Carton with End Flap Voids for Article Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cartons for holding beverage containers or other articles lack improved features for efficient packaging and handling, particularly in nested arrangements, leading to suboptimal use of space and user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A carton design featuring a plurality of panels including a bottom panel, top panel, and side panels with foldable end flaps, allowing for a nested arrangement of articles with voids between the articles and the end flaps, and a method of forming this carton using a blank with specific fold lines and attachment features to facilitate easy assembly and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If articles are densely packed in the carton, then space utilization is improved, but user access to articles becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts a portion of the densely packed articles by providing access openings in the end walls of the carton. This allows users to reach into the densely packed interior and retrieve articles without having to open the entire carton or disrupt the compact arrangement of all articles.
2Strength
If end flaps are extended to close ends of the carton, then structural integrity is improved, but board material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by extending end flaps only partially along the longitudinal sides of the carton rather than covering the entire end surface. This provides sufficient structural closure and integrity while minimizing the amount of board material required for the end flaps.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A carton for containing a plurality of articles. The carton can comprise a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels can comprise at least a bottom panel, a top panel, and a side panel. At least one end flap can comprise at least a bottom end flap foldably attached to the bottom panel at an end of the carton. The end can have an opening adjacent the bottom end flap. The plurality of articles can be for being disposed in the interior of the carton so that a void is formed in the interior between at least one article of the plurality of articles and at least a portion of the bottom end flap at the end.