AU2003227159B1 - Carton Improvements - Google Patents

Description

21/04/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 4 0262937999 N0.533 0003 54381 HKS:PAB:LR P/00/011 AUSTRALIA Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: GUILIO BARLETTA ROGER BALLESTRIN Name of inventor(s): GUILIO BARLETTA ROGER BALLESTRIN Address for Service: COLUSON CO.,117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention Title: CARTON IMPROVEMENTS Details of Associated Provisional Applications: 2003901619 The following statement Is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21

I

21/04/2004 21/042204 4*16 COLLISJN CO ADELAIDE 0262937999m 33 00 140.533 9004 2 This invention relates to carton enclosures for liquid retaining bladders, and means for carrying such carbons.

The use of carton enclosures for liquid retaining bladders is well known, particularly where the liquid is wine, and the shape of the carton is such that the height of the carton is approximately the width and depth of that carton. In other words, the design of such a carton has been established where the shape of the carton is 'squat" The choice of a "squat" shape is very logical for a number of practical reasons.

Firafly the costs associated with the carton relae directl to the amount of material being used to form It and the closer the shape is to a circle, the less outer surface material is required as compared to the volume of wine within the container. This shape therefore minimises fth cost per unit of wie, of the outer carton.

Secondly, a "squat" box is relatively stable and especially allows for apertures in a top surface to be available for use in holding and carrying such containers. It is to be remembered that If the containr is holding two, three or more litres of wine, then it Is relatively heavy and awkward to hold.

A further possible reason that

T

asquat" containers have generally been the only ones used and markete to ay great extent, is that in relation to any wine In a bladder, the Internal pressure or headW of liquid, directly defines the pressure acting against any outlet tap or valve. A HsquatC box therefore keeps such head relatively low, and therefobre assists in resisting -against forced leakage through the valve.

Perhaps the reasons that we have described are the reasons that the original shape was chosen, but it is now some 40 years after the original development of the '"squat" box, and very few changes have been made to it during this time.

It has been discovered that there are now good reasons to totally reconsider the design of carton enclosures for liquid reaining bladders, where there Is provided a lowermost tap for dispensing of liquid within the bladder. It has been realised that there is significant advantage in departing now from what appears to have been the "traditional design".

COMS 10 No: SMBI-0716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 0262837999 N0.533 D005 3 In a broadest sense this is then to provide a tall and slender container including an outer surrounding and supporting carton having within it and supported thereby a pliable bladder for holding liquid beverage. More specifically, a carton wherein the outer enclosure shape has overall dimensions approximate to those of a conventional wine bottle.

Such a tall and slender shape with a substantially square cross sectional shape in plan, has some surprising advantages.

A first of these Is that such a tall and slender container can fit into numerous locations traditionally proportioned cartons could not, rather than having to be located in a separate area in retail outlets or other bottle stores. Furthermore, these containers fit into the areas previously specifically set aside for bottles, such as in retail refrigerators, and the doors of domestic refrigerators, While such a container can otherwise be treated In the same way as a bottle, because it is shaped to take up a full "square" area, the contents of three standard bottles can be contained in the footprint space that would otherwise be required by a bottle of similar overall dimensions.

Containers of this type offer the further significant advantage of providing flat surfaces, which lend them selves to adornment with indicia of a promotion or Informative nature. As such, these cartons lend themselves to being promoted more aggressively than equivalent sized bottles, which may sit directly alongside.

Given also that the cost of the contents of such a container may only form a modest proportion of the total cost of the product when packaged, consumers can be confident of obtaining very good value for money.

Considering now the possible disadvantages, there are now improved taps that can resist higher head pressures and therefore resist unnecessary, or accidental release of liquid, even under impact conditions that might occur during standard transport.

Furthermore, such a tall and slender container will be proportionately heavier than a bottle of equivalent overall dimensions due to its increased capacity, and will therefore require greater effort to cany.

COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 0262837999 NO.533 D006 4 It is an object of this invention therefore, to provide a means for carrying such a container.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

According to the invention there is a tall and slender container for liquid beverages, where the container Includes an outer surrounding and supporting carton having within it and supported thereby a pliable bladder for holding liquid beverage, the carton having a top wall, four sides walls and a bottom wall defining together a rectilinear shape and where the dimensions of the top and bottom walls are such that these have a width and length which are each at least less than one third of the height of each respective side wall, so that the overall shape is a tall and slender carton, the shape and size of the bladder and the carton further being dimensioned so that the bladder when substantially, but not entirely filled with liquid beverage, substantially fills the carton, the bladder also having a tap positioned, shaped and of a size such that it will extend through an aperture at a lower location of a side wall of the carton, and there being an aperture through a one of the side walls of the carton which is located at or close to the top of the carton, and which has a width and depth of a size and shape to allow a plurality of fingers of an adult person to pass at least substantially there through, and pass through to an extent that the finger tips of the hand can rest under a centre of the top wall of the container and provide carrying support for the container thereby.

