CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of UK Patent Application No. 1208045.3 filed May 9, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a package configured to display articles and configured to securely retain the articles in a grouped arrangement, more specifically, but not exclusively to a composite package comprising an outer package or carton having one or more article display features through which an article or at least part of an article is displayed and comprising a plastics wrapper disposed about other articles to securely retain the articles in a grouped arrangement within the outer package and/or to fix the wrapped articles in a specific orientation. More specifically, the specific orientation may be optimised to ensure branding and advertising media printed on the articles is facing outward for promotional display.

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 or as low a cost 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. It is also desirable to have packaging that whilst surrounding a group of articles to hold them in a retained and protected group also enables the articles to be visually prominent within the package for promotional and marketing purposes to attract consumers at the point of sale.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improvement in the field of packaging. According to a first aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a package including three or more articles disposed within a carton having a display feature and at least one plastics wrapper, wherein the at least one plastics wrapper is disposed substantially within the carton. The at least one plastics wrapper is disposed about and retains together at least two selected articles of the three or more articles and wherein at least one of the three or more articles in the package is not retained by the at least one plastics wrapper. The at least one article that is not retained by the at least one plastics wrapper is positioned such that it is displayed, at least in part, in the display feature of the carton.

In this way, the carton may be dimensioned smaller than it might otherwise be, resulting in less paperboard required by the carton. The articles can yet be securely retained in the package because of the provision of the plastics wrapper. In this way, the higher cost paperboard can still provide a high-quality printing area so that the packaging attracts consumers, but at a reduced cost with the less expensive plastic wrapper providing a useful way of assisting the retention of the articles at the ends of a substantially open ended carton whilst also providing a way in which the orientation of the articles can be fixed if required.

Additionally, the article(s) not retained in the plastics wrapper is displayable in a display feature of the package. Further beneficially, if desired, the relative orientation of each article can be fixed. The orientation of the majority of the articles in the package being fixed by the plastics wrapper and the orientation of any articles displayed in a display feature may be fixed by the display feature due primarily to the friction between the articles and the plastics wrapper. Optionally, the at least one plastics wrapper may be formed of a shrink wrap film or otherwise a similar material (e.g., a stretch film) and/or the carton may be formed of paperboard and may have a wraparound structure.

Optionally, the display feature is an aperture struck from one or more panels of the carton.

Preferably, the display feature is display window comprising an aperture struck from at least one of panels of the carton and edged by one or more tabs hinged to the at least one panel of the carton.

Additionally or alternatively, the carton may be of a wraparound structure having: a composite first wall formed from two secured panels; two opposed side walls; and a second wall opposed to the first wall, wherein the end most articles of the three or more articles are disposed in the at least one plastics wrapper and wherein about 10% to about 20% of the diameter of the base of each endmost article extends beyond an end or edge of at least one of the first and second walls.

Preferably, the three or more articles may comprise six articles arranged in two rows of three articles each, wherein the endmost articles of each row are disposed within and connected together by the at least one plastics wrapper and the middle article of each row is not disposed within the at least one plastics wrapper. Preferably, the carton comprises two display windows and wherein the middle article of each row is displayed in one of the two display windows. Further preferably, but nevertheless optionally, the at least one plastics wrapper may be an endless loop disposed substantially in a figure of eight arrangement.

Within the scope of this application it is envisaged that the various aspects, embodiments, examples, features and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings may be taken independently or in any combination thereof. For example, features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments unless there is incompatibility of features.

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 paperboard blank for forming an outer carton used in a package according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2. is a perspective view from above of a package according to a first embodiment of the invention having a carton formed from the blank of Figure 1 , a 2 x 3 arrangement of articles and a plastics wrapper disposed on the outside of four of the articles in the arrangement; FIGURE 3. is a cross-sectional view though the line X-X marked on the package of Figure 2 showing the positioning of the articles in the group and the plastics wrapper about the group;

FIGURE 4. is a plan view of a paperboard blank for forming an outer carton used in a package according to a second embodiment of the invention; and FIGURE 5. is a perspective view from above of a package according to a second embodiment of the invention having a carton formed from the blank of Figure 1 ; a 2 x 3 arrangement of articles; and a plastics wrapper disposed on the outside of four of the articles in the arrangement.

