Patent Publication Number: US-7222777-B2

Title: Article carrier having automatic end retention means

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/323,257, filed Sep. 19, 2001. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to wrap-around article carriers formed of paperboard or similarly foldable material, and more particularly to wrap-around carriers which have end retention structures for preventing the end articles from falling out of the carrier. 
   Wrap-around carriers provide an inexpensive, effective means for packaging articles, requiring blanks of only minimum size which are capable of running on packaging machines at high speeds. A wrap-around carrier is formed by wrapping a carrier blank around a group of articles such as cans, bottles or bricks and securing the ends of the blank together. Although some wrap-around carriers include integral end panels, most are open-ended. The articles are prevented from falling out through the open ends by tightly wrapping the carrier blank around them and also by providing end retention structures at the opposite ends of the carrier. A typical end retention structure consists of an anchor panel connected to an end edge of a carrier side panel, an end panel connected to an end edge of a bottom panel and a gusset panel interconnecting the anchor and end panels. The anchor panel is folded 180 degrees into face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the associated side panel, which causes the gusset panel to pull the end panel inwardly and to erect the end panel in an upright position where the end panel engages the end article to prevent it from dislodging from the carrier. The anchor panel is held in the folded position due to the pressure of the end bottles against the anchor panel, which, in turn, retains the end panel in the erected upright position. 
   While such measures have been successful in containing different articles in their wrap-around carriers, there are drawbacks in the carrier forming or erecting process of the aforesaid carriers. Because the folding of the anchor panel induces not only erection of the end panel but also inward folding of the adjacent carrier bottom flap, it is required that the anchoring panel be folded only by the end user of the carrier who applies the carrier blank to a group of articles to be packaged. Such a carrier application or forming process requires use of a special machine elements that engage the anchor panel during the folding step of the adjacent bottom lap panel. The carrier forming process with such machine elements reduces the operating speed of the packaging machine, which affects the machine productivity. Further, the wrap-around carriers with the retention structures cannot run on packaging machines adjusted for those wrap-around carriers having no retention structures but retention apertures. 
   What is needed, therefore, is a wraparound carrier that can run on packaging machines of a basic construction that is not equipped with anchor panel folding elements. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The wrap-around carrier of the invention is comprised of side panels hingedly connected to a top panel and to bottom flaps as is well known in the art. An end retention structure is connected to at least one of the side panels and to the adjacent one of the bottom flaps. The end retention structure includes an anchor panel hingedly connected to an end edge of the one side panel and disposed in a face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the one side panel, a gusset panel hingedly connected to the anchor panel and extending toward the adjacent end opening of the carrier, and an end panel hingedly connected to the gusset panel and disposed to engage the adjacent end article packaged in the carrier to prevent it from dislodging from the carrier. The end retention structure further includes a relief panel that hingedly interconnects the end panel with the one bottom flap. The relief panel is disposed in the plane of the one bottom flap when the carrier is in an erected condition. When the carrier is in blank form, however, the relief panel is capable of folding with respect to the one bottom flap in response to folding of the anchoring panel onto the one side panel. This arrangement allows the blank to remain in a flat collapsed condition even after the anchoring panel is brought into its folded position. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom flaps are secured together to form a composite bottom panel. 
   In another preferred embodiment, the anchor panel is secured to the inside surface of the one side panel. 
   In still another preferred embodiment, a cutout is defined in the end retention structure to facilitate folding of the end retention structure. 
   In a further preferred embodiment, the cutout is defined at least in the anchor panel. 
   In a further preferred embodiment, the first fold line by which the relief panel is connected to the one bottom flap is disposed in alignment with the second fold line by which the gusset and anchor panels are connected together. The first angle between the first fold line and the third fold line by which the relief and end panels are connected together may be generally equal to the second angle between the second fold line and the fourth fold line by which the anchor panel and the one side panel are connected together. The second angle may be generally a half of the third angle that is defined between the fourth fold line and the fifth fold line by which the gusset panel and the end panel are connected together. 
