Carton with article protection insert

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10029837-B2
Application number	US-201615146298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2011
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

A carton for containing at least one article. The carton includes a plurality of panels at least partially forming an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels includes a top panel. The carton includes an article protection flap foldably connected to at least one panel of the plurality of panels. The article protection flap is moveable between a first position that is substantially parallel to the top panel and a second position wherein the article protection flap is folded relative to the top panel. The at least one access feature in the top panel is for positioning the article protection flap from the first position to the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carton containing a plurality of articles, the carton comprising:
a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton, the plurality of panels comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel;
an article protection insert comprising a middle portion, two outer portions, and a plurality of features for engaging a respective article of the plurality of articles, the plurality of features comprising at least one opening extending in at least the middle portion and at least one notch extending along at least one of the two outer portions, the at least one notch being spaced apart from the middle portion, and the at least one opening being adjacent a respective one of the two outer portions; and
a plurality of access features in the top panel aligning with the middle portion and two outer portions of the article protection insert, and the article protection insert is positionable from a first position wherein the middle portion is coplanar with the two outer portions to a second position wherein the outer portions are folded relative to the middle portion, the at least one opening engages a respective article of the plurality of articles, and the at least one notch engages a respective article of the plurality of articles, wherein the middle portion is in face-to-face contact with the top panel and the two outer portions extend downwardly from the middle portion in the second position.

2. The carton of claim 1 , wherein the at least one notch extends in an outer edge of the article protection insert, the at least one notch being in engagement with at least a portion of an article of the plurality of articles in the second position.

3. The carton of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of articles comprises containers having a cap and a shoulder, the plurality of features being in contact with one of the cap and the shoulder in the second position.

4. The carton of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the plurality of features engage a respective cap of a respective article of the plurality of articles in the second position.

5. The carton of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the plurality of features engage a respective shoulder of a respective article of the plurality of articles in the second position.

6. The carton of claim 3 , wherein the middle portion is in contact with respective caps of the containers, the at least one notch comprising notches in a respective outer edge of each of the two outer portions, the notches engaging respective containers at a location below the shoulder in the second position.

7. The carton of claim 6 , wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings and the middle portion has tabs adjacent the openings, the tabs being in contact with a top surface of a cap of the containers and the openings receiving at least a portion of the cap of the containers in the second position.

8. The carton of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of access features comprises a plurality of openings in the top panel.

9. The carton of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of openings in the top panel comprises a plurality of cuts.

10. The carton of claim 1 , further comprising a dispenser, the dispenser comprising a dispenser panel at least partially defined by at least one dispenser pattern extending in at least the top panel, the plurality of access features being in the dispenser panel.

11. The carton of claim 1 , wherein the carton further comprising at least one article protection flap foldably connected to the bottom panel, the at least one article protection flap is moveable between a first position that is parallel to the bottom panel and a second position wherein the at least one article protection flap is folded relative to the bottom panel.

12. The carton of claim 11 , wherein the article protection flap is for contact with a bottom portion of at least one article of the plurality of articles, and the article protection insert is for contact with a top portion of at least one article of the plurality of articles.

13. The carton of claim 1 , wherein the two outer portions of the article protection insert comprise a first outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion along a first fold line and a second outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion along a second fold line.

14. The carton of claim 13 , wherein each of the first fold line and the second fold line extends from a first outer edge of the article protection insert to an opposing second outer edge of the article protection insert.

15. The carton of claim 13 , wherein the at least one opening comprises at least a first opening and a second opening extending in at least the middle portion, the first opening and the second opening are spaced apart from one another, and the first fold line extends adjacent the first opening and the second fold line extends adjacent the second fold line opening.

16. The carton of claim 15 , wherein the at least one opening comprises at least a third opening extending at least in the middle portion, the third opening extends adjacent the first fold line and is spaced apart from the first opening, and a third fold line extends in the middle portion from the first opening to the third opening.

17. The carton of claim 1 , wherein:
the two outer portions of the article protection insert comprise a first outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion and a second outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion;
the at least one opening comprises a first opening and a second opening each extending in at least the middle portion;
the at least one notch comprises a first notch extending in a first outer edge of the article protection insert along the first outer portion and a second notch extending in a second outer edge of the article protection insert along the second outer portion;
the first opening, the second opening, the first notch, and the second notch are spaced apart from one another and are aligned along a length of the article protection insert; and
each of the first opening, the second opening, the first notch, and the second notch at least partially receives a respective first article, second article, third article, and fourth article of the plurality of articles in the second position.

18. The carton of claim 1 , wherein the two outer portions of the article protection insert comprise a first outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion a and a second outer portion foldably connected to the middle portion, the at least one opening comprises a first opening extending in the middle portion adjacent the first outer portion and a second opening extending in the middle portion adjacent the second outer portion, each of the first opening and the second opening receives at least a portion of a respective first article and second article of the plurality of articles in the second position.

19. The carton of claim 18 , wherein the middle portion engages a top surface of each of the first article and the second article.

20. A carton containing a plurality of articles, the carton comprising:
a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton, the plurality of panels comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel;
an article protection insert comprising a middle portion, two outer portions, and a plurality of features for engaging a respective article of the plurality of articles, the plurality of features comprising at

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Inc
• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Alexander O'Neal
• Spivey Sr Raymond R
• Baldino Mark
• Gonzalez Ana
• Holley Jr John Murdick

Classifications

• B65D71/32

  formed by finger-holes · CPC title

• B65D2571/00314

  with locating holes or cuts · CPC title

• B65D2571/00728

  the end walls being closed by gluing · CPC title

• B65D5/42

  Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks · CPC title

• B65D71/36 Primary

  {having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with} end walls · CPC title