Abstract:
An insert suitable for placement within a carton. The insert comprises a support panel capable of supporting an article to be located within the carton, and a pair of leg panels extending convergently downwardly from the opposing side edges of the support panel into abutment at the lower edges of said leg panels. The invention also provides a package wherein a fragile item of merchandise is located within the fully folded insert and placed into a carton, such as a perfume bottle or cosmetic product. The underside of the base of such item of merchandise is conveniently spaced above from the base of the carton to reduce the risks of damage to or breakage of the article.

Description:
This is a continuation of international application No. PCT/US2003/034704, filed Oct. 31, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention is concerned with a carton insert and carton. More particularly, it is concerned with a packaging insert for locating an article, such as a perfume bottle, within a display carton. 
   Packaging of fragile items of merchandise and in particular bottles of perfume or cosmetic products usually requires protective measures to avoid or minimise the risk of damage or breakage to the contained product, in transit or storage. In this regard carton constructions are known, wherein inserts have been constructed to provide such protective measures as cushioning to the contained article. Articles made of or including a significant proportion of glass are susceptible to damage or even breakage, and especially in the case of high value items such as perfume or cosmetics damage or breakage is economically significant. Damage or breakage is most likely to occur during carton stacking or transit, and the present invention seeks to provide an alternative protective measure for delicate items of merchandise packaged within conventional cartons. 
   Carton constructions are known wherein measures are taken to prevent contact between a contained article and the internal surfaces of the exterior walls of the carton. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,848 discloses a cushioning carton wherein a folding carton has an integral, internal support including a pair of tubular members for receiving portions of a packaged article and cushioning it against contact with the carton walls. 
   It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,077 to provide a cushioning measure at the underneath of the contained article, so as to provide a spacing between the underside of the contained article and the surface of the base of the carton. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention seeks to provide an alternative cushioning measure in a convenient and effective manner within a packaging insert for the item, to be located within the interior of a carton. 
   According to one aspect of this invention there is provided an insert suitable for placement within a carton, the insert comprising a support panel capable of supporting an article to be located within the carton, and a pair of leg panels extending convergently downwardly from opposing side edges of said support panel into abutment at edges of said leg panels. 
   Each such leg panel preferably includes a foot panel, extending away from the said edge of both leg panels. The said edge of each leg panel is preferably defined by a fold line, which separates a foot panel from a leg panel. 
   When the foot panels are folded to extend away at an acute angle from the adjoining leg panel, to become generally coplanar, movement of the foot panels when coplanar towards each other may cause or facilitate the abutment of said leg panels. The shape and dimensions of leg and foot panels are preferably such that upon placement of the insert into a carton, the sidewalls of the carton cause the foot panels to bring lower edges of the leg panels into abutment. 
   The said support panel may include an article-receiving aperture. Each of the leg panels may, if required, be formed with article-receiving apertures. Such apertures can be of assistance in retaining the article more securely within the insert, and in avoiding contact between the surfaces of the article and the carton walls. 
   Where present, article-receiving apertures within the leg panels can conveniently be formed from tabs struck into the leg panels. The tabs can thereby form an additional supporting member for, e.g. the underside of a perfume bottle. 
   The insert may further comprise a plurality of article-protecting panels, which can be folded to form an enclosure for the article to space external surfaces of the article other than the base away from the carton walls. 
