Article carrier with four-sided taper

• US 5,704,470 A
• Filed: 01/26/1996
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Graphic Packaging International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Riverwood International Corporation
• Inventors: Sutherland, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Application Number:
  US08/591,988
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 206/141, 206/147, 206/148, 206/149, 206/197, 206/199, 206/427, 206/428, 206/431, 206/432
• US Class Current: 206/147
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00469 Straps made between two handholes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00555 Wrapper opening devices
• 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

An enclosed carrier for beverage bottles. The side and end panels taper inwardly near the top panel to provide a tight enclosure for the bottles. The dust flaps are comprised of upper and lower sections separated from each other in the corner areas of the carrier. The upper dust flap sections may be connected at a point spaced from the separated portions by a strap. Fold lines connecting the strap to the upper dust flap section allow it to be folded about an intermediate fold line in the final carrier package. The top panel may be comprised of two plies, the lower ply including end glue flaps adhered to upper end panel flaps. This eliminates an edge which may tend to snag the tops of bottles being loaded. A working score line is provided in one of the side panels to permit the blank to be folded into a flat collapsed carrier despite the fact that the top panel is narrower than the bottom panel.

Claims

1. An article carrier, comprising:

opposite side panels connected by fold lines to a top panel and a bottom panel, the bottom panel being longer and wider than the top panel;

opposite end panels including dust flaps connected to opposite ends of the side panels, upper end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the top panel and lower end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the bottom panel, each end panel being comprised of an upper end panel flap and a lower end panel flap adhered to opposite folded dust flaps;

the side panels and the end panels having inwardly tapered upper portions extending to the top panel;

each dust flap being comprised of upper and lower sections, the upper dust flap section being connected by a fold line to the tapered portion of an associated side panel, said fold line having a lower end; and

each upper dust flap section having a lower edge extending from a point on an associated side panel substantially at the lower end of said fold line and each lower dust flap section having an upper edge extending from substantially said point on said associated side panel;

the lower edge of the upper dust flap section being adjacent to but separate from the upper edge of an associated lower dust flap section, and the lower edge of each upper dust flap section being downwardly angled relative to the upper edge of an associated lower dust flap section, with at least a portion of said lower edge being situated behind the associated lower dust flap section.

2. An article carrier as defined in claim 1, wherein the inwardly tapered portion of each side panel is connected to the side panel by a score line extending substantially parallel to the fold lines connecting the top panel to the side panels, said point on each side panel lying substantially on said score line.

3. An article carrier as defined in claim 1, wherein each upper dust flap section includes an angled intermediate fold line extending downwardly from a point adjacent the fold line connecting the upper dust flap section to the tapered portion of an associated side panel to a point spaced from said connecting fold line.

4. An article carrier as defined in claim 1, wherein each upper dust flap section includes a strap portion spaced from the lower edge thereof, the strap portion being connected to the lower dust flap section by a first strap fold line, the strap portion of each upper dust flap section being spaced from the lower edge of said upper dust flap section by a cutout.

5. An article carrier as defined in claim 4, wherein the strap portion is connected to the upper dust flap section by a second strap fold line, the strap portion including a third strap fold line intermediate the first and second strap fold lines.

6. An article carrier as defined in claim 5, wherein the strap portion between the first and third strap fold lines is behind and substantially abutting the associated lower dust flap section.

7. An article carrier, comprising:

opposite side panels connected by fold lines to a top panel and a bottom panel;

opposite end panels including upper end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the top panel and lower end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the bottom panel;

the top panel being comprised of upper and lower plies; and

the lower ply of the top panel including end glue flaps adhered to the upper end panel flaps.

8. A blank for forming an article carrier, comprising:

a bottom panel section connected by fold lines to opposite side panel sections;

one of the side panel sections being connected by a fold line to a glue flap and the opposite side panel section being connected by a fold line to a top panel flap, the bottom panel section being longer and wider than the top panel flap;

upper end panel flaps connected by fold lines to opposite ends of the top panel flap and lower end panel flaps connected by fold lines to opposite ends of the bottom panel section;

dust flaps connected to opposite ends of the side panel sections, each dust flap being comprised of upper and lower sections, each upper dust flap section being connected by an inwardly angled fold line to an associated side panel; and

each upper dust flap section having an unconnected edge extending substantially from an associated inwardly angled fold line and each lower dust flap section having an adjacent unconnected edge extending substantially from said downwardly angled fold line.

9. A blank as defined in claim 8, wherein each upper dust flap section includes a strap portion spaced from the unconnected edge thereof, the strap portion being connected to the associated lower dust flap section by a first strap fold line.

10. A blank as defined in claim 9, wherein the strap portion of each upper dust flap section is spaced from the unconnected edge of said section by a cutout.

11. A blank as defined in claim 10, wherein the strap portion is connected to the upper dust flap section by a second strap fold line, the strap portion including a third strap fold line intermediate the first and second strap fold lines.

12. A blank for forming an article carrier, comprising:

a bottom panel section connected by fold lines to opposite side panel sections;

one of the side panel sections being connected by fold line to a top panel flap and the opposite side panel section being connected by fold line to a top panel reinforcing flap of substantially the same width as the width of the top panel flap; and

each top panel reinforcing flap including opposite end glue flaps adapted to be adhered to the upper end panel flaps in a carrier formed from the blank.

13. An article carrier, comprising:

opposite side panels connected by fold lines to a top panel and a bottom panel, the bottom panel being longer and wider than the top panel;

opposite end panels including dust flaps connected to opposite ends of the side panels, upper end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the top panel and lower end panel flaps connected to opposite ends of the bottom panel, each end panel being comprised of an upper end panel flap and a lower end panel flap adhered to opposite folded dust flaps;

the side panels and the end panels having inwardly tapered upper portions extending to the top panel;

each dust flap being comprised of upper and lower sections, the upper dust flap section being connected by a fold line to the tapered portion of an associated side panel, said fold line having a lower end;

each upper dust flap section having a lower edge extending from a point on an associated side panel substantially at the lower end of said fold line and each lower dust flap section having an upper edge extending from substantially said point on said associated side panel;

the lower edge of the upper dust flap section being adjacent to but separate from the upper edge of an associated lower dust flap section; and

the top panel being comprised of upper and lower plies, the lower ply of the top panel including end glue flaps adhered to the upper end panel flaps.

14. A blank for forming an article carrier, comprising:

a bottom panel section connected by fold lines to opposite side panel sections;

one of the side panel sections being connected by a fold line to a glue flap and the opposite side panel section being connected by a fold line to a top panel flap, the bottom panel section being longer and wider than the top panel flap;

upper end panel flaps connected by fold lines to opposite ends of the top panel flap and lower end panel flaps connected by fold lines to opposite ends of the bottom panel section;

dust flaps connected to opposite ends of the side panel sections, each dust flap being comprised of upper and lower sections, each upper dust flap section being connected by an inwardly angled fold line to an associated side panel; and

each upper dust flap section having an unconnected edge extending substantially from an associated inwardly angled fold line and each lower dust flap section having an adjacent unconnected edge extending substantially from said downwardly angled fold line;

the glue flap connected to one of the side panel sections being a top panel reinforcing flap having a width substantially as great as the width of the top panel section, each top panel reinforcing flap including opposite end glue flaps adapted to be adhered to the upper end panel flaps in a carrier formed from the blank.