Can dispensing package

• US 20040188300A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Graphic Packaging International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Graphic Packaging International Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutherland, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,997,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/427
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0045 for hands
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0058 The tear line defining a dispensing aperture provided with means for preventing the articles from freely exiting the wrapper, e.g. by rolling out
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0066 formed from one single sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00728 the end walls being closed by gluing
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/36 having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls

Abstract

The carton is provided for carrying cylindrical containers, such as cans in three or more layers and having open ends at the top and bottom of each end of the carton. A dispenser flap is formed by zigzag tear lines in the exiting end of the carton. The carton is constructed so that the ends of a can adjacent the exiting end of the carton are exposed and can be grasped by a person pulling the can forward or up and commencing the tear line forming the flap. Preferable this tear line is of a zigzag configuration, or step format with interruptions in the riser. Cut tear lines in the step permit the controlled tearing of the tear line.

Claims

1. A carton for carrying a plurality of cylindrical containers in at least three layers with a plurality of containers in each layer, with each container having a diameter and two ends with a cylindrical side wall connecting the two ends, the carton having two ends, at least one of which is an exiting end capable of permitting the containers to exit the carton one at a time, the carton comprising;

(a) a bottom panel upon which the containers can be stacked on their side walls, a top panel, said top and bottom panels being interconnected by adjoining side panels, said bottom panel, top panel and side panels each having two ends, with at least one end of each side panel being an exiting end;

(b) said exiting end of said carton having an end panel with two sides, a top and bottom, with each side of said exiting end panel being connected to an exiting end of a side panel, with a top end opening formed between the top of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said top panel;

(c) said exiting end of each side panel having a top side opening adjacent said top panel, said top side opening being of sufficient size to permit a person to grasp the ends of any adjacent container in the top layer of containers;

(d) said exiting end of the carton having a tear line extending from each top side opening into said exiting end panel, said tear lines converging towards each other and extending towards the bottom of exiting end panel so as to form a dispensing flap that may at least be partially torn open by a person grasping the ends of a container in said top side openings and pulling the container out causing at least the partial tearing of said tear lines permitting a person to remove the containers one at a time from the carton, said tear lines extending downwardly a sufficient distance towards the bottom of said exiting end panel to permit a person to grasp and remove a container in the layer above the bottom layers of containers, and

(e) means to close any end of the carton that is not an exiting end.

2. The carton of claim 1 in which each end of the carton is an exiting end.

3. The carton of claim 1 in which said top end opening is formed partly from said exiting end of said top panel and partly from the top of said exiting end panel.

4. The carton of claim 1 in which the exiting ends of said side panels extend beyond the exiting end of said top panel.

5. The carton of claim 1 in which the top of the exiting end panel does not extend to the plane in which the top panel lies.

6. The carton of claim 4 in which the top of the exiting end panel does not extend to the plane in which the top panel lies.

7. The carton of claim 1 in which said top end opening has a distance from the exiting end of said top panel to the top of said exiting end panel that is significantly less than the diameter of a container the carton is designed to carry so as to prevent a container from automatically rolling out of the opening when the carton is loaded with containers.

8. The carton of claim 7 in which the exiting ends of said side panels extend beyond the exiting end of said top panel.

9. The carton of claim 7 in which the top of the exiting end panel does not extend to the plane in which the top panel lies.

10. The carton of claim 8 in which the top of the exiting end panel does not extend to the plane in which the top panel lies.

11. The carton of claim 1 in which each said tear line is of a zigzag configuration interspersed by a plurality of interruptions in said tear line at least in the portion in each tear line nearest the exiting end of said top panel so that said tear lines resist tearing when the carton is loaded with containers and subjected to the normal stresses imposed in carrying the loaded carton.

12. The carton of claim 7 in which each said tear line is of a zigzag configuration interspersed by a plurality of interruptions in said tear line at least in the portion of each tear line nearest the exiting end of said top panel so that said tear lines resist tearing when the carton is loaded with containers and subjected to the normal stresses imposed in carrying the loaded carton.

