Fully enclosed carton with diamond corner panels

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a fully enclosed wrap-around carton for bottles and cans. It has a pair of triangular panels between the end of the lower side panel and each lower end flap that diverge away from the bottom panel. Similarly, there are a pair of triangular panels between the sloping upper side panel and each upper end flap that diverge away from the top panel. These triangular panels serve to tighten the carton against the bottles or cans packaged therein.

[0004] 2. Background of the invention

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,487 to Wood discloses a tubular carton, in which the lower part of each end is closed. A fold line is provided between each lower end panel and the side wall. A crease line is provided that extends divergently upward from the lower corner of each side wall and each end panel. Thus, the corner between the lower side panel and lower end panel is formed with a triangular panel, which is intermediate to the plane of the lower side wall and the lower end wall panel.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,598 to Stout et al. discloses a fully enclosed carton that is similar to the Wood carton except it also has triangular panels between the upper side wall and the upper end wall that diverges outwardly from the top panel to the lower side wall. This structure serves to keep the bottles taut in the carton. A carton with a similar set of triangular panels is disclosed in published European Patent Application No. 0 044 169.

[0007] It has been difficult to tighten fully enclosed wrap-around cartons around cans or bottles that are cylindrical in form because of the square corners of the carton. It would be desirable if a method could be found to tighten these cartons about the cans or bottles contained.

[0008] It is an object of this invention to find a method for tightening fully enclosed wrap-around cartons for containing cylindrical articles such as cans and bottles.

[0009] The object of this invention has been obtained with a fully enclosed wrap-around carton that has a pair of triangular panels between the sloping upper side panel and each upper end flap. These panels diverge away from the intersection between the top end flap, top panel and sloping upper side panel. A pair of triangular panels is provided between the lower side panel and each lower end flap that diverge away from the intersection between the bottom panel, bottom end flap, and lower side panel. When the carton is erected and loaded with the ends being glued, these triangular panels fold into separate planes that basically bisect each corner of the carton between the lower side panel and each lower end flap. These triangular panels are wider at the intersection between the lower side panel and the sloping upper side panel in order to accommodate the greater girth of the bottles at their midsection than at the neck.

[0010] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton of this invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton with the end flaps open and a bottle group in phantom line exploded from one end of the carton.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the finished carton with all flaps closed and glued and with the bottles secured therein.

[0014] The present invention is intended primarily as a wrap-around carton for carrying a plurality of bottles or cans. This carton can be formed from a single piece of foldable material, such as a blank cut out of paperboard. The layout of the blank is basically rectangular, which results in economizing the amount of paperboard used.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, the carton of this invention may be formed from a blank 10. The blank has an inner face (not shown) and an outer face as shown in FIG. 1., which may be coated for printing and display purposes. The carton has a bottom panel 12, which is attached to glue panel 14 by fold line 16. Bottom end flap 18 is attached to bottom panel 12 at one end by fold line 20 and bottom end flap 22 is attached to bottom panel 12 at its other end by fold line 24. The lower side panel 26 is attached to bottom panel 12 at one side by fold line 28. Lower side panel (bottom portion) 26 is foldably attached at one end by fold line 90 to triangular panel 92, which in turn is attached by fold line 94 to triangular panel 96, which in turn is foldably attached to lower end flap 30 by fold line 98. It will be noticed that the outside of all of these triangular panels is formed by lines 90 and 98, which diverge away from the corner formed by at the intersection of lower side panel 26, bottom panel 12 and bottom end flap 18. Lower side panel 26 is attached at its other end to lower end flap 34 by triangular panels 102 and 106.

[0016] Sloping upper side panel (upper portion) 38 is attached to lower side panel 26 by fold line 36. Sloping upper side panel 38 is connected at one end by fold line 110 to triangular panel 112, which in turn is connected by fold line 114 to triangular panel 116, which in turn is connected by fold line 118 to upper end flap 40. Triangular panels 112 and 116 diverge away from the intersection formed between sloping upper side panel 38 and top panel 50 and top end flap 62. It will be noticed that these triangular panels diverge in the opposite direction from the triangular panels between the lower side panel 26 and the lower end panel 30. Upper end flap 44 is attached to sloping upper side panel 38 by triangular panels 122 and 126.

[0017] Upper side panel 38 is attached to top panel 50 at one side by fold line 52. Top panel 50 has two finger apertures 54 and 56 for carrying the carton. Top panel 50 is attached at its ends to top end flaps 58 and 62 by fold lines 60 and 64, respectively. Top panel 50 is attached to sloping upper side panel 66 by fold line 68. Sloping upper side panel 66 is attached at its ends to upper end flaps 70 and 74 by triangular panels 132, 136, 142 and 146, respectively. Upper side panel 66 is attached to lower side panel 78 by fold line 76. Lower side panel 78 is attached at its ends to lower end flaps 80 and 84 by triangular panels 152, 156, 162 and 166, respectively.

[0018] Forming and Loading the Carton

[0019] A blank 10 can be formed into a sleeve for loading by gluing glue panel 14 to lower side panel 78 at a glue area G. The blank 10 can then be manipulated so that it forms a sleeve into which the bottles B may be slid by a packaging machine as illustrated in FIG. 2. This end of the carton may be closed by folding lower end flaps 30 and 80, and upper end flaps 40 and 70 inward. Top end flap 62 can be folded downward and bottom end flap 18 folded upwardly and glued to lower end flaps 30 and 80 and upper end flaps 40 and 70. The other end of the carton can be closed at the same time in order to form a tight package. This results in the carton illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0020] Unique Features of the Carton of This Invention

[0021] The carton of this invention lends itself for packaging bottles which have necks that are of a smaller diameter than the body of the bottle. Preferably, the carton of this invention, in order to package such bottles, has a top panel 50 where the distance between the ends (fold lines 60 and 64) is significantly less than the distance between the ends (fold lines 20, 24) of the bottom panel 12. In addition, the distance between the sides (fold lines 52 and 68) of the top panel 50 is significantly less than the distance between the sides (fold lines 16 and 28) of the bottom panel 12. This means that the sloping upper side panels 38 and 66 slope inwardly towards the top panel 50. Consequently, the bottles are packed more tightly in the carton, since the sides and ends slope inwardly towards the top panel 50.

[0022] The provision of triangular corner panels between the sloping upper side walls and the upper end flaps and also between the lower side panels and the lower end flaps provide greater contact with the bottle adjacent to each corner formed. This reduces the amount of void space in the corners, resulting in a tighter package. The triangular panels (e.g., triangular panels 112, 116) between the sloping upper side panels and upper end flaps diverge away from the intersection of top panel, sloping upper side panel and top end flap. The triangular panels need to be wider near the fold lines 36, 76 between the lower side panel 26, 78 and the sloping upper side panel 38, 66 in order to accommodate the greater diameter of the adjacent bottle at the midsection. The triangular panels can have a much narrower width near the top panel 50 where the neck of the bottle is located. The triangular panels (e.g., 92, 96) between the lower side panels and the lower end flaps diverge away from the intersection of bottom panel, lower side panel and bottom end flap, so that they meet the fold lines of triangular panels 112 and 116 between the upper sloping side panel and upper end flap at or near fold line 36. While the bottom of the bottle typically has the same diameter as the midsection, the reduced width of triangular panels 92 and 96 near the bottom panel results in holding the bottom of the bottles tightly with the bottom panel being larger than the top panel. The diamond like configuration of the combination of triangles (e.g., 92, 96, 112, and 116) permits the carton to be folded and closed without the bunching of paperboard, and ensures the tightening of the carton.

[0023] While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the following claims.