EP0500258B1

EP0500258B1 - Take away pack

Info

Publication number: EP0500258B1
Application number: EP92301157A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henry Assi Packaging Development Ltd. Meyhoff
Original assignee: Assidoman Packaging Uk Ltd
Current assignee: Assidoman Holdings UK Ltd
Priority date: 1991-02-19
Filing date: 1992-02-12
Publication date: 1996-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2012-02-12
Also published as: ATE132823T1; GB9103388D0; GB2252958B; GB9416527D0; DK0500258T3; GB2252958A; EP0500258A3; DE69207446T2; EP0500258A2; GB9202927D0; ES2082356T3; DE69207446D1

Abstract

A pack or pack blank erected by folding from opposed sides of a four sided sleeve a first pair of end portions of less width than the finished overall width of the pack, then folding from the other two sides of the sleeve a second pair of end portions, double scored to form inner and distal sections, the distal sections of the second pair being located by the edges of the already folded first pair so that the double scoring gives rise to chamfered corners. <IMAGE>

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to packs and especially to takeaway multi-packs for products in containers, particularly beer in cans or bottles.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Takeaway packs convenient and attractive at point of sale are a widespread requirement for retail outlets. They need to be strong in use and inexpensive and convenient in manufacture. In particular a requirement has arisen for packs of a standard design which can take various multiples of beer cans or bottles or other products without the need for different design and especially without need for different packaging machine design for the different sizes.
A another aspect, often a user's requirement, is safe and easily used carry away features in the design, that not only are, but are readily appreciated to be, robust enough to be used with confidence.
We have aimed to meet such requirements in a packaging system which allows pack manufacturing companies to offer their large customers an overall design capability in pack supply without requirement for specialised machinery tying them to one design or supplier.

THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a pack having chamfered corners, characterised in that the corners are provided by the pack comprising, folded towards each other from two opposed faces (1, 2) of a four faced sleeve, a first pair of flaps (7), the width of the faces from which the flaps are folded being greater than the width of the flaps themselves in the direction of the dividing folds, and, folded towards each other from the other two faces (3, 4) of the sleeve along dividing scores, a second pair of flaps (8), intermediately scored parallel to the dividing scores to form inner (9) and distal (10) sections, the distal sections overlying (and being located by edges of) the first pair of flaps so that the scoring gives rise to the chamfered corners.
A pack with chamfered corners is seen in Hagan's US-A-3040958 but the method and purpose of producing the corners is quite different.
Conveniently one face is reinforced and slit to provide a handle that can be drawn out above the plane of the face, incorporating reinforcement along its length, the face providing the handle being one of those carrying the flaps of less width specified above.
Suitably glued or otherwise secured, such a construction provides a strong and neat pack well adapted to take the pull of the handle in use. It is also well adapted to ready different lengths of rows with changes only of the dimensions rather than of the construction of the pack and readily provided for in machine design.
In a detailed point of construction the pack face affording the handle may readily be provided with opposed pushouts that enable a user to grasp and then raise the handle. Further, the handle may be provided with an expanded central portion, especially for heavy packs, that folds to give flanges protecting a user's hands from discomfort.
Another detailed feature is that the flaps that the handle runs into may readily be provided with an area, separated from the main area of the flap by cuts extending from the handle, that draws inwards when the handle is raised, allowing raising without overall distortion of the pack.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a pack with various features of the packs of the invention but not chamfered corners, one end being fully erected and the other end open;
Figure 2 shows a blank for a similar pack; and
Figure 3 shows a fully erected chamfered-corner pack according to the invention, with (inset) one end partly erected.

