WO2003089317A1

WO2003089317A1 - Package for storing liquid and package structure thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2003089317A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/000747
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gwang-Yeol Moon
Original assignee: Gwang-Yeol Moon
Priority date: 2002-04-18
Filing date: 2003-04-12
Publication date: 2003-10-30
Also published as: AU2003219601A1; KR200282152Y1; CN1646378A

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a beverage carton and a paperboard thereof. The beverage carton of the present invention comprises a main panel portion, first and second inclined upper portions extending from respective front and rear sections of the main panel portion, first and second triangular foldable portions extending from both side sections of the main panel portion, at least one one-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions for opening of the beverage carton and at least one multi-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions using an embossing method. The main panel portion defines a cubic-shaped interior space extending from a bottom surface of the beverage carton by a certain height through folding and bonding processes. The first and second inclined upper portions diagonally extend at a certain angle relative to the main panel portion to face each other and are bonded at their facing edges. Each of the triangular foldable portions is bonded at their facing edges. Each of the triangular foldable portions is bonded to the inclined upper mutual contact with one another inside the inclined upper portions. The one-stage folding line extends from a mutual meeting point of the inclined upper portion with the main panel portion and an associated one of the triangular foldable portions to a central portion of the inclined upper portion, thereby facilitating unfolding of the associated triangular foldable portion performed to open the beverage carton. The main multi-stage folding line extends by a certain length between the one-stage folding line and a boundary line of the inclined upper portion and the triangular foldable portion associated therewith. The beverage carton and paperboard thereof provide a structure for allowing the user to easily open the beverage carton and drink the contents received in the beverage carton, thereby improving the convenience of use. Further, the beverage carton can be easily manufactured by only adding plural folding lines to the conventional paperboard using an embossing method, with out a separate auxiliary member.

Description

PACKAGE FOR STORING LIQUID AND PACKAGE STRUCTURE THEREOF

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a beverage carton and a paperboard thereof, and more particularly to a beverage carton and a paperboard thereof which are constructed to simplify the opening manipulation of the sealed carton when it is desired to drink contents received in the beverage carton.

Background Art

Generally, beverage cartons for receiving various beverages, such as milk and juice, are mainly manufactured by coating a paperboard, formed by laminating plural paper sheets over and over again to secure a required durability thereof, with synthetic resin or waterproof coating materials to prevent contents received in the beverage carton from permeating into the paperboard.

Considering the conventional structure of such a beverage carton, the beverage carton has a wall portion vertically extending from the bottom surface of the carton by a certain height, so as to define a cubic-shaped interior space, and inclined upper portions extending upwardly and diagonally at a certain angle from certain sections of the wall portion to come into contact with each other at their facing upper edges. The facing upper edges of the inclined upper portions are bonded to seal the beverage carton. In such a structure of the beverage carton, portions between the inclined upper portions are folded to form triangular portions in their inwardly depressed state and then are bonded.

When it is desired to drink the contents received in the conventional beverage carton constructed as stated above, the user has to manipulate the beverage carton to cause at least one of the inwardly depressed triangular side portions, bonded between the inclined upper portions, to be drawn out, in a state wherein the facing upper edges of the inclined upper portions are opened.

The conventional beverage carton, however, has a disadvantage that it is difficult to draw out the bonded triangular side portions. In order to solve the inconvenience of opening manipulation presented in the conventional beverage carton, a beverage carton having a separate knob is disclosed in a utility model registration filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office as Serial No. 256173. In addition, some beverage cartons having an opening manipulation knob are disclosed in utility model registrations of Serial

No. 220390 and No. 206581.

The disclosed beverage cartons, however, result in a difficulty in manufacturing thereof because of the separate knob.

