FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cartons for holding articles and blanks for forming the same, more specifically, but not exclusively to cartons of the top gripping style.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of packaging it is often required to provide consumers with a package comprising multiple primary product containers, such multi-packs are desirable for shipping and distribution and for display of promotional information. For cost and environmental considerations, such cartons or carriers need to be formed from as little material as possible and cause as little wastage in the materials from which they are formed as possible. Another consideration is the strength of the packaging and its suitability for holding and transporting large weights of articles.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention seek to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a carton for holding one or more articles comprising a top panel and a base panel hingedly connected between opposing side edges of the top panel, the base panel comprising an aperture for receiving a respective one of said one or more articles, each aperture defined at least in part by one or more engaging tabs, wherein the or each engaging tab is hinged to a inclined portion of the base panel, wherein the inclined portion of the base panel and the top panel define an acute angle therebetween. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a carton for holding one or more articles comprising a top panel and a base panel the base panel comprising an aperture for receiving a respective one of said one or more articles, wherein the base panel is hingedly connected at opposing side edges to a respective inclined panel, wherein the inclined panel and the top panel define an acute angle therebetween.

Preferably, the carton comprises at least a pair of apertures for receiving each of said two or more articles and wherein each aperture is defined at least in part by a keel tab, wherein each keel tab forms at least a part of a keel structure and is engageable with an article inserted into the aperture which it at least partially defines, Preferably, an internal surface of the inclined panel is orientated with respect to an internal surface of the base panel at an obtuse angle.

Preferably, the or each aperture in the base panel for receiving an article extends up to the top panel.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a blank for forming the carton hereinbefore described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton according to a first embodiment;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view from above of a stage in the assembly of the blank of Figure 1 into a carton;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of a carton assembled from the blank of Figure 1 ; FIGURE 4 is a side view of a carton formed from the blank of Figure 1 ; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view from above of a carton according to a first embodiment; FIGURE 6A is a perspective view from above of a blank forming part of the prior art;

FIGURE 6B is a perspective view from above of the blank of Figure 1 ;

FIGURE 6C is a perspective view from above of a blank forming part of the prior art;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a blank for forming a carton according to a second embodiment;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of an end of the carton formed from the blank of Figure 7;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view from below of and end of the carton formed from the blank of Figure 7; and FIGURE 10 is a perspective view from above of a carton according to a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT

INVENTION Detailed descriptions of specific embodiments of the package, blanks and cartons are disclosed herein. It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the way in which certain aspects of the invention can be implemented and do not represent an exhaustive list of all of the ways the invention may be embodied. Indeed, it will be understood that the packages, blanks and cartons described herein may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimised to show details of particular components. Well-known components, materials or methods are not necessarily described in great detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the invention. Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a plan view of a blank 10 capable of forming a carton for holding one or more primary products, such as, but not limited to, bottles or cans, hereinafter referred to as articles A .

Blank 10 comprises a series of panels hinged one to the next. Glue flap 12 is hinged to first side panel 14 by fold line 13. First side panel 14 is hinged to base panel 18 by fold line 15. Base panel 16 is hinged to second side panel 18 by fold line 17. Top panel 20 is hinged to second side panel 18 by fold line 19.

Base panel 16 comprises one or more article retention structures 30 each for receiving and retaining a respective article A. in the illustrated embodiment four article retention structures 30 are provided. In alternative embodiments in which the carton 90 is intended to accommodate different number of articles A, a different number of retention structures 30 will be provided. Each article retention structure 30 comprises a keel tab 32/34 comprising a first part 32 and a second part 34. First part 32 is hinged to second part 34 by a hinge line 33. Hinge line 33 is interrupted by a cut line or weakened line of severance 39 extending front fold line 33 into first part 32. Outline 39 defines in part a minor tab 38 extending from fold line 33, when first part 32 is folded with respect to the second part 34. Fold line 33 may optionally comprise cut lines or weakened lines of severance extending collinearly with fold line 33. First part 32 is hingedly connected to the base panel 16 by a fold line 31 . The fold line 31 may be a score line, perforation, a half cut or any combination thereof.

Each article retention structure 30 also comprises a pair of retention tabs 36a, 36b each of which is hingedly connected to the base panel 16 by fold lines 37a, 37b respectively. Each article retention structure 30 also comprises an opening 40 struck in part from the base panel 16 and in part from the respective side panel 14, 18. The opening 40 may even extend entirely across the respective side panel 14, 18 to substantially reach top pane! 20.

