Top gripping article carrier

Abstract: An article carrier (C) of the top gripping type comprising a tray like structure which is adapted to be applied in inverted condition to the tops of bottles (B). The carrier has a top panel (12) formed with apertures (a) which receive and retain the bottles, a pair of side wall panels (14, 16) and a pair of end wall panels (22, 24) depending from the top wall panel. Gusset panels (30, 32) are interposed between each of the end wall panels and the side wall panels of the carrier to allow corner portions of the tray like structure to conform more closely to the endmost articles to be carried. The carrier is maintained in its erected tray like form by cooperation between the corner gusset panels and upper portions of the bottles held in the carrier adjacent thereto.

Description: This invention relates to an article carrier of the top gripping type according to the preamble of claim 1 for retaining a group of articles e.g. bottles in closely clustered relationship thereby providing a package which facilitates portage of the articles. EP-A-0 188 327 discloses an article carrier of the top gripping type comprising a tray like structure adapted to be applied in inverted condition to the tops of a plurality of articles particularly bottles. The carrier has a top panel formed with two rows of apertures each adapted to receive and retain a bottle to be carried, a pair of side wall panels and a pair of end wall panels depending from the top wall panel. Gusset panels are interposed between each of the end wall panels and the side wall panels of the carrier to allow corner portions of the tray like structure to conform more closely to the endmost articles to be carried. This carrier is supplied in flat but pre-formed condition i.e. the carrier is pre-glued and requires erecting into its tray-like structure for use. GB-A-984450 discloses an article carrier of the top gripping type as mentionned above which comprises a tray like structure adapted to be applied in inverted condition to the top of a plurality of articles particularly cans. The carrier includes rim receiving slots positioned adjacent to the upper edges of the structure whereby each can is wholly suspended by its rim without bottom support. Although the carrier comprises gusset panels, the corners do not comprise additional fold lines to further assist that portion of the carrier to conform to the articles. EP-A-0 189 328 discloses another form of top-gripping bottle carrier which does not require pre-gluing but which is held in its erected form by locking tabs which cooperate with the bottles. The carrier is formed from a single elongate blank of paperboard and has a series of panels joined along transverse fold lines. The blank includes terminal panels at opposing ends thereof and which, when assembled, provides a top and a base interconnected by spaced side wall panels and together form a tubular structure. The top and base each have a plurality of article receiving apertures with the apertures in the top disposed in registry with the apertures in the base. The carrier includes retention tabs which are provided on at least one of the terminal panels, the retention tabs are hinged adjacent the free marginal edge of the apertures in the base, respective terminal panels are folded over said edge inwardly through an adjacent base aperture to extend within said tubular structure so as to maintain the carrier in erected condition when a bottle has been inserted through the aperture in the base and the flange or cap thereof positioned in the registering apertures in the top whereby the retention tab is maintained in folded condition by the bottle. EP-A-276671 discloses a carton of a wraparound type which comprises a top panel from which end wall panels and side wall panels depend. A pair of gusset panels is disclosed at each corner of the rectangular top panel wherein one panel of each of the pair of gusset panels is hingably connected to an end wall panel, and the other panel of each of the pair of gusset panels is hingably connected to a side wall panel. The invention provides an article carrier of the top gripping type of the above-mentionned type with the features of the caracterising portion of claim 1. According to a preferred feature of the invention, the corner gusset panels may be disposed in flat folded condition against an adjacent wall panel of the carrier. According to another preferred feature of the invention, locking means provided by a panel of the carrier may be interposed between the gusset panels and the articles held in the carrier adjacent thereto. According to yet another feature of the invention, a pair of said gusset panels may be provided at each corner of the carrier, the gusset panels of each said pair being folded into face to face relationship with one another by a common fold line and wherein the gusset panels of each pair are hinged respectively to one side wall panel and one end wall panel, and wherein fold lines which provide the hinged connections to said side and end wall panels abut to form, in each case, a corner of the carrier. In some carriers according to the invention, the locking means may comprise a tab hinged to one gusset panel of each pair and folded into face contacting relationship with the