Exterior packaging with integrated lateral handle

• US 6,105,853 A
• Filed: 06/09/1999
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Folding Carton Partners
• Original Assignee: Folding Carton Partners
• Inventors: Lamare, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US09/328,535
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 229/117.09, 229/117.12, 229/117.13, 229/117.14, 229/117.23, 229/117.24, 206/427, 493/59-62, 493/160, 493/161, 493/909
• US Class Current: 229/117.12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00462 Straps made by two slits in a wall
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00524 integral
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00543 consisting of cut-outs, slits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00574 whereby contents can still be carried after the line has been torn
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/909 having handle or suspension means

Abstract

A parallelepiped cardboard package for a group of containers with a precut lateral handle integrated into one of the end surfaces of the package. The cardboard package is either pre-glued or wrapped around the contents formed from a flat sheet. The package consists of a base (2), lateral walls (4, 5), two end surfaces (6, 7) consisting of at least two panels folded over each other, and an upper surface (3) providing access to the bottles. The package comprises a handle that is integrated within the package body for grasping and carrying the package. The handle is lateral and integrated within one of the end surfaces. The handle is formed by the central portion of one of the closing panels of the end surface. The handle extremities consist of extensions of the adjacent lateral surfaces (4, 5) of the package body.

Claims

1. A cardboard package, for a group of containers, formed from a flat sheet of material, the package comprising:

a base (2),

a pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) coupled to the base,

an upper surface (3), located opposite from the base, coupled to the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) for providing access to an interior of the container;

opposed first and second end surfaces (6,

     7), the first end surface (6) comprising first and second end panels (11,

     12) being folded over one another to close the first end surface (6); and

the second end surface (7) comprising first and second end panels (13,

     14) being folded over one another to close the second end surface (7);

the base (2), the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5), the upper surface (3) and the first and the second opposed end surfaces (6,

     7) all forming the package for housing a plurality of containers therein;

a handle (P), integrated with the package, for facilitate grasping and carrying of the package,

wherein the handle (P) is integral with the first end surface (6) and is partially formed by a detachable portion of the first end panel (11), the handle (P) further comprises a first extension from one of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) and an second extension from the other of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5), and the detachable portion is secured to the first and second extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) whereby, when use of the handle (P) is desired, the detachable portion is disengaged from a remainder of the first end panel (11) to sufficiently space the handle (P) from the second end panel (12) and facilitate grasping and carrying of the package by a user, the second end panel (12) preserves the closed first end surface (6) and separates the handle (P) from the plurality of containers contained within the package.

2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the detachable portion is a precut, detachable band (28), and the extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) are two longitudinal, tongue-shaped strips (15, 16), the tongue-shaped strips are sandwiched between the first end panel (11) and the second end panel (12) of first end surface (6) and glued to a rear surface of the detachable band (28), which defines an extremity of the first end panel (11) of the first end surface (6), to form the lateral handle (P), and the handle (P) remains engaged with the first end panel (11) until grasped and pulled away by a user from the remainder of the first end panel (11) of the package to cause the extensions to become flattened, against adjacent lateral surfaces of the containers, and curve the handle (P) to facilitate grasping of the handle (P) by the user.

3. The package according to claim 2, wherein the two longitudinal, tongue-shaped strips (15, 16), forming the extensions, are partially defined a pair of slots (17, 18 and 19, 20) extending partially along each respective lateral wall (4, 5) on opposed side of the extensions.

4. The package according to claim 3, wherein the tongue-shaped strips (15, 16) are interconnected with one another via a detachable band (28) to form the handle (P).

5. The package according to claim 1, wherein the first end panel (11) of the first end surface (6) comprises a first portion (26), extending from the base (2) and being bendable about a common score line along the base (2), a second portion defining a precut band (28), and a third portion, centered on a top of the precut band (28), forming a flap (29) that can be folded around an edge of the handle (p) in order to engage the handle (P) when the package (1) is grasped by a user.

6. The package according to claim 1, wherein the detachable portion of the handle (P) is precut at an extremity of the first end panel (11), from the flat sheet of material, at the same time the package (1) is cut out.

7. The package according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) comprises a first vertical portion (4A, 5A) and a second vertical portion (4B, 5B) which each pair of lateral walls (4, 5) forms an oblique flap inclined toward an inside of the package when the package is assembled, and the first and second vertical portions are separated from one another by a scored line.

8. The package according to claim 7, wherein the first end panels (12, 14) of the first and second end surfaces (6, 7) are both formed as opposed extensions of the upper portion (3) and each of the first end panels (12, 14) is connected to the second vertical portions (4B, 5B) of both of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) by articulated connectors (22, 23 and 24, 25).

9. A cardboard package, for a group of containers, formed from a flat sheet of material, the package comprising:

a base (2),

a pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) coupled to the base,

an upper surface (3), located opposite from the base, coupled to the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) for providing access to an interior of the container;

opposed first and second end surfaces (6,

     7), the first end surface (6) comprising first and second end panels (11,

     12) being folded over one another to close the first end surface (6); and

the second end surface (7) comprising first and second end panels (13,

     14) being folded over one another to close the second end surface (7);

the base (2), the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5), the upper surface (3) and the first and the second opposed end surfaces (6,

     7) all forming the package for housing a plurality of containers therein;

a handle (P), integrated with the package, to facilitate grasping and carrying of the package,

wherein the handle (P) is integral with one of the first end surface (6) and is partially formed by a detachable portion the first end panel (11), the handle (P) further comprises a first extension from one of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) and a second extension from the other of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5), and the detachable portion is secured to the first and second extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) whereby, when use of the handle (P) is desired, the detachable portion is disengaged from a remainder of the first end panel (11) to sufficiently space the handle (P) from the second end panel (12) and facilitate grasping and carrying of the package by a user, the second end panel (12) preserves the closed first end surface (6) and separates the handle (P) from the plurality of containers contained within the package; and

the detachable portion is a precut, detachable band (28), and the extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4,

     5) are two longitudinal, tongue-shaped strips (15,

     16), the tongue-shaped strips are sandwiched between the first end panel (11) and the second end panel (12) of the first end surface (6) and glued to a rear surface of the detachable band (28), which defines an extremity of the first end panel (11) of the first end surface (6), to form the lateral handle (P), and the handle (P) remains engaged with the first end panel (11) until grasped and pulled away by a user from the remainder of the first end panel (11) of the package to cause the extensions to become flattened, against adjacent lateral surfaces of the containers, and curve the handle (P) to facilitate grasping of the handle (P) by the user.

10. A method of forming a cardboard package from a flat blank for either pre-glueing or wrapping around a group of containers, the method comprising the steps of:

scoring and cutting the flat blank to define a base (2), an upper surface (3), lateral walls (4,

     5), and two end surfaces (6,

     7) comprising at least one upper panel (11,

     13) and one lower panel (12,14) folded over each other to close the end surfaces (6,

     7);

providing access to the containers via a removable opening in the upper surface (3), and

forming a handle (P) integrated with the package for grasping and carrying the package, the handle (P) is an integral central portion of at least one of the end surfaces (6,

     7) and comprises a detachable portion of one of the upper panels (11,

     13) and the lower panels (12,

     14), the detachable portion being attached to extensions of the lateral walls (4,

     5);

freeing the handle (P) for use by disengaging the detachable portion from one of the upper panels and lower panels to space the handle from the at least one closed end surface (6,

     7); and

preserving the closed end surface (6,

     7) of the package which integrates the handle (P) to separate the handle (P) from the containers after the handle (P) is freed for use.