WO2007035951A1

WO2007035951A1 - Carton with improved handle portion

Info

Publication number: WO2007035951A1
Application number: PCT/US2006/037360
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alain Saulas
Original assignee: Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems Llc
Priority date: 2005-09-22
Filing date: 2006-09-22
Publication date: 2007-03-29
Also published as: GB0519358D0; RU2008115503A

Abstract

A carton includes opposed side wall panels (12, 16) and opposed end wall panels (14, 18) hingedly connected together to form a basket style carrier. The carton further includes an openable top (20, 22) and an upstanding handle (24, 26) wherein securement tabs (116, 118) are provided for maintaining the top closed and the carrying handle in its upstanding altitude. The release of the securement tabs permit the top to be opened to allow access to the carton contents. The securement tabs are hingedly connected to one of the end wall panels. The securement tabs are in an overlapping arrangement with each other when engaged with the handle. D-17111/PCT -

Description

CARTON WITH IMPROVED HANDLE PORTION

The present invention relates to a carton for containing a plurality of similar articles such as bottles. In particular, it relates to such a carton, provided with locking means for holding handle panels of the carton close to a face of the carton for packing.

Background

Cartons for encasing multiple articles are useful for enabling consumers to transport, safely and easily, a plurality of individual articles, such as soft drinks, dairy products or other such items. As such, the cartons need to be strong enough to support the multiple articles and their contents; they also need to be easy to handle, and to be portable.

Often, it is desirable for such a carton to be provided with large external surfaces, suitable for printing with advertising graphics. Further, it is often desired for the articles to be easily accessible by the user. However, it is also an important aspect of such a carton that it should be adapted to secure the articles firmly in place before opening, and that the articles are not accessed too easily for example before being purchased.

It is further desirable to provide a carton that is easily and securely reclosable, so that the user may retain some of the contents of the carton securely, even after others of them have been removed. Such a reclosable carton is also advantageous in that it allows empty articles to be returned to a recycling point, for example, after the contents of the articles may have been consumed.

US 2 306 343 discloses a basket style carrier having a closable top and releasable locking tabs for maintaining the top in a closed position. A problem associated with the invention as described in this document is that the locking tabs tend to open when the carrier is lifted. Thθ present invention seeks to overcome the problem of the prior art and provide a carton which is robust, secure, and easily portable. Further, it seeks to provide a reclosing mechanism for such a carton, such that the empty articles may be securely fastened within the carton after their contents may have been consumed. Particularly, it provides a carton which is optionally provided with a handle-locking mechanism for securing the handle of the carton substantially in registry with one or more panels of the carton in order to protect the integrity of the carton handle during transport.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a carton having opposed side wall panels and opposed end wall panels, hingedly connected together to form a basket style carrier, further comprising a closable top and an upstanding handle wherein releasable locking means is provided for maintaining the top closed and the carrying handle in its upstanding altitude, the release of which locking means permits the top to be opened to allow access to the carton contents wherein the locking means is provided by first and second securement tabs hingedly connected to one of the end wall panels and adapted to engage the top characterised in the securement tabs are adapted to overlie the top in an overlapping arrangement.

Preferably, the pair of securing panels are provided with the first and second securement tabs, arranged to engage an aperture formed by displacement of one or more fastening tabs struck from the handle.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, there are two top panels connected to an opposing pair of upper edges of the wall panels.

Preferably, the fastening tabs are arranged in complementary pairs struck from the pair of top panels. More preferably, there is provided a pair of securing panels corresponding to each pair of fastening tabs. A further optional feature of this aspect of the present invention provides that the connection between the securing panels and the respective adjacent wall panels is inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal. It is preferred that an inner edge of the securing panels is inclined at an angle to the vertical which is substantially the same as the acute angle above.

A still further optional feature of the present invention provides that there are in use four layers of carton material stacked substantially in abutment one with the next, within the aperture defined by displacement of the fastening tabs from the plane of the handle panels.

According to a yet further optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a handle stowing tab within at least one of the top panels, so that the handle panels may be stowed in an arrangement substantially in abutment with one of the top panels.