   According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a blank from which an insert according to the first aspect can be folded, in which the blank includes a support panel capable of supporting an article thereon, a pair of leg panels extending from opposed side edges of the support panel and a pair of foot panels extending from opposed side edges of the leg panels, each leg panel separated from the support panel by a fold line, each foot panel separated from a leg panel by a fold line forming an edge of the leg panel whereby folding of both foot panels and leg panels into generally z-shaped configurations including the support panel enables the edges of the leg panels at said fold lines to be brought into abutment. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order that the invention and further preferred and optional features thereof may be illustrated and readily carried into effect, embodiments thereof will now be described by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a blank suitable for folding into a carton insert according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIGS. 1 and 2  after partial assembly; 
       FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the same blank after further folding and partial assembly; 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the same blank after further folding towards almost complete assembly; 
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the same blank in fully folded form, i.e., the form of an insert, suitable for insertion into a conventional carton; 
       FIG. 7  is an illustration of insertion of the assembled insert into a corresponding carton; 
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of a second embodiment of the insert blank according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the insert blank of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 10  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIG. 9  after partial assembly; 
       FIG. 11  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIG. 10  after further folding assembly; 
       FIG. 12  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIG. 11  after further folding towards almost complete assembly; and 
       FIG. 13  is an isometric view of the blank of  FIG. 12  in fully folded and assembled form, i.e., the form of an insert, showing the fully folded and assembled insert at the point of insertion into a carton of different shape and size from that illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  8  &amp;  9  of the drawings, a one-piece blank fabricated from paperboard or corrugated cardboard is shown. Of course, the blank can be formed from other foldable sheet material, without departing from the scope of invention. 
   A generally rectangular support panel  3 ,  103  is provided with an article-supporting aperture  10 ,  110  centrally located therein. Integrally formed with the support panel and extending away from side edges thereof defined by fold lines  6 ,  7 ,  106 ,  107 , are leg panels  1 ,  2 ,  101 ,  102  that are, in this embodiment, rectangular. Integrally formed with and extending from edge-forming fold lines  8 ,  9 ,  108 ,  109  are rectangular foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105  having outermost ends  32 ,  33 ,  132 ,  133  respectively. A locating tab  19 ,  119  extends from the front fold line  27 ,  127  of the support panel  3 ,  103 , which tab has a leading edge  20 ,  120  extending, preferably, at an obtuse angle with respect to the front edge of leg panels  2 ,  102 . 
   A rear panel  11 ,  111  is provided which extends from the rear fold line  25 ,  125  of the support panel  3 ,  103 . Side flaps  12 ,  13 ,  112 ,  113  extend from the rear panel  11 ,  111  at fold lines  23 ,  24 ,  123 ,  124  and are free to fold by virtue of cut lines  30 ,  31 ,  130 ,  131  in the blank between those side flaps  12 ,  13 ,  112 ,  113  and the adjacent edges of leg panels  1 ,  2 ,  101 ,  102 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , these cut lines  130 ,  131  further extend part way along the foot panels  104 ,  105 . 
   A top panel  14 ,  114  is also provided, extending from uppermost fold line  26 ,  126  of the back panel  11 ,  111 . This top panel includes a cutout portion  15 ,  115  intended to allow user&#39;s finger to engage top panel  14  after the insert is folded around an article such as a perfume bottle and placed into the corresponding carton. 
   One of the side flaps  13 ,  113  in both embodiments is provided with a front panel  16 ,  116  to extend from a fold line  28 ,  128  along which that front panel  13 ,  113  is connected to the adjacent side flap  13 ,  113 . The front panel  16 ,  116  has a lower external edge  21 ,  121  terminating at an abutment edge  22 ,  122 , which, upon folding to final shape, abuts a co-operating edge  20 ,  120  of the locating tab  19 ,  119 . 
   Extending from the upper edge, defined by fold lines  29 ,  129 , of front panel  16 ,  116  is an article enclosure panel  17 ,  117  of rectangular shape. This panel is conveniently provided with an article-engaging aperture  18 ,  118  to assist location and retention of the intended article within the assembled insert. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 10 , the insert has been partially folded to an arrangement incorporating a cushioning structure underneath the support panel  3 ,  103 . From the  FIGS. 2 and 9  illustrations, the leg panels  1 ,  101 ,  2 ,  102  are folded underneath the support panel  3 ,  103  in a downwardly converging manner. The foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105  have also been folded but in a direction opposite to the folding of the leg panels. With the two leg panels folded from fold lines  6 ,  7 ,  106 ,  107  in this downwardly converging manner, and the foot panels folded back over fold lines  8 ,  9 ,  108 ,  109  to extend outwardly away from the folded edges (at fold lines  8 ,  9 ,  108 ,  109 ) thereby formed at the ends of the leg panels, these edges are accordingly brought into abutment contact. 