13. The carton of claim 11 in which each tear line ends a significant distance from the bottom of said exiting end panel so as to resist said panel being easily torn completely through when said dispensing flap is opened.

14. The carton of claim 13 in which a fold line connects said ends of said tear lines to facilitate folding the dispensing flap along said fold line when opened.

15. The carton of claim 14 in which the converging portion of each tear line is connected to a tear line with no significant interruptions and which is perpendicular to said bottom panel and extends to said fold line in said exiting end panel.

16. The carton of claim 13 in which a bottom end opening is formed between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel with the distance between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel being significantly less than the diameter of a container to be contained in the carton so as to prevent containers from falling out of the bottom end opening when the carton is filled with containers.

17. The carton of claim 16 which has a bottom side opening in the exiting end of each side panel adjacent said bottom panel, said bottom side opening having a configuration and size similar to said top side openings.

18. The carton of claim 1 in which the exiting end panel is formed of two flaps, each of which is foldably connected to an adjoining side panel and the means for closing said non-exiting end is two flaps, with each flap being attached to an adjoining side panel, all said flaps in the exiting and non-exiting end of the carton being adhered together by glue.

19. The carton of claim 18 in which:

(a) a bottom end opening is formed between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel with the distance between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel being significantly less than the diameter of a container to be contained in the carton so as to prevent containers from falling out of the bottom end opening when the carton is filled with containers;

(b) the carton has a bottom side opening in the exiting end of each side panel adjacent said bottom panel, said bottom side opening having a configuration and size similar to said top side openings;

(c) said flaps on the non-exiting end of the carton having a top and bottom, with a top end opening formed between the top of said non-exiting end flaps and the non-exiting end of said top panel, with the distance from the non-exiting end of said top panel to the top of said non-exiting end flaps being significantly less than the diameter of a container the carton is designed to carry, said non-exiting end having a bottom opening formed between the bottom of said non-exiting end flaps and said bottom panel that is similar in size and configuration to the top end opening in the non-exiting end, said non-exiting end having a top and bottom opening in the non-exiting end of each side panel that is similar in size and configuration to said top side openings in the exiting end of said side panels.

20. The carton of claim 18 in which there is a fold line between one side panel and each end flap connected to said side panel, and two parallel fold line between the other side panel and each end flap connected to said other side panel, said two parallel fold lines being designed to accommodate any difference in the dimensions between one end of the container and the other end of the container the carton is designed to carry.

30. The carton of claim 1 which has a handle formed in one of the panels for carrying the carton.

31. The carton of claim 30 which has a handle formed from two handle flaps foldably attached to the top panel with a handle tear line formed between said handle flaps with said handle flaps extending towards each side panel with said handle tear line extending a distance into each side panel.

33. The carton of claim 14 in which said fold line is approximately the distance of 115 to 150 percent of the diameter of a container the carton is designed to carry from the bottom panel.

21. A dispenser for a carton that is designed to carry a plurality of cylindrical containers with each container having a diameter and two ends, said carton having a top panel and bottom panel interconnected by side panels and two ends, at least one of which is an exiting end, said dispenser being formed in an exiting end by two tear lines forming a dispenser flap that can be at least partially removed by tearing the tear lines, a portion of each tear line having a zigzag configuration interspersed by interruptions in said tear lines to allow the controlled tearing of said tear lines so that the tearing can be stopped at least at one location so that the dispensing flap is not severed from the carton which might allow the uncontrolled exiting of a plurality of containers from the dispenser.

22. The dispenser of claim 21 which has an opening adjacent one end of each tear line to enable a person to commence tearing the dispensing flap open.

23. The dispenser of claim 22 in which said openings are of sufficient size and configuration to enable a person to grasp the ends of any container adjacent said opening and commence tearing the tear lines by pulling the container out of said carton which commences the opening of the dispensing flap.