   The above and other aspects and benefits of the invention will readily be apparent from the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention that follows. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the carrier of the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of a blank used to form the carrier in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged fragmentary view of the blank in  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of the blank in an initial stage of end retention structure pre-folding process; 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view similar to that of  FIG. 4 , but showing the end panels being folded flat on the gusset panels; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the interior face of one of the side panels, showing the interim condition where the end panels are automatically erected in response to the inward folding of the associated bottom lap panel; and 
       FIG. 7  is a plan view of a blank for the carrier of alternative embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , the wrap-around carrier  10  is shown in an erected condition with its contents omitted for illustration purpose. The carrier  10  is designed to accommodate three bottles arranged in a row although the carrier with minor modification may package other articles such as cans, bricks, audio or video cassettes and the like. The packaged bottles should be supported on a bottom panel  12  and extend to a top panel  16  with their top portions received and exposed to view in top-receiving apertures  14  a pair of which are provided for each bottle. Opposed side panels  18  and  20  are hingedly connected to the top panel  16  along interrupted fold lines  22  and  24  respectively. The bottom panel  12  is formed of a pair of bottom lap flaps  42  and  44  as shown in  FIG. 2 . These lap flaps  42  and  44  are hingedly connected respectively to the side panels  18  and  20  along fold lines  26  and  28 . Fold lines  30  and  32 , which are parallel to and spaced a short distance from the fold lines  22  and  24 , form respective upper sloped panel portions  34  and  36  of the side panels  18  and  20 . The sloped panel portion  34  and  36  are formed with the aforesaid apertures  14  for receiving the top portions of the bottles to hold the bottles securely in the carrier. Although the carrier in  FIG. 1  is of special significance to the packaging of bottles or other articles having straight bottom portions of an even diameter, it will be obvious from the following description that the carrier of the invention may be employed to package articles which are shaped to have angled or tapered bottom portions, often of petaloid shape. In that event, it would be necessary for the side panels  18  and  20  to be provided with lower sloped panel portions respectively. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , end retention structures  38  and  40  are connected to the bottom lap flap  42  along fold lines  46  and  48  and to the side panel  18  along fold lines  50  and  52 . Although the carrier of  FIG. 1  is provided with only one retention structure at each end of the carrier, two structures may be provided for each open end. In such a case, another pair of retention structures would be connected to the bottom lap flap  44  to the side panel  20  in a similar manner to the structures  38  and  40 . 
     FIG. 2  shows a blank  54  of the carrier  10  in  FIG. 1 , wherein like reference numerals to those used in  FIG. 1  denote like elements, the blank  54  include the top panel  16  connected at its opposite sides along fold lines  22  and  24  to the sloped upper panel portions  34  and  36 . The top panel  16  is formed with the crescent-shaped openings  14  for receiving the top portions of bottles packaged in the carrier. 
   The fold lines  26  and  28  connect the side panels  18  and  20  to the bottom lap flaps  42  and  44 . The bottom lap flap  42  includes female locking tabs  56  struck therefrom and hingedly connected thereto by fold lines  58 . These female tabs  56  are arranged next to the fold line  26  so that each tab  56  is located in an erected carrier at a position between adjacent ones of the packaged bottles to avoid interference with the bottles. The bottom lap flap  44  includes male locking tabs  60  struck therefrom and hingedly connected thereto along fold lines  62 . The male tabs  60 , when the carrier is set up, are disposed in registration respectively with the female tabs  56  with the fold lines  58  aligned with the fold lines  62  and they are folded inwardly of the carrier to engage the female tabs  56 . These locking tabs  56  and  60  are illustrated to demonstrate a typical bottom lap flap locking arrangement suitable for use with the carrier of the invention, but it should be understood that any desired effective form of bottom lap flap locking means may be employed. For example, the locking tabs  56  and  60  may be replaced by those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,095 ; 4,243,143 ; 5,131,588; or 4,243,043 which are hereby incorporated by reference. Otherwise, the bottom lap flaps  42  and  44  may be glued together. 
   Referring further to  FIG. 2 , the retention structures  38  and  40  are of virtually the same construction. Therefore, only the retention structure  38  is described herein below and the description of the structure  40  is omitted. However, the construction of the retention structure  40  should be apparent from  FIG. 2  as like reference numerals to those used for the structure  38  denote like elements of the retention structure  40 . The end retention structure  38  includes three intermediate fold lines  64 ,  66  and  68  which divide the structure  38  into four panel sections  70 ,  74 ,  76  and  78  hingedly connected one to next. The fold line  64  is aligned with the fold line  50  by which the retention structure  38  is connected to the side panel  18 . The fold line  64  extends from the outer edge of the retention structure  38  to a cutout  73  that is defined in the structure  38 . This divides the first section or triangular relief panel  70  from the remainder of the structure  38 . The relief panel  70 , in fact, is formed from the bottom lap flap  42  by means of a cut  72  that extends from the fold line  46  to the outer edge of the bottom lap flap  42 . The relief panel  70  is thus bounded by the cut  72  and the fold lines  46  and  64 . The fold line  66  is aligned with the fold line  26  by which the bottom lap flap  42  is connected to the side panel  18 . The fold line  66  extends from the outer edge of the retention structure  38  to the cutout  73  and thereby divides, in cooperation with the fold line  64 , the second panel section or end panel  74  from the remainder of the structure  38 . Similarly, the fold line  68  extends from the outer edge of the retention structure  38  to the cutout  73 , dividing the further remainder of the retention structure  38  into the third and fourth panel sections, i.e., a gusset panel  76  and an anchor panel  78 . The gusset panel  76  is hingedly connected to the end panel  74  along the fold line  66  while the anchor panel  78  hingedly interconnects the gusset panel  76  and the side panel  18 . In other words, the anchor panel  78  is one of the opposite end sections of the retention structure  38  that is directly connected to the side panel  18  along the fold line  50 . The other end section is the relief panel  70  that is directly connected to the bottom lap flap  42  along the fold line  46 . The fold line  46  is aligned with the fold line  68  and disposed at angle θ 1  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) with respect to the fold line  64 . Angle θ 1  is generally equal to Angle θ 2  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) between the fold lines  50  and  68 . Angle θ 2  typically is a half of the angle between the fold lines  50  and  66 . Each of Angles θ 1  and θ 2  is about 45 degrees in this embodiment. However, these angles may vary depending on the panel arrangement in the blank. 
