HUP0400729A2 - Wraparound carton and blank - Google Patents

Abstract

A wrapping article carrier carton for packaging articles, such as food boxes, comprising an opposing top panel base (14) joined by opposing side panels (20) to form a tubular structure. There is an opening (30, 32) on the base plate for placing the product. A stiffening tab (34) is cut out of the base plate, which defines the opening and is folded in such a way that it acts as a spacer, so that the top plate and the bottom plate (14) are at a predetermined distance from each other. Stiffening tab (34) extends and is hingedly connected to one of the side panels. In the cut-out, a stiffening tab (34) is cut from the base plate (14), which defines the opening and is folded in such a way that it serves as a spacer when assembled. In the process, the product is placed in the cardboard box; the uppermost sheet and securing support flange are folded along a first folded line that is hingedly connected to the second side sheet; and the protruding part of the product is inserted into the extended part of the opening, during which the uppermost sheet and securing support rim are folded in. HE

Description

S< B. L». ά Ke Patent Office H10Ö2 Büuapest, Andi assy út 113. Telephone: 461-1000, Fax: 461-1099 ki

Wrapping article carrier carton and blank, and method for forming same

The present invention relates to a wrapping carton and a blank, and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a wrapping carton and a blank suitable for packaging articles such as food boxes, such as yogurt, where the base of the article extends from an opening in the base of the carton.

It is well known that such goods must be packaged with wrapping cardboard boxes.

In US Patent No. 2,926,781, Dickhens et al. disclose a carton suitable for packaging a pair of articles such as food jars, and which is provided with a pair of openings through which the tops of the jars can protrude. The cutout is further provided with openings in the side panels through which the labels of the jars can be seen.

Currie, in his US Patent No. 3,189,215, discloses a wrapping carton suitable for packaging bottles, the cut-out openings extending across the width of the top panel and arranged to fit the necks of two bottles.

-2When the assembly of the overwrapping cartons for packaging the article or articles may extend through one of the carton panels, it is often difficult to ensure that the carton is assembled with the side panels of the same height when the ends of the cut-out are actually the side panels attached together so that the top panel and the base panel of the carton are parallel.

The present invention seeks to solve, or at least reduce, the problems of the prior art.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a wrapping article carrier for packaging an article such as a food carton, wherein the carton comprises an opposing top panel and a base panel connected by opposing side panels to form a tubular structure. An opening is provided in the base panel for receiving the article. A stiffening tab is cut from said base panel defining the opening and is folded in to act as a spacer, thereby creating a predetermined distance between the top panel and the base panel, the stiffening tab extending and hingedly connected to one of the panels formed by the side panel.

Preferably, one of the side panels is a securing flange, which flange is attached to the outer side of a side panel. The distance between the free edge of the securing flange and the folded line of the stiffening tab is preferably smaller than the distance between the free edge of the securing flange and the folded line.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, the stiffening tab extends to the edge of the article or to the sheet on the side opposite the base sheet.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a cutout for a wrapping carrier design for packaging an article of manufacture, such as a food container, the cutout comprising a first top panel, a first side panel, a base panel and a second side panel, which are hingedly connected in series to form a tubular structure. An opening is provided in the base panel for receiving the articles of manufacture, and a stiffening tab is cut out of the base panel defining an opening and folded in accordance with the assembly conditions to act as a spacer, thereby creating a predetermined distance between the top panel and the base panel, the stiffening tab extending to the securing support flange and hingedly connected to the securing support flange. It may further comprise a securing support flange which is hingedly connected to the base panel.

According to an optional feature of the second object of the present invention, the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line of the stiffening tab is smaller than the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line.

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A third object of the present invention is to provide a wrapping article carrier for packaging an article, such as an original carton, wherein the carton comprises a top panel and a base panel opposed to each other, which are hingedly connected by first and second side panels to form a tubular structure. An opening is cut out of the base panel to retain a protruding portion of the article, the opening extending to a panel adjacent to the top panel to facilitate folding the top panel over the protruding portion during assembly of the carton.

Optionally, the panel adjacent the top panel is a securing flange arranged to secure the top panel to one of said first or second side panels. Preferably, the securing flange is disposed on an outer surface of the side panel and a portion of the side panel is disposed in the opening for the purpose of fitting the article of manufacture into the opening.

