WO1998003404A1

WO1998003404A1 - Carton with support liner

Info

Publication number: WO1998003404A1
Application number: PCT/IE1997/000050
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Stevens; Laurence Swan
Original assignee: Hammervest Limited
Priority date: 1996-07-18
Filing date: 1997-07-18
Publication date: 1998-01-29
Also published as: AU3860897A

Abstract

A carton (1) for the transportation and storage of perishable fruit such as bananas is assembled from an external blank (2) and an internal blank (3). The external blank is formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated fibreboard and has a number of panels, flaps, tabs and openings defined by cuts and fold lines. To form a carton shell, the side panels (10, 11), ends panels (25), the end base flaps (30) and side base flaps (15) of the external blank (2) are folded up. Adhesive is applied to a fastening tab (13) to bond it to the adjoining end wall panel (25). The internal blank (3) is also formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated fibreboard of at least double thickness having opposed side liner panels (50), end liner panels (55), and corner struts (60) between the panels and at each extremity. Each end liner panel (55) has an engagement tab (31(b)) extending downwardly for engagement on assembly with a corresponding engagement opening (31(a)) of end base flaps (30) of the external blank (2) and with a corresponding slot (36(b)) at an upper end of a liner (3) of a following carton in a stack.

Description

CARTON WITH SUPPORT LINER

Introduction

The invention relates to a carton and in particular to a carton for the transportation and storage of perishable fruit such as bananas.

Such cartons are subject to a large amount of handling, and at some stages during their use they are subjected to very high compression forces. For bananas, the cycle begins with picking of unripe bananas in countries such as Guatemala or the Dominican Republic and loading the unripe bananas into the carton. To do this, the local depot receives corrugated fibreboard blanks and assembles the cartons on-site. Because a particular banana transportation company may frequently change the depots and because of the large number of depots involved, it is generally not practical to install expensive and sophisticated carton assembling plants at these locations. Accordingly, an important objective for such cartons is that they are simple to assemble on-site at the picking locations .

However, a further requirement of such cartons is that they be capable of withstanding the very high pressures which are applied after they leave the packing location. For example, to optimise use of space in ship holds, the cartons are often stacked very high resulting in a very large compression strength being applied in the vertical direction to the lower cartons. When being loaded onto the ship and subsequently off-loaded and transported in vehicles, there can be side impact forces applied as the cartons are being handled. Accordingly, fruit cartons of this type have the conflicting requirements of being very simple to assemble and also of providing a very high resistance to compression forces. However, a still further requirement of fruit cartons of this type is that they be suitable for use at the retail outlet in the destination country for displaying the goods to minimise the work required of the retailer. This criterion is becoming increasingly important as retailers demand simpler methods for handling the goods. A still further requirement for such fruit cartons is that they provide a large degree of ventilation through the carton. This is particularly important for ripening of bananas and avoiding "hot spots" arising in certain cartons on a loaded pallet. For example, if the temperature of bananas in a particular box rises by as little as 2°C relative to those around it during the ripening process, such a "hot spot" may cause premature ripening and loss of the bananas. When one considers the relatively low commercial margins which are involved in purchase and distribution of bananas, one will appreciate the importance of minimising the degree of damage caused by the physical handling of the produce and inconsistent ripening. If the fruit is bruised in handling heat is generated leading to inconsistent ripening. This in turn leads to problems at the point of sale as imperfections do not allow the full retailing potential to be realised.

Traditionally, the type of carton which has been used comprises two almost equal halves which are telescoped together to form the base and cover for a carton, both halves extending for the full height of the carton to provide a double wall thickness. Such a carton has been generally satisfactory in providing the compression strength which is required. While such cartons are generally satisfactory at providing sufficient ventilation for the produce, there is room for improvement in this area. More important disadvantages arise in assembly of the carton as there is a large material requirement. Handling of the two halves of the carton is often awkward because when the box is left open, the top half must be either stored at a separate location or the base must be nested into the top half when up-turned. While all of these operations are relatively simple, they do result in a requirement for a high labour input and a large amount of storage space at the packing depot. Finally, when the carton reaches the retail outlet in the destination country, it is quite awkward for the retailer to display the goods as he must either discard the top half of the carton or remove it and subsequently store the base nested within the up-turned top half. Alternatively the fruit is removed from the carton and displayed on shelving with the possibility of further damage to the softened ripened fruit.

European Patent Specification No. EP 417947 (Chiquita Brands) describes a carton having a removable lid. Again, there appears to be a relatively high material requirement, handling of the carton may be awkward at retail outlets, and compression strength may not be good enough for some circumstances.