Preferably, each handle stowing tab is defined by a cut line in at least one of the top panels. More preferably, the cut line is a substantially arcuate line. It is still further preferred that there is further provided, struck from the cut line, one or more access cut lines, arranged to allow the user easier access to the handle stowing portion defined by the first cut line.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carton comprising a series of hingedly connected wall panels arranged to form a substantially tubular structure, with a plurality of base panels connected to a lower edge of at least one of the wall panels, at least a pair of top panels and at least one securing panel each being hingedly connected to an upper edge of the wall panels, and at least one handle panel being further hingedly connected to an upper edge of at least one of the top panels; wherein at least one top panel further has at least one fastening tab connected to an upper edge, such that when in use the handle panel and the top panel are moved out of a coplanar arrangement, the displaced fastening - A - tab engages the surface of another top panel and further defines an aperture within an adjacent handle panel.

A still further aspect of the present invention provides a blank for a carton comprising a series of hingedly connected wall panels arranged to be suitable for forming a substantially tubular structure, a plurality of base panels being connected to a lower edge of at least one of the wall panels; at least a pair of top panels and at least one securing panel each being hingedly connected to an upper edge of the wall panels, and at least one handle panel being further hingedly connected to an upper edge of at least one of the top panels; wherein at least one top panel further has at least one fastening tab connected to an upper edge, such that when assembled and in use the handle panel and the top panel are moved out of a coplanar arrangement, the displaced fastening tab engages the surface of another top panel and further defines an aperture within an adjacent handle panel.

Preferably, there is further provided a gluing tab connected to an edge of a terminal one of the series of wall panels, to facilitate adhesive connection of the ends of the series of panels to form a tubular structure.

According to a further optional aspect of this second aspect of the present invention, at least one of the base panels is further provided with a gluing tab, adapted to allow adhesive engagement of another of the base panels so as to form a secure base for the carton when assembled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A series of non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a blank for forming a carton according to one aspect of the present invention; Figure 1A illustrates in detail part of the blank according to Figure 1 ;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the part-assembled carton from the blank of Figures 1 and 1A;

Figure 3 and Figure 4 show subsequent stages, in perspective view, of the assembly of the carton from the blank of Figures 1 and 1 A;

Figure 5 illustrates the assembled carton of Figure 4 in perspective view, with the handle panels in the stowed position; and

Figures 6A and 6B show in cutaway view the operation of the securing means.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a carton for containing one or more articles, wherein the carton is constructed from a unitary blank which blank is preferably made of cardboard, paperboard or another suitable sheet material exhibiting pliability and flexibility. Further, the carton according to this preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises one or more top panels, one or more base panels, and opposing sets of side and end wall panels, which in this embodiment, forms a basket style article carrier.

Such a unitary blank 10 formed from paperboard for a carton 30 according to the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1. The blank 10 comprises a first side panel 12, a first end panel 14, a second side panel 16 and a second end panel 18, hingedly connected in series, one to the next by fold lines 44, 46 and 48. The first side panel 12 is further hingedly connected to a glue panel 13 along fold line 42. The glue panel 13 is adapted to be secured to an inner face of the second end panel 18 so as to create the carton 30 shown in Figure 2. Hingedly connected to each of the said panels 12, 14, 16, 18 is a further series of panels constructed and arranged to define a top and bottom face of the carton, as well as securing means for holding the carton fixedly in a closed configuration.

The top and handle structure is formed by a pair of oppositely disposed panel arrangements, each arrangement comprising a top panel 20, 22 hingedly connected to side wall panels 12 and 16 along fold lines 58 and 60 respectively. Handle panels 24, 26 are provided and are hingedly connected to top panels 20, 22 along fold lines 54 and 56.

Preferably, this further series of panels comprises a pair of base panels 28, 32 hingedly attached along fold lines 62 and 66 to each of the respective first and second side wall panels 12, 16; and base tabs 40, 34 hingedly connected to each respective one of the first and second side panels 12, 16, along fold lines 64 and 68.

There further comprises one or more pairs of fastening tabs 74, 78; 84, 88, struck from handle panels 24 and 26 respectively. The fastening tabs are provided for securing the top panel in a closed position.

There further comprises two pairs of securing panels 100, 102; 104, 106 hingedly connected by respective fold lines 108, 100, 112, 114 to an upper edge of the respective one of the first and second end panels 14, 18. The securing panels 100, 102; 104, 106 are in turn provided with securement tabs 116, 118, 120, 122, which securement tabs 116, 118, 120, 122 are so constructed and arranged as to engage the aperture created within the handle panel 24, 26 by the displacement of fastening tabs 74, 78, 84, 88 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the respective handle panel 24, 26.

