PACKAGING FOR BOTTLE

Abstract: A packaging blank assembly comprising first and second blanks. The first blank (10) has a body portion (12) and an extension portion (32) separated by fold lines (40). The body portion has two end body panels (14, 22) at respective ends of the body portion and three intermediate body panels (16, 18, 20). The extension portion has four extension panels (36) each of which is joined to a body panel. The two end body panels are adapted to be secured to one another to form a generally tubular container. Each extension panel has a shoulder-forming portion (34) and a neck-forming portion (36) with the shoulder-forming portion being joined to the associated body panel and the neck-forming portion by respective fold lines (40, 38). The second blank (100) has end panels (108, 110) at respective end of the blank and intermediate panels (102, 104, 106), with the ends panels being adapted to be secured to one another to form a tubular closure. When the container blank is folded about its fold lines it forms a representation of a bottle with the body panels forming the body portion of the bottle and the sleeve-forming portions aligning to form a neck of the bottle. The second blank is adapted, when folded, to engage over the neck-forming portions in a sliding manner to retain the container closed.

Description: Title: PACKAGING FOR BOTTLE The present invention relates to packaging. One of the drawbacks of existing packaging for, for example, spirits is that the packaging does not provide a representation of the bottle contained by the packaging. The packaging is usually in the form of square or round cross-section containers and is often less attractive than the shapes of the bottles that they contain. The present invention seeks to provide an improved form of packaging. Accordingly, the present invention provides a packaging assembly for an article such as a spirits bottle, the packaging assembly having a container for receiving the bottle and a closure for retaining the container in a closed attitude; wherein said container comprises: a body portion for receiving a body of the bottle; and a neck portion for enclosing at least a portion of a neck of the bottle; wherein said closure is a sleeve; and wherein said neck portion is formed by at least two cooperating members and said sleeve is adapted to engage slidingly over said at least two members thereby to retain said neck portion and therefore said container closed. The present invention also provides a packaging blank assembly comprising first and second blanks, wherein: said first blank comprises a body portion and an extension portion separated by a plurality of fold lines; said body portion comprises first and second end body panels at respective ends of said body portion and a number of intermediate body panels therebetween; said extension portion comprises a plurality of extension panels each of which is joined to a one said body panel; said first and second end body panels are adapted to be secured to one another to form a generally tubular container; each said extension panel comprises a shoulder- forming portion and a neck- forming portion, said shoulder- forming portion being joined to the associated body panel and said neck-forming portion by respective fold lines; said second blank has first and second end panels at respective ends of said blank and at least one intermediate panel therebetween, said first and second end panels being adapted to be secured to one another to form a tubular closure; and wherein the arrangement is such that when said container blank is folded about said fold lines it forms a representation of a bottle with said body panels forming the body portion of the bottle and the sleeve-forming portions aligning to form a neck of the bottle and said second blank is adapted, when folded, to engage over said neck- forming portions in a sliding manner thereby to retain said container closed. The present invention is further described hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a carton blank for forming a container of a packaging asssembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a view of a carton blank for a closure for the container of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a view, similar to that of Figure 1, of a second embodiment of container of a packaging assembly according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a plan view of an assembled packaging according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the assembled packaging of Figure 4; Figure 6, is view, similar to that of Figure 1, of a third embodiment of container of a packaging assembly according to the present invention; and Figure 7 is a view, similar to that of Figure 2, of a carton blank for a closure for the container of Figure 6. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a carton blank 10 which can be folded into a bottle-shaped packaging. The blank 10 has a body portion 12 which has three intermediate side or body panels 14, 16, 18 and first and second end body panels 20, 22. These are generally of rectangular shape and are joined along their longer side edges by fold lines 22, 24, 26,28 and 30. The arrangement is such that when folded about these fold lines, panel 22 serves as a tongue and lies underneath panel 20 to form a container body of substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. Whilst the body panels 14, 16, 18 and 20 which is visible in the assembled packaging are of generally rectangular shape they may be slightly tapered as shown in Figure 1 to provide the body portion shape of the bottle as seen in Figure 5. Each of the body panels 14, 16, 18, 20 which are visible in the assembled packaging has a respective extension portion 32a-d. Each extension portion has a shoulder panel 34a-d and a neck panel 36a-d with each neck panel being joined to each shoulder panel by a respective fold line 38a-d and each shoulder panel being joined to the