Referring to figures 1 and 2 a pack consists of a top face 1, a bottom face 2 and side faces 3 and 4. A gluing tab 5 is provided for application to side face 3 at position 6. The blank is shown from what will form the inside of the final pack. Scored fold lines A, B divide top and bottom from the sides. Fold lines C, D divide top and bottom from inner end flaps 7. Fold lines E, F, divide the sides from outer end flaps 8. In face 4 (Fig. 2) there is shown an optional tear out flap 4a started by a thumb tab 4b, by which packs inside may be displayed at point of sale. Correspondingly, ample space is available for product labels as seen at 4c in Figure 1.
In closing of the pack from a sleeve which has been filled with product containers, the internal end flaps are first folded to become opposed at their outer edges 11, being maintained in position by resting against the product containers. The end flaps 8 are then folded round with ready folding along lines E and F. Their outer edges 13 form a neat closure to the pack.
In Figure 3 references correspond generally to figures 1 and 2 but the inner end flaps 7 are of less width than the pack and the outer end flaps 8 are divided into inner portions 9 adjacent to the side faces 4 and distal portions 10, fold lines E,E' and F,F' dividing the two portions. In erection the inner flaps are first folded as before, then the outer flaps. They fold along the lines E and F, and then along E' and F' assisted in location by the edges 12 of the inner flaps, and form strong chamfered corners as shown.
In top face 1 in all the packs, cuts 14 extending into the internal end flaps 7 define a handle portion 15 reinforced by strapping, which is within the substance of the corrugated board of which the blank is made and therefore not seen. Press-outs 16 enable a user to grasp central portion 17 of handle 15 and pull it above the plane of the top face 1, simultaneously bending edges 18 of the central portion along fold lines GG so that the edges of the handle do not press into a user's hand. Fold lines HH which enable end portions 19 of the handle formed in the internal end flaps 7 to be drawn inwards and allow the central portion of the handle correspondingly to rise.
In the external end flaps 8, at the top, there are formed at each side small cut-outs 20 surrounding the end portions of the handle and ensuring the gluing of the external end flaps cannot prevent the end portion 19 from being drawn inwards when the handle is raised. Further, to ensure that the end portion does not stress the internal end flaps away from the external end flaps with possible failure of bonding, spreading cuts 21 with diverging and upwardly extending ends 22 are provided which allow free movement of the end portion 19 without requiring the parts of the top corner 23 of the package adjacent to the handle to be stressed.
Overall in the design it can readily be seen how both the length and the height and breadth of the pack can be varied according to requirements for anything from a 2 x 4 pack up to whatever maximum size is required, even a 4 x 8 pack for example, depending on the weight a customer is likely to carry and realistically regard as being supportable by the handle of this sort of pack. In fact the handles are extremely strong as the reinforcement used is of the same nature as flat strapping and the only way the package can fail is for the entire area containing the reinforcement to tear out of the internal end flaps. This since they are themselves glued or otherwise fixed to the external end flaps is unlikely especially when the tearing stress is spread by expanding cuts such as are shown in figures 1 and 2.

Claims

A pack having chamfered corners, characterised in that the corners are provided by the pack comprising, folded towards each other from two opposed faces (1, 2) of a four faced sleeve, a first pair of flaps (7), the width of the faces from which the flaps are folded being greater than the width of the flaps themselves in the direction of the dividing folds, and, folded towards each other from the other two faces (3, 4) of the sleeve along dividing scores in a cross-sectional plane of the sleeve different from that of the dividing folds, a second pair of flaps (8), intermediately scored parallel to the dividing scores to form inner (9) and distal (10) sections, the distal sections overlying and being located by edges of the first pair of flaps so that the scoring gives rise to the chamfered corners.
A pack according to claim 1, wherein one face (1) is reinforced and slit to provide a handle (15) that can be drawn out above the plane of the face, incorporating reinforcement along its length, the face providing the handle being one of those carrying the flaps of less width specified in claim 1.
A pack according to claim 2, wherein the flaps of the face providing the handle, where the handle runs into them, are each provided with an area (19), separated from the main area of the respective flap by cuts (21) extending from the handle, that draws inwards when the handle is raised, allowing the raising without overall distortion of the pack.
A pack according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the handle is provided with an expanded central portion (18) that folds to give flanges protecting a user's hands from discomfort from heavy packs.