20050183984 | Dual-purpose lip color container | August, 2005 | Shih |
20080208141 | Plastic Bottle for Oxaliplatin Solution | August, 2008 | Roth et al. |
20070215501 | Protective container for a flat screen monitor | September, 2007 | Hanson et al. |
20080035496 | Packaged combination including a fluid container having walls dimensioned to receive a solid object, including edible items | February, 2008 | Lindemann |
20060068351 | Apparatus and method for providing a prescription orthodontic bracket kit | March, 2006 | Castner |
20080128435 | Napkin adapted to cradle a stemmed glass | June, 2008 | Hester et al. |
20070205120 | GOLF BAG WITH PIVOTING BALANCE HANDLE | September, 2007 | Vosloo |
20090165868 | Automated condensate drain line cleaning system, method, and kit | July, 2009 | Pearson |
20060283746 | Indicator for plasma sterilization and packaging material for sterilization | December, 2006 | Sutoh et al. |
20030084532 | Golf club cleaner | May, 2003 | Doan |
20060151349 | Trading card and container | July, 2006 | Andrews et al. |
[0001] The present invention relates to containers or cartons and retail promotional packages including same.
[0002] The provision of packaging means, for example, secondary containers or cartons for the distribution of beverages such as bottles or cans of beer, soft drinks or the like in primary containers is a major aspect of the beverage manufacturing industry, especially in North America. The container should be of the lowest possible cost consistent with providing the required functionality. It is usually supplied to the beverage manufacturer in a flat (i.e. “knocked down” condition) and is conveniently and rapidly erectable by commercially available equipment for reception of beverage-filled bottles or cans and sealed following such filling. It should be noted that such secondary containers generally enclose six, twelve or up to twenty-four bottles or cans which when filled, constitute a relatively heavy load and place quite severe mechanical strains on the container. Moreover, especially in the Canadian context where all such bottles and cans are returnable, it is very important that the secondary container is adapted to receive the bottles and cans when empty to enable same to be transported to a collection facility. Even when the bottles or cans are empty, they still present a significant loading. The result is that when the container is filled with full or empty bottles or cans and are being carried, there is a force created which the carton must absorb otherwise obviously disadvantageous results would ensue. In this latter situation, the flaps forming the top wall of the container will generally not be positively secured to each other by adhesive or other means and there is consequently some loss of structural rigidly when using the container to transport the empty returnable bottles or cans to a collection facility or the like. In such circumstances, it is important that any other demands or requirements made on the container do not further weaken it structurally to the extent it cannot fulfil this function.
[0003] Further, in recent years the marketing of packaged beverages has increasingly used promotional items, such as discount coupons, “scratch and win” cards; prize winning tickets and the like printed items. The distribution of such printed items can be expensive and problematic. For example, they can simply be included as a loose insert in the carton or printed on the exterior of the carton. Loose coupons may be damaged in the loading of the carton, lost or overlooked. Coupons printed directly onto the packaging are generally not easily removed and, if they are removed, the packaging is damaged or mutilated resulting in structural problems for the remaining life of the package with particular emphasis on required re-use of the package as in the beverage industry as described above. In many cases, and again, the beverage industry is a prime example, such items cannot be simply affixed to the outside of the carton because it interrupts its flat surfaces and prevents the demands made on the carton during its functional life such as when it is stacked in stores or being transported. Also, there are security aspects of the package that must be considered i.e. the promotional item should preferably not be visible and, if removed, that fact should be readily apparent from the condition of the carton.
[0004] There are significant problems in including premiums of a 3-D nature, such as key rings; bottle openers; golf balls etc. in cartons, especially end loading cartons. Obviously, such items cannot be simply dropped into the carton since, there is no top opening at the time of filling. The bottles or cans are assembled using a conveyor system into a loose “block” comprising the desired number of bottles, e.g. six to be inserted into a six-pack etc. and these are urged into an erected end-loading carton having the top, bottom and sides formed. Following inserting the bottles into the carton, the end walls, which seals the carton, are formed by a mechanical system over lapping and securing the side and end wall flaps to each other. It should be noted that the tops of the closures sealing the beverage in the bottle or can is virtually, if not actually, in contact with the adjacent carton top wall. In other words, there is virtually no headspace above the closure to position a premium.
[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a carton for placing a product in the retail sales process, which carton is adapted to carry a promotional item which can be accurately inserted into the carton and be mentioned there during transit to the consumer without materially affecting the subsequently desired functionality of the package.
[0006] The present invention provides a promotional package comprising a secondary carton containing a complement of filled primary beverage containers, such as bottles or cans, and a premium. The premium is attached to a support member which is adapted to be located over and be carried or borne by the primary containers. The premium support member may be a tray adapted to be supported by the crowns or tops used to seal the primary containers, for example by being provided with one or more upwardly extending depressions which extend over and are engaged by the crowns if the primary containers are bottles. Alternatively in the case of cans, which usually have an upstanding lip on their upper surface which forms a depression in the top of the can, the support member is provided with downwardly extending protuberance or projection which fits into the depression thereby preventing the support member, and premium, from moving, for example slipping off the cans. Alternatively the support member can be adapted for example by being provided apertures or slots, to allow the support to be carried by the bottle or can to a position below the bottle or can closure.
[0007] The carton may be made of paperboard material, such as corrugated board. However, one or more walls of the carton may be formed of a plastic material, in particular, heat shrinkable plastic material applied to the desired complement of primary containers following creating the combination of same with the promotional article.