Disclosure of the Invention

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage carton and paperboard thereof, which are simple in a manufacturing process thereof and are convenient to open.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a beverage carton and paperboard thereof, which are constructed to increase a flatness of a contents discharge portion formed at the beverage carton in an opened state of the beverage carton, thereby helping the user easily drink contents received in the beverage carton.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a beverage carton and paperboard thereof, which are constructed to cause contents received in the beverage carton to be effectively converged into a contents discharge portion of the beverage carton in an opened state of the carton.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a beverage carton comprising: a main panel portion defining a cubic-shaped interior space extending from a bottom surface of the beverage carton by a certain height through folding and bonding processes; first and second inclined upper portions extending from respective front and rear sections of the main panel portion, the first and second inclined upper portions diagonally extending at a certain angle relative to the main panel portion to face each other and being bonded at their facing edges; first and second triangular foldable portions extending from both side sections of the main panel portion, each of the triangular foldable portions being bonded to the inclined upper portions in a state of being folded while forming three triangles coming into mutual contact with one another inside the inclined upper portions; and at least one one-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions for opening of the beverage carton, the one-stage folding line extending from a mutual meeting point of the inclined upper portion with the main panel portion and an associated one of the triangular foldable portions to a central portion of the inclined upper portion, thereby facilitating unfolding of the associated triangular foldable portion performed to open the beverage carton; the beverage carton further comprising: at least one main multi-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions using an embossing method, the main multi-stage folding line extending by a certain length between the one-stage folding line and a boundary line of the inclined upper portion and the triangular foldable portion associated therewith

Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise a contents convergence central folding line formed using an embossing method, the central folding line extending by a certain length from a central portion of at least one of the triangular foldable portions to a certain portion of the main panel portion.

Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise discharge valley defining folding lines formed at least one of the triangular foldable portions using an embossing method to have parallel vertical extending portions of a certain length at positions spaced a certain distance apart from a mutual meeting point of the three triangles of the triangular foldable portion.

Preferably, the parallel vertical extending portions of the discharge valley defining folding lines may be connected to each other at their lower ends.

Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise at least one auxiliary multi-stage folding line embossed at at least one of the triangular foldable portions, the auxiliary multi-stage folding line extending symmetrically to the main multistage folding line about a boundary line of the triangular foldable portion and the inclined upper portion associated therewith.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage carton comprising: a main panel portion defining a cubic- shaped interior space extending from a bottom surface of the beverage carton by a certain height through folding and bonding processes; first and second inclined upper portions extending from respective front and rear sections of the cubic- shaped interior space defined by the main panel portion, the first and second inclined upper portions diagonally extending at a certain angle relative to the main panel portion to face each other and being bonded at their facing edges; first and second triangular foldable portions extending from both side sections of the cubic- shaped interior space defined by the main panel portion, each of the triangular foldable portions being bonded to the inclined upper portions in a state of being folded while forming three triangles coming into mutual contact with one another inside the inclined upper portions; and at least one one-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions for opening of the beverage carton, the one- stage folding line extending from a mutual meeting point of the inclined upper portion with the main panel portion and an associated one of the triangular foldable portions to a central portion of the inclined upper portion, thereby facilitating unfolding of the associated triangular foldable portion performed to open the bonded beverage carton; the beverage carton further comprising: at least one main multi-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions using an embossing method, the main multi-stage folding line extending by a certain length between the one- stage folding line and a boundary line of the inclined upper portion and the triangular foldable portion associated therewith

Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise a contents convergence central folding line formed using an embossing method, the central folding line extending by a certain length from a central portion of at least one of the triangular foldable portions to a certain portion of the main panel portion. Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise discharge valley defining folding lines formed at least one of the triangular foldable portions using an embossing method to have parallel vertical extending portions of a certain length at positions spaced a certain distance apart from a mutual meeting point of the three triangles of the triangular foldable portion.

Preferably, the beverage carton may further comprise at least one auxiliary two-stage folding line embossed at at least one of the triangular foldable portions, the auxiliary multi-stage folding line extending symmetrically to the main multi- stage folding line about a boundary line of the triangular foldable portion and the inclined upper portion associated therewith.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a beverage carton in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a paperboard illustrating an unassembled state of the beverage carton shown in Fig. 1 ;

Figs. 3a and 3b are views explaining kinds of folding lines, which are applied to the beverage carton shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state wherein opening operation wings are pushed outward in a two-stage manner for opemng the beverage carton shown in Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state wherein a mouth of the beverage carton is opened by operating opening operation wings of the beverage carton shown in Fig. 4.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a beverage carton in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, a beverage carton, designated as a reference numeral 10, comprises a bottom portion 11, a rectangular main panel portion 12, first and second inclined upper portions 13 and 15 and first and second triangular foldable portions 14 and 16. The first and second inclined upper portions 13 and 15 extend upwardly and diagonally at a certain angle from the main panel portion 12. The first and second triangular foldable portions 14 and 16 are connected between the first and second inclined upper portions 13 and 15 so that they sink inwardly by a certain depth relative to the inclined upper portions 13 and 15, respectively.

The main panel portion 12 extends vertically from the bottom portion 11 by a certain height, thereby defining a cubic-shaped interior space.

