Carton for beverage containers with strap type carrying handle

Abstract: A carton (c) for beverage containers includes a series of hinged panels (12-20) forming a sleeve and end closure panels (30, 58: 30a, 58a) hinged at least a top panel (12, 20) of the carton for closing, at least in part, the opposite ends of said sleeve. The top panel includes a handle panel S' by which the carton can be carried. The handle panel is disposed in a stowed substantially coplanar relationship with the top panel when the carton subsists as an open-ended sleeve and is automatically put into a position of use when the end closure panels are hinged into their closed positions so that at least a user portion of the handle panel stands proud of the top panel.

Description: This invention relates to a carton which is particularly but not only suitable for accommodating beverage containers such as cans and which incorporates a "strap-type" carrying handle which is automatically set up into a position of use as the carton is being closed after having been loaded. Beverage cartons which include carrying handles and, indeed, strap type carrying handles are known. For example, GB-2 234 495A discloses a packaging carton for beverage cans with a strap type handle. The handle strap has a central user portion exposed to view in a handle access aperture in top wall of the carton, extends across the top wall and has opposite ends which terminate in respective ones of a pair of end closure flaps which are hinged to the top wall. The handle strap is reinforced by a separate strip of reinforcing material, for example, a fibrous tape. In the present invention, a carton having a strap type handle is provided, the strap being reinforced by an integral reinforcing strip formed from material at one end of the blank from which the carton is formed. The handle strap has a user portion exposed to view in a handle access aperture but is otherwise disposed internally of the carton. The carton is set up as an open-ended sleeve for loading and is then end-loaded whereafter the carton is completed by closure of the end closure panel. The end closure panel closing has an effect on the disposition of the handle strap. As the top end closure panels are folded into their closing positions the handle strap becomes slack and the central user part of the handle strap bows upwardly and protrudes through the handle access aperture proud of the top wall into a position ready for use. When the carton is lifted by the exposed part of the handle strap load is transmitted from the handle strap to the top wall of the carton at each of the opposite ends of the handle access aperture and is distributed through the top wall. The present invention provides a carton for beverage containers which carton includes a series of hinged panels forming a sleeve and end closure panels hinged at least to one of said hinged panels for closing, at least in part, the opposite ends of said sleeve, wherein said one hinged panel includes a handle strap by which the carton can be carried, said handle strap being disposed in a stowed substantially coplanar relationship with said one hinged panel when the carton subsists as an open-ended sleeve and being put into a position of use when said end closure panels are folded into their closed position whereby at least a portion of said handle strap stands proud of said one hinged panel. According to a feature of the invention, opposite ends of said handle strap may be joined to their associated end closure panels are disposed internally of the carton, and wherein said portion of said handle strap may be exposed to view within a handle access aperture provided in one of said hinged panels other than said one hinged panel which said hinged panels provide a top wall of the carton. Preferably, said central user portion lies substantially coplanar with respect to the top wall but automatically is deployed through said handle access aperture into a position of use, upstanding from the top wall when the end closure panels are closed. According to another feature of the invention, the top panel may have parts at opposite ends of said user portion, said parts being displaceable out of the plane of said top wall when the carton is lifted by the handle so that load is transmitted from the handle to said top wall said displaceable parts being hinged flap portions of said top wall located at opposed ends of said handle access aperture. Preferably, said handle strap is formed from material which is integral with said top wall. It is also preferred that opposite ends of the carton include end closure panels hinged to said top wall and wherein said handle strap includes end portions joined to said end closure panels. Stress relief score lines may also be provided in said top wall and extend from said handle access aperture to each corner of said top wall. An embodiment 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 carton blank from which a carton according to the invention is formed; Figure 2 is a plan view of one end of the blank showing a double ply carrying handle strap; Figure 3 is a plan view of a blank folded upon itself during formation of the carton in collapsed form; Figure 4 shows the completed collapsed carton sleeve in a form in which it is supplied to a customer thereafter to be set up and loaded; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the carton sleeve put into a set up condition ready for loading from either or both its open ends; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the top wall of the carton with the end panels of the carton open whereby the carrying handle strap is disposed in a