The Mead Corporation

Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC

Ronald A Baxter

Aaron L Bates

John Murdick Holley, Jr

James R Oliff

Jimmy Oliff

A separable dual carton for accommodating separate quantities of articles. The dual carton includes a plurality of panels hingedly connected to one another. A center top panel includes a tear strip which overlies at least one starter orifice. The starter orifice is formed from apertures in opposing panels which are sized and positioned to register with one another when the dual carton is erected. By removing at least a portion of the tear strip, the starter orifice becomes accessible to facilitate the separation of the dual carton into separate individual cartons.

Separable dual carton

Package of brick packs

A beverage carton has a center panel, a left panel foldably connected to the center panel along a left fold line, a right panel foldably connected to the center panel along a right fold line, and a strap handle formed from the center, left and right panels. The strap handle extends transversely, instead of longitudinally, across the center panel between the left and right panels to absorb lifting forces in the side panels rather than end panels of the carton.

Carton with transverse strap handle

A carton (C) has a bottom wall (10) having corners (11) and upright side walls (12, 14) and end walls (16, 18) adjoining the bottom wall. The intersection of the end and side walls having a first triangular-shaped gusset (30) defined by a first pair of fold lines (40, 42) divergingly extending toward the corner of the bottom wall and a second triangular-shaped gusset defined by a second pair of fold lines (44, 46) disposed above the first pair of fold lines divergingly extending away from the first triangular-shaped gusset.

Corner structure for carton

An interlocking arrangement (10) for panels has a locking tab (20) having a nose (22) and a base of a first width W.sub.T including at least one transverse segmented base edge (24) having have an outermost vane (26) and at least one inner vane (28). The locking tab is received by a locking slit (30) of a second width W.sub.S less than the first width of the locking tab.

Interlocking arrangement for panels

A package for containers such as cans or bottles arranged into two tiers includes a carton having a top wall, a pair of side walls, and a bottom wall all interconnected to form a tubular structure. A pair of lower end flaps is connected to the end edges of the bottom wall and a pair of upper end flaps is connected to the end edges of the top wall, the flaps being glued together to close the carton ends. The side wall width is smaller than the top or bottom wall length, whereby the carton includes open corners through which a portion of some of the packaged articles are exposed. A divider panel includes a main body portion having a pair of end edges and is of a length generally equal to said top wall length. A pair of divider end flaps are connected to the end edges of the main body. The divider panel is disposed within the carton. Each of the divider end flaps is glued to an inner surface of one of the upper and lower end flaps.

Carton for packaging two tiers of articles

In an article tray a base panel (20) and an article-receiving panel (22) are spaced apart in parallel relation by side walls (24, 26). Lower end panels (40) foldably joined to each end of the base panel (20) have locking tabs (42), stabilizing tabs (44) and securement tabs (46) alternatingly disposed along the top edge of the lower end panels such that portions of the article-receiving panel are wedged between respective pairs of locking tabs (42) and securement tabs (46).

Article tray

A keel structure in a wraparound type article carrier (10) has at least one trapezoidal-shaped keel element (40) formed from a pair of opposing upstanding panels (32, 42) which are spaced apart and interconnected at uneven heights by a platform (44) which has curved edges (47, 43) extending toward one another. At least one stabilizing tab (48) is interconnected with at least one of the upstanding panels (32, 42) and disposed in face contacting relationship with a base (20) of the article carrier (10).

Keel for wraparound article carrier

A tray-like, shallow carton (9) has angled corners and struts (34, 40) that reinforce the load bearing capacity of the carton. End closure flaps (20, 22, 24/25, 26/27) which become end walls of the carton have a pair of closure tabs (42) and sealing tabs (44) that cover and seal the angled corners of the carton (9). The carton (9) may be formed from a rectilinear blank (8) that contains all of the elements of the carton within the rectilinear perimeter of the blank (8). In another embodiment, a blank (208) and carton (209) have a corner structure which includes a tucking tab (248) lying between closure (242) and sealing (244) tabs. In the erected carton (209) the tucking tab (248) and closure tab (242) are pushed into the recess of each respective corner.

Sealable carton

Carton for cups or similar objects

A package comprises a plurality of flanged articles arranged into a two-tiered group wherein the articles in the upper tier are positioned in top-to-top contacting relation with the articles in the lower tier. Each article has a tubular side wall with a peripheral flange at its top end. The articles are arranged such that the axes of the articles in each tier are disposed vertically and parallel to each other. The group of articles is covered by a sleeve-like carton which includes top and bottom panels interconnected by a pair of side panels and an article retainer for engagement with both the flanges of a pair of the vertically aligned articles located at one of the open ends of the carton. The top panel overlies the bottoms of the articles in the upper tier whereas the bottom panel underlies the bottoms of the articles in the lower tier. The side panels are disposed alongside the side walls of the articles.

Package of a two-tier group of flanged article and method of forming the

An article case comprising interconnected top, bottom and side walls, end panels joined to the end edges of the top and bottom walls and being secured in overlapping relation at each end of the case, a pair of spaced rib panels extending between the top and bottom walls, a connecting panel interconnecting the rib panels and being disposed in flat face contacting relation with the top wall, a tear strip formed in the connecting panel, and a removable portion being formed in the top wall and side panels, the tear strip being adapted for simultaneous removal with the removable portion from the tear strip.

Growing community of inventors

Douglasville, GA, United States of America

Ronald A Baxter