Each of the first and second inclined upper portions 13 and 15 is formed with a one-stage folding line 21 and main multi-stage folding line 23 using an embossing method. That is, these folding lines 21 and 23 are embossed to define a valley of a certain depth relative to the outer surfaces thereof, so as to allow them to be easily pushed outward.

In addition to the one-stage folding lines 21 and main multi-stage folding lines 23 as stated above, a central folding line for the convergence of the contents, designated as a reference numeral 25, extends along a longitudinal direction of respective bonding portions 13a and 15a provided at the facing upper edges of the inclined upper portions 13 and 15 from the central portion of the second triangular foldable portion 16 as an opening portion of the beverage carton 10. The contents convergence central folding line 25 further extends downwardly to a certain portion of the main panel portion 12. Preferably, the contents convergence central folding line 25 is embossed to define a valley of a certain depth relative to the inner surface thereof, so as to allow it to be easily widen outward.

Although not visible in Fig. 1, additional folding lines are formed near the tip apex of the second triangular foldable portion 16, between the inclined upper portions 13 and 15. Such folding lines are spaced apart from the contents convergence central folding line 25 at certain distances, thereby dei-ining a valley at a contents discharge portion of the second triangular foldable portion 16. Preferably, the discharge valley defining folding lines are embossed to define a valley of a certain depth relative to the inner surface thereof, so as to allow them to be easily widen outward.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a paperboard illustrating an unassembled state of the beverage carton 10, with the same reference numerals used for the same parts already described in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 2, a paperboard of the beverage carton, designated as a reference numeral 10a, is formed with several contour lines and folding lines in order to manufacture the beverage carton shown in Fig. 1 through folding and bonding processes.

For ease of explanation and understanding, among the folding lines embossed into convex and/or concave valley shapes, as shown in Fig. 2, the folding lines used for the shaping of the beverage carton are shown as dotted lines and one- point dashed lines, whereas the remaining folding lines used for the opening manipulation of the beverage carton are shown as solid lines. Herein, the one-point dashed lines have to be folded outward from the inside, and the dotted lines have to be folded inward from the outside. The solid lines, exqept for the contour lines of the beverage carton, are characteristic folding lines of the present invention, which are folded outward or inward for opening the beverage carton.

In the manufacture of the beverage carton 10 using the paperboard 10a, first, the bottom portion 11 and main panel portion 12 are appropriately folded along the folding lines provided therein, so as to form the bottom surface and wall portion of the beverage carton 10, respectively. As a result, the bottom portion 11 and main panel portion 12 define a cubic-shaped interior space of the beverage carton 10.

Portions filled with "x"-shaped marks as shown in Fig. 2 are bonding portions, wherein an adhesive is applied to the front or rear surfaces thereof for manufacturing the beverage carton 10.

Since the structure of the bottom portion 11 and main panel portion 12 provided at the paperboard 10a is the same as that of any known paperboards, the detailed description thereof is omitted. In addition, it is noted that the structure of the bottom portion 11 may be, different from the structure as shown in Fig. 2.

Now, the characteristic folding lines of the present invention are described in detail.

The one-stage folding lines 21 and main multi-stage folding lines 23 are formed at the respective first and second inclined upper portions 13 and 15 so that the one-stage folding line 21 and main multi-stage folding line 23 formed at the first inclined upper portion 13 are in a symmetrical relation to those formed at the second inclined upper portion 15 about the second triangular foldable portion 16.

The second triangular foldable portion 16 is formed with auxiliary multistage folding lines 24 and triangle defining folding lines 16c. The auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 24 are symmetrically positioned relative to the main multi-stage folding lines 23 formed at the inclined upper portions 13 and 15, respectively. That is, one of the auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 24 is positioned between one of the triangle defining folding lines 16c and a boundary line 28 of the second triangular foldable portion 16 and first inclined upper portion 13. The other auxiliary multi-stage folding line 24 is positioned between the other triangle defining folding line 16c and a boundary line 28 of the second triangular foldable portion 16 and second inclined upper portion 15.

Where the triangle defining folding lines 16c are folded to form three triangles, a mutual contact point of these three triangles, namely, a meeting point of the triangle defining folding lines 16c, is a point where the first and second triangular foldable portions 14 and 16 come into contact with each other.

Preferably, the main multi-stage folding lines 23 are in a symmetric relation to the auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 24 about the boundary lines 28, and the auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 24 are embossed to define a valley of a certain depth relative to the inner surfaces thereof, so as to allow them to be folded toward the one-stage folding lines 21, respectively.