   Since the foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105  thereby become splayed in the same plane generally parallel to the plane of the support panel  3 ,  103 , bringing together the splayed foot panels creates, and when inserted into an appropriate carton maintains, the abutment contact at the lowermost edges of the leg panels  1 ,  2 ,  101 ,  102 . The leg panels in “V” formation are strengthened and additionally supported by the splayed foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105 , particularly when the insert has been packaged into a carton wherein the length of carton base approximates or matches the total length of the two splayed foot panels. 
   In the  FIGS. 4 and 11  arrangements, additional components of the insert blank have been folded. Thus back panel  11 ,  111  has been folded about fold line  25 ,  125  through 90°. In  FIGS. 5 and 12 , the side flaps  12 ,  13 ,  112 ,  113  have been folded through 90 degrees along fold lines  23 ,  24 ,  123 ,  124 , the front panel  16 ,  116  has been folded through 90 degrees about fold line  28 ,  128 , and the article enclosure panel  17 ,  117  has been folded through an acute angle so that the free end of the enclosure panel  17 ,  117  resides in the region of, and may abut, the fold line  26 ,  126  between back panel  11 ,  111  and top panel  14 ,  114 . When the front panel  16 ,  116  is folded about fold lines  28 ,  128 , edges  22 ,  122 ,  20 ,  120  may align optionally in abutment. 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , the top panel ( 14 ) is folded forwards about the fold line  26  through about 90 degrees such that the cutout portion does not align with the aperture  18 . This arrangement allows the top panel  14  to serve as a protection cover for at least minimising damage to a cap or top of a contained article such as a perfume bottle. The cut out portion  15  would be used as a finger hole for facilitating a user to lift the top panel  14  when the carton is opened from the top. 
     FIGS. 7 and 13  demonstrate insertion of the assembled insert (in the absence of a contained article) into a carton  36 ,  136  of appropriate shape and dimension. It is most preferred for the remote ends of the splayed foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105  to be generally aligned in the plane of the folded side panels  12 ,  13 ,  112 ,  113  and the corresponding ends of the support panels  3 ,  103 . Accordingly, when the assembled insert is placed into a carton of the appropriate shape and dimensions, the splayed foot panels  4 ,  5 ,  104 ,  105  are pressed together by the internal sidewalls,  37 ,  38 ,  137 ,  138  of the carton and kept together such that the lowermost edges of the foot panels are maintained in abutment. 
   Accordingly, a convenient cushioning means is provided to the potentially fragile base of a contained article, by virtue of a spacing between the base of the carton and the base of the contained article. This reduces the risk of breakage or damage to the contained article, whilst simultaneously reducing or avoiding contact between other external surfaces of the contained article and internal surfaces of the walls of the carton. 
   In the differing embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8 to 13 , the corresponding insert blank is struck with a pair of tabs  134 ,  135  forming article retention apertures when the tabs are pressed out of alignment with the corresponding leg panels  101 ,  102 . The base of a contained article may thus pass through the aperture  110  in the support panel  103  to locate within apertures (see  FIGS. 11 and 12 ) created from the tabs. The base of an article may also be additionally supported by the tabs themselves, providing greater stability without interfering with the cushioning effect conferred by the generally z-shaped formation of support panel, leg panel and foot panel wherein the lowermost edges of the two foot panels are held in abutment. 
   It will be recognised that as used herein, directional references such as “top”, “base” “front”, “rear”, “end”, and “side” do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish these panels from one another. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only: indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of one of the following, a score line, a frangible line or a fold line, without departing from the scope of invention. 
   The present invention and its preferred embodiment relates to an insert which is shaped to provide satisfactory rigidity to hold items such as perfume or cosmetics securely but with a degree of flexibility. The shape of the blank minimises the amount of paperboard required for the carton. The inserts can be applied to articles by hand or automatic machinery. It is anticipated the invention can be applied to a variety of inserts and not limited to those having front, rear, side and/or top panels.