EP3227194A1

EP3227194A1 - A package assembly, a blank and a method of manufacturing a package assembly

Info

Publication number: EP3227194A1
Application number: EP15823745.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Laetitia BLETRIX; Alain Kowalewski
Original assignee: Kraft Foods R&D Inc USA
Current assignee: Kraft Foods R&D Inc USA
Priority date: 2014-12-02
Filing date: 2015-11-25
Publication date: 2017-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-25
Also published as: CN107000886A; WO2016087931A1; GB2532952A; PL3227194T3; CN107000886B; AU2015356760B2; CA2966622C; AU2015356760A1; CA2966622A1; GB201421345D0; EP3227194B1

Abstract

Carton With Tray A package assembly comprises a carton (4) having a main body (20) including a bottom, top, front, and rear walls (24, 22, 26, 28) which define an interior volume in which a tray (6) is retained. The tray has peripheral flange (14) and is closed by means of flexible film (16) peelably secured to the flange. An opening (34) in the top wall allows the film to be peeled open whilst the tray is in the carton. The bottom, top, front, and rear walls define a tubular sleeve, the tray flange (14) is located below the top wall and the front wall has a supporting region (26a) in which a supporting structure is located below a portion of the flange. The tray (14) can be inserted into a partially erected carton (4) from one side.

Description

A Package Assembly, A Blank And A Method Of Manufacturing A Package

Assembly Technical Field of the Invention

The present application relates to a package assembly, a method of manufacturing the package assembly and to a blank for forming a carton forming part of the package assembly. The package assembly is particularly, though not exclusively, suitable for packaging perishable goods such as food, including confectionery and snack items.

Background to the Invention

It is known to package goods, and in particular perishable goods such as foodstuffs including confectionery and snacks such as biscuits, crackers, cheese and meats and the like, in a tray which is initially sealed by means of a flexible film. The film can be peeled away from the tray to gain access to the products but, prior to first opening, the film hermetically seals the tray so that the contents are protected. The tray typically comprises a base, a side wall region extending generally upwardly about the periphery of the base to define a volume in which the contents are contained and has a flange projecting outwardly from an upper edge of the side wall region to which the film is sealingly bonded after the contents have been introduced. Conveniently, the tray is thermoformed or vacuum-formed from a plastics material but other materials can be used.

Whilst this type of packaging has proved to be very effective at maintaining the freshness of perishable goods and is easy to manufacture and fill, it is not particularly aesthetically pleasing to the end user. It is known, therefore, to place the sealed tray inside a carton box made from a blank of foldable material to form a package assembly which is more aesthetically pleasing to consumers. The box can be printed on to provide information regarding the product as well as trademarks and other attractive design features. Usually, the tray has to be removed from the carton to be opened and the carton then discarded. This is suitable for goods that are to be consumed in one sitting or where the tray is to be placed in a refrigerator or the like after opening. However, for use with goods such as confectionery and snack foods that are to be consumed gradually over a period of time and where it is desirable that the package assembly can be left on display, the known packaging arrangements are less than ideal.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative package assembly which overcomes, or at least mitigates, the drawbacks of the known packaging.

It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative package assembly which is easier to use than the known packaging.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an alternative package assembly which is easier to manufacture than the known packaging.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide an alternative blank for forming part of a package assembly which meets the objectives outlined above.

It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative method of manufacturing a package assembly which overcomes, or at least mitigates, the drawbacks of the known methods Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a package assembly comprising: a carton having a main body including a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall and a rear wall which define an interior volume in which a tray is retained, the tray having a base and a peripheral side wall region extending upwardly from the base to define a volume for holding product and a flange extending outwardly about an upper peripheral edge of the sidewall region, the tray being closed by means of flexible film peelably secured to the flange; an opening defined in the top wall of the carton main body, the arrangement being configured to allow access to the tray through the opening such that the film can be wholly or partially removed from the tray whilst the tray is contained in the carton; wherein the bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall of the carton define a tubular sleeve, the flange of the tray is located below the top wall of the carton and the front wall of the carton has a supporting region in which a supporting structure is located below a first portion of the flange on the tray.

