Abstract:
A new liner which includes one or more medial panels and two end panels, one on each end. Preferably there are at least three medial panels. The length of the end panels are each no more than 50% the length of any of the medial panels. The invention also pertains to a carton or shipping case including the liner.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Owing in part to the popularity of the so-called “club” stores, there is perceived to be an Increase In consumer demand for products packaged in larger unit volumes. The demand for larger units has resulted in a need for suitable packaging for such units. Among the problems with which the packaging engineer must deal in devising suitable containers, is the increased weight which such containers must be capable of holding. 
     Increases in unit volume impact not only the immediate container for the product, but also secondary and tertiary packaging. For instance, cartons in which the larger/heavier containers are shipped must also be suitable and may have to be adapted to the new containers. 
     The Procter and Gamble Company uses a display carton for its 96 Load Tide® detergent product. The display carton includes four triangular corner posts and front and rear display windows wherein a portion of carton has been bent over and adhered to itself. 
     Ellison et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,137 discloses a fiberboard container constructed from an outer blank of corrugated fiber board and a separate and distinct inner liner of corrugated fiberboard which is laminated interior thereof. A generally rectangular access door is located in one of the sidewall panels and is hinged to the remainder of the outer blank along an edge. An object of the Ellison et al. invention is said to be to provide a reinforced bulk container with an access door which does not substantially weaken the container. The cuts forming the access door in Ellison et al. are positioned at least two inches from the corners so as not to diminish the stacking strength. The width of access door  48  in FIGS. 3 and 4 of Ellison et al. may vary up to amount equal to the width of sidewall panel  32 . 
     Vesborg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,504 is directed to a transport and display container. 
     Spamer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,002 is directed to a case for displaying articles in retail outlets, which is preferably formed of corrugated plastic or paperboard material. 
     DeMott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,360 is directed to a stackable container having a display opening. Locking slots and locking tabs are illustrated. 
     Edgerton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,299 is directed to a combined product shipping and display box. 
     Leftwich et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,872 is directed to shipping/display container which includes a tray portion having a bottom panel, two opposed end panels and two opposed side panels. A front side panel includes a line of weakness defining a severable portion in at least an intermediate portion downward to the lower-most edge of the front side panel. The severable portion includes a preformed aperture located adjacent to the lower-most edge of the front panel for initiating removal of the severable region. It is said that because the severable portion, at least in its center region, is preferably completely removed down to the bottom panel, products may be extracted from the resulting opening even though other containers or articles may be stacked both above and below the subject container limiting the ability to extract packages at an angle. 
     Carr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,337 discloses a carton for a bag stack. The carton includes two unshaped upper edges defining access windows. The front and back walls are provided with a hinged or removable panel below the access window to allow the sizes of the front and back windows to be increased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed in one aspect to a shipping case which is suitable for shipping consumer and other goods, including goods which are packaged in high unit volume. The invention can also be used as a carton for primary packaging. The case or carton of the invention can be expected to enjoy excellent compressive strength, e.g., so that the cases or cartons may be stacked one upon the other notwithstanding the substantial weight of the high unit volume consumer products, e.g. 300 fluid oz. heavy duty liquid detergent containers. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the case or carton comprises four panels, a front panel, an opposed rear panel, and two opposed side panels between the front and rear panels. Bottom and top closures preferably comprise two major flaps and two minor flaps. The case or carton includes a liner having liner walls adjacent the panels of the case. Preferably the liner includes at least two liner walls, more preferably at least three liner walls and most preferably includes three liner walls and two partial liner walls (and walls), the partial liner walls cot responding substantially in height to the height of the front panel yet comprising only a fraction of the width. 
     In accordance with another advantageous feature of the invention, one or more of the walls of the liner include extensions, such as tabs, which are received within one or more apertures, such as slots, in the bottom closure. These serve to help secure the liner in the case or carton. In addition, it is preferred that the sections of fiberboard in which the extensions of the liners are formed also be used to from liners. Such “nesting” saves paperboard and helps decrease the cost of the liner. Where such nesting is used, the top of the liner will include a cutout corresponding roughly to the shape of the extension. 
     In another aspect, the invention relates to a new liner which includes one or more medial panels and two end panels, one on each end. Preferably there are at least three medial panels. The length of the end panels are each no more than 50% the length of any of the medial panels. The invention also pertains to a carton or shipping case including the liner. 
     For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case according to the invention with the top and a portion of the front panel removed to permit viewing of the interior. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a case blank which may be used to make the case of the invention, showing the side of the blank which will form the outside of the case. 
     FIG. 3 is top plan view of a liner of the invention, showing the side of liner which will constitute the outside of the liner. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an erected shipping case according to the invention similar to FIG. 1, except that the liner has also been inserted. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembled shipping case according to the invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment wherein the case does not include top closure flaps. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Case  10  (FIG. 1) comprises bottom closure  12  which includes minor flaps  14  and  16  and underlying major flaps  18  and  20 . 
     Extending upwardly from major closure flaps  18  and  20 , respectively, are first and second side panels  22  and  24 . Medial to the intersections of bottom closure panels  18 ,  20  with side panel  22 ,  24  are disposed slots  26 ,  28 . Extending upwardly from minor flaps  16  and  14  are, respectively, front panel  28  and rear panel  30 . A portion of panel  28  is removed to show the interior, although it is preferred that the front, side and rear panels are fully intact (no portions removed) in the present invention. Panels  22 ,  28 ,  24  and  30  are separated from each other respectively by fold lines  38 ,  32 , and  34 , respectively. Separated from first side panel  22  by scoreline  36  is glue flap  40 . 