The length of each one-stage folding line 21 is deteπnined so that a horizontal distance between the upper end of the folding line 21 and the adjacent boundary line 28 is shorter than a horizontal distance between the boundary line 28 and the tip apex of the triangular foldable portion 16, namely, the meeting point of the triangle defining folding lines 16c. For example, there is a difference of about 1 to 2 millimeters between the horizontal distances. Such a length of the one-stage folding lines 21 allows them to be more easily pushed outward and to create a desired tensile force during the opening manipulation of the beverage carton 10.

The folding lines 21, 23 and 24, used for the opening manipulation of the beverage carton 10, are formed to be converged to apexes H where the triangular foldable portion 16, inclined upper portions 13 and 15 and main panel portion 12 come into mutual contact with each other. Further, it is noted that the folding lines 21, 23 and 24 may be slightly spaced apart from the apexes H. Furthermore, some or all of the folding lines 21, 23 and 24 may extend to the upper edges of the bonding portions 13a and 15a as well as a bonding portion 16a, within a limit not preventing the discharge of the liquid-phase contents. The discharge valley defining folding lines, designated as a reference numeral 27, are formed at the upper central portion of the second triangular foldable portion 16. The discharge valley defining folding lines 27 comprise both parallel vertical extending portions 27a of a certain length at positions spaced apart from the central folding line 25 at certain distances, and a "N"-shaped connecting portion 27c between the parallel vertical extending portions 27a. Alternatively, the discharge valley defining folding lines 27 may comprise only the parallel vertical extending portions 27a, and the connecting portion 27c may be formed into a "U"-shaped portion or horizontal linear portion. Preferably, a distance between the parallel vertical extending portions 27a of the discharge valley defining folding lines 27 may be within 12 nώlimeters, and more preferably, may be within 25 millimeters.

The discharge valley defining folding lines 27 are preferably spaced apart from the upper edge of the second triangular foldable portion 16 by a certain distance. If there is no concern about the leakage of the contents along the discharge valley defining folding lines 27 after the beverage carton is sealed, the discharge valley de-_-ning folding lines 27 may extend to the upper edge of the triangular foldable portion 16. The central folding line 25 preferably extends from the triangular foldable portion 16 to a certain portion of the main panel portion 12.

In addition, the central folding line 25 is preferably spaced apart from the upper edge of the triangular foldable portion 16 by a certain distance. If there is no possibility to cause the leakage of the contents after the beverage carton 10 is sealed, the central folding line 25 may extend to the upper edge of the triangular foldable portion 16.

When it is desired to provide opening structure at both sides of the inclined upper portions 13 and 15, additional one-stage folding lines, main and auxiliary multi-stage folding lines, central folding line and discharge valley defining folding lines, which are the same as those as described above, are also formed at the triangular foldable portion 14 as well as certain portions of the inclined upper portions 13 and 15 to come into contact with the triangular foldable portion 14 in the course of the bonding.

The folding lines are embossed into certain shapes suitable for their desired inward or outward folding direction. That is, in accordance with the desired folding directions of the folding lines used for the shaping or opening manipulation of the beverage carton 10, as shown in Figs. 3 a and 3b, the folding lines are embossed at the paperboard 10a into a valley 31 with a convex outer surface and concave inner surface, or a valley 32 with a concave outer surface and convex inner surface. Alternatively, as occasion demands, the respective folding lines may be formed so that their both outer and inner surfaces are all convex or concave.

By folding the paperboard 10a according to the folding directions of the respective folding lines as described above in conjunction with Fig. 2, and then bonding the main panel portion 12 and the bottom portion 11 by applying the adhesive to the front or rear surface of bonding portions 12a and 11a thereof, the beverage carton 10 is primarily formed to a state wherein its upper portions are opened.

After that, by pouring the contents into the beverage carton 10 through the opened upper portions thereof, and then bonding the inclined upper portions 13 and

15 and triangular foldable portions 14 and 16 by applying the adhesive to the bonding portions 13a, 14a, 15a and 16a thereof, the manufacture of the beverage carton 10 is completed in a state wherein the contents are packed, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to drink the contents received in the beverage carton 10 by opening the carton 10, as shown in Fig. 4, the user first has to push out triangular wing portions 40 in opposite directions, and then again to fold outward the main and auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 23 and 24. As the multi-stage folding lines 23 and 24 are folded outward in opposite directions, both distances, from both two- stage folded portions to the mutual contact apex of the three triangles of the second triangular foldable portion 16 as a contents discharge mouth of the beverage carton, are reduced, respectively. As a result, a compressive force can be more strongly applied in a direction for urging the second triangular foldable portion 16 to be drawn out. In addition, as the triangular wing portions 40 are folded into two- stages away from a drawing direction of the triangular foldable potion 16, the triangular wing portions 40 are folded into multi-stages while being deformed into a round shape. As a result, the apex portion of the second triangular foldable portion