other gusset panel of that pair. In some other carriers according to the invention the locking means may comprise a pair of flaps each flap being hinged to a respective one of said side wall panels and folded into face contacting relationship with a folded pair of gusset panels at each of the opposite ends of the carrier whereby the said folded pairs of gusset panels are interposed between a side wall panel and the locking flap hinged thereto. According to a still further feature of the invention a pair of gusset panels and a pair of interlocking panels are provided at each corner of the carrier and wherein one of each gusset panel and interlocking panel is folded against a side wall panel of the carrier, the other of the said gusset panels and interlocking panels being folded against the end wall panel of the carrier each pair of interlocking panels and gusset panels being trapped against the respective wall panel of the carrier by the articles held in the carrier adjacent thereto. Three embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a first paperboard blank for forming a top gripping type bottle carrier according to the invention; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the top gripping carrier applied to a group of six bottles; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a second blank for forming another top gripping type bottle carrier according to the invention; FIGURE 4 is a schematic end view of the erected carrier about to be applied to a group of bottles; FIGURE 5 is a schematic view similar to Figure 4 but in which the clip is shown applied to the top portions of the bottles; FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the top gripping carrier formed from the blank shown in Figure 3 applied to a group of six bottles; FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a third paperboard blank for forming yet another top-gripping type carrier according to the invention; FIGURE 8 is a detailed view of a gusset panel of the blank shown in Figure 7; and FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the top gripping carrier formed from the blank shown in Figure 7 applied to a group of six bottles. Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a blank 10 formed from paperboard or similar foldable sheet material which comprises a top panel 12 in which is formed a group of six apertures a1-a6 each of which is adapted to receive the neck portion of a bottle or other article to be received in the carrier. To this end each of the apertures a1-a6 is surrounded by a series of slits "S" and nicks "N" which together provide deformable flaps 'd' around the periphery of the aperture. These deformable flaps are displaced as a bottle neck passes through the aperture when the carrier is loaded and thereafter are able to engage beneath the cap or neck flange of the bottle to retain the bottle in its position in the bottle group and locked to the top panel of the carrier. These particular details of this type of carrier are typical of those known in the art. The carrier blank further comprises side wall panels 14 and 16 which are hinged to the top wall panel along longitudinal fold lines 18 and 20 respectively and end wall panels 22 and 24 which are hinged to the top wall panel along transverse fold lines 26 and 28 respectively. At each of the corners of the blank, the side walls are integrally hinged to the end walls. Thus, for example, side wall 14 is hinged to end wall 24 by means of a pair of similar triangular gusset panels 30 and 32. Gusset panel 30 is hinged to side wall panel 14 along a fold line 34 and likewise gusset panel 32 is hinged to end wall panel 24 along a fold line 36. The gusset panels 30 and 32 are hinged together along fold line 38. Gusset panel 30 carries a locking flap 40 which is hinged to gusset panel 30 along fold line 42 at the free edge of the panel. The other corner constructions of the blank are similar in that each comprises a pair of similar gusset panels hinged together and include a locking tab extending from and hinged to one of the gusset panels. Therefore none of the other corner constructions are described in any further detail herein. In order to form the blank into the top gripping carrier "C" shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, the side and end wall panels are raised in the same direction relative to the top wall panel 12 to form a tray like article, and during such folding the joined gusset panels at each corner of the blank are folded towards one another. Thus with reference to the corner construction between side wall panel 14 and end wall panel 24 the fold line 38 between gusset panels 30 and 32 is displaced inwardly towards the centre of the top panel 12 so that gusset panels 30 and 32 are brought towards one another whereby fold lines 34 and 36 approach one another to form the corner "CR" of the carrier. However, in order to ensure that the carrier is secured in its erected position, the locking tab 40 is folded about fold line 42 across the free edge of gusset panel 32 and is thereby brought into a position intermediate one face of the gusset panel 32 and the adjacent face of the end panel 24. When the necks of bottles "B" are introduced into the top gripping carrier then shoulder portions of the bottles bear