Patent Publication Number: US-4318474-A

Title: 12-Pack carry back carton

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various States presently have anti-littering legislation which requires the return of empty beverage cans and bottles. A high deposit is mandated to encourage collection and return of the empties. 
     In analyzing the market for can containers for beverages, it was apparent that heretofore, although cartons were used in the scale of canned beer and soft drinks, such cartons were primarily made so that they were not entirely useful as a return package. Such prior cartons would ordinarily be broken apart and discarded by the user as the product was being consumed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the invention is to provide a practical, easily produceable carton for packaging canned beverages and which also serves, after parts are removed from the original carton, as a handy carrying basket for empty cans. 
     The invention comprehends providing a carton wherein the end and top walls terminate and have together overlapped connected portions at the center of the top of the carton which form a carrying handle for the carton, the handle being reinforced by side flaps which are the remains of the portions of the top walls after the perforated portions are removed. The flaps in being tucked under the handle tend to spring back and wedge between the handle and the empty cans which are positioned thereunder to hold them in place and keep them from falling out, particularly when they are being tilted during stacking at a high level where there is a tendency for the stacker to tilt the case. 
     A further object is to provide in the end panels which also have overlapped glued together portions in which are provided a pair of parallel, elongated, hand-admitting slots for carrying a full pack, the end walls having portions overlapped vertically as well as horizontally, thus providing a strong three-ply laminate at the handhold between the slots. 
    
    
     These and other objects and advantages inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become more apparent from the specification and the drawings wherein 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel carton; 
     FIG. 2 is a further perspective view of the carton showing the perforated portions removed; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view on an elongated scale of the carton shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 5 is one end view thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is an opposite end view thereof; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 7--7 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 8--8 of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of the blank from which the carton is made. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The carton 2 is made from the blank shown in FIG. 9 which comprises a bottom wall 4, side walls 6,8, lower end wall sections 10,12 at opposite ends of the bottom wall and end wall tabs 14,16 and 18,20 at opposite ends of the side walls 6,8 and end wall tabs 22,24 and 26,28 at opposite ends of the top wall portions 32,32. 
     Approximatey centrally thereof there is provided in each side wall and its contiguous top wall section a removable panel 36 which is generally centered on the respective side wall and top wall section and is outlined by perforations 38. 
     A portion of the outline at the free edge 40 of the respective top wall section is cut through at 42 as a continuation of the perforation. This cutout is elongated longitudinally of the container and is somewhat U-shaped with a long cut 44 at its base and short diverging leg portions 46,48 at opposite ends of the cut 44 and thus forming a tab 50. The paper cardboard-like material where the tab adjoins the top wall portion outwardly of the removable panel is flexible. 
     In assembling and forming the carton, the side walls 6 and 8 thereof are folded upright along the scores 54,56. Then the end wall tabs 14-20 are also folded upright. Then the lower end wall sections 10 and 12 are positioned upright and overlapped behind the sections 14,18 and 16,20 respectively and glued thereto with the adhesive identified at G. Then the top wall sections 30,32 are positioned horizontally and their free edge portions 58,60 are overlapped and adhered to one another by the adhesive H on portion 60 while the top wall sections 30,32 are being folded. The end wall tabs 22, 26 and 64,65 are also folded downwardly over the respective tabs 14,20. 
     It will be seen that the tabs 22,26 extend to the adjacent edges of the lower end wall section 10 and that tabs 24,28 are coated with an adhesive I which is adhered to tabs 18 and 14, thus forming one composite end wall of the container. 
     The other end wall of the container is formed by the wall section 12 overlapping tabs 18,14 and glued thereto by adhesive G and tabs 22,26 overlap tabs 14,18 and 10 and are adhered to wall section 10 by adhesive I. 
     It will be noted that tabs 24,28 are also overlapped and with the wall section 12 form a three-layer ply between the elongated hand accommodating holes 70,72 and the portion 73 between the holes forms a carrying handle for the case when the carton has filled cans which are relatively heavy. 
     To give access into the carton, the panels 36,36 are torn away by the person inserting a hand into the apertures formed in the top of the carton when the tabs 50,50 are depressed. As the produce is consumed, the empty cans 75 are returned to the carton in three rows of four comprising a center row C and end rows E,E. 
     The tabs 50,50 are folded under the two-ply handle 76 formed by the portion 58,60 which are glued to each other by the glue at H. These tabs after being foled under the handle are biased downwardy due to the spring back of the thick paper cardboard material along the hinge where the tabs are bent, and bear against the cans in the center row. This controls the shifting of the cans and aids in retaining them in the carton, particularly when the carton is tipped so that the empty cans connot readily fall out.