Secondary beverage carton

• US 7,086,578 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Labatt Brewing Company Limited (Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV)
• Original Assignee: Labatt Brewing Company Limited (Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV)
• Inventors: Goodfellow, Keith Lawrence, Tallevi, Jeremy Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US10/739,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20040159698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 229/112, 229/115, 229/122.1, 229/122, 206/427, 221/302, 221/305
• US Class Current: 229/115
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00401 inserted the wrapper
• 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 2571/0079 U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00839 Integral reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/36 having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls

Abstract

A secondary beverage carton which has two opposing non-rectangular, preferably triangular, side walls. The carton has at least one coincident acute angle. The side walls are connected by end walls. Preferably one end wall has a can access panel which is severable to provide an opening for the cans.

Claims

1. A triangular package comprising a carton enclosing a space between generally parallel sidewalls disposed in mutually spaced apart relation between two upstanding end walls and a base wall, each end wall being joined to said base wall at an opposing corner and to each other at a third corner, the enclosed space containing a plurality of cans each having a cylindrical wall, said plurality of cans arranged in a mutually stacked relation in a triangular array supported on sides of said cans by said base wall with the array of cans being arranged in fitted relation between the carton sidewalls and the end walls such that:

each can has mutually opposed ends positioned in generally co-planar relation with, and adjacent to, a corresponding one of said side walls, and a plurality of said cans located along a periphery of the array are arranged with their corresponding cylindrical walls in contacting relation with adjacent of said carton walls, the cylindrical wall of each can located at a lower corner of the array being constrained between one of said carton end walls and the base wall forming a corresponding one of said opposing corners, with one of the carton upstanding end walls having provision therein for an opening therethrough into the enclosed space, said opening is proximal to but spaced upwardly from the one of said opposing corners formed by the one upstanding end wall and the base wall to form a panel that, with the carton positioned in supported relation on the base wall, restrains any of said cans at the corresponding corner of the array from unassisted egress from the closed space and said opening being sized and positioned to expose only one of said cans located in said associated corner of said carton for the selective removal thereof; and

to otherwise interfere with the passage of any more than one of said cans at a time from said enclosed space through said opening, the base wall being free of any obstruction, other than an intervening one of said cans, which would interfere with another of said cans on said base wall moving toward said opening.

2. The package according to claim 1 wherein said carton is a secondary carton enclosing said plurality of cans.

3. The package according to claim 2 wherein the plurality of cans are filled beverage cans.

4. A package according to claim 1, wherein the triangular array has supporting and supported tiers comprising n and n−

1 cans respectively, whereupon supported cans in one of said supported tiers engage in nested relation between supporting pairs of said cans in an adjacent one of said supporting tiers.

5. A package according to claim 4 wherein the array takes the form of an equilateral triangle container 15 articles in a 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 tier configuration.

6. A package according to claim 1 wherein said opening is initially sealed by an article access panel.

7. A package according to claim 6 wherein said article access panel is adapted to be only partially severed from said carton to provide for a hinged connection between said carton and said article access panel whereby said opening can be selectively opened and closed by said article access panel.

8. The package according to claim 1 wherein one of the carton end walls is provided with a handhole.