WO2006122176A1

WO2006122176A1 - Carton with hanger tabs

Info

Publication number: WO2006122176A1
Application number: PCT/US2006/018052
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tamio Ikeda
Original assignee: Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems Llc
Priority date: 2005-05-09
Filing date: 2006-05-09
Publication date: 2006-11-16
Also published as: JP3112362U

Abstract

A carton for packaging articles, includes a plurality of panels including bottom wall panels (10a, 10b), a pair of side wall panels (11a, 11b), and a top wall panel (12) that form a tubular structure. Holding tabs (30a/30c, 30b/30d) are formed at least in part from the side wall panels and are hingedly connected to the top wall panel. Each holding tab includes first (30c, 30d) and second (30a, 30b) portions. The first portions are hingedly connected to the top wall panel, and the second portions are hingedly connected the first portions respectively. The top wall panel has a slot. The holding tabs are folded inwardly of the carton such that the first portions are disposed in face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the top wall panel and that the second portions are received in the slot and project upwardly from the top wall panel.

Description

CARTON WITH HANGER TABS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to cartons for packaging articles, and more particularly to a carton that can easily be assembled and can require less material such as paperboard from which the carton is formed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cartons have been used for packaging, storing, transporting, displaying, selling and/or buying multiple articles such as commercial products. When at the point sale, cartons containing articles are often displayed hanging on pegs. These cartons designed for the hanging display are provided with holding means such as hanger tabs for engaging pegs. Such holding means are also used to lift and carry the cartons when consumers purchase articles in such cartons. .

Some other cartons may be provided with one or more display windows through which the contents may be visible. A display window is formed typically by cutting out a part of one or more carton walls. Display windows may even be used with a wraparound-style carton having an open-ended tubular structure. Some wraparound cartons have end closure structures at their opposed ends to at least partially close the open ends and to thereby prevent the packaged articles from falling out of the cartons. An example of the tubular carton is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,661,142.

Conventional holding means such as hanger tabs are designed primarily for use with cartons for those small articles such as ink cartridges, photographic films, medical products, batteries, small-sized toys or the like and are inconvenient and/or structurally inadequate when used with cartons for bulkier or larger-sized articles such as plastic food containers, disposable or reusable plastic dishes, plates, bowls and cups, or the like. Other conventional holding means such as carrying handles are designed for use with cartons for heavier and/or larger-sized articles such as suits and dresses (see for example, U.S. Patent No. 2,168,387and US Patent No. 2,663,485), in which the carrying handle is formed from handle-forming panels added to or struck from the top wall panel. A further conventional holding means is disclosed for example, in U.S. Patent No. 2,191,723 and U.S. Patent No. 4,700,831, in which a handle panel is provided independently from the primary part of the carton and added to the top wall panel of the carton

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a carton for holding articles. The carton comprises a plurality of panels including a top wall panel and a pair of side wall panels. The top wall panel has a slot, and the side wall panels are hingedly connected to the opposed side edges of the top wall panel respectively. A pair of holding tabs is formed at least in part from the side wall panels. Each holding tab comprises a first portion hingedly connected to the top wall panel and a second portion hingedly connected to the first portion. The holding tabs are folded with respect to the top wall panel so that the first portions of the holding tabs are disposed in face- contacting relationship with the inside surface of the top wall panel and that the second portions of the holding tabs project outwardly of the carton through the slot and are disposed in a face-contacting relationship.

In a preferred embodiment, each holding tab may be connected to the top wall panel along a first fold line and may be formed in part from the top wall panel so that the first fold lines of the holding tabs are offset inwardly from the opposed side edges of the top wall panels respectively. In such an embodiment, the first and second portions of each holding tab may be connected together along a second fold line and the second portion of each holding tab may be formed in part from the top wall panel so that the second fold lines of the holding tabs are offset inwardly from the opposed end edges of the top wall panel.

In another preferred embodiment, the plurality of panels may further include a bottom wall connecting between the side wall panels so that the plurality of panels form a tubular structure. In this embodiment, the bottom wall may comprise a pair of bottom wall panels secured together in an overlapping relationship.

In a further embodiment, the holding tabs may be struck from the side wall panels respectively so that display windows are defined in the side wall panels respectively.

In a still further embodiment, each holding tab may be connected to the top wall panel along a first fold line. The first and second portions of each holding tab may be connected together along a second fold line. The second fold line of each holding tab may be in vertical alignment with the slot in the top wall panel. The second portion of each holding tab may extend upwardly from the slot to the upper end of the second portion. When each holding tab is disposed in the plane of the top wall panel, the distance between the second fold line and the upper end of the second portion may be no more than the distance between the slot and the second fold line. Additionally, the distance between the first and second fold lines of each holding tab may be generally equal to the distance between the slot and the first fold line of each hold line.