According to a fourth object of the present invention, there is a cutout for forming a wrapping article carrier suitable for packaging an article, such as a pouch, the cutout comprising, in sequence, a first side panel, a base panel, a second side panel, a top panel and a securing support flange and an opening cut out of the top panel to retain the protruding portion of the carton during use. The opening extends to a panel adjacent to the top panel to facilitate folding the top panel over the protruding portions by the arm i 4 ........

during the folding of the cutout necessary to form the ton box. Preferably, the adjacent sheet is the securing support flange.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a wrapping carton comprising a first side panel, a second side panel, a top panel and a securing support flange, which are hingedly connected in series to form a tubular structure, the top panel having a cut-out opening for holding the article and extending to the securing support flange, the method comprising the following steps:

I) placing the item in the carton;

II) folding the top panel and the securing support flange along a first folded line that is hingedly connected to the second side panel; and

II) inserting the protruding portion of the article into the expanded portion of the opening while folding the top panel and securing flange, thereby allowing the securing flange to expose the article.

Conveniently, the method may include a further step preceding the step of inserting the article into the top sheet and folding the base sheet and the second side sheet around the article (II).

The method of the fifth object may include a further step of bending a stiffening tab from the surface of the base plate before the folding and inserting step and a step of attaching the stiffening tab to the edge of the article or the topmost sheet.

-6, before folding the securing flange towards the opposite sheet.

The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of a cutout for folding a carton according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of the cutout of Figure 1 during successive stages of carton assembly and the article loading process with the carton and articles inverted;

Figure 4a is a perspective view of the carton formed from the cutout of Figure 1 in a fully assembled and loaded condition;

Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view of the carton shown in Figure 4a along section X-X;

Figure 5 is a cut-out for forming a carton according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cut-out of Figure 5 showing a stage of the carton assembly process with the carton and articles in an inverted state;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the carton formed from the cutout of Figure 5 in a fully assembled and loaded condition;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cutout required to form a carton according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the cutout of Figure 8 with the carton in an inverted state and the articles of merchandise during a stage of the carton assembly process; and Figure 10 is a perspective view of the carton formed from the cutout of Figure 8 in a fully assembled and loaded state.

Referring to the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1-4, particularly Figure 1, there is illustrated a cutout 10 of a paperboard or similar foldable sheet material suitable for forming a wrapping carton. This includes a plurality of panels, a top panel, a base panel for forming opposing side panels. In this embodiment, the cutout 10 includes a base panel 14, a first side panel 16, a top panel 18, and a second side panel 20, which are hingedly connected separately, in turn, to each other along folded lines 24, 26, and 28. It also preferably includes an inner side panel or securing support flange 12, which is hingedly connected to the base panel 14 along folded line 22.

It may also include one or more aperture structures. Figure 1 shows a pair of aperture structures 30 and 32 cut from the base plate 14 and, in this embodiment, extending into the retaining flange 12. Any of the structures

-8- .

are essentially identical and therefore only the structure of the opening 30 will be described in more detail.

It further comprises a spacer (or stiffener) tab 34 which is cut from the base plate 14 and extends to the securing support edge 12 to interrupt the folded line 22. The spacer tab 34 is hingedly connected to the securing support edge 12 by the folded line 38. The tab is defined by the cut line 58 and is connected to the folded line 38 by the ends of the cut line 58 by relatively short, straight, mutually parallel cut lines 59a, 59b. Of course, the position of the cut lines is not limited and in some embodiments the cut lines 59a, 59b may be omitted. The end of the tab 34 is remote from the folded line 38, in this embodiment substantially parallel to the folded line 38 to define a portion for fitting the edge of the article or article carrier sheet.

The opposing pairs of article support structures 42, 44, 46, 48 are preferably arranged separately along the fold lines 26 and 28, the structures being arranged to interrupt the fold lines 26, 28 mentioned above. All support structures are essentially the same and therefore only structure 46 will be described in more detail herein. It can be seen from Figure 1 that structure 46 includes a portion 50 extending from the topmost sheet 18, which is arranged to interrupt the fold line 28 defined by the curved cut line 52.

The structure further comprises a pair of parallel cut lines 54 and 56, characterized in that in this embodiment they are arranged substantially perpendicular to the folded line 28, and the arc starts at cut line 52 and ends partially below the second side panel 20. The cut lines 54 and 56 thereby define a tab portion 57.

It is intended that a carton according to any embodiment of the present invention be formed by a series of successive folding and gluing operations on a straight-line machine such that the carton does not need to be rotated or inverted to form the structure. The folding process is not limited to that described below and may be varied according to specific manufacturing requirements.

This can be seen from Figure 2, the carton and articles A are shown inverted for clarity such that the topmost panel 18 is positioned to overlap the plane of the topmost front panel of article A. All references to directions are to be understood as if the cutout and articles were in a vertical position. The topmost panel 18 is dimensioned in this embodiment such that the edge portions F of the articles A extend beyond the folded lines 26 and 28.