The main body of the carton may also comprise a pair of opposed side walls, at least one side wall comprising a plurality of foldable flaps and/or tabs.

The bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall may be defined by a series of panels interconnected by fold lines.

An uppermost extent of the supporting structure may be spaced below the top wall, the spacing being configured to provide sufficient clearance that the tray can be slid into the sleeve from one side, with the first portion of the flange locating between the top wall and the supporting structure. The spacing between the top wall and the upper extent of the supporting structure may be in the range of 2 mm to 6 mm. The tray may not be bonded to the carton.

In an embodiment, the front wall includes a pair of laterally spaced regions either side of the supporting region in which the front wall panel extends between and is connected by fold lines with the top wall panel and the bottom wall panel. In this embodiment, the supporting structure may comprise a front wall outer wall portion extending upwardly from an edge of the bottom wall, an upper wall portion extending inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall portion and an inner wall portion extending downwardly from an inner edge of the upper wall portion to the bottom wall. The carton may have at least one glue tab on an edge of the inner wall portion which is bonded to the bottom wall.

The opening may be defined generally in a central region of the top wall and extending from the rear wall to the front wall such that the top wall comprises a pair of spaced top wall portions, one on either side of the opening, each top wall portion overlying a portion of the flange. In this case, where the front wall includes a pair of laterally spaced regions either side of the supporting region in which the front wall panel extends between and is connected by fold lines with the top wall panel and the bottom wall panel, in each of the pair of laterally spaced regions the front wall panel may extend between the bottom wall and a respective one of the top wall portions.

The film may have a tab which can be grasped to initiate opening of the tray, the tab being accessible through the opening. The film may not extend fully to the outer edge of the flange at one side edge of the tray, the tab being located at or adjacent said one side edge and positioned such that it can be grasped by a user through the opening in the top wall to initiate opening of the tray. In an embodiment, the film does not extend fully to the outer edge of the flange at both of opposed sides of the tray, the flange portions not covered by the film each being located under a respective one of the top wall panel portions. The flange at each of said opposed sides may have a greater depth than the flange along front and rear edges of the tray.

The carton may be formed from a single unitary blank of foldable material such as cartonboard or the like.

The carton may have a lid connected with the rear wall, the lid being movable between a closed position in which it overlies the top wall so as to at least partially cover the opening and an open position in which it is displaced away from the top wall to expose the opening.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a package assembly comprising: a carton formed from a blank of foldable material, the carton having a main body with a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed side walls which define an interior volume within which a tray is retained, the tray being closed by means of removable flexible film; an opening defined in at least the top wall, which opening is configured to allow access to the tray such that the film can be wholly or partially removed from the tray whilst the tray is contained in the main body; wherein the bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall are defined by a series of panels interconnected by fold lines to define a tubular sleeve, at least one of the ends of the sleeve being closed by means of a plurality of flaps and/or tabs which define a side wall of the main body.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a blank of foldable material for the manufacture of the carton of the package assembly according to either of the first and second aspects of the invention, the blank comprising in sequence: a first glue tab panel, a top wall panel, a front wall panel, a bottom wall panel, and a rear wall panel, adjacent ones of said panels being connected by a fold line; an opening being defined in the top wall panel; the blank further comprising one or more supporting structure panels foldably connected with the front wall panel.

The blank may also have a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the bottom wall panel.

The opening in the top wall panel may be located generally in a central region of the top wall extending from the first glue tab panel towards the front wall panel such that the top wall panel comprises a pair of top wall panel portions, one on either side of the opening, each top wall panel portion extending between the first glue tab panel and the front wall panel. The opening may be defined in part by a pair of spaced cut lines extending longitudinally across the top wall panel from the first glue tab panel to the front wall panel, the cut lines extending into the front wall panel by a distance to define a supporting region in the front wall panel, the front wall panel having a pair of planar front wall panel portions either side of the supporting region, each planar front wall panel portion extending between the bottom wall panel and a respective one of the top wall panel portions.

