Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D71/06—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers
  • B65D71/12—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank
  • B65D71/36—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00129—Wrapper locking means
  • B65D2571/00135—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper
  • B65D2571/00141—Wrapper locking means integral with the wrapper glued
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00432—Handles or suspending means
  • B65D2571/00456—Handles or suspending means integral with the wrapper
  • B65D2571/00469—Straps made between two handholes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00432—Handles or suspending means
  • B65D2571/00518—Handles or suspending means with reinforcements
  • B65D2571/00524—Handles or suspending means with reinforcements integral
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00432—Handles or suspending means
  • B65D2571/00537—Handles or suspending means with stress relieving means
  • B65D2571/00549—Handles or suspending means with stress relieving means consisting of fold lines
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00648—Elements used to form the wrapper
  • B65D2571/00654—Blanks
  • B65D2571/0066—Blanks formed from one single sheet
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00709—Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element
  • B65D2571/00722—Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element tubular with end walls, e.g. walls not extending on the whole end surface
  • B65D2571/00728—Shape of the formed wrapper, i.e. shape of each formed element if the wrapper is made from more than one element tubular with end walls, e.g. walls not extending on the whole end surface the end walls being closed by gluing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2571/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D2571/00123—Bundling wrappers or trays
  • B65D2571/00808—Inserts
  • B65D2571/00814—Inserts for reinforcing