against the folded corner gusset arrangement and trap the folded panels against either one of the end or side wall panels adjacent to the bottle shoulder so that the folded gusset panels cannot spring open. Thus the carrier is maintained in its erected condition and the side and end wall panels are maintained against the shoulders of the bottle group. Other fold lines, for example, fold lines "f" shown in the side wall panels 14 and 16 and fold lines "f1" shown in the end wall panels 22 and 24 are provided to allow those panels to conform more closely to the shape of the bottle shoulders at the corner portions of the carrier and indeed produce for the carrier a somewhat "rounded" or "bevelled" corner appearance. Referring now to Figures 3 to 6 of the drawings, Figure 3 shows a further blank 10a which is similar in a number of respects to the blank shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and therefore like parts are designated like reference numerals with the addition of the suffix "a". However, in this embodiment the locking tab 40 is omitted from the corner gusset panels and instead elongate locking panels 44 and 46 are hinged to the respective longitudinal edges of side wall panels 14a and 16a along fold lines 48 and 50 respectively. The carrier of this embodiment is erected in a manner which is similar to that previously described in that each of the corner gusset panel pairs is displaced inwardly so that in each case the folded corner gusset bears against the adjacent side wall panel of the carrier. For instance, the folded gusset panels 30a and 32a are folded against side wall panel 14a. Thereafter, each of the locking panels 44 and 46 is folded inwardly about the respective fold lines 48 and 50 against the exposed faces of the adjacent gusset panels. Therefore, by way of example, the face of panel 44 presented to the viewer of Figure 3 will be folded into overlapping relationship with the exposed face of gusset panel 32a when the combined folded corner gussets comprising gusset panels 30a and 32a are laid flat against the side wall panel 14a. Thus, when the bottles are introduced into the top gripping carrier then any unfolding movement of the locking panels 44 and 46 is resisted by the shoulder portions of the bottles present in the carrier and therefore cooperation between the locking panels and the bottle shoulder portions holds the article carrier in its erected condition. Referring now to Figures 7 to 9 of the drawings, Figure 7 shows a blank 10b formed from paperboard or similar foldable sheet material for forming another type of top gripping carrier according to the invention. The blank shown in Figure 7 is similar in a number of respects to that shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and accordingly like parts are designated like reference numerals with the addition of the suffix "b". However, again in this arrangement the locking tab 40 is omitted and a different locking arrangement is adopted to keep the carrier in its erected condition. Referring now more specifically to Figure 8 of the drawings, the corner gusset arrangement is shown in more detail. In the blank shown in Figure 1 the fold line 38 which hinges the gusset panels together substantially bisects the angle subtended between fold lines 34 and 36. In the arrangement of Figures 7 to 9 the equivalent position of what would be fold line 38 is shown by the notional bisector of the angle subtended between fold lines 34b and 36b by the fine "S". In this embodiment an opening "A" is formed across each hinged pair of corner gusset panels and in the case of gusset panels 30b and 32b extends between fold lines 34b and 36b. Thus, an "inner" pair of panels 30b' and 32b' is formed between the top panel and the aperture A, the inner panels being hinged together along a fold line 52 which is displaced to one side of the notional bisector line S. These panels corresponding to a gusset panel (32b') and an interlocking panel (30b'). Similarly, a pair of "outer" panels 30b'' and 32b'' is formed between the aperture A and the edge defining that corner of the blank. These "outer" panels are hinged together along a fold line 54 which is displaced from the bisector line S to the opposite side to that of fold line 52. These panels corresponding to a gusset panel (30b'') and an interlocking panel (32b''). The article carrier of this embodiment is erected in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings and thus upon folding of the side and end panels of the blank relative to the top panel the gusset panel pairs also are displaced inwardly. Thus, for instance gusset panel pair 30b and 32b are moved towards one another. However, in view of the offset fold line arrangement, the "outer" panel pair 30b'' and 32b'' are displaced together towards side panel 14b of the blank whereas the "inner" panels 30b' and 32b' are folded together against the end wall panel 24b of the blank. Accordingly, when bottles are introduced into the carrier as previously mentioned then shoulder portions of the bottles bear against each of the inner and outer panel pairs so that they are trapped between the bottle shoulder and the respective side and end wall panels of the carrier and thereby prevent the corner construction of the carrier from becoming unfolded.