stowed position; Figure 7 is a further perspective view of the top wall of the carton showing the end panels associated with the top wall folded into a closed position thereby putting the carrying handle strap into a position for use; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of the completed carton with the carrying handle disposed in a position of use upstanding from an aperture in the top wall of the carton. Referring to the drawings, an elongate carton blank 10 formed from paperboard or other suitable foldable sheet material comprises a series of main panels hinged one to the next. The main panels comprise, in series, a first top panel 12, a first side wall panel 14, a base panel 16, a second side wall panel 18, and a second top panel 20 hinged one to the next along transverse fold lines 22, 24, 26 and 28, respectively. The first and second top panels 12 and 20 together form a single composite top wall in the completed carton when they are secured together in overlapping relationship. In order to close the ends of the carton, a series of end closure panels are hinged along the opposed longitudinal edges of the main panels. Since the carton blank is symmetrical about its longitudinal centre line, reference is now made to one set of end closure panels, it being understood that the opposite set of end closure panels are identical and designated by like reference numerals with the addition of the suffix 'a'. Thus, a top end closure panel 30 is hinged to the top panel 12 along a longitudinal hinge line 32. A further hinge line 34 spaced from, and parallel to, hinge line 32 is formed in the top end closure panel 30 to provide a so called 'bevelled' corner panel 36, as is best seen, for example, in Figure 7 and 8 of the drawings. A side wall end closure panel 38 is hinged to the first side wall panel 14 along a longitudinal fold line 40. Top end closure panel 30 and side wall end closure panel 38 are hinged together by means of a web 42. Bottom end closure panel 44 is hinged to bottom panel 16 along longitudinal fold line 46 and a further bevelled panel 50 is created by the provision of a further longitudinal fold line 48 disposed in the end closure panel 44 spaced outwardly of and parallel to the fold line 46. The bottom end closure panel 44 is hinged to the side end closure panel 38 by means of a mutually hinged web 52. A further side wall end closure panel 54 is hinged to the second side panel 18 along longitudinal fold line 56. Side wall end closure panel 54 is hinged to the bottom end closure panel 44 by a web 53. End closure panel 58 is hinged to the second top wall panel 20 along a longitudinal fold line 60. A corner bevelled panel 62 is created by virtue of the provision of a further longitudinal fold line 64 formed in the top end closure panel 58 spaced outwardly of and parallel to the fold line 60. Top end closure panel 58 is hinged to the side end closure panel 54 by means of a mutually hinged web 66. A similar set of end closure panels and webs are provided at the opposite ends of the various main panels. At one extreme end of the blank, integral with end closure panels 58 and 58a, there is provided a handle panel 68 which is provided with a central fold line 70 extending into each of the top end closure panels 58 and 58a. Handle panel 68 is separated from top wall panel 20 by transverse slit 71. Thus, glue is applied to the extreme end of the blank as indicated by the stippling in Figure 1, and then as best seen in Figure 2, the handle panel 68 is folded double about fold line 70 to produce a two-ply handle strap S which is free of the second top panel 20 but joined at its opposite ends respectively with the end closure panels 58 and 58a. At the opposite end of the blank, the first top panel 12 is formed with a handle access aperture 74, the opposite ends of which are provided with hinged flaps f1, f2 and f3, f4 which are connected to the top panel 12 by means of perforate but frangible fold lines. A set of stress relieving score lines 11-14 extend from each of the corners of the handle access opening to the adjacent corners of the top panel 12. However, since the top wall of the carton as a whole is in part provided by the second top panel 20 a portion of the handle access opening and stress relief score lines are formed also in the second top panel 20. These are brought into registry with their complementary features in the first top panel 12 when the first and second top panels 12 and 20 are secured together. In a modified arrangement it is envisaged that a single hinged flap is provided at each end of the handle access aperture. In order to create a sleeve in flat folded condition from the blank, after the handle panel 68 has been put into its two-ply form S, the blank is folded about fold line 26 so that side wall panel 18, the second top wall panel 20 together with the double-ply handle panel S are folded together through 180° and brought into face to face contacting relationship with the bottom panel 16 and the first side wall panel 14 as shown in Figure 3. Thereafter, in order to complete the sleeve, glue is applied to the first top panel 12 as indicated by the stippling in Figure 3, and then the first top panel 12 is folded through 180° about the fold line 22. By this means, the first top panel 12 is secured in face to face contacting relationship and in registry with the second top panel 20 to provide a complete sleeve in flat collapsed condition, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. It will be readily recognised that glue may be applied to the second top panel 20 instead of the first top panel 12. As can be seen in Figure 5, the handle