Article top engaging device, article carrier and blank therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12358705-B2
Application number	US-202017602990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2020
Priority date	Apr 11, 2019
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to an article top engaging device, a carrier for packaging one or more articles and a blank for forming the carrier. The article top engaging device comprises an engaging panel ( 12; 112; 212; 312; 412; 512; 612; 712 ) having at least one top-receiving opening (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , A 8 ) defined by a perimeter which defines a notional circle (NC). The perimeter is interrupted by at least three relief elements (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 4 , C 5 , C 6 , C 7 , C 8 , C 9 , C 10 , C 11 ) each extending radially away of the center of the notional circle. The perimeter comprises a toothed segment (S 1 ) and a toothless segment (S 2 ). The toothed segment comprises at least two tooth edges ( 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36; 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236 ) for bearing a substantially vertical load.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A blank for forming an article carrier configured to engage an article having a diameter, the blank comprising an engaging aperture having an engaging edge, wherein the engaging edge is defined between a pair of adjacent notches and the engaging edge is curved, the bottom of each notch is curved, a radius of curvature (RC) of each notch is considerably less than a radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge, wherein the radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge is greater than half the diameter of the article that the article carrier formed from the blank is configured to engage.

2. A blank according to claim 1 wherein the engaging edge is defined by at least one of a tooth, a non-tooth engaging element, and a toothless engaging edge.

3. A blank according to claim 1 wherein the engaging aperture comprises at least two engaging elements each having the engaging edge, wherein the at least two engaging elements are spaced apart from each other by one of the pair of notches and the engaging edge of each engaging element is curved, wherein the radius of curvature (RC) of each notch is considerably less than the radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge, and wherein the at least two engaging elements comprise at least one of the following: (i) at least two teeth, (ii) at least two non-tooth engaging elements, and (iii) at least one tooth and at least one non-tooth engaging element.

4. A blank according to claim 1 wherein the radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge is greater than or equal to a radius of curvature (RCE) of a notional circle defined by the perimeter of the engaging aperture.

5. A blank according to claim 1 wherein the radius of curvature (RC) of each notch is in the range 1.59 mm ( 1/16″) to 4.76 mm ( 3/16″), and the radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge is in the range 30 mm (1.181″) to 75 mm ( 189/64″).

6. A blank according to claim 1 wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature (RC) of the notches to the radius of curvature (RCT) of the engaging edge (RC/RCT) is in the range 0.02 to 0.16, (0.02<R_C/R_CT<0.16).

7. An article top engaging device for an article carrier comprising an engaging panel having at least one top-receiving opening defined by a perimeter which defines a notional circle, the perimeter being interrupted by at least two relief elements each extending radially away from the center of the notional circle, the perimeter comprising a toothed segment and a toothless segment, the toothed segment comprising at least one tooth edge for bearing a substantially vertical load, at least one tooth edge being defined between two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements, the at least one tooth edge subtending a first angle having a vertex at a center of the notional circle, the toothless segment comprising at least one continuous supporting edge for bearing a substantially vertical load, the at least one continuous supporting edge being defined between two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements, the at least one continuous supporting edge being arcuate in shape and subtending a second angle having a vertex at the center of the notional circle, the second angle being substantially greater than the first angle.

8. An article top engaging device according to claim 7 wherein the two adjacent relief elements of the at least one tooth edge are tangentially contacted by a first notional tangential line which passes through respective tangential contacting points on respective outer ends of the two adjacent relief elements, the first notional tangential line being spaced apart from the notional circle.

9. An article top engaging device according to claim 7 wherein the two adjacent relief elements of the at least one continuous supporting edge are tangentially contacted by a second notional tangential line which passes through respective tangential contacting points on the two adjacent relief elements of the at least one continuous supporting edge, the second notional tangential line contacting or intersecting with the notional circle.

10. An article top engaging device according to claim 9 wherein the two adjacent relief elements of the at least one tooth edge are tangentially contacted by a first notional tangential line which passes through respective tangential contacting points on respective outer ends of the two adjacent relief elements of the at least one tooth edge, the first notional tangential line being spaced apart from the notional circle.

11. An article top engaging device according to claim 7 wherein a first relief element defining at least in part the at least one continuous supporting edge is of a different dimension from a second relief element defining at least in part the at least one tooth edge.

12. An article top engaging device according to claim 7 wherein each relief element comprises a first length and the at least one continuous supporting edge defines a second length, and the first length is substantially less than the second length.

13. An article top engaging device according to claim 12 wherein the first length is defined by a first arc of the notional circle defined between opposed outer edges of the each relief element, and the second length is defined by a second arc of the notional circle defined between adjacent edges of the two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements which define the at least one supporting edge.

14. An article top engaging device according to claim 12 wherein the at least one tooth edge comprises third length and the third length is substantially less than the second length.

15. An article top engaging device according to claim 14 wherein the second length is defined by a second arc of the notional circle defined between adjacent edges of the two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements which define the at least one supporting edge and the third length is defined by a third arc of the notional circle defined between adjacent edges of the two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements which define the at least one tooth edge.

16. An article top engaging device according to claim 14 wherein the first length is defined by an arc of the notional circle defined by opposed outer edges of the each relief element, and the third length is defined by the length of a chord of the notional circle which is defined between adjacent edges of the two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements which define the at least one tooth edge.

17. An article top engaging device according to claim 7 wherein the toothless segment comprises at least one of: a deformation line at least partially surrounding the perimeter of the at least one top-receiving opening, and a fold line at least partially surrounding the perimeter of the at least one top-receiving opening.

18. A blank for forming an article carrier, the blank comprising a main panel including at least one top engaging device having at least one top-receiving opening defined by a perimeter which defines a notional circle, the perimeter being interrupted by at least two relief elements each extending radially away from the center of the notional circle, the perimeter comprising a toothed segment and a toothless segment, the toothed segment comprising at least one tooth edge for bearing a substantially vertical load, the at least one tooth edge being defined between two adjacent ones of the at least two relief elements, the at least one tooth edge subtending a first angle having a vertex at a center of the notional circle, the toothless segment comprising at least one continuou

Assignees

• Westrock Packaging Systems Llc

Inventors

• Zacherle Matthew E
• Barrette Alex N
• Rosenbrien Cullen B
• Suzuki Tsugihiko

Classifications

• B65D71/50

  comprising a plurality of articles held together only partially by packaging elements formed otherwise than by folding a blank · CPC title

• B65D73/0042

  the articles being retained within a window, hole or other cut-out portion of a single card · CPC title

• B65D71/42 Primary

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