24. A carton for carrying a plurality of cylindrical containers in at least three layers with a plurality of containers in each layer, with each container having a diameter and two ends with a cylindrical side wall connecting the two ends, the carton having two ends, at least one of which is an exiting end capable of permitting the containers to exit the carton one at a time, the carton comprising;

(a) a bottom panel upon which the containers can be stacked on their side walls, a top panel, said top and bottom panels being interconnected by adjoining side panels, said bottom panel, top panel and side panels each having two ends, with at least one end of each side panel being an exiting end;

(b) said exiting end of said carton having an end panel with two sides, a top and bottom, with each side of said exiting end panel being connected to an exiting end of a side panel;

(c) said exiting end of each side panel having a top side opening adjacent side top panel which is placed to be adjacent an end of a cylindrical container to be contained in the carton;

(d) said exiting end of the carton having tear line extending from each top side opening into said exiting end panel so as to form a dispensing flap; and

(e) means to close any end of the carton that is not an exiting end.

25. The carton of claim 24 in which a portion of each said tear line is of a zigzag configuration interspersed by a plurality of interruptions in said tear line to allow the controlled tearing of said tear lines.

26. The carton of claim 25 which has a top end opening formed between the top of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said top panel, said opening being of a size smaller than a container to be contained in the carton.

27. The carton of claim 26 in which a bottom end opening is formed between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel with the distance between the bottom of said exiting end panel and the exiting end of said bottom panel being significantly less than the diameter of a container to be contained in the carton so as to prevent containers from falling out of the bottom end opening when the carton is filled with containers.

28. The carton of claim 26 in which the exiting end panel is formed of two flaps, each of which is foldably connected to an adjoining side panel and the means for closing said non-exiting end is two flaps, with each flap being attached to an adjoining side panel, all said flaps in the exiting and non-exiting end of the carton being adhered together by glue.

29. The carton of claim 28 in which said flaps on the non-exiting end of the carton having a top and bottom, with a top end opening formed between the top of said non-exiting end flaps and the non-exiting end of said top panel, with the distance from the non-exiting end of said top panel to the top of said non-exiting end flaps being significantly less than the diameter of a container the carton is designed to carry, said non-exiting end having a bottom opening formed between the bottom of said non-exiting end flaps and said bottom panel that is similar in size and configuration to the top end opening in the non-exiting end, said non-exiting end having a top and bottom opening in the non-exiting end of each side panel that is similar in size and configuration to said top side openings in the exiting end of said side panels.

32. The carton of claim 24 in which said tear line is constructed at least in part as a series of stair steps with each stair step having a step and riser portion, said stair steps having a tear line in at least some of the step portions and at least some interruptions in said riser portions so as to provide some resistance to the tearing of said tear line.

34. A carton for carrying 12 cans in three layers of four cans in each layer, with each can having a diameter and a top end and bottom end, the carton comprising;

(a) a bottom panel, a top panel, said top and bottom panels being interconnected by adjoining side panels, said ends of said cans to be contained in the carton being adjacent said side panels, said carton having two ends, with an end flap attached to each end of each side panel, said end flaps on each end of the carton being adhered together by glue;

(b) with said end flaps on each end of the carton having a top and bottom, with a top opening formed between the top of said end flaps on each end of the carton and said top panel, and a bottom opening formed between the bottom of said end flaps on each end of the carton and said bottom panel, each said opening being significantly smaller than the cans to be contained in the carton, each said side panel extending beyond the ends of said top and bottom panel with an arcuate opening in each side panel adjacent each end of the carton and the top panel and an arcuate opening in each side panel adjacent each end of the carton and the bottom panel;

(c) a tear line extending from each said arcuate opening in each side panel adjacent one end of the carton and the top panel;

said tear lines converging toward each other and extending towards said bottom panel so as to form a dispensing flap that may at least be partially torn open by a person grasping the ends of a container adjacent said top opening through said arcuate openings, said tear lines having a zigzag configuration interspersed by interruptions in at least a portion of said tear lines so that the tear lines resist tearing when the carton is loaded with cans and subjected to the normal stresses imposed in carrying a carton loaded with cans.