Turning to the construction of the carton 90 as illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, it is envisaged that the carton 90 can be formed by a series of sequential folding operations in a straight line machine so that the carton 90 is not required to be rotated or inverted to complete its construction. The folding process is not limited to that described below and may be altered according to particular manufacturing requirements.

Articles A are arranged in a group; in the illustrated embodiment articles A (i.e., plastic bottle in this instance) are arranged in a 2 x 2 array. The blank 10 is placed over the group of articles A and moved with respect to the group such that the articles A are received in article receiving apertures. The article receiving apertures each is defined in part by the respective keel tabs 32/34 and in part by the respective pair of retention tabs 36a, 36b and include the respective opening 40. Each article receiving aperture extends from the hinged connection 31 of the respective keel tab 32/34, through the base panel 16 and through the first or second side panel 14, 18 up to the top panel 20. The region of opening 40 in the first or second side panel 14, 18 is dimensioned such that its width is smaller than the maximum diameter of a portion of the article A which is received in, and thus protruding outward from, that region; this prevents an article A from unintentionally exiting the carton 90 through the region. When the upper portions of the articles A are inserted into the carton 90 through the article receiving apertures, the keel tabs 32/34 are folded upwardly out of the plane of the base panel 16. The retention tabs 36a, 36b are also folded out of the plane of the base panel 16.

The retention tabs 36a, 36b engage an article A beneath a flange or otherwise radial protrusion F of the article A. The keel tabs 32/34 are folded about fold line 33 to form a keel structure. The second parts 34 of the adjacent keel tabs 32/34 are folded Into substantially horizontal overlapping positions to brace between the adjacent articles A; the second parts 34 of the adjacent keel tabs 32/34 are arranged to overlay one another. The second parts 34 are disposed beneath, and engaged with, a flange F of one or both the adjacent articles A best shown in Figure 3.

The top panel 20 is folded about fold line 19, glue or adhesive is applied to the glue flap 12 and the top panel 20 is folded into an overlapping relationship with the glue flap; preferably pressure is applied to the top panel 20 to ensure a strong bond between the top panel 20 and the glue flap 12.

The carton 90 forms a tubular structure about the upper portions of the articles A and retains them therein. In some embodiments the base panel 16 may fold to form a fold line 51 as a consequence of assembly into the tubular structure. In other embodiments the fold line 51 may be predefined. Fold line 51 and fold line 17 define an inclined panel 50, to which the retention tab 38a, 36b is hinged. In other embodiments, to be described in more detail below, the base panel 10 may not comprise the fold line 51 .

It will be appreciated by reference to Figure 3 that the distance "L1" between the first and second side panels 14, 18 (i.e., the distance between the hinged connection 13 of the first side panel 14 to the glue flap 12 and the hinged connection 19 of the second side panel 18 to the top panel 20) is substantially less than the distance "L2" between the outermost extremities of the article group, i.e., the pair of adjacent articles A in the illustrated embodiment. The height of the first and second side panels 14, 18 has been selected to be the same dimensions as the distance X between the top of the articles A and the engaging or lower edge of the flange or protrusion F of the article A. This ensures a close fit with the articles A and aids article retention. The base panel 18 when viewed from the bottom, in the direction indicated by direction arrow D1 , is bowed convexly or outwardly in shape. Due to the resilience of the material forming the carton 90, the base panel 16 is resiliency biased, and exerts an upward force upon the flanges F of the articles A. This also helps prevent the base of the articles A of the group splaying apart since the base panel 16 applies an upward force on the innermost side edges of the flanges F of the articles A via the keel tabs 32/34.

It will be appreciated that the carton 90 comprises several features which reduce the quantity of material required to package the articles A.

As best shown in Figure 3, the first and second side panels 14, 18 are inwardly offset from the outer extremities of the article group; this allows the top panel 20 to be smaller in dimension than known designs in which the articles A are disposed entirely between the opposing first and second side panels 14, 18.

The cover portions 42 protect the uppermost surface of the articles A, the material forming these cover portions 42 is struck from the first or second side panels 14, 18. The base panel 16 is arranged to have an inclined panel or portion 50 such that the carton 90 has a substantially trapezoidal cross sectional shape thus saving material compared to a carton having a rectangular or square cross section as known in the prior art, see for example Figures 6A or 6C.