16 can easily spring out by receiving a stronger tensile force for urging it to protrude outwardly. When the triangular foldable portion 16 is drawn out from the inclined upper portions 13 and 15, thereby being unfolded in an opening direction thereof according to the procedure as stated above, as shown in Fig. 5, the discharge valley defining folding lines 27 are bent so as to be protruded outwardly. As a result, the region between the folding lines 27 defines a discharge valley 29 of a semi-circular groove shape, which helps the user easily drink the contents received in the beverage carton 10. In this case, the central folding line 25 is relaxed along the outward expanding direction of the main panel portion 12, thereby causing the contents received in the beverage carton 10 to be effectively collected along the central folding line 25. In use, where the user tilts the beverage carton 10 at a certain angle in order to drink the contents of the beverage carton 10, the central folding line 25 is expanded by the weight of the contents, thereby defining a valley inside thereof. As a result, the contents received in the beverage carton 10 are collected along the central folding line 25. Moreover, by virtue of the discharge valley 29 formed by the discharge valley defining folding lines 27 communicating with the valley defined by the central folding line 25, the contents of the beverage carton 10 can be discharged while being guided along thereof, without dispersion. Therefore, the central folding line 25 and discharge valley 29 formed by the folding lines 27 are adapted to enable the user to easily drink the contents of the beverage carton 10, even in the case that only small amount of the contents is remained in the beverage carton 10.

In the embodiment of the present invention as stated above, although only one main multi-stage folding line 23 is provided between the one-stage folding line 21 and boundary line 28 associated therewith, a plurality of the main multi-stage folding lines may be formed at equal distances between them. In this case, the auxiliary multi-stage folding lines 24 also may be prepared in the same number and extending direction of the main multi-stage folding lines 23.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a beverage carton and paperboard thereof, which provide a structure for allowing the user to easily open the beverage carton and drink the contents received in the beverage carton, thereby improving the convenience of use. Further, according to the present invention, the beverage carton can be easily manufactured by only adding plural folding lines to the conventional paperboard using an embossing method, without requiring a separate auxiliary member.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. A beverage carton comprising: a main panel portion defining a cubic- shaped interior space extending from a bottom surface of the beverage carton by a certain height through folding and bonding processes; first and second inclined upper portions extending from respective front and rear sections of the main panel portion, the first and second inclined upper portions diagonally extending at a certain angle relative to the main panel portion to face each other and being bonded at their facing edges; first and second triangular foldable portions extending from both side sections of the main panel portion, each of the triangular foldable portions being bonded to the inclined upper portions in a state of being folded while forming three triangles coming into mutual contact with one another inside the inclined upper portions; and at least one one-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions for opening of the beverage carton, the one-stage folding line extending from a mutual meeting point of the inclined upper portion with the main panel portion and an associated one of the triangular foldable portions to a central portion of the inclined upper portion, thereby facilitating unfolding of the associated triangular foldable portion performed to open the beverage carton; the beverage carton further comprising: at least one main multi-stage folding line formed at each of the inclined upper portions using an embossing method, the main multi-stage folding line extending by a certain length between the one-stage folding line and a boundary

, line of the inclined upper portion and the triangular foldable portion associated therewith.

2. The beverage carton as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a contents convergence central folding line formed using an embossing method, the central folding line extending by a certain length from a central portion of at least one of the triangular foldable portions to a certain portion of the main panel portion.

3. The beverage carton as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: discharge valley defining folding lines formed at at least one of the triangular foldable portions using an embossing method to have parallel vertical extending portions of a certain length at positions spaced a certain distance apart from a mutual meeting point of the three triangles of the triangular foldable portion.

4. The beverage carton as set forth in claim 3, wherein the parallel vertical extending portions of the discharge valley defining folding lines are connected to each other at their lower ends.

5. The beverage carton as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: at least one auxiliary multi-stage folding line embossed at at least one of the triangular foldable portions, the auxiliary multi-stage folding line extending symmetrically to the main multi-stage folding line about a boundary line of the triangular foldable portion and the inclined upper portion associated therewith.