Blank for forming an article carrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11420802-B2
Application number	US-201716095789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

A blank ( 1 ) 0 for forming an article carrier ( 90 ) has a main panel ( 12 ) which includes at least one article retention structure R 1 having an aperture A 1 defined in the main panel and one or more tabs formed about a periphery of the aperture in the main panel. The one or more tabs are connected to the main panel such that the tabs yield out of the plane of the main panel when an article is received in the aperture to bear against the article. The main panel includes a paperboard substrate and at least one polymeric layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article carrier comprising a main panel which comprises at least two article retention structures, each having an aperture formed through the main panel, and further comprising one or more tabs formed about a periphery of the aperture in the main panel, the one or more tabs being connected to the main panel such that the tabs yield out of the plane of the main panel so as to bear against an article received in the aperture, wherein the main panel comprises a paperboard substrate and at least one polymeric layer, and wherein the main panel is so dimensioned as to have a maximum length equal to or less than a product of a maximum diameter D 1 of articles that the article carrier is configured to receive in the aperture in the main panel and a first integer number of rows Y of an array in which the at least two article retention structures are arranged.

2. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the at least one polymeric layer comprises an n-axially oriented film wherein “n” is a positive integer.

3. The article carrier according to claim 2 wherein the n-axially oriented film is formed from material selected from the group consisting of a bi-axially oriented polyester, oriented nylon, cross-laminated polyolefin, metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene and high density polyolefin.

4. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the at least one polymeric layer is tear resistant due to the chemical nature of the material from which it is formed.

5. The article carrier according to claim 4 wherein the material is extruded metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene.

6. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the main panel is defined by a perimeter to which no other part of the carrier is connected.

7. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the array has a second integer number of columns Z, and wherein the main panel has a maximum width equal to or less than Z×D 1 when the main panel is applied to articles.

8. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the main panel has opposite surfaces having different characteristics to the other surface.

9. The article carrier according to claim 8 wherein one of the opposite surfaces has a surface treatment to provide good printability.

10. The article carrier according to claim 9 wherein the polymeric layer is provided on the other surface of the main panel.

11. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric layer is a tear resistant layer applied to an uncoated side of the paperboard substrate and laminated with the paperboard substrate.

12. The article carrier according to claim 1 wherein the main panel comprises a handle structure.

13. The article carrier according to claim 12 wherein the handle structure comprises at least one handle aperture formed in the main panel at location spaced from the aperture.

14. A blank for forming an article carrier, the blank comprising a main panel which comprises at least one article retention structure having an aperture defined through the main panel, the main panel being the only panel with an aperture configured to have an upper portion of an article received therethrough, the main panel further comprising one or more tabs formed about a periphery of the aperture in the main panel, the one or more tabs being connected to the main panel such that the tabs yield out of the plane of the main panel when the article is received in the aperture so as to bear against the article in an article-carrying configuration in which the main panel is applied to one or more articles, wherein the main panel comprises a paperboard substrate, and wherein the main panel has a maximum length equal to or less than Y×D 1 in the article-carrying configuration, where D 1 is a maximum diameter of the one or more articles, and Y is a first integer number of rows of an array in which the at least one article retention structure is arranged.

15. The blank according to claim 14 wherein the paperboard substrate is formed from foldable sheet material selected from the group consisting of paperboard, corrugated board, cardboard and combinations thereof.

16. The blank according to claim 14 wherein the main panel is defined by a perimeter including convexly curved edges and concavely curved edges wherein the radius of curvature of the convexly curved edges is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the concavely curved edges.

17. The blank according to claim 14 wherein the array has a second integer number of columns Z, and wherein the main panel has a maximum width equal to or less than Z×D 1 when the main panel is applied to articles.

18. The blank according to claim 14 , wherein the main panel comprises a single panel in a direction of thickness.

19. A blank for forming article carriers, the blank comprising a main panel and at least one additional main panel, each main panel comprising at least one article retention structure having an aperture defined in each main panel, wherein each main panel further comprises one or more tabs formed about a periphery of the aperture in each main panel, the one or more tabs being connected to each main panel such that the one or more tabs yield out of the plane of each main panel when each main panel is applied to at least one article such that the at least one article is received in the aperture so as to be supported by the one or more tabs, wherein each main panel comprises a paperboard substrate, wherein the main panel and the at least one additional main panel comprises a first main panel and a second main panel adjacent the first main panel, wherein the first main panel comprises a first aperture and a second aperture adjacent the first aperture, wherein the second main panel comprises a third aperture adjacent the first aperture, wherein a distance between a notional center of the first aperture and a notional center of the second aperture is substantially equal to a distance between the notional center of the first aperture and a notional center of the third aperture.

20. The blank according to claim 19 , wherein the main panel and the at least one additional main panel are connected to each other by a frangible connection such that the main panels are separable from each other when applied substantially simultaneously to a plurality of articles.

21. The blank according to claim 19 , wherein each main panel is arranged to be applied to articles having a maximum diameter D 1 in an array having a first integer number of rows Y, wherein each main panel has a first length substantially equal to Y×D 1 in a first configuration and wherein each main panel has a second length that is less than the first length in an article-carrying configuration in which each main panel is applied to one or more articles.

Assignees

• Westrock Packaging Systems Llc

Inventors

• Kooc Linh L
• Cameron Wayne A
• Miller David W
• Simmons Stephen G
• Grey Casey P
• Allin Meredith W
• Walling Bradford J
• Zacherle Matthew E

Classifications

• B65D65/40

  Applications of laminates for particular packaging purposes {(B65D1/0215, B65D1/28, B65D3/22, B65D5/0281, B65D5/563, B65D9/30, B65D29/02, B65D31/02, B65D75/26, B65D77/2024, B65D81/1275, B65D81/3811, B65D81/3823, B65D81/3834, B65D81/3846, B65D81/3858, B65D81/3874, B65D81/3886, B65D81/3897 take precedence; laminates per se or laminated packages characterised by the composition or)} · CPC title

• B65D81/05

  maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents ({B65D81/022, B65D81/025, } B65D81/03 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D71/504 Primary

  the element being formed from a flexible sheet provided with slits or apertures intended to be stretched over the articles and adapt to the shape of the article · CPC title

• B65D2301/10

  Blanks mutually positioned to minimise waste material upon cutting out the individual blank from a continuous or large sheet · CPC title

• B65D71/42

  formed by folding a single blank into a single layer element · CPC title