!t can be seen that this leads to a substantial saving in material when compared to known prior art designs, this saving is clearly visible in comparison of the blanks shown in Figures 6A, 6B and 6C. Figures 6A and 8B clearly show that the distance between the hinged side edge of top panel 20 and the hinged side edge of glue flap 12 of the blank 10 of the present invention is shorter than the distance between the hinged side edge of top panel 720 and the hinged side edge of glue flap 712 of blank 700. This is best illustrated by dimension arrow Y which indicates the difference in length between the blank 10 and the blank 700. The blank 10 Is smaller in length than the blank 800 by an amount indicated by dimension arrow Z.

The inclined panel 50 or inclined portion 50 of base panel 16 is disposed at an angle a with respect to the top panel 20 or to the engaging or lower edge of the flange F. Preferably, the inclined panel 50 or inclined portion 50 of base panel 16 and the top panel 20 or engaging edge of the article A define an acute angle, less than 90 degrees.

Referring now to Figures 7 to 10, there is shown alternative embodiment of the present invention. In the second illustrated embodiment, like numerals have, where possible, been used to denote like parts, albeit with the addition of the prefix "100" and so on to indicate that these features belong to the second embodiment. The alternative embodiment shares many common features with the first embodiment and therefore only the differences from the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 will be described in any greater detail.

Figure 7 illustrates a plan view of a blank 110 for forming a carton 190 according to a second embodiment.

Blank 1 10 comprises a glue flap 1 12 hinged to a first side panel 1 14 by fold line 1 13. Base panel 1 16 hingedly connected to first side panel 114 along first edge by fold line 115 and to a second side panel 118 along a second, opposing, side edge by fold line 117. Second side panel 1 18 is hingedly connected to top panel 120 by fold line 1 19.

Base panel 116 comprises article retention structures 130. Each article retention structure 130 comprises a keel tab 132/134 for forming a keel structure between a pair of adjacent articles A.

Keel tab 132/134 comprises a first part 132, which comprises a substantially U-shaped engaging edge 180. Second part 134 is hinged to a portion of the U-shaped engaging edge 180 along a fold line 133 which may be a score line, a perforated line, a half cut or any combination thereof. Keel tab 132/134 is hinged to the base panel by a fold line 131 which may be a score line, a perforated line, a half cut or any combination thereof. The article retention structure 130 further comprises a pair of retention tabs 138a, 136b. Each retention tab 136a, 136b is substantially trapezoidal in shape. The retention tabs 136a, 136b are hingedly connected to the base panel 1 16 by fold lines 137a, 137b respectively.

The blank 1 10 is assembled into a carton 190 using substantially the same method as described previously. It can be seen that the base panel 1 16 is bowed convexiy when viewed from the bottom of the carton (see Figures 8 and 9).

The base panel 1 16 has not folded to form an inclined panel but rather maintains a continuous arc between the first and second side panels 1 14, 1 18. It will be appreciated that the retention tabs 136a, 136b are hinged to portions of the base panel 1 16 which are inclined with respect to the top panel 120 or the engaging edge of the flange F of the articles A.

The U-shaped engaging edge 180 of first part 132 is disposed in part below a flange or protrusion F of an article A. Outer regions of the U-shaped engaging edge 180 are disposed on opposing sides of the flange or protrusion F. In this way, the article is guided or aligned by the engaging edge 180 with respect to the article A.

The second parts 134 are disposed between a pair of adjacent articles A and act as bracing members between the articles A. The retention tabs 136a, 136b each comprise an engaging edge 145. Engaging edge 145 is disposed adjacent to the hinged connection 137a, 137b; engaging edge 145 is disposed on a side edge of the retention tab 136a, 136b. The hinged connection 137a, 137b is orientated at an angle to the engage surface of the flange or protrusion F. It can be appreciated that various changes may be made within the scope of the present invention, for example, the size and shape of the panels and apertures may be adjusted to accommodate articles of differing size or shape. It will be recognized that as used herein, directional references such as "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "end", "side", "inner", "outer", "upper" and "lower" do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish these panels from one another. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only; indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of the following, a short slit, a frangible line or a fold line without departing from the scope of the invention.