case with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 6, when in its carrying position the carton is suspended from the handle in an inclined position, thereby effectively distributing the weight load to opposite sides of the plane of the handle and effectively reducing the peeling and tearing forces due to the angularly disposed relation of the handle to the tilted or inclined top wall. Thus, the lifting .forces exerted by the handle are transmitted directly to the underlying body wall 23, and through the overlying fullwidth closure flaps 31 and 33 to the remaining body walls.

As should now be apparent, the instant invention provides carton structures having integral carrying handles which require little if any additional boxboard than required for the carton itself, and which can be readily fabricated as an incident of the folding and gluing of the carton. The edge location of the handles, together with the reinforcement and support provided by the two full-width closure flaps which overlie and support the closure flap to which the handle is connected, act to strengthen and support the handle; and the location of the handle, which causes the carton to assume an inclined or tilted position when carried, effectively reduces the tearing and peeling forces generated when the filled carton is lifted by its handle.

Modifications may be made in the invention without departing from its spirit and purpose, and various such modifications have already been set forth and others will undoubtedly occur to the skilled worker in the art upon the reading of this specification. Consequently, it is not intended that the invention be limited other than in the manner set forth in the claims which follow.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

I. In a one-piece paperboard carton structure having four enclosing body walls, end closures at the opposite ends of said body walls, and an integral carrying handle extending along one side edge only of said top closure, said top closure having an opposing pair of full-width outermost closure flaps hingedly connected to an opposing pair of said enclosing body walls, said outermost closure flaps overlying the upper end of the carton body and being adhesively secured together in-face-toface relation, a third closure flap underlying and secured to said outermost closure flaps and integrally connected to one of the remaining carton body walls,

mating handle part integrally connected to said first handle part, said handle parts being folded and adhered together in face-to-face relation. to form a multiple thickness handle, said handle being positioned to project outwardly beyond the uppermost edge of one v of said remaining carton walls with its innermost end coinciding with the uppermost edge of said last named remaining carton body wall, said handle being rein pair of full-width outermost closure flaps, whereby I when the filled carton is lifted by its said handle, the carton body will pivot about said handle to an inclined position with the weight load substantially equally dis tributed on opposite sides of the handle and the lifting forces exerted by the handle effectively transmitted to each of the carton body walls through the juxtaposed and sealed top closure flaps, saidopposing pair of fullwidth outermost closure flaps effectively resisting peeling and tearing forces exerted on, the handle by the weight of the filled carton when carried by its said handleQ 2. The carton structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said third closure flap is a full-width closure flap hingedly connected to the remaining carton body wall opposite the body wall with which the innermost end of the handle coincides.

3. The carton structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said mating handle part is integrally connected to an end edge of said first handle part.

4. The carton structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said first handle part is integrally connected to the uppermost edge of the carton body wall with which the innermost end of said handle coincides, and wherein said mating handle part in hingedly connected to the top edge of said first handle part.

5. The carton structure claimed in claim 4 wherein said third closure flap is hingedly connected to the opposite edge of said mating handle part.

6. In a blank for forming a one-piece paperboard carton structure having a single integral carrying handle extending along one side edge only of the carton top closure, the blank consisting essentially of a series of four body wall panels in side-by-side articulation, with end closure flaps at-the bottom ends of said body wall panels, a pair of full-width top closure flaps hingedly connected to the upper edges of the-first and third of said body wall panels, a third flap hingedly connected to the upper edge .of the second of said body wall panels, said last named flap being cut and scored to .define a pair of integral mating handle forming parts adapted to be folded relative to each other and juxtaposed to provide a single handle of double thickness, together with an integral closure portion adapted .toextend at least partially across the upper end of the carton when the carton is erected, and a fourth end closure flap hingedly connected to the upper edge of said fourth carton body wall.

7. The carton blank claimed in claim 6 wherein the closure portion of said third flap comprises a full-width closure flap hingedly connected directly to the upper edge of said second body wall panel, and wherein one of said handle forming parts is hingedly connected to the outermost edge of the full-width closure portion of said third flap.

8. The carton blank claimed in claim 7 wherein the other of said handle forming parts is hingedly connected to an end edge of said first named handle part and lies beyond the outermost edge of one of the adjoining full-width closure flaps.

9. The carton blank claimed in claim 6 wherein said handle forming parts are defined in said third flap immediately adjoining said second body wall panel, and wherein the closure portion of said third flap lies outwardly beyond said handle forming parts.

10. The carton blank claimed in claim 9 wherein the closure portion of said third flap is a less than full-width closure flap.

Claims

1. In a one-piece paperboard carton structure having four enclosing body walls, end closures at the opposite ends of said body walls, and an integral carrying handle extending along one side edge only of said top closure, said top closure having an opposing pair of full-width outermost closure flaps hingedly connected to an opposing pair of said enclosing body walls, said outermost closure flaps overlying the upper end of the carton body and being adhesively secured together in face-to-face relation, a third closure flap underlying and secured to said outermost closure flaps and integrally connected to one of the remaining carton body walls, a fourth closure flap integrally connected to the other of the remaining carton body walls and also secured to said outermost closure flaps, a first handle forming part integrally connected to said third closure flap, and a mating handle part integrally connected to said first handle part, said handle parts being folded and adhered together in face-to-face relation to form a multiple thickness handle, said handle being positioned to project outwardly beyond the uppermost edge of one of said remaining carton walls with its innermost end coinciding with the uppermost edge of said last named remaining carton body wall, said handle being reinforced and supported throughout its full length by the said third closure flap and by each of the said overlying pair of full-width outermost closure flaps, whereby when the filled carton is lifted by its said handle, the carton body will pivot about said handle to an inclined position with the weight load substantially equally distributed on opposite sides of the handle and the lifting forces exerted by the handle effectively transmitted to each of the carton body walls through the juxtaposed and sealed top closure flaps, said opposing pair of full-width outermost closure flaps effectively resisting peeling and tearing forces exerted on the handle by the weight of the filled carton when carried by its said handle.

2. The carton structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said third closure flap is a full-width closure flap hingedly connected to the remaining carton body wall opposite the body wall with which the innermost end of the handle coincides.

6. In a blank for forming a one-piece paperboard carton structure having a single integral carrying handle extending along one side edge only of the carton top closure, the blank consisting essentially of a series of four body wall panels in side-by-side articulation, with end closure flaps at the bottom ends of said body wall panels, a pair of full-width top closure flaps hingedly connected to the upper edges of the first and third of said body wall panels, a third flap hingedly connected to the upper edge of the second of said body wall panels, said last named flap being cut and scored to define a pair of integral mating handle forming parts adapted to be folded relative to each other and juxtaposed to provide a single handle of double thickness, together with an integral closure portion adapted to extend at least partially across the upper End of the carton when the carton is erected, and a fourth end closure flap hingedly connected to the upper edge of said fourth carton body wall.