Preferably, the aperture for the fingers of a hand is located in a side wall opposing the side wall in which the tap aperture is located.

Preferably, the aperture for the fingers of a hand is accessible by diversion of a portion of the sidewall, which is adapted to be displaced Inwardly.

Preferably, the carton is made from single ply cardboard.

Preferably, the Internal dimensions of the carton are such that they are adapted to hold a quantity of liquid in the range of 2000 to 2500mls.

COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 21/242004 4:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 4 0262237999IJ 53 P0 NO.533 9007 Preferably, the internal dimensions of the carton are within a range of 270-340 mm height and 85-100 mm for a width and depth of each respective side.

Preferably, the bladder is holding wine.

I an aperture is available in the side of the carton at or close to the top of the carton, and of a width adequate to allow for the fingers of a hand to be introduced therein, then thisIslin fact avery strong but also very comfortabe way ofcarryng such a caton The reason for this is twofold, a first being that with a relatively small cross sectional shape, the dimensions of such an aperture are simnilar to that of the figers of persons who may wish to carry the container.

If one can introduce the fingers of ones hand Into t container so that the tips of the fingers are approximately at the centre of the container even though varying again the, underneath top of the container, then the liquid within the container hangs easily and aligned from such a support position-where the container is of the type described.

This is in contradiction to the '"squat" box where In order to be able to hold such a box with fingers located about the centre area, one must have apertures trough the top of the box and tre is a difficulty here which is that the sides of such an aperture may be relatively sharp and cause significant discomfort to a person carrying the box.

In practice, by having an elongate aperture just below the top of the box and passing fully through the side wall, allows for a hand to be comfortably located and variably located so that the finger tips and to some extent the rest of the fingers and palm, can be located so as to comnfortably hold and support such a tall and narrow box- For a better understanding of this invention, it will now be described in reference to a preferred embodiment which shall be described with the assistance of the following drawings: Figure 1 Is a perspective view of the carton according to the preferred embodiment; COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time (Itm) 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/034/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 0262837999 NO. 533 POOS 6 Figure 2 is a perspective view of the opposite face of the carton as in Figure 1; Figure 3 Is a cross sectional through the carton, showing the carton being held in the carrying position; Figure 3a is a cross sectional view through the carton; Figure 4 is a front view of the carton; Figure 5 is a rear view of the carton; and Figure 6 is a plan view of the top of the carton.

Referring now to the drawings In detail, there is a tall and slender container including an outer surrounding carton 1, hat is formed from skigle ply cardboard, in which there are perforations at 2 to allow for the ready access through the corrugated cardboard material of carton 1, to a tap 3, whisattached to the bladder wthn the carton. The carton itself has flaps 6 and 7.

The opposite face of the carton 1 has a perforated outline 10 that allows for section 12 to be pushed inwards to create the aperture 14.

Accordingly, the use of carton I can beseen In figure 3. Thefingers 20 of a hand can be inserted through aperture 14, pushing section 12 inwards, to comfortably hold carton 1. In doing so, the internal bladder 21 of carton 1 is slightly deformed.

Section 12 folds Inwards and upwards, towards the uppermost inside face 23 so as to rest against face 23. In this way then the fingers 20 are supporting the top of the orton from the Inside face 23.

The tips of the fingers 26 then are located at approximately the middle of the top of the carton.

The handle in the carton then is adapted to enourage a user to Insert their hand into the landle with their palm facing upwardly. This naturally and automatically encourages a user to lift the carton using their biceps, reducing the perceived effort required to handle the cask.

COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 4 0262837999 NO. 533 0009 7 The weight of the carton is transmitted via the top edge of the slotted handle aperture, which incorporates an inwardly protruding tab that spreads the load over the padded portion of the hand. The carton then pivots about this point until the fingertips of the hand come into contact with the inner top surface of the cask, where It then rests very comfortably so as to give the carton a sight downward Inclination.

This slight downward and forward inclination of the cask when It Is being handled is a very natural and effective position for pouring, as the user has a free hand with which to operate the tap, and the inclination places the head of the liquid above the tap, even when the cask is nearing empty.

As can be seen from figure 1, the appearance of such a tall and slender container begins to resemble that of a box used to enclose bottles, and by the selection of the appropriate dimensions, both the size of the carton 1 and the quantity of product that it can hold within are found to have quite significant advantages.