In an embodiment, the front wall panel in the supporting region has a depth measured from its connection with the bottom wall panel which is less than the depth of the planar panel portions on either side, the blank having a front wall upper wall portion panel connected by means of a fold line along one edge to an upper edge of the front wall panel in the supporting region and connected at an opposite edge to a front wall inner wall portion panel by means of a further fold line, the blank having at least one further glue tab panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the front wall inner wall portion panel.

The blank may comprise a lid panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the rear wall panel. The blank may comprise a first lid panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the rear wall panel and a second lid panel connected by a further fold line to the first lid panel.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of the package assembly according to either of the first and second aspects of the invention using the blank according to the third aspect, the method comprising the steps of:

a. folding the blank along the fold lines which separate the first glue tab panel, the top wall panel, the front wall panel, the bottom wall panel, and the rear wall panel in a constant direction to form a sleeve open on either side and affixing the glue tab panel to an inner surface of the rear wall panel;

b. forming the supporting structure in the front wall supporting region; c. inserting the tray into the sleeve through the opening on one side.

Where the blank has a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the bottom wall panel, the method may comprise forming side walls closing the sleeve by folding the first and second side wall flaps on either side of the sleeve, step c being carried out before the side wall on said one side is formed. Steps a and b can be carried out at a first location, the partially formed carton being transferred to a different location where step c is carried out.

Where the blank has a front wall panel in the supporting region having a depth measured from its connection with the bottom wall panel which is less than the depth of the planar panel portions on either side, the blank having a front wall upper wall portion panel connected by means of a fold line along one edge to an upper edge of the front wall panel in the supporting region and connected at an opposite edge to a front wall inner wall portion panel by means of a further fold line, the blank having at least one further glue tab panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the front wall inner wall portion panel; step b may comprise folding the blank about the fold lines connecting the front wall panel in the supporting region, the front wall upper wall portion panel, and the front wall inner wall portion panel in constant direction to form the supporting structure, folding the blank about the fold line connecting the front wall inner wall portion panel and the at least one further glue tab panel and bonding the further glue tab panel to an inner surface of the bottom wall panel.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of the package assembly according to either of the first and second aspects of the invention using the blank according to the third aspect, the method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a partially erected blank in which the blank has been folded along the fold lines which separate the first glue tab panel, the top wall panel, the front wall panel, the bottom wall panel, and the rear wall panel in a constant direction to form a sleeve open on either side and the glue tab panel is affixed to an inner surface of the rear wall panel and the supporting structure has been formed. b. inserting the tray into the sleeve through the opening on one side of the sleeve.

Where the blank has a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the bottom wall panel, the method may forming the side wall on said one side by folding the first and second side wall flaps on that side of the sleeve to at least partially close the opening and securing the flaps in position. In which case, step b may be carried out before either of the side walls is formed or it may carried after one of the side walls is formed.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is perspective view of an embodiment of a package assembly of the present invention comprising a carton and a tray held in the carton.

Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a blank of the present invention which may be used to form an embodiment of a carton forming part of the package assembly of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a partially formed carton forming part of the package assembly of the present invention produced from the blank of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the package assembly of Figure 1 during construction. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the package assembly of Figure 1 during construction.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the package assembly of Figure 1 illustrating a method of opening the package assembly.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a tray forming part of the package assembly of Figure 1.

An embodiment of a package assembly 2 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. The package assembly 2 is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for packaging food and other perishable products, including snacks and confectionery.

Relative directional terms such as upper and lower as used herein refer to the package assembly 2 when positioned as shown in Figure 1 and should be construed accordingly. When applied to component parts of the package assembly, such terms refer to the orientation of the parts when used in the package assembly in its illustrated position. It will be appreciated, however, that the package assembly and its parts could be used in other orientations.