The invention is therefore directed towards providing a carton which has a relatively low material requirement for reduced raw material costs, is relatively simple to assemble, is simple for the retailer to use for display of the produce, and finally which provides the compression strength which is required.

Conventionally, cartons for transport and display of goods such as vegetables are either of the open construction type such as tomato crates or trays, or alternatively have completely closed construction such as banana boxes formed from two halves telescoped together. The cartons of the tray type are particularly suitable for display of goods at a retail outlet and are very convenient for this purpose. However, goods may be more easily damaged in use of such cartons for transporting the goods as the cartons are open at the top.

The invention is therefore also directed towards providing a carton which provides for safe transport of goods, particularly perishable foods, and which also provides for simple and easy presentation of the goods at a retail outlet .

Statements of Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a carton shell comprising a base and upstanding walls;

a support liner extending around the inside of the walls of the carton shell; and

reinforcing corner struts at the junction between adjacent walls of the carton shell.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the reinforcing corner struts are defined by the support liner.

Preferably the corner struts are defined by support walls of the liner which extend substantially diagonally between adjacent walls of the carton shell at the corners thereof.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the carton includes support liner locating means for aligning and locating the support liner in the carton shell. In one embodiment, the liner is formed from a unitary blank joined at its ends and folded along fold lines to form an endless liner for insertion into the carton shell.

Preferably, the liner is tightly fitted within the carton shell to provide both compression strength in the vertical direction and also in the other directions generally.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the locating means comprises a tab which extends from a support liner or shell to engage a corresponding cut-out slot in the carton shell or liner when the support liner is correctly positioned in the carton shell.

Preferably the tab is provided on the support liner to engage a corresponding slot in the carton shell.

Ideally a stacking of one carton on another the tab also engages a corresponding slot in a support liner of another carton.

Preferably there is a tab on at least two opposed panels of the support liner.

In one embodiment of the invention the carton shell includes at least two closure flaps extending from side walls thereof, the closure flaps having means for inter- engagement at a closed position over the support liner.

Preferably the closure flaps have tabs at their extremities for interleaving engagement and shoulders adjacent to the tabs interleave in the opposite sense. Alternatively the closure flaps have cut-out portions for snap-fitting engagement with edges and\or corners of adjacent flaps.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention there are two longitudinal flaps and two transverse flaps, the longitudinal flaps have cut-out portions for inter- engagement with the corners of the adjacent transverse flaps .

Preferably, the carton is of rectangular shape in plan view and a closure flap comprises means for engaging flaps extending from both adjoining walls.

Preferably, a pair of opposed flaps have tapered shoulders .

In one embodiment of the invention, the flaps extend across only part of the top of the carton when closed.

In one embodiment of the invention the carton shell and support liner have ventilation apertures which are substantially designed an assembly of the support liner to the carton shell.

In one possible arrangement the ventilation apertures in one of the carton shell and support liner are larger than the corresponding ventilation apertures in the other of the carton shell and support liner.

To lesson the impact on the strength of the carton preferably the ventilation apertures in the carton shell are larger than the corresponding ventilation apertures in the support liner. The invention further provides a liner blank and a shell blank for forming a carton as described.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of an external carton shell blank for use in forming a shell part of the carton;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing folding of the external blank to form the carton shell;

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing an internal support liner blank for forming a liner of the carton;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the liner when assembled from the internal blank;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the carton with closure flaps in an open position;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the carton with the closure flaps in a closed position;

Fig. 8 is a plan view from underneath of the carton;

Fig. 9 is a perspective partially cut-away view of a number of the cartons in a stacked configuration; Fig. 10 is a plan view of an alternative external carton shell blank;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing folding of the external blank of Fig 10; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a carton formed from the blank of Figs 10 and 11.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1 to 9 thereof there is shown a carton 1 which is assembled from two blanks, namely, an external carton blank 2 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and an internal support liner blank 3 shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the external blank 2 is formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated fibre board. The various panels, flaps, tabs and openings are defined by cuts and lines of weakness or fold lines, as shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

A side wall panel 10 has a pair of vertically-extending vent openings 12(a). An opposed side wall panel 11 also has vent openings 12(a), and additionally includes a fastening tab 13 extending from one extremity of the blank 2.

A side base flap 15 extends downwardly from each of the panels 10 and 11. Each flap 15 is of generally rectangular shape.

There are short transverse closure flaps 21 and larger longitudinal closure flaps 20. The longitudinal flaps 20 have cut-out portions 23 for snap-fitting engagement with the corners of the adjacent short transverse flaps 21. There are cut lines 24 close to each of the corners of the transverse flaps 21 to facilitate the snap fitting engagement.