respective body panel by a further fold line 40a-d. As can be seen from Figure 1 , the shoulder panels 34 are formed by a single panel which is subdivided into the panels 34 and tongue 54 by extensions 42a-d to the fold lines 24,26, 28 and 30 of the body panels 14, 16, 18 and 20. As can also be seen from Figure 1 each neck portion is formed by three generally rectangular panels with the panel 36 being the centre panel and being joined to respective outer panels 44a-d, 46a-d by fold lines 48a-d, 50a-d. The neck portion is of approximately the same width as the associated shoulder panel 34 with the centre panel 36 being joined to the shoulder panel 34 by the fold line 38 which is considerably shorter and about one third the length of the fold line 40. The ends of each fold line 38 are joined to the ends of the fold lines 40 by further fold lines 52a-d, 54a-d with the panels 44, 46 being separated from the panels 34. The shoulder panel 34d has the tongue 54 which, when the carton is assembled, underlies the end region of the shoulder panel 34a. The body panel 22 is also in the form of a tongue which underlies the panel 14, both tongues 54 and 22 being secured to the panels 34a, 14 by suitable adhesive in the assembled packaging. To form a carton from the carton blank 10 the panels 14 to 22 are folded about their fold lines 24 to 30 with the tongues 22, 54 folding under the panels 14, 34a such that the fold lines 30, 42d are aligned with the left hand edge of the panels 14, 34a. The tongues 22, 54 are glued to the panels 14, 34a. During this folding, the portions of the shoulder panels 34 between the adjacent pairs of fold lines 54, 52 are folded inwardly of the carton along the extension fold lines 42 to allow the panels 34 to fold along the fold lines 40, inwardly of the container and towards one another. The adjacent fold lines 54, 52 thus meet and the effect is to provide a narrowing of the container at the shoulder panels 34 which thus form an imitation shoulder similar to that shown in Figure 5. The end panels 44, 46 of each neck portion 32 are folded inwardly about the respective fold lines 48, 50 with the centre panels 36 being folded outwardly about the fold lines 38. The effect is for the shoulder panels 34 to be inclined inwardly as shown in Figures 4 and 5 to give the impression of the shoulder of a bottle with the neck portions 32 being aligned to represent the neck of a bottle. The panels 44, 46 overlie one another and the centre panels 36 when the carton blank is assembled. The free ends of the centre panels 36 have tongues 56a-d which fold over one another to close the end of the neck portion whilst the body panels 14, 16, 18, 20 have tongues 58, 60, 62, 64 which cooperate in a conventional manner in order to close the base of the body portion. Referring now to Figure 2, this shows a blank 100 of a closure for the container of Figure 1 in the form of a sleeve. The blank has three intermediate side panels 102, 104, 106 and first and second end panels 108,110. These are generally of rectangular shape and are joined along their longer side edges by fold lines 112, 114, 116, 118. The arrangement is such that when folded about these fold lines, panel 110, which serves as a tongue, lies underneath panel 108 to form a sleeve of generally rectangular cross-section. It will be appreciated that the number of panels might be varied to alter the cross-sectional shape of the sleeve. The blank 100 also has an extension 120, extending from a shorter edge of the panel 104. The extension 120 is joined to the panel 104 by fold line 124 and is of a decorative shape with a necked portion 126 and a generally arcuate or circular end 128. The arrangement is such that when the sleeve is assembled, it can be slid over the neck portion of the assembled container of Figure 1 in order to retain the neck of the container closed, the sleeve being a close fit over the neck portion. The decorative panel 120 of the sleeve lies along one of the shoulder panels 34. Figure 3 shows a carton blank similar to that of Figure 1 with the exception that whereas the fold lines 40 in Figure 1 are generally straight, the corresponding fold lines in Figure 3 are slightly curved. This has the effect of bowing in the side panels 14, 16, 18, 20 when the container is assembled, as can be seen from Figure 4. Referring now to Figure 6 this shows a further embodiment of carton blank 100 which is similar to that shown in Figure 3. Those parts of the blank 100 which are similar to parts of Figure 3 are given like reference numbers. As can be seen from Figure 6, the intermediate side or body panels 14, 16, 18 are axially longer than those of the carton of Figure 3 and are generally rectangular, although they may, of course, be slightly tapered in a similar manner to those of Figure 3. The main difference between the blanks 10 and 100 is that the blank 100 has neck panels 136a-d but does not have the outer side panels 44, 46 or the tongues 56. The second and fourth neck panels 136b,d are provided with tongues or lugs 138 along their side edges and these serve to engage in corresponding slots in a closure. Figure 7 shows a blank 300 of the closure for the container of Figure 6. This is similar to the blank shown in Figure 2 with like parts being given like reference numbers. As can be seen from Figure 7 each of the intermediate side panels has a respective tongue 358, 360, 362 and 364 which cooperate in conventional manner in order to close the upper end of the closure. As can be seen from Figure 7 each of the panels 102, 106 has two cutouts 370a-d along the panel edges which are positioned to receive the lugs or hooks 238. The panel 110 also has a cutout 370e which aligns with cutout 370a when the blank is assembled. In use the assembled closure is slide over the neck of the assembled carton 200, the neck being formed by the panels 36, and the lugs or tongues 238 engage in the slots 370 in a hooklike manner to retain the closure in place.