Claims: An article carrier of the top gripping type comprising a tray like structure applied in inverted condition to the tops of a plurality of articles such as bottles (B), said carrier having a top wall panel (12), a pair of side wall panels (14,16) and a pair of end wall panels (22,24) depending from the top wall panel (12), wherein gusset panels (30,32,30b'',32b') are located internally of the carrier and are disposed between and hingably connected to each of the end wall panels (22,24) and the side wall panels (14,16) at the comers of the carrier to allow corner portions of the tray like structure to conform more closely to the endmost articles to be carried, means are provided for locking each corner of the carrier comprising a tab or panel associated with each corner positioned in overlapping relationship with one of the gusset panels such that the carrier is maintained in its erected tray like form, with said corner portions conforming to the endmost articles, by cooperation between the corner gusset panels (30,32,30b'',32b'), the articles adjacent thereto and the locking means (40,44,46,30b',32b''), characterised in that the top wall panel (12) comprises at least one row of apertures (a) for receiving and retaining an article to be carried and in that the side wall panels (14,16) and end wall panels (22,24) comprise additional fold lines (f,f 1 ) adjacent each corner further to assist said corner portions to conform to the endmost article. An article carrier according to claim 1, wherein the corner gusset panels (30,32,30b'',32b') are disposed in flat folded condition against an adjacent wall panel of the carrier. An article carrier according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said locking means (40,44,46,30b', 32b'') provided by a panel of the carrier engage the gusset panels at each corner of the carrier, said locking means being interposed between the gusset panels (30,32,30b'',32b') and the articles held in the carrier adjacent thereto. An article carrier according to claim 3 wherein a pair of said gusset panels (30,32) are provided at each corner of the carrier, the gusset panels of each said pair being folded into face to face relationship with one another by a common fold line (38) and wherein the gusset panels of each pair are hinged respectively to one side wall panel (14,16) and one end wall panel (22,24), and wherein fold lines (34,36) which provide the hinged connections to said side and end wall panels abut to form, in each case, a corner of the carrier. An article carrier according to claim 4, wherein said locking means comprises a tab (40) hinged to one gusset panel (30) of each pair (30,32) and folded into face contacting relationship with the other gusset panel (32) of that pair. An article carrier according to claim 4, wherein said locking means comprises a pair of flaps (44,46) each flap being hinged to a respective one of said side wall panels (14a,16a) and folded into face contacting relationship with a folded pair of gusset panels (30a,32a,) at each of the opposite ends of the carrier whereby the said folded pairs of gusset panels (30a,32a) are interposed between a side wall panel (14a,16a) and the locking flap hinged thereto. An article carrier according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein a pair of gusset panels (30b'',32b') and a pair of interlocking panels (32b'',30b') are provided at each corner of the carrier and wherein one of each gusset panel and interlocking panel is folded against a side wall panel (14b,16b) of the carrier, the other of the said gusset panels and interlocking panels being folded against an end wall panel (22b,24b) of the carrier each pair of interlocking panels and gusset panels being trapped against the respective wall panel of the carrier by the articles held in the carrier adjacent thereto.

Inventors: DOMANSKY P, SAULAS A, DOMANSKY, P., SAULAS, A.
Applicants: MEAD CORP, THE MEAD CORPORATION
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B65D71
IPC codes: B65D71, B65D67