Article carrier and blank therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11524826-B2
Application number	US-201917291324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2019
Priority date	Nov 6, 2018
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a package, an article carrier, and a blank ( 810 ) for forming the article carrier. An aspect of the invention provides an article carrier comprising a plurality of primary panels ( 812,814,816 ) at least partially extending around an interior of the article carrier. The plurality of primary panels comprises a first side panel ( 812 ), a top panel ( 814 ), a second side pane ( 816 ) 1 and at least one bottom panel joined together to form a tubular structure having first and second opposed open ends. The article carrier comprises a carrying handle (H) including a handle feature defined in at least the top panel and foldable handle structure (HS) having opposed connecting panels and a handle strap. The handle strap extends ( 882 ) between the connecting panels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A carton for packaging one or more articles, the carton comprising a plurality of primary panels at least partially extending around an interior of the carton, the plurality of primary panels comprising a top panel and a pair of side panels hingedly connected to opposed side edges of the top panel respectively, wherein the carton further comprises a carrying handle including a handle feature defined in at least the top panel and a foldable handle structure having opposed connecting panels and a handle strap extending between the connecting panels, the handle structure being hingedly connected at the opposed connecting panels thereof to the side panels along respective first edges of the side panels, the handle structure is folded into the interior of the carton such that the handle strap is disposed generally in vertical alignment with the handle feature, wherein the carton comprises first and second opposed ends defined at least in part by opposed end edges of the top panel respectively, and wherein the first end of the carton is at least partially open and comprises an end opening extending at least between the first edges of the side panels.

2. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the first end of the carton comprises an end closure structure which partially closes the first end of the carton, the end closure structure comprises side end flaps hingedly connected to the first end edges of the side panels respectively.

3. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the handle strap comprises opposed end portions and an intermediate portion extending between the opposed end portions, each of the opposed end portions formed at least partially from a respective one of the connecting panels.

4. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of panels comprises a base panel extending between the side panels such that the plurality of primary panels provides a tubular structure defining a tubular axis, the first edges of the side panels are disposed transversely to the tubular axis.

5. A carton according to claim 4 wherein the carton is formed from at least first and second separate blanks, wherein the first blank comprises a panel for forming the base panel, and wherein the second blank comprises panels for forming the top panel, the side panels and the handle structure.

6. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the handle structure comprises at least one reinforcing member.

7. A carton according to claim 6 wherein the at least one reinforcing member is hingedly connected to at least one of the connecting panels or to a central portion of the handle strap.

8. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the handle structure comprises a first reinforcing member hingedly connected to the first connecting panel.

9. A carton according to claim 8 wherein the handle structure comprises a second reinforcing member hingedly connected to the second connecting panel.

10. A carton according to claim 9 wherein the first and second reinforcing members are hingedly opposed to each other.

11. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the hinged connections between the opposed connecting panels and the side panels are offset with respect to one of the opposed end edges of the top panel.

12. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the hinged connections between the opposed connecting panels and the side panels are inset with respect to one of the opposed end edges of the top panel.

13. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the hinged connections between the opposed connecting panels and the side panels are inset with respect to adjacent edge portions of the side panels.

14. A carton for packaging one or more articles, the carton comprising a plurality of primary panels at least partially extending around an interior of the carton, the plurality of primary panels comprises a first side panel, a top panel, a second side panel and at least one bottom panel joined together to form a tubular structure having first and second opposed open ends, wherein the carton comprises a carrying handle including:
a handle feature defined in at least the top panel; and
a foldable handle structure having opposed connecting panels and a handle strap, extending between the connecting panels;
wherein the handle structure is hingedly connected at the opposed connecting panels thereof to the first end of the tubular structure such that the handle structure is foldable into the interior of the carton so that the handle strap is disposed generally in vertical alignment with the handle feature.

15. A carton according to claim 14 wherein the connecting panels are hingedly connected to respective first edges of the side panels along first fold lines respectively, the carton comprises a first end wall for at least partially closing the first end of the tubular structure.

16. A carton according to claim 15 wherein the first end wall comprises at least one end closure panel hingedly connected to the first end edge of at least one of the side panels.

17. A carton according to claim 15 wherein the first end wall comprises at least one side end closure flap hingedly connected to the first end edge of at least one of the side panels.

18. A blank for forming a carton, the blank comprising:
a plurality of main panels forming at least part of a tubular structure of a carton the plurality of main panels hinged one to the next in a linear series;
a handle structure hinged along a first edge of the plurality of main panels;
wherein the handle structure comprises a series of panels, a first one of the series of panels is hinged to a first panel of the plurality of main panels and a second one of the series of panels is hinged to a second panel the plurality of main panels, the second panel opposes the first panel in a setup condition,
wherein the blank comprises at least one end closure panel hinged along the first edge of the plurality of main panels, the at least one end closure panel is disposed between plurality of main panels providing the tubular structure and the series of panels providing the handle structure.

19. A blank according to claim 18 wherein at least one end closure panel is separated from the series of panels providing the handle structure by a cutaway, wherein the cutaway comprises a severance feature in a form of an aperture, slot, slit, cut line, severable line or combination thereof.

Assignees

• Westrock Packaging Systems Llc

Inventors

• Fahrner Vincent
• Merzeau Julien D

Classifications

• B65D2571/00141

  glued · CPC title

• B65D2571/0066

  formed from one single sheet · CPC title

• B65D2571/0079

  U-shaped · CPC title

• B65D2571/00277

  Slits or openings formed along a fold line · CPC title

• B65D2571/00728

  the end walls being closed by gluing · CPC title