The height illustrated at 8 in the first embodiment is 328mm and sides 9 and 9a are of equal size. In this case, each is of 95mm. As such, the equivalent internal dimensions for this carton are then 322mm in height and 92mm for both the sides, this then allows for a bag or Internal bladder, as shown in the cut-away figure 3a, showing the internal height dimension 27 and one of the internal side dimensions 28, to define a volume capacity at 2250ml.

In a further embodiment the internal dimensions have a height of 325mm and both sides are of 90mm. This then provides a volume again of 2250ml, which is three times the normal volume of a conventional wine bottle, which is 750ml.

When a customer inserts their fingers into aperture 14 of carton Fig 2, this then provides a very comfortable and relatively easy way of providing or having a secure means of holding the carton and does away with the necessity to have a handle or holding member attached to the top of the container, which may inhibit the stacking of such cartons as well as effecting the overall appearance of such a carton, the latter being a significant issue in relation to the potential purchasing public.

There is provided, therefore, a perception of value for money to a consumer as the ratio of volume to area of the containing bag is significantly less than previously proposed or commercially provided for, and furthermore, there is a greater visual COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 2±'042~04 14:1G COLLISON CO ADELAIDE -4 0262237999 .53 M1 NO. 533 IP010 8 Impact than has until now been available with the use of conventional casks. it is also relatively straightforward and easy to carry as the shape of the aperture 14 and its location allows it to hang more ergonomically on the fingers or hand of a holder.

Additionally, the tall and slender proportions provides a significant head pressure above the taP Outlet 3 Fig 1, which then allows, when compared to traditional squat type boxes, a more steady and even flow of wine for a equivalent period of use.

This has the effect that more of the liquid Contents will be able to be dispensed without the need for tMling of the container or removal of the internal bladder, which is rather custormry for users to do in the case of squat boxes, as there Is a greater percentage volume of contents left remaining in the bladder of squat boxes.

The significant advantage of such an arrangement is that wNle It loses efficiency in terms of volume contained within as compared to surface area, suddenly the enclosure takes on a shape that will fit as would a bottle, within the appropriate places in storage devices such as within a refrigerated door.

Furthermore, despite fth additional cost which arises because of Vhe now extended surface to volume ratio, the shape takes on proportions which are miewed by many potential customers as indicating a product of higher quality, the product then itself can carry a higher price point and, even more importantly, will be able to take its place within bottle displays rather than cask displays only.

For all these reasons, It Is considered that this ivention is of great economnic and functional importance In the airena of retal carton sales Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be t most practical and preferred embodiment, It Is recognised that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which Is niot to be limited to the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21

Claims (7)

1. A tall and slender container for liquid beverages, where the container Includes an outer surrounding and supporting carton having within it and supported thereby a pliable bladder for holding liquid beverage, the carton having a top wall, four sides walls and a bottom wall defining together a rectilinear shape and where the dimensions of the top and bottom walls are such that these have a width and length which are each at least less than one third of the height of each respective side wall, so that the overall shape Is a tali and slender carton, the shape and size of the bladder and the carton further being dimensioned so that the bladder when substantially, but not entirely fled with liquid beverage, substantia fills the carton, the bladder also having a tap positioned, shaped and of a size such that it will extend through an aperture at a lower location of a side wall of the carton, and there being an aperture through a one of the side walls of the carton which Is located at or close to the top of the carton, and which has a width and depth of a size and shape to allow a plurality of fingers of an adult person to pass at least substantially there through, and pass through to an extent that the finger tips of the hand can rest under a centre of the top wall of the container and provide carrying support for the container thereby.

2. A tag and slender container as in the immediately preceding claim, further claacterised in that the aperture for the fingers of a hand is located in a side wall opposing the side wall in which the tap aperture is located.

3. A tall and slender container as in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised in that the aperture for the fingers of a hand is accessible by diversion of a portion of the sidewall, which is adapted to be displaced inwardly.

4. A tall and slender container as in any one of the preceding claims, furtr characterised in that the carton is made from single ply cardboard.

5. A tall and slender oontainer as in any one of the preceding claims, further charaterLsed in that the bladder, and the Internal dimensions of the carton are such that they are adapted to hold a quantity of liquid in the range of 2000 to 2500mls. COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21 21/04/2004 14:16 COLLISON CO ADELAIDE 4 0262837999 ND0.533 D012

6. A tall and slender container as in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised in that the internal dimensions of the carton are within a range of

270-340 mm height, and 85-100 mm for a width and depth of each respective side. 7. A tall and slender container as in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised in that the bladder is holding wine. 8. A tall and slender container substantially as described In the specification with reference to and as Illustrated by the accompanying illustrations. Dated this 21st day of April 2004 1 By their Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO COMS ID No: SMBI-00716362 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:53 Date 2004-04-21