     Top closure panels  120 ,  124  extend from panels  22 ,  24  respectively and top closure flaps  122 ,  126  extend respectively from panels  28 ,  30  (FIGS.  2  and  5 ). The top closure panel and flaps are removed from FIGS. 1 and 4 to facilitate viewing of the invention. 
     As seen particularly in FIG. 2, blank  70  can be used to form display case  10 . In addition to the features already described, blank  70  includes scoreline  72  which separates respectively panel  22  from flap  18 , panel  28  from flap  16 , panel  24  from flap  20  and panel  30  from flap  14 . Likewise, scoreline  128  separates panel  22  from panel  120 , panel  28  from flap  122 , panel  24  from panel  124  and panel  30  from flap  126 . 
     As seen particularly in FIG. 4, case  10  may be lined with C-liner  80 . Liner  80  includes end wall  82  which corresponds substantially in height to panel  28 . Wall  82  is separated from liner sidewall  84  by fold line  86 . Liner medial wall  84  corresponds substantially in dimension to second side panel  24 . Rear medial wall  89  is separated from liner sidewall  84  by fold line  90 . Wall  89  corresponds substantially in dimension to rear panel  30 . Liner medial sidewall  92  is separated by scoreline  94  from liner wall  89 . Liner wall  92  corresponds substantially in dimension to the side panel  22  of case  10 . Liner end wall  96  is separated from liner wall  92  by fold line  98 . Liner wall  96  corresponds substantially in height to that of panel  28 . Together, walls  96  and  82  occupy substantially less than the full width of panel  28 , so material is conserved. 
     Preferably, each of the end walls is at least 50% less in length, especially at least 60% less, more preferably at least 80% less than the length of any of the medial walls. 
     Each of liner sidewalls  84  and  92  include an extension at the bottom thereof in the form of a tab,  100 ,  102  respectively. The tabs are adapted to be inserted into slots  26 ,  27  of flaps  18 ,  20  in order better to secure the liner within the case. The tabs are borrowed from what will become an adjacent liner blank during cutting of the blank. For instance, tab  100  would be borrowed from a blank adjacent blank  80  on the side of tab  100 . This would result in a cutout such as cutout  110 . Cutout  110  would result from the formation of a tab in a blank formed adjacent blank  80  on the side of cutout  110 . 
     The carton and liner are preferably made of fiberboard, although other materials may be suitable. For instance, a plastic liner may be employed in certain situations. It will be understood that where fold lines are described, any lines promoting folding of the fiberboard along the line, such as scorelines may be employed. When lines of weakness are described, lines which facilitate the tearing along those lines of the material by a human with a reasonable amount of effort, such as partially cut scorelines and perforated lines, are employed. 
     The case blank  70  is formed into case  10  by squaring the various panels and adhering glue panel  40  to rear panel  30  with chemical adhesive, hot melt or other suitable adhesive. The major closure flaps  18 ,  20 ,  120 ,  124  may, if desired, be adhered to the minor closure flaps  16 ,  14 ,  122 ,  126  with chemical adhesive, hot melt or the like. Generally the top closure flaps will be sealed after the liner and the product have been inserted. 
     Liner  80  is likewise squared and then inserted into erected case  10 . Tabs  100 ,  102  will be received within slots  26 ,  27  to assist in keeping liner  80  snuggly within carton  10 . Liner  80  is particularly useful where case  10  is to be used to transport and/or display consumer products which have a high weight per unit, such as 300 oz. liquid detergent or liquid fabric softener containers. Use of the liner ensures that the case possess as much warehouse stacking strength as would be required. The filled cases may readily be stacked one upon the other. 
     A further advantage of the present design is that it is not necessary to reinforce the corners of the case or carton with special triangular structures. Moreover, the present case or carton, apart from the liner, is made from a single piece blank. 
     The slots and tab arrangements of the present invention tend to prevent “towing in” of the liner and so therefore promote the integrity of the lined case. The slots are preferably rounded, as illustrated, since this results in better stripping of the fiberboard during slot formation. Preferably the tabs  102 ,  100  are dimensioned so as to rest firmly on the surface which supports the bottom of the case. 
     The invention may be utilized with a regular slotted case, as illustrated, although it may also be used in a half slotted container, that is one without upper closure flaps, such as container  10 ′ in FIG. 6 (corresponding features shown with primed reference numbers). 
     In accordance with the preferred design, the case or carton comprises four panels, for compressive strength, rather than having flaps supporting the sides of the package. However, other arrangements wherein the package is not supported panels on four (4) side may be used. 
     It is preferred that additional support items, such as additional dividers or liner be excluded from the cases of the invention. 
     Cartons are solid fiberboard or corrugated primary packages which directly contain product. They generally have greatly diminished compressive strength, exclusive of liners and dividers, under 300 lbs. vertical top load force using test ASTM D642. Shipping cases exclusive of lines and dividers, on the other hand, have much higher compressive strengths usually on the under of 500 lb. or greater under ASTM D642. 
     The present invention may be used with either shipping cases or cartons although it will be most beneficial in enhancing the compressive strength needed for shipping cases. 
     It should be understood of course that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.