   Turning to the construction of the carrier of the present invention, it is envisaged that it can be formed by a series of sequential folding and gluing operations in a straight line machine so that the carrier is not required to be rotated or inverted to complete its construction. The folding process is not limited to that described below and may be altered according to particular manufacturing requirements. 
     FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the retention structure pre-folding process. The first step is for the second to fourth panel sections  74 ,  76  and  78  of each retention structure to be folded along the fold lines  50  and  64  so as to bring the anchor panel  78  into face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the side panel  18 . This is best shown in  FIG. 4 . The anchor panel  78 , preferably, is glued to the side panel to be held in the folded position. Then, the gusset panel  76  is folded back along the fold line  68  onto the anchor panel  78  while the end panel  74  is folded inwardly along the fold line  66  to be placed over the gusset panel  76 . This is best shown in  FIG. 5 . In response to the folding of the end and gusset panels  74  and  76 , the relief panel  70  swings about the fold line  46  toward the gusset panel  76  and places itself on the inside surface of the bottom lap flap  42 . This swinging movement of the relief panel  70  prevents the bottom lap flap  42  from being pulled or folded toward the side panel  18 , and thereby allows the blank  54  to remain flat as shown in  FIG. 5 . The carrier is now in a part-constructed condition with the retention structures pre-folded, but in a flat collapsed condition ready to be supplied to the end user. 
   In order to erect the article carrier, the top panel  16  is applied to the tops of bottles arranged in a row to be packaged by the carrier. The side panels  18  and  20  are folded downwardly along the fold lines  22  and  24 , and the upper sloped panel portions  34  and  36  are folded out of alignment with the remainder of the side panels  18  and  20  along the fold lines  30  and  32  so as to be disposed in a flanking relationship with the side walls of the bottles. The top portion of the bottles are received in the opening  14  and thereby retained in their positions. Before the side panels  18  and  20  are brought into contact with the side walls of the bottles, the bottom lap flaps  42  and  44  are folded along the fold lines  26  and  28  toward each other. This movement activates the relief panels  70  to unfold the end panels  74  outwardly along the fold lines  66  to bring them into their erected position. More particularly, the relief panels  70  are automatically unfolded along the fold lines  46  toward their initial positions when the bottom lap panels  42  and  44  are folded along the fold lines  26  and  28 . This, in turn, causes the end panels  74  to be folded out of alignment with their associated relief panels  70  along the fold lines  64  and to be pushed outwardly away from each other. This interim condition is shown in  FIG. 6 , where the bottom lap flap  42  is folded somewhat with respect to the side panel  18  but is still at an obtuse angle with respect to the side panel  18 . Thus, by the time the bottom lap flap  42  is positioned at 90 degrees with respect to the side panel  18 , the relief panels  70  are brought back to their initial positions where they lie in the plane of the bottom lap flap  42 , and the end panels  74  are brought to erected positions where they lie perpendicular to the fold line  26 . During or after this end panel-erecting process, the side panels  18  and  20  are brought into contact with the bottles so that the bottom portions of the opposite end bottles are snugly received in the respective corners between the end and gusset panels  74  and  76 . At the same time, the bottom lap flaps are moved into an overlapping relationship. 
   The final step in the erection of the carrier is to lock the bottom lap panels  42  and  44  together. The details of this phase of the operation have not been illustrated since the particular locking mechanism employed does not form part of the invention. It will, however, be understood by those familiar with the locking elements shown that the male tabs  62  are folded about the fold lines  62  into the apertures defined in the bottom lap flap  42  by the female tabs  56  and are engaged with the perimeter of the such apertures. Locking of the tabs  56  and  60  results in the carrier in a set up condition as shown in  FIG. 1 . In the carrier of this embodiment, the pre-glued anchor panels  78  maintain the end panels in the erected positions. However, the same result would be available in the arrangement where the anchor panels are not glued to the side panel. Even in such an event, the pressure of the end bottles against the anchor panels  78  holds the anchor panels in position, and thus the end panels  74  would still be held in their erected positions. 
   Although the invention has been described in connection with a carrier designed to hold three bottles, it may be incorporated into carriers designed to hold more or less than that and can be utilized with articles of various sizes and shapes. For example, if the articles to be packaged have necks or are otherwise shaped so as to extend through the top panel, the openings  14  of each pair in  FIG. 2  may be replaced by a single larger opening through which the bottle neck or a similar portion may be outwardly protruded. Such an alternative embodiment is shown in blank form in  FIG. 7  wherein like reference numerals to those used in  FIG. 2  have been used with the prefix “1” to denote like elements. Regardless of the specific design of the carrier, the principles of the invention would remain the same, with the retention structures being automatically moved into their final erected positions by the folding of the bottom lap panel. 
   It will also be recognized that as used herein, the terms “top”, “bottom” and “side” with respect to the panels of the carrier or carrier blank are relative terms, and that the carrier may be re-oriented as necessary or as desired.