The package assembly 2 includes a carton 4 which encloses an inner container in the form of a tray 6. The carton 4 is made from a blank of foldable material such as cartonboard or the like and, in the present embodiment, the tray 6 is thermoformed or vacuum-formed from a plastics material. However, the carton and tray 6 could be manufactured from other suitable materials.

The tray has a base 8 and a peripheral side wall region 10 extending upwardly from the base to define a volume in which the contents of the package are received. A peripheral flange 14 extends outwardly from the upper edge of the side wall region of the tray. The tray is closed by means of a flexible film 16 which is releasably secured to the flange 14 in a known manner to seal the contents in the tray. The film 16 can be fully or partially removed by peeling it away from the flange 14 to gain access to the contents. An outer edge portion of the film 16 is not secured to the flange 14 and in at least one region, a relatively large outer edge portion of the film is un-bonded to form a tab 18 which can be grasped by a user to aid opening of the tray. In the present embodiment, the tray is generally rectangular in plan and the tab 18 is located at a corner of the tray at one side. Alternatively, a tab may be formed by attaching an additional portion of material to the upper surface of the film or where the film is a laminate, the tab may be provided by a portion of an upper layer of the film which is not bonded to a lower portion.

The film 16 may be a plastics film but can be made of other flexible materials such as paper, foil or the like. The film 16 could also be a laminate structure comprising layers of different materials including any of the above. At least part of the film may be transparent so that the contents of the tray can be viewed through the film and/or at least part of the film 16 may be printed on. The film may be bonded to the flange of the tray by means of an adhesive or it may be welded to the tray in a peelable manner. Where an adhesive is used, the adhesive may be heat or pressure sensitive or it may be a cold seal adhesive. The film 16 may be bonded to the tray using a reclosable or resealable adhesive which allows the film to be reattached to the flange 14.

The carton 4 has a main body portion 20 which defines a relatively shallow rectangular box in which the tray 6 is held. The main body portion 20 has a top wall 22, a bottom wall 24, a front wall 26, a rear wall 28 and side walls 30, 32. An opening 34 is provided in the top wall 22.

The opening 34 is located substantially centrally between the side edges of the top wall 22 and extends fully from the rear wall 28 to the front wall 26. Laterally, the opening 34 extends over the majority of the width of the top wall so that the top wall is made up of a pair of narrow top wall portions 22a, 22b, one on either side of the opening, each extending between the rear wall 28 and the front wall 26. When the tray 6 is located in the carton, each of the top wall portions 22a, 22b overlies the flange 14 on its respective side edge 14a, 14b of the tray so as to retain the tray 6 in the carton whilst exposing the majority of the upper surface of the tray. The flange portions 14a, 14b at the side edges of the tray which locate under the top wall portions 22a, 22b are wider than the flange portions 14c, 14d along the front and rear edges of the tray and the film 16 does not cover the whole of the extended portions 14a, 14b so that outer regions of these portions are not covered by the film. The tab 18 is located at one of the side edges of the tray so that it can be grasped by a user through the opening 34 to initiate opening of the tray. This arrangement ensures that the film 16 can be easily removed from the tray through the opening 34 whilst the tray is securely retained by the uncovered regions of the extended flange portions 14a, 14b locating under the top wall portions 22a, 22b.

In the present embodiment, the opening 34 has straight edges but it will be appreciated that the opening could be profiled to have a different shape to alter the appearance of the package assembly and that the shape may reflect to nature of the product and/or any images printed on the carton and/or the film. The front wall 26 has a supporting region 26a positioned substantially centrally between the sides of the carton main body in alignment with the opening 34 in the top wall. Within the supporting region 26a, the front wall 26 is double skinned to form a supporting structure which locates below a front edge portion 14c of the flange on the tray. In the supporting region, the front wall has an outer front wall portion 36 extending upwardly from an edge of the bottom wall, an upper wall portion 38 extending inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall portion below the flange 14c and an inner wall portion 40 extending downwardly from an inner edge of the upper wall portion to the bottom wall 24. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, a glue tab 42 is connected to the lower edge of the inner wall portion 40 by a fold line and is bonded to the inner surface of the bottom wall 24 to secure the upper wall portion 38 and the inner wall portion 40 in position.

