Carton

2,827,221

March 18, 1958

O. L. VINES

CARTON

Filed Sept. 1, 1953

<img file="US2827221A_D0001.tif" />

2,827,221

Patented Mar. 18, 1958

United States Patent Office

Ϊ

2,827,221 CARTON

Oscar L. Vines, New York, N. Y., assignor to Alford Cartons, Ridgefield Park, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey

Application September 1,1953, Serial No. 377,760

Claims. (Cl. 229—39)

This invention relates to a novel carton structure and, more particularly, to a novel partitioned carton and a blank therefor.

For the commercial handling and shipment of fragile containers, such as glass bottles filled with liquid products, there is an acknowledged need for a carton structure which provides cushioning of the fragile article therewithin. For this purpose, many cartons are provided with a liner of corrugated paper or the like which serves as a protective cushion for a fragile article inserted within the boundaries of the liner. There has also been proposed and produced heretofore a carton structure composed of outer and inner wall panels all fashioned from a single blank. The fold lines defining the lateral edge of adjoining inner wall panels in such structures have been provided with trough-like cuts such that when the side wall panels are folded at right angles to one another the trough-shaped cut lines form protuberances Which extend outwardly into contact v/ith the inner surface of the outer walls of the carton. While this onepiece construction is highly desirable from the standpoint of mechanical opening of the assembled carton, the folding and gluing of the carton blank for the purpose of assembling the carton involves complicated handling machinery and numerous operations.

I have now devised a blank for a cushioned carton 40 which provides both the outer wall structure and the inner cushioning wall structure from a single blank while at the same time requiring only a single application of adhesive and the minimum of mechanical handling for its assembly. The cushioned carton blank of my invention comprises a central portion composed preferably, although not necessarily, of four integrally formed and laterally connected outer carton wall panels. A lateral end portion of the blank is integrally connected to each of the endmo'st panels of this central portion. Each end portion of the blank comprises the inner cushioning panels of the -carton and is composed of two oppositely positioned glue panels interconnected by two adjoining inner carton wall panels. The assembled cushioned carton of my invention comprises an -outer wall structure composed preferably of four side wall panels and an inner wall structure composed preferably of four inner side wall panels. The inner wall structure is supported out of contact with the outer side wall panels by diametrically positioned pairs of glue flaps. The glue flaps of each of these pairs are adhesively joined together and maintain two diametrically Opposite outer comers of the inner wall striieture in spaced relationship With two diametrically opposite itffiier comers Of the outer wall structure. The outer wall structure may be provided With 'any conventional end closure, flaps, and, if desired, the inner wall structure may also be provided, with any desired end. closure flaps.

These and other novel features, of the cushioning carton, structure of. my invention will. be. more fully under5 stood by reference to the. accompanying drawings· in which:

Fig. 1 represents the blank, for. the cushioned carton:

Fig. 2 shows the blank at an intermediate, stage in its assembly to. form a cushioned carton;.

Fig. 3 shows the. completely assembled, carton in a slightly opened stage; and

Fig. 4 shows the carton in its fully opened, condition.

The cushioned carton blank shown in Fig, 1 comprises a central portion composed of four integrally formed. 15 outer carton wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13. These four wall panels are laterally connected along fold lines 14,15 and 16. The endmost panels, of this group are bounded by transverse score lines 17' and 18,

The lateral end portions of the blank adjoining the trans20 verse score lines 17 and IS are substantially identical. Thus, one end portion of the blank comprises two oppositely positioned glue panels. 20 and 21 interconnected by two adjoining inner carton wall panels 22 and 23. The other end portion of the blank similarly comprises two 25 oppositely positioned glue panels 24 and 25 interconnected by tv/o adjoining inner carton wall panels 26 and 27. The glue panels 21 and 24 are positioned adjacent the transverse score lines 17 and 18 which define the outermost boundaries of the outer carton wall panels 10 and 30 13, and the glue panels 20 and 25 are located at the extreme ends of the blank.

Assembly of the blank is characterized by its simplicity. Prior to folding, an adhesive such as glue is appEed to the face of at least one cooperating pair of glue'panels, 35 For example, the glue may be applied either'to the pair of glue panels 20 and 21, or to the pair of glue panels 24 and 25, or it may be applied to panels 21 and 25 and to panels 26 and 24. Following the application of glue to the glue panels, the two end portions of the blank are raised upwardly about the transverse score lines 17 and 18 and are folded downwardly over on top of the outer carton wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 as shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen that when the thus-treated and partially assembled blank receives its second folding operation by raising the two ends thereof upwardly about the central score line 15, the two pairs of glue panels will be brought into registry and juxtaposition so as to hold the carton in its final state of assembly. Inasmuch as the structure composed of each pair of juxtaposed glue flaps is extremely strong, the diametrically disposed pair of these juxtaposed glue flaps in opposite corners of the assembled carton provides adequate cushioning and positioning support for the inner walls without requiring auxiliary cushioning and supporting structure.

The assembled carton can be readily opened by automatic machinery by the simple expedient of applying compressive pressure against two side edges of the flat? tened carton. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, compressiye pressure applied between one side edge of the assembled ⁰⁰ blank comprising the fold line 15 and an opposite side edge of the assembled blank composed of .the juncture of fold lines 17 and 18, the carton opens by a spreading apart of its inner and outer side wail panels, ' As this pressure is continued, the carton walls assume the rec⁶⁵ tangular relationship shown in Fig. 4.

2,827,221

The cushioned carton blank of my invention may be modified by the addition of conventional features to obtain all of the advantages offered by other cushioned cartons previously proposed. For example, the fold lines defining the junction between adjoining inner wall panels 22 and 23 and inner wall panels 26 and 27 may be composed of an alternate section of scored portions 28 and trough-like cut portions 30. The resulting fold lines will produce, as shown in Fig. 4, projecting tabs 31 at each of two diametrically opposite corners of the inner wall structure. Although the inner wall structure is adequately supported by the pair of glue panels 21 and 24 which are integrally connected to the outer wall structure and by the spacing effect provided by the edges of the other pair of adhesively joined glue panels 20 and 25, the projecting tabs 31 offer further support for the inner wall structure and contribute to its efficacy in protecting fragile articles positioned within the confines of the inner wall panels 22, 23, 26 and 27.

The cushioned carton blank of my invention may be further provided with any desired end flap construction. For example, the outer wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 may be provided with conventional end flaps as shown in Fig. 1 so as to form end closures for the carton. Similarly, the inner wall panels 22, 23, 26 and 27 may be provided with any desired combination of end flaps for the purpose of closing either one or both ends of the inner wall structure. If desired, the end flaps formed adjacent the ends of the inner wall panels may be provided with trough-shaped cuts 32 which, when the end flaps assume their ultimate closure position, provide projecting tabs 33 which assist in maintaining cushioned spacing between the end closure of the inner wall structure and the end closure of the outer wall structure.

As can be further seen in Fig. 1, the cushioned carton blank of my invention may be provided with intersecting cut lines 34 and 35 which, when appropriately positioned in the inner wall panels 22, 23, 26 and 27, permit the projection of protruding portions of the article to be carried through these inner wall panels. The cradle-like support thus afforded to a fragile article within the inner wall structure, coupled with the cushioning support offered by the other structural features of my novel carton blank, offer complete protection by an integrally formed carton structure characterized by the utmost in simplicity in design and assembly.