The spacer tabs 34 are folded downward and away from the securing flange 12, thereby fully exposing the opening 36. Consequently, the first side panel 16 is folded inward and away from the direction of the top panel 18, the base panel 14 is folded inward and upward along the folded line 24 and away from the top panel 18.

- 10 space from the direction of the first side panel 16. The rectangular opening 36 enables the base panel 14 to be folded over the base of the article A without the securing support flange 12 being bent.

Consequently, the securing flange 12 is folded upward and inward along the folded line 22 and the second side panel 20 is folded downward and inward along the folded line 28, as shown in Figure 3. Thus, the spacer tabs 34 are guided between the second side panel 20 and the corresponding side of the article A, thereby establishing a connection with the lower surface of the edge portion of the article A that limits relative movement of the article A, as shown in Figure 4b. In some embodiments, the outer surface of the securing flange 12 is in contact with the inner surface of the second side panel 20. The securing flange 12 and the side panel 20 are preferably secured by adhesive or other suitable means known in the art.

The inward folding of the first and second side panels 16 and 20 results in the flange portions F extending laterally beyond the folded lines 26 and 28 and the thickness of the flange portions causes the tabs 57 to bend outward and slightly extend beyond the surface of the first 16 and second side panels 20. The tabs 57 thereby engage the lower portion of the flanges F, as shown in Figure 4a, and assist in retaining the article A in the carton. The carton is thus in a fully assembled and loaded condition, as shown in Figure 4.

-11 It is apparent that the spacer tabs 34 are sized such that during the folding operation the positioning of the lower surface of the edges F ensures that the free edge of the second side panel 20 is substantially the same width as the folded sheet 28. The securing support edge 12 is in contact with the second side panel 20, thus ensuring that in this embodiment the base panel 14 and the topmost panel 18 are substantially parallel, because the first side panel 16 has the same width W as the second panel formed by the securing support edge 12 and the second side panel 20. An alternative arrangement with such a parallel, relatively small interlocking flange requires the support edge to be secured to the outer surface of the second side panel 20. A disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the surface of the side panel is interrupted and therefore prevents the display of information and/or advertising.

In other embodiments, the free edge of the spacer tab 34 may be in contact with the inner surface of the top panel to achieve the same effect. This is particularly useful for articles without a rim. It is not necessary for the free edge of the side panel 20 to be the same length as the folded line 22, for example, if the side panel is narrower and the securing flange is wider, then the spacer tab determines the position of the overlap of the securing flange and the second side panel.

Returning to the second embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 5-7 and in particular in Figure 5 in relation to the cutout, the first and second embodiments are similar, therefore

-12where possible, we use the same numbering for similar parts with the prefix “1”. Therefore, only the difference between the second version and the first is described below.

The second embodiment of Figure 5 differs from the first embodiment mainly in the aperture structures. In this embodiment, due to the flatter nature of the article A, the aperture structures 130 and 132 are completely contained within the base plate, and therefore it is not necessary to extend the apertures 136 to prevent the securing support flange 112 from bending over the base of the article A.

As shown in Figure 6, the assembly process is essentially the same as for the first embodiment, with the tabs 134 acting as a spacer to ensure that the top panel and the base panel of the assembled carton are parallel, as shown in Figure 7.

Returning to the third embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 8-10, and in particular to the cutout shown in Figure 8: the cutout of the third embodiment is again similar to that of the first embodiment, and similar numbering is used for similar parts, with the addition of the prefix "2". Only the differences of the third embodiment compared to the first are discussed below.

As shown in Figure 8, the cutout of Figure 8 differs from that shown in Figure 5 in that the spacer tab 234 does not follow the cut line 258 defining the opening 236, but rather the side edges defined by extensions of cut lines 259a and 259b.

- 13 The assembly process of the third embodiment of the blank suitable for forming a complete carton is essentially the same as the assembly process of the first and second embodiments, as shown in Figure 9. The fully assembled and loaded carton is formed from the blank shown in Figure 8 as shown in Figure 10.

It is intended that the invention can be applied with minor structural modifications to a wrapping carton or a front-loading carton. For example, the stiffening tab is completely cut out of the securing flange and there is no opening for the articles in this carton. The width of the securing flange (and therefore the stiffening tab) can be adjusted according to the size of the carton.

It is noted that the directional references used herein, such as "top," "bottom," "end," "side," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," are not intended to be limited to the respective orientations, but are simply used to distinguish these sheets from one another. Any mention of a hinged connection is not necessarily limited to a single folded line, in fact it is seen that the hinged connection may be formed using any or all of the following: a perforated line, an easy-to-fold line, or a folded line, without departing from the scope of the invention.