As shown in Figure 1A, fold lines 108 110, 112, 114 which hingedly connect the first and second end panels 14, 18 to respective pairs of securing panels 100, 102 and

112, 114 are preferably inclined at an acute angle f to the horizontal, and therefore at a substantially similar acute angle f to fold lines 58, 60 which hingedly connect first and second side panels 12, 16 from their respective top panels 20, 22. The inner edge of each securing panel 100, 102, 104, 106 meets with the respective fold line 108, 110, 112, 114 at an angle which is, or is substantially close to being, a right angle. Accordingly, the inner edges of the securing panels 100, 102, 104, 106 are disposed at an angle to the normal which is substantially the same as the acute angle f. This is advantageous in that it spaces apart the pairs of securing panels 110, 102 and 104, 106, thereby allowing a room for the securement tabs 116, 118, 120, 122 to be provided between the inner edges of the securing panels 100, 102, 104, 106.

In use, the top panels 20, 22 are folded down until the handle panels are brought into abutment, meeting at fold lines 54 and 56, such that the apertures defined within the handle panels 24, 26 meet to define a handle aperture through which the use can place his hand so as to carry the carton 30. Fold lines 54, 56 are interrupted by the form of the fastening tabs 74, 78, 84, 88 such that when the handle panels 24 26 are moved to be at a substantial angle to respective top panels 20, 22 the fastening tabs 74, 78, 84, 88 protrude in the plane of the respective top panel 20, 22. As shown in Figure 3, the fastening tabs 74, 78, 84, 88 are arranged to protect the integrity of the top face of the assembled carton 30, and further define apertures within the handle panels 24, 26 arranged to be engaged by the respective securement tabs 116, 118, 120, 122.

The securement panels 100, 102 and 104, 106 are folded inwardly along their respective fold lines 108, 110, 112, 114 and the securement tabs 116, 118, 120,122 are engaged with the apertures in the handle panels 20, 22 in overlapping arrangement, as shown in Figure 4.

The four-ply nature of the connection between the various panels and tabs in this top closure arrangement is most clearly seen in Figures 6A and 6B, and contributes to maintaining the strength and integrity of the carton 30. Within this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle panels 24, 26, which in use are brought into abutment so as to form the handle portion, have defined within them an aperture A and a series of hand cushioning tabs 92, which hand cushioning tabs 92 are hingedly connected to the handle panels 24, 26 so that the hand cushioning tabs 92 may be disposed out of the plane of the handle panels 24 26 to provide a wider area of the user's hand over which the load of the carton 30 is spread, so as to increase the user's comfort.

The carton 30 of the present invention may be shut in a manner such that it may be re-opened without in any way destroying the integrity of the carton 30. This carries the added advantage that the carton 30 may therefore be re-used after the products originally carried within it have been consumed. For instance, empty beverage bottles might be replaced within the carton 30 to be taken to a recycling point after consumption.

It is envisaged that the carton 30 is formed from a unitary blank 10 of paperboard or another suitable sheet material, which blank 10 comprises all the above features of the carton 30, and comprises part of the present invention. Gluing tabs 36, 38 are hingedly connected to the base panels 28, 32 by respective fold lines 35, 37. Typically, adhesive is applied to gluing tabs 36, 38 before assembly of the blank 10 to form the carton 30; they then adhesively engage base tabs 34, 40. A further gluing tab 13 is preferably hingedly connected to first side panel 12, the two being hingedly connected by fold line 42; gluing tab 13 is arranged to adhesively engage the second end panel 18.

It will be understood that these arrangements of gluing tabs 13, 36, 38, could be varied within the scope of the present invention. For instance, gluing tab 13 may be hingedly connected to second end panel 18, so as to engage first side panel 12 in an arrangement converse to that illustrated in figure 1. A further aspect of the present invention provides a handle stowing tab 72 so arranged as to receive a portion of the handle panels 24, 26 when they are folded down to be substantially in abutment with a top panel 20 of the carton 30.