The blank 2 also comprises a pair of opposed end wall panels 25, each having a pair of vertical vent openings 26(a) and a horizontal handle opening 27(a).

An end base flap 30 extends downwardly from each panel 25. Each flap 30 is of rectangular shape and has a rectangular engagement opening 31(a) located centrally at the upper edge.

Each end closure flap 21 extends upwardly from each panel 25 and comprises a vent opening 36(a) located centrally along its lower edge.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the internal support liner blank 3 is formed from a unitary sheet of corrugated fibre board which may be of double thickness, and again the panels, flaps, tabs and openings are defined by cuts and fold lines. Parts which are in registry with or engage parts of the external blank 2 are indicated by the same reference numeral followed by the letter (b) , for clarity. The internal blank 3 forms a liner for the carton 1, when assembled.

The internal blank 3 comprises a pair of opposed side liner panels 50, each having vent openings 12(b) located for registry with the vent openings 12(a). There is also a pair of end liner panels 55, each having vent openings 26(b) and a handle opening 27(b) for registry with the openings 26(a) and 27(a) respectively. Each panel 55 also has an engagement tab 31(b) extending downwardly and located for engagement with a corresponding engagement opening 31(a) of the external panel 2. A recess 36(b) is cut out from each panel 55 at a central position in-line with the tab 31(b). As is clear from Fig. 4, the recess 36(b) and the tab 31(b) are formed in the stamping cutting operation for side-by-side blanks 3 as they are being produced.

The internal blank 3 comprises four corner struts defined by diagonal walls 60 between adjacent panels 50,55.

As is clear from Figs. 2 and 4, the constituent parts of the carton 1, namely, the blanks 2 and 3, may be produced using simple and well established board production cutting/stamping and forming operations.

For assembly of the carton 1, the external carton shell blank 2 is folded to bring the side panels 10 and 11 and the end panels 25 into position. The end base flaps 30 are then folded up followed by the side base flaps 15. Adhesive is applied to the fastening tab 13 and it is bonded to the inside surface of the adjoining end wall panel 25. Alternatively, adhesive may be applied to the other surface and the tab is bonded to the outside surface of the adjoining panel 25. The base flaps are then secured together by adhesive to form a base for the carton, as shown most clearly in Figs. 6 and 8. The external carton shell blank 2 after assembly in this manner is hereinafter referred to as a carton shell. To complete assembly of the carton 1, the internal support liner blank 3 is folded to a position shown in Fig. 5 with the corner struts 60 at the extremities overlapping, and being subsequently bonded together. Again, very simple folding and bonding operations are sufficient for assembly. The internal blank 3, hereinafter referred to as a liner, is then pushed downwardly into the carton shell until the engagement tabs 31(b) engage and extend through the corresponding openings 31(a) in the end base flaps 30 of the carton shell blank 2.

After assembly, the carton 1 is as shown in the plan view of Fig. 6. The closure flaps 20 and 21 are free and there is full access to the inside of the carton 1. When it is desired to close the carton 1, the side closure flaps 20 are hinged inwardly. The end closure flaps 21 are then also hinged inwardly and pressed against the side closure flaps 20 until the corner tabs snap into position underneath the cut-outs 23. The action of the inter- engaging tabs and the cut-outs 23 retain the closure flaps 20, 21 in the closed position - extending downwardly at a small angle to the horizontal.

The most important aspect of the invention is the strength afforded by the particular arrangement of the rectangular outer carton shell and the special inner liner. The liner is octagonal in the sense that the corner strut-forming diagonal walls 60 of the liner result in major strengthening of the carton with minimum paper usage. The strengthening afforded by the corner struts 60 is best illustrated in Fig. 9. The triangular corner struts also provide a platform to support the shortened closure flaps 20, 21 in the closed transport configuration. The simple interengagement of the closure flaps 20, 21 also assists in strengthening the carton without a complex assembly procedure and using a minimum amount of paper. The opening thus formed by the flaps 21, 20 is also an extremely beneficial marketing tool. The closure flaps ensure that the load is evenly applied when the cartons are stacked.

The locating means to ensure that the inner liner is correctly located and aligned within the carton shell is also important. In particular, the downwardly extending tabs 31(b) of the liner locate the liner engaging in the corresponding slots 31(a) in the carton shell. However, additional location and support is also provided by the fact that the liner tabs 31(a) extend downwardly to engage and be supported on the corresponding recess 36(b) in the liner. This extra top to bottom stacking strength is achieved with minimum paper usage.