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. As used herein, the word "exemplary" is used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as illustrations, specimens, models, or patterns. 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.

In the embodiments detailed herein, the terms carton and carrier refer, for the non- limiting purpose of illustrating the various features of the invention, to a container for engaging, carrying, and/or displaying articles, such as glass bottles. However, it is contemplated that the teachings of the invention can be applied to various containers, which may or may not be tapered and/or cylindrical. Other exemplary articles include bottles formed of other materials (for example metallic, or plastics bottles), cans (for example aluminium cans), tins, pouches, packets and the like.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, there are shown blanks 10, 1 10 for forming cartons used in packages 90, 190 shown in Figures 2 and 5. The blanks 10, 1 10 are formed from a sheet of suitable substrate. It is to be understood that, as used herein, the term "suitable substrate" includes all manner of foldable sheet material such as paperboard, corrugated board, cardboard, plastic, combinations thereof, and the like. It should be recognized that one or other numbers of blanks may be employed, for example, to provide the carrier structure described in more detail below. Preferably, the substrate is printable so that the package comprises a substantial area capable of receiving a high- quality printed reproduction of branding, logos and/or other graphical media.

In the exemplary embodiments of Figures 1 and 4, the blanks 10, 1 10 are each configured to form a carton or carrier for packaging an exemplary arrangement of exemplary articles. For example, the arrangement is a matrix including rows and columns such as a 2 X 3 arrangement of bottles. The blanks 10, 1 10 can be alternatively configured to form a carrier for packaging other articles and/or different arrangements of articles.

A beneficial aspect of the present invention is the combination of a carton, optionally formed of paperboard, and a wrapper, optionally formed of plastics material such as a shrink film, stretch film, elastic or non-elastic band or strap. The wrapper 50, 150 is illustrated in Figures 2 and 5 wrapped around the outer perimeter of certain articles of the group to assist in the retention of those articles within the package 90, 190 whilst at the same time not interfering with the display of other articles of the group that are positioned in alignment with a display window of the carton. Optionally, the plastics wrapper is sized to wrap tightly about a portion of the cylindrical body of the bottles, having a substantially uniform diameter in the region of the wrapper, such that a wrapper of uniform height can be used and/or significant creasing is avoided. Preferably, the wrapper 50, 150 extends from substantially close to the base of a bottle A up to about half the height of the bottle A and terminating well before the tapered shoulder portion of the bottle A. (See Figure 2). Preferably, the wrapper does not extend beneath the articles A, but in some other envisaged embodiments may do so.

The general structure of the cartons formed from the blanks 10, 1 10 is similar and therefore the blanks 10, 1 10, wrappers 50, 150 and packages 90, 190 will be described together. Like reference numerals have where possible been used to denote like features of the two packages 90, 190 and the blanks 10, 1 10 albeit with the addition of Ί 00' to distinguish the features of the two embodiments. It will be understood upon reading the foregoing that the advantageous combination of a plastics wrapper 50, 150 and a carton, optionally formed of paperboard, may be applied to packages comprising other suitable styles and structures of carton (for example, top- gripping cartons). The invention is illustrated merely for exemplary purposes using wrap-around style cartons of the type that have a composite, mechanically locked bottom wall that wraps around an article group tightly to retain the articles therein. Typically, such cartons do not comprise significant or any end walls. This saves on material costs and provides for a more economical carton structure. Additionally, whilst the wraparound carton structure provides retention of the articles in a group and holds the articles securely together, portions of the endmost articles are highly visible and additionally, any articles disposed within a display feature (such as a window or aperture) are also highly visible for attractive promotional display. Disadvantageously, however, in such and other carton structures, the relative orientation of each article and/or a label or other graphical medium present on each article can become moved or rotated during or after packaging such that the package when displayed at a point-of- sale in a retail outlet does not necessarily optimally present the articles to a consumer. Advantageously, the use of a plastics wrapper in combination with a carton enables the orientation of the articles (and/or labels thereon) to be fixed due, primarily, to the friction between the plastics wrapper and the article caused by the direct contact of the plastics wrapper with at least some of the articles. As such, articles wrapped by the plastics wrapper 50, 150, such as end most articles (and/or their labels), can be optimally oriented for example outwardly faced. Additionally, an article disposed within a display window can be centralized within that window and its position fixed by the window such that each or many articles of the package 90, 190 can be viewed in an optimum outwardly facing position.