As shown in Figure 5, cut line 70 defines within top panel 20 a handle stowing tab 72. It will be understood that the handle stowing tab 72 could equally be defined within the other top panel 22. In use, the handle panels 24, 26 are in abutment with one another to form a combined handle portion. This combination of handle panels 24, 26 is folded down to be substantially in abutment with the one of the top panels 20, 22 in which the handle stowing tab 72 is defined. An edge of the handle panels 24, 26 is then tucked under handle stowing tab 72 so as to stow the handle panels 24, 26 substantially in registry with the top panel 20 of the carton 30. The integrity of the handle panels 24, 26, and of the carton 30 as a whole, is protected if a series of cartons 30 is stacked in transport, for instance.

It will be understood that whilst terms such as "top," "bottom," "side", "end", "base," "first," are "second" used throughout the present specification, they serve only to differentiate their respective components one from another, and do not in any way limit their respective components to any particular orientation. It will further be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangement of the preferred embodiment, and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A carton having opposed side wall panels and opposed end wall panels, hingedly connected together to form a basket style carrier, further comprising an openable top and an upstanding handle wherein releasable locking means is provided for maintaining the top closed and the carrying handle in its upstanding position, the release of which locking means permits the top to be opened to allow access to the carton contents wherein the locking means is provided by first and second securement tabs hingedly connected to at least one of the end wall panels and engageable with the handle characterised in the securement tabs are disposed in an overlapping arrangement when engaged with the handle.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a pair of securing panels are provided with said first and second securement tabs, and wherein the handle is provided with an engaging aperture for receiving said first and second securement tabs.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 2, wherein the engaging aperture is formed by displacement of one or more fastening tabs struck from the handle.

4. A carton as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the top comprises two top panels hingedly connected to upper edges of the side wall panels respectively.

5. A carton as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fastening tabs are connected to the top panels and arranged to extend from the top panels respectively.

6. A carton as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the connection between the pair of securing panels and the respective adjacent end wall panel is inclined at a first acute angle to the horizontal.

7. A carton as claimed in claim 6, wherein an inner edge of the pair of securing panels is inclined at a second angle to the vertical such that the inner edges of the securing panels are spaced from each other when the securing panels lie in the same plane and the respective adjacent end wall.

8. A carton as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first and second securement tabs extend from said inner edges toward each other.

9. A carton as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein said second angle is substantially the same as said first acute angle.

10. A carton as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein there are four layers of carton material stacked substantially in abutment one with the next, adjacent to the engaging aperture, the four layers comprising the fastening tabs and securement tabs.

11. A carton as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein at least one of the top panels comprises a handle stowing tab formed therefrom so that the handle may be held in a stowed position wherein the handle is disposed substantially flat with one of the top panels.

12. A carton as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each handle stowing tab is defined by a cut line in said at least one top panel.

13. A carton as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cut line is a substantially arcuate line.

14. A carton as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein said at least one top panel is provided with one or more access cut lines extending from said arcuate cut line, said access cut lines being arranged to allow the user easier access to the handle stowing tab.

15. A carton as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 14, wherein said handle comprises a pair of handle panels hingedly connected to the top panels respectively.

16. A blank for forming a carton as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15.

17. A blank for a carton comprising a series of hingedly connected wall panels arranged to be suitable for forming a substantially tubular structure, a plurality of base panels hingedly connected to lower edges of at least some of the wall panels, a pair of top panels, at least one securing panel each being hingedly connected to an upper edge of a respective one of the wall panels, and a pair of handle panels hingedly connected to upper edges of the top panels, wherein at least one of the top panels has a fastening tab formed from the adjacent handle panel such that when the blank is assembled into a carton, the fastening tab engages both the other top panel and the at least one securing tab so as to stabilize the one top panel with respect to the other top panel and the one wall panel.

18. A carton comprising a series of hingedly connected wall panels arranged to form a substantially tubular structure, with a plurality of base panels hingedly connected to lower edges of at least some of the wall panels, a pair of top panels, at least one securing panel each being hingedly connected to an upper edge of a respective one of the wall panels, and a pair of handle panels hingedly connected to upper edges of the top panels, wherein at least one of the top panels has a fastening tab struck from an adjacent one of the handle panel such that the fastening tab engages both the other top panel and the at least one securing panel to stabilize the one top panel with respect to the other top panel and the one wall panel.