strap S has a user portion H exposed to view in the handle access aperture 74 but is otherwise disposed internally of the carton. The handle strap S as a whole is generally coplanar with the composite top wall 12, 20 and with the associated end closure panels 58, 58a. The carton can then be set up from the flat collapsed condition shown in Figure 4 to the erected position shown in Figure 5 ready for loading through each or both of its open ends. Once loading has taken place, the end closure panels are closed and secured together at each of the ends of the carton as is well known in the art. The end closure panel closing has an effect on the disposition of the handle strap. When the top panels 12 and 20 are brought into registry with each other, it will be seen by reference to Figure 6 that the central user part H of the handle strap S is exposed to view in the handle access aperture 74. While the top end closure panels 58, 58a, 30 and 30a are generally in the plane of the composite top wall 12/20 the handle strap S also remains generally coplanar with the top wall. However, as best shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, as the top end closure panels are folded into their closing positions, the tautness of the handle strap S across the composite top wall is reduced so that in effect the handle strap S across the composite top wall panel is reduced so that in effect the handle strap S which is free of restraint of the top panels 12 and 20 becomes slack and the central user part H of the handle strap S bows upwardly and protrudes through the handle access aperture 74 as shown in Figure 7. Thus the central part H of the handle strap is bowed upwardly proud of the top wall into a position for ready use. To encourage bowing of the central part H, the fold lines 60 and 60a may be omitted from the handle panel 68. Figure 8 shows the completed carton as it would be presented to a user. Thus in order to lift the carton, a user would grasp the handle strap S whereby upward force on the handle strap S causes the frangible parts of the hinged flaps fl-f4 at opposite ends of the handle access aperture 74 to break so that load exerted by the carton on the handle strap is transmitted at the ends of the handle access aperture to the carton top wall. The stress distribution score lines allow the top wall of the carton to "give" somewhat so that the stresses transferred to the carton panels are more evenly distributed whereby that tearing is inhibited.

Claims: A carton for beverage containers which carton includes a series of hinged panels (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) forming a sleeve and end closure panels (58, 58a) hinged at least to one of said hinged panels (20) for closing, at least in part, the opposite ends of said sleeve, wherein said one hinged panel (20) includes a handle strap (S) by which the carton can be carried, characterised by said handle strap (S) being disposed in a stowed substantially coplanar relationship with said one hinged panel (20) when the carton subsists as an open-ended sleeve and being put into a position of use when said end closure panels (58, 58a) are folded into their closed position whereby at least a portion (H) of said handle strap stands proud of said one hinged panel. A carton according to claim 1 wherein opposite ends of said handle strap (S) are joined to their associated end closure panels (58, 58a) and are disposed internally of the carton, and wherein said portion of said handle strap (H) is exposed to view within a handle access aperture (74) provided in one of said hinged panels (12) other than said one hinged panel (20) which said hinged panels (12, 20) provide a top wall of the carton. A carton according to claim 2 wherein said central user portion (H) lies substantially coplanar with said top wall (12/20) when said end closure panels (58, 58a) also lie substantially coplanar with respect to the top wall (12/20) but automatically is deployed through said handle access aperture (74) into a position of use, upstanding from the top wall (12/20), when the end closure panels (58, 58a) are closed. A carton according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the top panel (20) has parts ( f1, f2, f3, f4 ) at opposite ends of said user portion (H), said parts ( f1, f2, f3, f4 ) being displaceable out of the plane of said top wall (12/20) when the carton is lifted by the handle (S) so that load is transmitted from the handle (H) to said top wall (12/20) said displaceable parts ( f1, f2, f3, f4 ) being hinged flap portions of said top wall (12/20) located at opposed ends of said handle access aperture (74). A carton according to any of claims 2 to 4 wherein said handle strap (S) is formed from material which is integral with said top wall (12/20). A carton according to any of claims 2 to 5 wherein opposite ends of the carton include end closure panels (58, 58a) hinged to said top wall (12/20) and wherein said handle strap (S) includes end portions joined to said end closure panels (58, 58a). A carton according to any of claims 2 to 6 wherein stress relief score lines ( l1, l2, l3, l4 ) are provided in said top wall (12/20) and extend from said handle access aperture (74) to each corner of said top wall (12/20). A blank for forming a carton as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7. A package comprising a plurality of articles and a carton as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7.

Inventors: AUCLAIR JEAN-MICHEL, AUCLAIR, JEAN-MICHEL
Applicants: MEADWESTVACO PACKAGING SYSTEMS, MEADWESTVACO PACKAGING SYSTEMS LLC
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5, B65D71