Furthermore, the use of a wrapper 50, 150 enables the carton structure to be formed of less material if required. This is because the wrapper 50, 150 assists in the retention of the endmost articles and the carton structure is not the only means by which the articles are securely held in a group. As such bottom and/or top panels of the carton may be dimensioned with a shorter length and yet still provide sufficient retention of the wrapped articles group and any other articles.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 4 the blanks 10, 1 10 are for forming cartons of the wraparound type. Each blank 10, 1 10 comprises: a first bottom panel 12A, 1 12A, first side panel 14, 1 14, top panel 16, 1 16, second side panel 18, 1 18 and second bottom panel 12B, 1 12B. The panels of the blank 10, 1 10 are hinged, one to the next in series by fold lines 38, 138, 40, 140, 42, 142 and 44, 144. Each of the first and second bottom panels 12A, 1 12A, 12B, 1 12B comprises a complementary part of an optional two-part locking mechanism. For example, locking apertures 46, 146 are formed in the first bottom panel 12A, 1 12A and locking tabs 48, 148 are formed in the second bottom panel 12B, 1 12B. The operation of the locking mechanism is known and is not therefore described further. It will be understood that other suitable means may optionally be used in other envisaged embodiments for securing together the bottom panels 12A, 1 12A, 12B, 1 12B of blank 10, 1 10. For example adhesive may be used. In other embodiments of the invention where the package comprises a different style and/or structure of carton a securing means for holding the carton in an erected form may be used that does not involve a composite bottom wall. As such, the structure illustrated is exemplary and optional.

Each blank 10, 1 10 further optionally comprises a display window, D, D' formed optionally in each of the first and second side panels 14, 1 14, 16, 1 16. In other embodiments a display feature, optionally such as a display window D, D' and optionally such as a display aperture may be formed in only one panel of the carton or in more than one panel of the carton or in more than two panels of the carton. In yet further envisaged embodiments, more than one, similar or different, display feature may be provided in at least one panel or wall of the carton, through which at least a portion of at least one article is at least partially visible from the outside of the carton/package 90, Optionally a display window D, D' may be provided that serves to retain the article thereby displayed. This may be achieved by the provision of one or more, for example a pair of longitudinally disposed window tabs 20a, 20b, 120a, 120b, hingedly connected along their side edges to the first and or second side wall 14, 1 14, 18, 1 18 in which the display window D, D' is formed. Optionally, this may be by means of one or more weakened or fold lines 26, 28, 126, 128. Such pairs of window tabs 20a, 20b, 120a, 120b may be separable or separated from one another and/or from the from the first and/or second side wall 14, 1 14, 18, 1 18 by a weakened line of connection or cut line 22, 24, 30, 36, 136, 130 and/or one or more apertures 32, 34, 132.

The top panel 16, 1 16 may optionally be provided with a finger gripping tab F, F' and/or other suitable handle arrangement for carrying the package 90, 190.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the top panel 1 16 and optionally the adjacent first and second side panels 1 14, 1 18 may be provided with article apertures or holes H, optionally disposed along the adjoining fold lines 140, 142. In such an arrangement, the carton may be described as a "neck-though" style and it will be recognized that tightness of the "wrapped-around" carton is less crucial given the added security provided by the holes H.