Definitions

• This invention relates to carriers which are adapted to carry a plurality of articles. More particularly, it relates to a carrier which is adapted to carry a plurality of layers of articles in stacked end-to-end relationship.
• Sleeve-type carriers are commonly used to package beverage cans and other types of articles, and are typically formed from paperboard blanks which have been folded into collapsed sleeve form. Each collapsed sleeve is opened by a packaging machine, after which cans or other articles are introduced through one or both of the open ends of the sleeve and the end panel flaps are folded and secured together.
• the cans are normally introduced in upright position while the carrier sleeve is supported on one of its side panels, with the open ends of the sleeve facing out to receive the cans.
• the resulting carrier therefore contains a layer of cans the ends of which are located adjacent the side panels of the carrier. Additionally, a handle is normally incorporated into the top panel of the carrier to facilitate lifting and carrying.
• the carrier of the invention which achieves the goal set out above, is designed to receive a plurality of layers of stacked articles.
• the invention incorporates a plurality of layers of articles, with the ends of the articles in one layer being adjacent the ends of the articles in the next layer.
• the ends of the articles in the end layers are adjacent the top and bottom panels instead of the side panels.
• the top panel of the carrier preferably is comprised of an inner flap connected to the upper edge of one of the side panels along a fold line and an outer flap connected to the upper edge of the other side panel.
• each of the inner and outer flaps has an edge remote from the side panels and each flap contains a handle opening spaced from the remote edge thereof.
• the outer flap overlaps the inner flap to form an area of double thickness extending between the handle openings.
• Reinforcing means are provided in the area of double thickness for reinforcing the area against tearing, and stress relief lines are provided in the top panel extending outwardly from the handle openings to distribute lifting stresses.
• the stress relief lines comprise score lines extending from each handle opening to the nearest side panel, preferably to the corners of the top panel, and the reinforcing means comprises a sheet adhered to one of the top panel flaps, the sheet including a folded edge substantially aligned with a side edge of the handle opening in the outer top panel flap.
• the end panels are comprised of end flaps foldably connected to the top, bottom and side panels, the end flap connected to the top panel comprising two overlapped flaps segments, whereby the overlapped flaps comprise an extension of the overlapped top panel flaps.
• the carrier Due to the stacked arrangement of the articles in the carrier, the carrier is of a shape and size which makes lifting by means of the handle a relatively simple task, even though the contents of the carrier may be quite heavy.
• FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the carrier of the invention
• FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 2- 2 of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carrier of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank for fabricating the carrier of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the area enclosed by the oval 5 in FIG. 2; and FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the carrier of the invention illustrating the distortion of the top panel while being lifted or carried.
• the carrier 10 is comprised of side panels 12 foldably connected to top panel 14 and to the bottom panel, not visible in this view.
• the top panel is comprised of two top panel flaps 16 and 18 , described more fully below.
• End panels 20 connect the top, bottom and side panels and are comprised of end panel flaps 22 and 24 adhered to dust flaps 26 and 28, wherein the end panel flaps are foldably connected to the top and bottom panels and the dust flaps are foldably connected to the side panels.
• Spaced handle openings 30 and 32 are provided in the top panel and extend along the length of the carrier substantially parallel to the side panels. Score lines 34 extend from the ends of handle opening 30 to the nearest corners of the carrier, while score lines 36 extend from the ends of handle opening 32 to the other corners of the carrier .
• the carrier contains a bottom layer of articles , shown for purpose of illustration as beverage cans Cl , and an upper layer of articles , shown as cans C2 , in stacked relationship.
• the lower ends of the upper cans C2 thus are supported on the upper ends of the bottom cans Cl, with the bottom cans resting on the bottom panel 38.
• the top panel 14 is closely adjacent, and preferably is in contact with, the tops of the cans C2 to provide for a tight fit between the cans and the carrier.
• the top layer of cans is made up of twelve cans arranged in three rows of four cans. Since the bottom layer is identically arranged, the total number of cans in the carrier is twenty-four.
• the top panel is reinforced between the handle openings as indicated by numeral 40, the details of which are explained hereinafter.
• the carrier 10 of FIG. 1 is formed from the blank 42, wherein portions corresponding to similar elements of the carrier are identified by the same reference numerals.
• the blank 42 is a single sheet of material, preferably paperboard, comprising a centrally located bottom panel section 38 connected to the side panel sections 12 along fold lines 44.
• the outer top panel flap 16 is connected to one of the side panel sections 12 along fold line 46, while the inner top panel flap 18 is connected to the other side panel section 12 along fold line 48.
• End panel flaps 24 are connected to the bottom panel section 38 along fold lines 50, and end panel flaps 22 are connected to the outer and inner top panel flaps 16 and 18 along fold lines 52 and 54, respectively.
• Inner or dust flaps 26 and 28 are connected to the side panel sections 12 along fold lines 55 and 57, respectively.
• the reinforcing means 40 of FIG. 2 comprises a sheet adhered to the inner top panel flap 18 so as to terminate at the free edge 56 of the inner top panel flap. It is preferred that the reinforcing sheet entirely cover the area which includes the handle opening 32, requiring the sheet to have a corresponding cutout 58 to enable the fingers of a user to penetrate the top panel when lifting the carrier, but in any event the sheet should at least extend to the outer edge of the cutout 32 in order to provide extra thickness in the handle strap portion. It will be appreciated that the inner surface of the blank is facing the viewer in FIG. 4 and that the reinforcing sheet is on the inner surface of the inner top panel flap.
