Integrated carton and shipping container design and filling manufacture process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10947022-B2
Application number	US-201816332410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 30, 2017
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

An integrated carton and container which includes a collapsible container and a plurality of cartons. The carton or cartons can be filled with a product or products while the carton or cartons remain integrated with the container. The carton and container are integrated in such a way that when the container is expanded into an open position, the carton or cartons correspondingly expand into an open position. The integrated carton and container may be integrated in such a way that the integrated carton and container may be filled with a product and closed on a single apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An integrated carton and container comprising:
a collapsible container, the container including sidewalls, a first end and an opposite second end, the container defining an interior volume;
a plurality of collapsible cartons, each carton including at least one sidewall, a first end, an opposite second end, wherein the first end has a flap and the second end has a second flap, each carton including a folded position and an open position and wherein, when in the folded position, the carton is substantially flat, and wherein, when in the open position, the carton is in an expanded position defining an interior volume, the plurality of collapsible cartons being arranged and positioned in the interior volume of the container such that the at least one sidewall of each carton is parallel with at least one of the sidewalls of the container; and
wherein at least some of the cartons are releasably attached to the container or to an adjacent carton in a manner that integrates the cartons to the container such that when the container is in a collapsed position, all of the cartons are in the folded position and when the container is transitioned from the collapsed position to an open position, all of the cartons similarly transition from the folded position to the open position.

2. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 1 , wherein all of the cartons are positioned within the container such that the first end of each and every carton faces the first end of the container.

3. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 1 , wherein the container includes at least two rows of cartons and at least two columns of cartons.

4. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 3 , wherein the container includes at least three rows of cartons and at least three columns of cartons.

5. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 1 wherein every carton has at least one point of releasable attachment to the container or to an adjacent carton.

6. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 5 wherein every carton that is adjacent to a container sidewall has at least one point of releasable attachment to a container sidewall.

7. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 1 wherein the container has a first sidewall and a second opposed sidewall, and each carton has a first sidewall and a second opposed sidewall, and each carton has two points of releasable attachment, wherein a first point of releasable attachment is between the first sidewall of a carton and the first sidewall of the container or the second sidewall of an adjacent carton, and a second point of releasable attachment is between the second sidewall of a carton and the second sidewall of the container or the first sidewall of an adjacent carton.

8. An integrated carton and container as defined in claim 1 , comprising a second plurality of collapsible cartons positioned within the container, each of the cartons in the second plurality including at least one sidewall, a first end, and a second and opposite end, and wherein the second end of the first plurality of cartons faces the second end of the second plurality of cartons within the container such that the first end of each carton in the second plurality of cartons faces the second end of the container.

9. The integrated carton and container of claim 1 wherein the second end of each carton is configured to close automatically when the container is transitioned from a collapsed position to an open position.

10. The integrated carton and container of claim 1 wherein each carton has flaps that close each carton and the container has flaps that close the container.

11. The integrated carton and container of claim 1 wherein some or all of the cartons are filled with a product or products.

12. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container comprising:
placing the integrated carton and container according to claim 1 on a case assembly apparatus,
holding the container and the carton or cartons in an open position,
filling some or all of the cartons with a product or products,
closing the carton or cartons, and
closing the container.

13. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the steps of attaching a container leading side minor flap and a container trailing side minor flap to a releasable attachment mechanism and holding the container leading side minor flap and container trailing side minor flap in an open position.

14. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the steps of using guide bars to hold container major flaps, a carton exterior major flap, and a carton interior major flap in an open position, and using guide bar transitions to close the container major flaps, the carton interior major flap, and the carton exterior major flap.

15. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:
having a carton leading side minor flap, the carton leading side minor flap having a notch sized and positioned to correspond with a closing mechanism, remain in an open position when a closing mechanism passes through the notch, closing a carton trailing side minor flap, and then closing the carton leading side minor flap.

16. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the step of filling the integrated carton and container with a product or products using a side load mechanism.

17. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the step of filling the integrated carton and container from a the first end and an opposed second end of the container.

18. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 further comprising the step of filling the integrated carton and container using a vertical load mechanism.

19. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 wherein the product comprises facial tissues.

20. A method for filling and closing an integrated carton and container of claim 12 wherein the product comprises feminine care products.

Assignees

• Kimberly Clark Co

Inventors

• Zelenak Robert J
• Schumaker Jason J
• Hokanson Brandon M

Classifications

• B65D77/042 Primary

  the inner container being of polygonal cross-section formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks, e.g. carton · CPC title

• B65B61/207

  for inserting partitions between package contents · CPC title

• B65B43/185

  specially adapted for carton blanks · CPC title

• B65B25/141

  packaging flat articles in boxes · CPC title

• B65B7/20

  by folding-down preformed flaps · CPC title