[0008] More specifically, the present invention provides a promotional package comprising a carton having a complement of beverage-filled primary containers such as bottles and cans and a premium, said premium being attached to a support member which is located over, retained and borne by one or more of said primary containers at a position in said carton which does not significantly distort any wall of said carton.
[0009] It is preferred that the carton is an end loader comprises serially; top, rear, bottom and front interconnected walls, means connecting said top wall to said front wall to form a tubular sleeve, opposing pairs of panels connected by hinge lines to the free edges of respective top, rear, bottom, and front walls and extending substantially the length thereof, each panel folded to overlie its opposing panel to overlie and be secured thereto to form an end wall at each end of said sleeve. In use, the top wall overlies and adjacent to extremities of said primary containers. The support member is provided with one or more depressions or protuberances adapted to engage and be restrained by upper extremities of one or more of said primary containers. In an alternative embodiment, the support member is provided with one or more apertures each of which is adapted to allow passage there through of the upper or neck portion of said primary containers which then carry said support member at a position below the location of the primary containers closure member.
[0010] The package may contain various numbers of primary containers, for example, 2, 4, 6, 12 or 24, with at least 6 being preferred.
[0011] In a further aspect the present invention provides a package comprising: a carton having top, rear, bottom and front interconnected walls, means connecting said top to said front wall to form a sleeve, each of said walls having a flap foldably connected to each end thereof to provide a series of said flaps at each end of said carton, each of said series of flaps being foldable to form an end wall, said carton containing a complement of at least six beverage-filled and sealed primary containers and a support member carrying a premium, which support member is located over and is restrained and borne by at least four of said primary containers in such a manner that none of said carton walls is significantly distorted.
[0012] It is preferred that the support member is generally planer and is borne by six primary containers. The support member preferably has at least two but especially has six depressions, each adapted to receive and engage an upper extremity of a primary container and be retained thereby. In another embodiment, the invention provides a promotional article for delivering a premium to a consumer purchasing a plurality of beverage-filled primary containers in a carton, said article comprising a support member to which said premium is attached, said support member being adapted to be located over and retained by at least one primary container in said carton without distorting any wall of said carton.
[0013] It is preferred that the said support member is a tray provided with one or more depressions or protuberances adapted to receive, be retained and supported by an uppermost extremity of at least two of said primary containers. However, the support member may also have apertures which allow the necks of the bottles or cans to pass through allowing the support member to contact and be carried by another part of the primary container.
[0014] In yet a further embodiment the present invention provides a method for preparing a promotional beverage package containing a plurality of product containers and a premium, said method comprising:
[0015] affixing a premium to a support member which member is adapted to be carried by one or more beverage-containing primary containers;
[0016] agglomerating a random stream of primary containers preferably on a conveyor to form a group to be inserted into a carton which forms part of said package;
[0017] placing said support member over at least one primary container in said group such that it is supported thereby with the premium located in a void not occupied by the primary containers;
[0018] inserting said group and associated support member into a carton; and
[0019] sealing said carton.
[0020] It is especially preferred that the carton is an end loading carton.
[0021] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034] Referring to the drawings, a set-up or erected carton blank
[0035] In use, the blank is preferably employed for packaging an item
[0036] In the packaging process, refer
[0037] In an alternative embodiment, the “block” of bottles or other primary containers are packaged by being enclosed within a heat deformable plastic material film and the whole package is subjected to a heat stage, usually by passing through a heating tunnel, when the film shrinks to contact and hold together the primary containers. The result is known as a “shrink-wrapped” container and such a package is included within the term of “carton” as used herein. In order to provide further rigidity to the shrink-wrapped package, it may be preferable to locate the block of bottles on a tray or like member, before enclosing the whole within the plastic film envelope.
[0038] Therefore, in the practice of the present invention, that problem is solved by using a “premium support” member—refer to FIGS.
[0039] As a practical matter, a single strip of tape extends across and is secured to support member
[0040] Turning to
[0041] In
[0042] In practicing the present invention, the support member
[0043] As will be appreciated from
[0044] The resulting filled and closed carton has at each end one end flap folded on the outer face of each side flap and one end flap folded underneath each side flap.
[0045] In this specific embodiment, the side and end flaps are generally rectangular with rounded corners. The lower end flaps
[0046] Although in the above detailed description both ends of the carton are closed in the same manner, it will be appreciated that if allowed or required by the nature of the contents to be packaged therein, one end of the carton may be closed by the method described above in detail and the other end closed in another conventional manner.
[0047] It will be appreciated that, if the manufacturer of the carton blank is not the user thereof as is usually the case, the carton blank may be supplied to the user with the panels
[0048] Obviously, the above specific embodiments all relate to end-loading cartons involving bottles the emphasis being placed on that type since the problems associated with including premium in cartons are more associated with that type of carton. However, the present invention may also be used to advantage in association cans as well as with other carton types in particular, top loading cartons. Moreover, the present invention although of particular interest with respect to the beverage industry may be used in association with packages containing primary containers of other products. This carton is described in more detail in Canadian Patent No. 1,297,851, the contents of which are included herein by this reference. Although the promotional article, package and delivery system of the present invention has been described with reference to the provision of bottles and cans of beer to the public, it will be appreciated it may also be used in association with other beverages and, indeed, other retail articles sold to the public in multiple unit formats.