It will be appreciated that many modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the carton may be used in a

-14 or more articles. However, the size and shape of the openings and panels can be adjusted according to the specific requirements of the articles to be packaged and other known article holding devices. The present invention and its preferred embodiments relate to a carton which is shaped to provide sufficient rigidity to hold the articles as in previous containers, but with a certain degree of flexibility. The shape of the cutout minimizes the amount of paperboard required for the carton. The items are suitable for manual or machine transport. It will be appreciated that the invention is suitable for a variety of carton or tray types and is not limited to the types of wrappers.

Claims (16)

-15- ····.··?<.··..: ^: ··. Patent claims 1. A wrapping article carrier carton for packaging articles, such as food boxes, the carton comprising an opposing top panel and a base panel connected by opposing side panels to form a tubular structure, the base panel having an opening for receiving the article, characterised in that a stiffening tab is cut out of the base panel defining the opening and is folded in to act as a spacer, thereby spacing the top panel and the base panel at a predetermined distance from each other, the stiffening tab extending and hingedly connected to one of the side panels. 2. An article carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that said sheet is a securing support flange, said support flange being secured to another sheet formed by the side panel. 3. The article carrier according to claim 2, characterized in that the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line of the stiffening tab is smaller than the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line. 4. An article carrier according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the stiffening tab extends to the edge or topmost panel of the article. 5. Cutting to form a wrap-around article carrier carton for packaging articles such as food boxes, the cutout comprising a top panel, a first side panel, a base panel and a second side panel, which are hingedly connected in series to each other to form a tubular structure, and an opening is provided in the base panel for receiving articles, characterized in that a stiffening tab is cut out of the base panel defining the opening and is folded in such a way that, when assembled, it serves as a spacer, thereby providing a predetermined distance between the top panel and the base panel, the stiffening tab extending and hingedly connected to one of the panels formed by one of the side panels. 6. The cutout of claim 5, further comprising a securing flange hingedly connected to the base plate, the stiffening tab being cut from the base plate and defining the opening, the stiffening tab extending to the securing flange and hingedly connected to the securing flange. 7. A cutout for forming an article carrier according to claim 6, characterized in that the stiffening tab is dimensioned such that it extends to the edge or topmost sheet of the article in the assembled state. 8. A cutout according to claim 6 or 7 for forming an article carrier, characterized in that the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line of the stiffening lug is smaller than the distance between the free edge of the securing support flange and the folded line. 9. A wrapping article carrier for packaging an article, such as a carton, comprising an opposing top panel and a base panel connected by first and second panels to form a tubular structure, the base panel having an opening cut out to receive a protruding portion of the article, characterized in that the opening extends to a panel adjacent to the base panel, facilitating folding of the base panel over the protruding portion during assembly of the carton. 10. An article carrier according to claim 9, characterized in that the panel adjacent the base panel is a securing retaining flange and is arranged to secure the base panel to one of the first and second side panels. 11. An article carrier according to claim 10, characterized in that the securing retaining flange is placed on the outer surface of one of the side panels and a portion of the side panel is inserted into the opening for fitting the article into the opening. 12. A cutout for forming a wrapping article carrier for packaging an article such as a pouch, the cutout comprising, in sequence, a first side panel, a base panel, a second side panel, a top panel and a securing flange, an opening cut out of the top panel to retain the protruding portion of the carton in use, characterized in that the opening extends to the panel adjacent the top panel, facilitating folding of the top panel over the protruding portion during folding of the cutout to form the carton. 13. A cutout according to claim 12, characterized in that the adjacent sheet is the securing support flange. 14. A method of forming a wrapping carton comprising a first side panel, a second side panel, a top panel and a securing support flange, which are hingedly connected in series to form a tubular structure, the top panel having an article-retaining opening cut therefrom and extending to the securing panel, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: I) the item is placed in the cardboard box; II) folding the top panel and the securing support flange along a first folded line that is hingedly connected to the second side panel; and III) inserting the protruding part of the article into the expanded part of the opening while folding the topmost panel and securing support flange, thereby exposing the article from the securing support flange. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step prior to step II) of placing the article on the topmost sheet and folding the base sheet and the second side sheet around the article. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of folding the stiffening tab out of the plane of the base plate prior to the folding and inserting step, and the step of fitting the stiffening tab on the edge or topmost plate of the article prior to folding the securing support flange toward the opposing plates. CM The authorized person Dr Zoltán Köteles is a member of the S.B.O. & K. Szabad* tini Law Firm. H-1062 Budapest, Andrássy út 113. Pbletön. %i-l00ü Fax 461-1099