According to the carton of the present invention, the structural strength of the holding means has been dramatically enhanced compared to existing cartons and the flexibility in designing the holding means suitable for varying size articles has been increased without requiring additional material for holding means. This owes to the arrangement in which the holding tabs are formed at least in part from the carton side wall panels and the holding tabs are placed under the carton top panel and project outwardly through a slot in the top wall panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a plain view of a carton blank according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the carton formed from the carton blank of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a view taken along the line A-A in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The embodiment of the present invention is described below referring to the drawings. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the carton and carton blank in the embodiment described below.

Figure 1 shows a blank Ia formed from paperboard or other foldable sheet material foldable similarly to paperboard. The blank Ia is designed to hold articles such as reusable plastic, food containers. In Figure 1, the blank Ia has a first bottom wall panel 10a, a first side wall panel 1 Ia, a top wall panel 12, a second side wall panel 1 Ib, and a second bottom wall panel 10b. These panels are hingedly connected in series by fold lines 20-23. A tubular structure for holding articles is formed by folding these panels and connecting the first bottom wall panel 10a and the second bottom wall panel 10b.

A top end flaps 13a and 13b are hingedly connected to the opposed end edges of the top wall panel 12 by fold lines 24 and 25 respectively. The fold lines 24 and 25 are disposed perpendicularly to the fold lines 21 and 22 along which the first side wall panel 11a and the second side wall panel 1 Ib are connected to the top wall panel 12. A pair of anchor flaps 15a and 15c are hingedly connected to the opposed end edges of the first side wall panel by fold lines 28a and 28c respectively while another pair of anchor flaps 15b and 15d are hingedly connected to the opposed end edges of the second side wall panel 1 Ib by fold lines 28b and 28d respectively. Gusset panels 14a-14d are hingedly connected to the anchor flaps 15a-l 5d by fold lines 27a-27d respectively. These gusset panels 14a-14d are also hingedly connected to the adjacent top end flaps 13a and 13b along fold lines 26a-26d. Stated more particularly, the gusset panels 14a and 14b connect the anchor flaps 15a and 15b to the top end flap 13a while the gusset panels 14c and 14d connect the anchor flaps 15c and 15d to the top end flap 13b. When the blank is erected into a carton , the anchor flaps 15a- 15d and the gusset panels 14a-14d are folded inwardly of the tubular structure to retain the top end flaps 13a and 13b in a downwardly folded position.

A display window 50a is defined in part in the top wall panel 12 and in part in the first side wall panel 1 Ia. A part of the material cut out to define the window 50a remains connected to the top wall panel 12 to provide a holding tab 30a/30c. A display window 50b is defined in part in the top wall panel 12 and in part in the second side wall panel 1 Ib. A part of the material struck to define the window 50b remains connected to the top wall panel 12 as well to provide a holding tab 30b/30d. The holding tab 30a/30c includes a first portion 30c and a second portion 30a. The first portion 30c is hingedly connected to the top wall panel 12 along a fold line 29a while the second portion 30a is hingedly connected to the first portion 30c along a fold line 29c. In like manner, the holding tab 30b/30d includes a first portion 30d and a second portion 30b. The first portion 30d is hingedly connected to the top wall panel by a fold line 29b while the second portion 30b is hingedly connected to the first portion 30d by a fold line 29d. The windows 50a and 50b are for viewing the contents held in the carton erected from the blank Ia. The second portions 30a and 30b of the holding tabs provide an access portion of the holding means provided by the holding tabs when the carton is erected.

Some conventional cartons require independent additional panels to form the holding means by which the cartons are carried or hung and could be a cause of increase in the cost of the cartons. The carton of the present invention allows the carton provider to use less material because the holding tabs are formed from the material struck to define the display windows. A slot for receiving the holding tabs 40 is defined in the top wall panel 12. The slot 40 assists the folding tabs 30a/30c and 30b/30d in forming the holding means by receiving the second portions 30a and 30b of the holding tabs and allowing them to protrude outwardly of the carton. The holding means, a hanger tab in this embodiment, is formed during assembly of a carton, and the carton may be hung on a display peg, or from a display shelf, using the holding means, or a user can easily carry the carton holding the holding means.

The second bottom wall panel 10b is provided with locking tabs 31 while the first bottom wall panel 1 Oa is formed with locking slits 41. By inserting the locking flaps 31 into the locking slits 41 respectively, the blank Ia is formed into the tubular structure and retained in the tubular form.

The blank Ia is folded about the fold lines mention above in order to be assembled into a carton. The blank or carton may be inverted or turned upside-down when being folded. The carton may be folded and erected on a packaging machine or may be folded and erected manually. The following demonstrates an example of the folding and erecting process of the carton although the process is not limited to such an example, and the carton of the present invention may be erected following other processes known in the art.