To form the package, a group of articles A are disposed in a desired relative orientation and a wrapper 50, 150 disposed optionally about the entire group which may then be added to with supplementary articles to form the entire group of articles being packaged, or optionally about only selected ones of the article group. In this way, a wrapped group of articles and a carton containing group of articles are formed and the articles of the wrapped group are joined together and their relative orientation fixed. Optionally and as shown in Figure 3, any articles to be disposed within a display window D are not wrapped by the plastics wrapper 50, 150. To do so may interfere with the retaining function of the window tabs 20a, 20b, 120a, 120b. As such, the wrapper 50, 150 is disposed in a "figure-of-eight" shape. This is best illustrated in Figure 3, which shows a cross-sectional view through the package 90 of Figure 2 in which it can be seen that the plastics wrapper 50 is disposed on the outside of the article in the top left of the group, disposed on the inside of the article disposed in the middle of the top row; on the outside of the article on the right-end of the top row; on the outside of the articles on the right-end of the bottommost row; on the inside of the middle articles of the bottom row; and on the outside of the left-end article of the bottom most row. Ends of the plastics wrapper are joined to form an endless loop. The plastics wrapper 50, 150 may optionally be of the shrink wrap structure such that upon the application of heat to the package 90, 190 or wrapped group, the wrapper 50, 150 shrinks about the selected article group to tightly retain the articles together. The heat applied to cause shrinking may be applied after the wrapped group and the other non-wrapped articles have been grouped and placed inside the carton formed from the blank 10, 1 10.

Optionally, the wrapper 50, 150 is transparent or clear and substantially colourless. In other embodiments, the wrapper may be translucent or opaque and/or coloured and/or printed with graphics.

In other embodiments where the display feature does not comprise retaining tabs 20a, 20b, 120a, 120b, then the articles that are displayed within such a display feature D, D' may be included within the wrapped group. Furthermore whereas, it is illustrated that a single wrapper 50, 150 is used for attaching together a selected group of articles in a selected arrangement, it is envisaged that in other embodiments, more than one wrapper 50, 150 may be used within a single package structure.

As referred to above, the use of a wrapper to retain the endmost articles within the package may advantageously mean that the blank 10, 1 10 can be sized smaller than it otherwise would be if not plastics wrapper 50, 150 was used. The bottom panel 12A/12B, 1 12A/1 12B; top panel 16, 1 16, and side panels 14, 18, 1 14, 1 18 may be shorter in length (wherein the dimension length referred to is along the axis of the fold lines 40, 140, 42, 142, 38, 138, 44, 144). The endmost articles may overhang the bottom panel 12a/12B, 1 12A 1 12B to a greater extent than they otherwise could without the wrapper 50, 150. See for example Figures 2, 3 and 5 wherein about a sixth of the diameter of the article A overhangs or extends past the edge of the bottom panel 12A/12B, 1 12A/1 12B.

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 recognised 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.

The wrapper used with the present invention may optionally be formed of paper or paper-plastic laminate material made into a form of a film, sheet, band, string or strap.

As used herein, the terms "hinged connection" and "fold line" refers to all manner of lines that define hinge features of the blank, facilitate folding portions of the blank with respect to one another, or otherwise indicate optimal panel folding locations for the blank. A fold line is typically a scored line, an embossed line, or a debossed line. Any reference to hinged connection or fold line should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only; indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from any one or more of the following, a short slit, a frangible line or a fold line without departing from the scope of the invention. As used herein, the term "severance line" refers to all manner of lines that facilitate separating portions of the substrate from one another or that indicate optimal separation locations. Severance lines may be frangible or otherwise weakened lines, tear lines, cut lines, or slits. It should be understood that hinged connection, severance lines and fold lines can each include elements that are formed in the substrate of the blank including perforations, a line of perforations, a line of short slits, a line of half-cuts, a single half-cut, a cut line, an interrupted cut line, slits, scores, any combination thereof, and the like. The elements can be dimensioned and arranged to provide the desired functionality. For example, a line of perforations can be dimensioned or designed with degrees of weakness to define a fold line and/or a severance line. The line of perforations can be designed to facilitate folding and resist breaking, to facilitate folding and facilitate breaking with more effort, or to facilitate breaking with little effort.