• Fabrication of the carrier is by standard means, with the blank being folded along the fold lines 44, 46 and 48 to bring the top panel flaps 16 and 18 together and then overlapping and gluing the top panel flaps in the stippled area 60 of the blank of FIG. 4.
• the end panel flaps 22 extending from the outer top panel flap 16 are thus adhered to the end panel flaps 22 extending from the inner top panel flap 18 to form the upper end panel flaps extending from the top panel.
• the end panels are formed in the usual manner by first folding the dust flaps 26 and 28 and then the end panel flaps down and gluing the end panel flaps to the dust flaps.
• the reinforcing sheet 40 preferably is comprised of a thinner sheet than the material from which the carrier is formed, and is folded over upon itself to provide a fold 62.
• the fold 62 is aligned with the edge 56 of the inner top panel flap 18, and both are aligned with the inner edge 64 of the cutout 30.
• This edge is referred to in the claims as the remote side edge of the cutout 30, referring to the arrangement whereby this edge of the cutout is farthest from the side panel to which the inner top panel flap 18 is connected.
• This design strengthens the strap portion due to the extra thickness of material in this region and also prevents tearing along the cutout edge 64 as well as in areas of the top panel flap 16 which would normally be at risk to a tear originating at this critical juncture in the handle area. This is thought to be due to the fact that a fold acts as a surface rather than an edge, and just as it is considerably more difficult to initiate a tear at a surface than at an edge, the folded reinforcement strip makes it difficult to initiate a tear along this lifting edge of the handle opening.
• This design additionally provides a cushioning effect for the hand of a user.
• the thickness of the carrier material has been exaggerated. It will be understood, therefore, that in actual practice the thickness of the strap portion of the handle between the openings 30 and 32 will not be as great with respect to the height of the cans as shown, and the top panel flaps 16 and 18 will be in contact with more, if not all, of the top surface of adjacent cans.
• the design of the invention anticipates upward movement of the top panel as the fingers pull up on the handle while first gripping the strap portion and during lifting and carrying.
• the top panel is adapted to smoothly bow upwardly without tearing at critical areas which normally receive most of the lifting stresses. This is accomplished by the stress relief score lines 34 and 36 which extend from the ends of the handle cutouts to the side panels. Preferably, as illustrated, these lines extend to the corners of the package, thereby transmitting the lifting stresses to the corner folds.
• the benefit of the carrier design of the invention can be better understood by comparing a carrier of the invention which is adapted to carry 24 standard 12-fluid ounce beverage cans to a sleeve-type carrier adapted to carry only 12 of the same cans.
• the cans are arranged with their ends against the side panels in three rows of four cans each.
• the length of the package is thus approximately equal to four can diameters, the height to three can diameters and the width to one can length.
• the cans are arranged with their ends against the top and bottom panels in two stacked layers, each layer being made up of three rows of four cans each.
• the length of this package is thus approximately equal to four can diameters, the same as the length of the prior art 12-can package.
• the height of the package is approximately equal to two can lengths and the width of the package is approximately equr.l to three can diameters. In terms of actual dimensions, this would mean that for a package of the same length as the prior art 12- pack package, a height of only about two inches more and a width of less than three inches more results in twice the carrying capacity. Additional layers of cans or other articles could be packaged simply by making the height of the carrier an additional article length greater.
• the handle reinforcement afforded by the suitcase type of handle illustrated in the preferred embodiment resists tearing in this critical area, and the stress relief lines distribute the lifting and carrying stresses from the handle area to the sides, preferably to the corner folds of the carrier.
• the overlapped portion of the top panel extends beyond the handle area to the ends of the top panel and beyond the top panel through the upper end panel flaps connected to the top panel. This increases the strength of the end panel flaps which in turn increases the strength of the end panels, allowing them to better resist the lifting stresses which may be distributed to them via the stress relief lines.

Landscapes

• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)
• Stackable Containers (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
• Curing Cements, Concrete, And Artificial Stone (AREA)
• Processing And Handling Of Plastics And Other Materials For Molding In General (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
• Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
• Catalysts (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25268063

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (14)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1993
  • 1993-02-08 CA CA002107995A patent/CA2107995C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-02-08 ES ES93904964T patent/ES2115761T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-02-08 NZ NZ249391A patent/NZ249391A/en unknown
  • 1993-02-08 JP JP51422993A patent/JP3184223B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-02-08 DE DE69318635T patent/DE69318635T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-02-08 BR BR9303966A patent/BR9303966A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1993-02-08 EP EP93904964A patent/EP0580844B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-02-08 AT AT93904964T patent/ATE166313T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1993-02-08 WO PCT/US1993/001097 patent/WO1993015971A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1993-02-08 AU AU36141/93A patent/AU663366B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1993-10-07 FI FI934406A patent/FI934406A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1993-10-08 NO NO1993933619A patent/NO933619D0/no unknown

Patent Citations (14)

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