Claims: Claims 1 A packaging blank assembly comprising first and second blanks, wherein: said first blank (10, 200) comprises a body portion (12) and an extension portion (32) separated by a plurality of fold lines (40); said body portion comprises first and second end body panels (14, 22) at respective ends of said body portion and a number of intermediate body panels (16, 18, 20) therebetween; said extension portion (32) comprises a plurality of extension panels (36, 236) each of which is joined to a respective one of said body panels; said first and second end body panels (14, 22) are adapted to be secured to one another to form a generally tubular container; each said extension panel (32) comprises a shoulder-forming portion (34) and a neck-forming portion (36, 236), said shoulder- forming portion being joined to the associated body panel and said neck-forming portion by respective fold lines (40, 38); said second blank (100, 300) has first and second end panels (14, 22) at respective ends of said blank and at least one intermediate panel (16, 18, 20) therebetween, said first and second end panels being adapted to be secured to one another to form a tubular closure; and wherein the arrangement is such that when said container blank (10, 200) is folded about said fold lines it forms a representation of a bottle with said body panels (14, 16, 18, 20, 22) forming the body portion of the bottle and the neck-forming portions (36, 236) aligning to form a neck of the bottle; and said second blank (100, 300) is adapted, when folded, to engage over said neck in a sliding manner thereby to retain said container closed. 2. A packaging blank assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body panels (14, 16,18, 20, 22) are separated by fold lines (24, 26, 28, 30) arranged such that in the assembled bottle the body portion tapers from its lower to its upper end. 3. A packaging blank assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said body portion tapers outwardly from said lower end. 4. A packaging blank assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the fold line (40) joining each said shoulder- forming portion (34) to the associated body panels (14, 16, 18, 20) is curved thereby to provide a curved shape to an upper edge to the associated body panel in the assembled bottle representation. 5. A packaging blank assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the shoulder- forming portions (34) are formed by a single panel subdivided by fold lines (52, 54) into said shoulder-forming portions (34); and wherein the portions of the blank between adjacent shoulder- forming portions (34) have further fold lines (42) enabling said portions to bend inwardly during folding of said container blank thereby to form pleats. 6. A packaging blank assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein at least one of said neck- forming portions (236) has a lug bracket (238) extending from a side edge thereof; and said second blank has at least one slot at or adjacent a fold line (112, 114, 116, 118) between panels (14, 16, 18, 20 ,22); and wherein the or each said lug is arranged to engage in a respective slot when said body panels are assembled, thereby to inhibit removal of said closure from said bottle. 7. A packaging assembly for an article such as a spirits bottle, the packing assembly having a container for receiving the bottle and a closure for retaining the container in a closed attitude, said container and closure being formed from a packaging blank assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims. 8. A packaging assembly for an article such as a spirits bottle, the packaging assembly having a container (10, 200) for receiving the bottle and a closure (100, 300) for retaining the container in a closed attitude; wherein said container comprises: a body portion (12) for receiving a body of the bottle; and a neck portion (32, 236) for enclosing at least a portion of a neck of the bottle; wherein said closure is a sleeve; and wherein said neck portion is formed by at least two cooperating members (36, 236) and said sleeve is adapted to engage slidingly over said at least two members thereby to retain said neck portion and therefore said container closed.

Inventors: PARMAR JASVINDER, PARMAR, JASVINDER
Applicants: PARMAR JASVINDER, PARMAR, JASVINDER
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5