First, the blank Ia is horizontally placed on a supporting surface with the outside surface of the carton down. Then, the first portions 30c and 3Od of the holding tabs are folded upward (inward into the carton) along the fold lines 29a and 29b. The second portions 30a and 30b of the holding tabs are folded downward along the fold lines 29c and 29d to place the free ends of the second portions 30a and 30b at the position on the slot 40. Lifting the blank 1 a somewhat off of the supporting surface, the first portions 30c and 30d are further folded toward the top wall panel 12 along the respective fold lines 29a and 29b and thereby introducing the second portions 30a and 30b into the slot 40. By fully folding the first portions 30c and 30d into face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the top wall panel 12, the second portions 30a and 30b are inserted into the slot and project from the outside surface of the top wall panel 12. By this means, the second portions 30a and 30b are held together in a face contacting relationship with their proximal ends clumped together by the longitudinal edges of the slot 40, which is best shown in Figure 3.

Next, while held in the face-contacting relationship, the second portions 30a and 30b are temporarily folded flat on the outside surface of the top wall panel 12. The blank is placed back onto the supporting surface and one or more articles to be packaged in the carton are placed on the top wall panel 12. The anchor flaps 15a-15d are then folded inward along their respective fold lines 28a-28d onto the inside surfaces of the side wall panels 1 Ia and 1 Ib. Simultaneously, the first and second side wall panels 1 Ia and 1 Ib and the top end flaps 13a and 13b are folded upward along their respective fold lines 21, 22, 24 and 25. When the side wall panels 11a and 1 Ib are folded generally upright to the positions alongside the article(s), the anchor flaps 15a-15d and their associated gusset panels 14a-14d are tucked between the respective side wall panels 1 Ia and 1 Ib and the article(s) and thereby the top end flaps 13a and 13b are held in their upright, folded positions.

Lastly, the first bottom wall panel 10a and the second bottom wall panel 10b are folded along the fold lines 20 and 23 into an overlapping relationship to make the blank Ia into the tubular form. The locking tabs 31 are then inserted into the locking slits 41 to secure the bottom wall panels 10a and 10b in the overlapping relationship. The carton is then turned upside-up to a normal position to place it on its bottom wall, and the second portions 30a and 30b are folded back into the upright position. By this means, the package such as shown in Figure 2 is completed, wherein the articles or contents are omitted for the illustration purpose.

In this embodiment, the load of the contents is transferred to the holding means (or hanger tab) not only through the fold lines 29a-29d but also through the surfaces of the first portions 30c and 30d in contact with the inside surface of the top wall panel 12. Therefore, the load concentration on the fold lines 29a-29d is avoided. Furthermore, the holding tabs are not formed by additional or separate material but are formed from part of the carton. This allows the carton to require less material for forming the carton.

It should be appreciated that as used herein, directional references such as "top", "base", "end", "side", "upper" and "lower" do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish these panels from one another. The orientation of the carton could be altered depending on, for example, the articles to be carried in the carton.

It should be still further appreciated that any reference to a fold line or hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only: indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of one of the following, a score line, a frangible line or a fold line, without departing from the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, and combinations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the following claims.

Claims

1. A carton for holding articles, comprising: a plurality of panels including a top wall panel having a slot and a pair of side wall panels hingedly connected to opposed side edges of said top wall panel respectively; a pair of holding tabs formed at least in part from said side wall panels, wherein each of said holding tabs comprises a first portion hingedly connected to said top wall panel and a second portion hingedly connected to said first portion, said holding tabs are folded with respect to said top wall panel such that said first portions of said holding tabs are disposed in face-contacting relationship with an inside surface of said top wall panel and that said second portions of said holding tabs project outwardly of the carton through said slot and are disposed in a face-contacting relationship.

2. A carton according to Claim 1 , wherein said each holding tab is connected to said top wall panel along a first fold line and formed in part from said top wall panel such that said first fold lines of said holding tabs are offset inwardly from said opposed side edges of said top wall panels respectively., .

3. A carton according to Claim 2, wherein said first and second portions of said each holding tab is connected together along a second fold line, said second portion of said each holding tab is formed in part from said top wall panel such that said second fold lines of said holding tabs are offset inwardly from said opposed end edges of said top wall panel.

4. A carton according to Claim 1 , wherein said plurality of panels further includes a bottom wall connecting between said side wall panels so that said plurality of panels form a tubular structure.

5. A carton according to Claim 4, wherein said bottom wall comprises a pair of bottom wall panels secured together in an overlapping relationship.

6. A carton according to Claim 1, wherein said holding tabs are struck at least in part from said side wall panels respectively so that display windows are defined in said side wall panels respectively.

7. A carton according to Claim 1, wherein said each holding tab is connected to said top wall panel along a first fold line, said first and second portions of said each holding tab is connected together along a second fold line that is in vertical alignment with said slot, said second portion of said each holding tab extends upwardly from said slot to an upper end of the second portion, and when said each holding tab is disposed in the plane of the top wall panel, the distance between the second fold line and said upper end of the second portion is no more than the distance between said slot and said second fold line.

8. A carton according to Claim 7, wherein distance between said first and second fold lines of said each holding tab is generally equal to the distance between said slot and said first fold line of said each hold line.