It will be appreciated that the ventilation and other apertures in the carton shell and\or liner may be oversize with respect to one another. To minimise the impact on crush strength the apertures in the carton shell may be oversize with respect to the apertures in the liner.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a carton which is very simple to repeatedly open and close as desired. When the closure flaps are in the closed position, they provide a significant extent of coverage for the goods within the carton and thus a good deal of protection. They also assist is providing a certain degree of strength of the walls so that the carton can withstand the forces which are applied. It is extremely convenient for people to open and close the carton for inspecting the goods and taking samples, etc. Finally, when the carton reaches the retail outlet, it is very simple for the retailer to open the closure flaps and use the carton for display of the goods in an attractive manner. When emptied, the carton may be re-used.

It will also be appreciated that the carton requires relatively little material as compared, for example, with cartons which have a full closure which must be removed for inspection or display of the goods.

Referring to Figs. 10 to 12 there is illustrated another carton according to the invention in which parts similar to those described above are identified by the same reference numerals. In this case each side closure flap 20 has a snap-fitting locking tab 121 terminating at both ends at a shoulder 122, The shoulders 122 are generally of rectangular shape. Each flap 35 has a snap-fit locking tab 137 terminating in a tapered shoulder 138 at its end. On assembly, the tabs 137 snap into position underneath the tabs 121. The action of the unit engaging tabs 121, 137 and the shoulders 122 and 138 pressing against each other retain the closure flaps in the closed position.

It will be appreciated that any other alternative arrangement for snap-fitting engagement may be provided.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described. For example, the closure flaps may be of any different size, depending on the nature of the end use of the carton. The shoulders and tabs could be designed so that the flaps cover a much greater part of the opening of the carton if this is required. Any suitable ventilation opening arrangement may be used, depending on end use requirements.

Claims

A carton comprising: -

a carton shell comprising a base and upstanding walls;

A carton as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reinforcing corner struts are defined by the support liner.

A carton as claimed in claim 2 wherein the corner struts are defined by support walls of the liner which extend substantially diagonally between adjacent walls of the carton shell at the corners thereof .

A carton as claimed in any preceding claim including support liner locating means for aligning and locating the support liner in the carton shell.

A carton as claimed in claim 4 wherein the locating means comprises a tab which extends from a support liner or shell to engage a corresponding cut-out slot in the carton shell or liner when the support liner is correctly positioned in the carton shell.

6. A carton as claimed in claim 5 wherein the tab is provided on the support liner to engage a corresponding slot in the carton shell.

7. A carton as claimed in claim 6 wherein on stacking of one carton on another, the tab also engages a corresponding slot in a support liner of another carton .

8. A carton as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7 wherein there is a tab on at least two opposed panels of the support liner.

9. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the liner is of double thickness corrugated fibreboard.

10. A carton as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the liner is of treble thickness corrugated fibreboard.

11. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the liner is formed from a unitary blank folded along fold lines to form an endless liner for insertion into the carton shell.

12. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the liner is tightly fitted within the carton shell to provide both compression strength in the vertical direction and also in the other directions generally.

13. A carton as claimed in any of claims 2 to 12 wherein the liner is formed from a blank which is folded on itself and joined at a corner strut to form an endless liner.

14. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the carton shell includes at least two closure flaps extending from side walls thereof, the closure flaps having means for inter-engagement at a closed position over the support liner.

15. A carton as claimed in claim 14 wherein the closure flaps have tabs at their extremities for interleaving engagement and shoulders adjacent to the tabs interleave in the opposite sense.

16. A carton as claimed in claim 14 wherein the closure flaps have cut-out portions for snap- fitting engagement with edges and\or corners of adjacent flaps.

17. A carton as claimed in any of claims 14 to 16 wherein there are two longitudinal flaps and two transverse flaps, the longitudinal flaps have cutout portions for inter-engagement with the corners of the adjacent transverse flaps.

18. A carton as claimed in any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the carton shell is of rectangular shape in plan view and a closure flap comprises means for engaging flaps extending from both adjoining walls .

19. A carton as claimed in claim 18, wherein a pair of opposed flaps have tapered shoulders.

20. A carton as claimed in any of claims 14 to 20, wherein the flaps extend only partly across the top of the top of the carton when closed.

21. A carton as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the carton shell and support liner have ventilation apertures which are substantially aligned an assembly of the support liner to the carton shell.

22. A carton as claimed in claim 21 wherein the ventilation apertures in one of the carton shell and support liner are larger than the corresponding ventilation apertures in the other of the carton shell and support liner.

23. A carton as claimed in claim 22 wherein the ventilation apertures in the carton shell are larger than the corresponding ventilation apertures in the support liner.

24. A carton substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

25. A support liner blank for forming a carton as claimed in any preceding claim.

26. A carton shell blank for forming a carton as claimed in any of claims 1 to 24.