Either side of the supporting region 26a, the front wall is single skinned, having planar front wall portions 26b, 26c which extend fully from the bottom wall 24 to the top wall 22 and which connect with the respective top wall portions 22a, 22b. The supporting region 26a of the front wall 26a is shorter than the planar front wall portions 26b, 26c on either side. The arrangement is such that the upper wall portion 38 is located below the flange 14c along a front edge of the tray which overlies the upper wall portion 38.

The top wall 22, bottom wall 24, front wall 26 and rear wall 28 are all connected by fold lines and during formation of the carton are folded to form a sleeve open at either side. The tray 6 is slid into the partially formed carton so that the front edge 14c of the flange 14 overlies the upper wall portion 38 of the front wall supporting region 26a until the side edges 14a, 14b of the flange underlie their respective top wall portions 22a, 22b. The side walls 30, 32 of the main body of the carton are both formed by means of a plurality of flaps and tabs which can be folded into position and secured together in a known way to close the sleeve after the tray has been inserted. In particular, each side wall 30, 32 comprises a first major side wall flap 44 foldably connected along a side edge of the top wall 22, a second major side wall flap 46 foldably connected along a side edge of the bottom wall 24, a first minor side wall tab 48 foldably connected to a side edge of the front wall 26 and a second minor side wall tab 50 foldably connected to a side edge of the rear wall.

The double wall construction of the front wall 26 in the supporting region 26a provides additional structural rigidity for the carton and acts as a supporting structure for the flange 14, especially during opening of the tray. In one method of opening, a user can press the flange 14 down into contact with the upper wall portion 38 whilst peeling the film 16 open. The upper wall portion 38 is spaced below the top wall 22 by a distance X which is selected so that the tray can be reliably slid into the partially formed carton from one side using conventional packaging machinery with the flange 14 locating in the gap between the upper wall portion 38 and the top wall 22. Typically the distance X may be in the range of 2 to 6 mm.

The carton also has a lid 52 which is pivotally connected at 54 to an upper edge of the rear wall 28 of the main body portion by means of a fold line. The lid 52 is a planar member which is configured to overlay the top wall 22 of the main body portion in a closed position so as cover the opening 34 in the top wall. In the embodiment illustrated, the lid 52 is substantially the same size and shape as the top wall 22 so as to cover the whole of the top wall 22. However, the lid could be differently shaped and it could be arranged so as to cover only part of the top wall 22. The lid 52 could also be configured so as to also overlay at least part of the front wall 26, especially in the supporting region 26a. As shown in Figure 1 , the lid 52 can be pivoted about hinge 54 to an open position in which the top wall 22 of the main body portion 14, the opening 34 and the tray 6 are exposed.

An embodiment of a blank 60 used to form the outer container 4 of the present invention is shown in Figure 2. The blank 60 comprises in order from left to right as shown: a first lid panel 62, a second lid panel 64, rear wall panel 66, a bottom wall panel 68, a front wall panel 70, a top wall panel 72, and a first glue tab panel 74, the various panels each being connected to adjacent panels by respective fold lines 76, 78, 80, 82, 84 86. An opening 34 is formed in the top wall panel 72. The opening 34 is generally rectangular in shape and is centrally located between opposed sides of the top wall panel 72. The opening 34 extends from the edge of the top wall panel 72 adjacent the glue tab panel 74 towards the front wall panel 70. The opening 34 is defined in part by cut lines 88, 90 along either side such that the top wall panel 72 is divided into two top wall panel portions 72a, 72b extending along either side between and connected to the front wall panel 70 and the first glue tab panel 74. The cut lines 88, 90 extend beyond the fold line 84 into the front wall panel by a distance X which determines the spacing X between the top wall 22 and the upper wall portion 38 of the supporting structure in the completed carton. The region between the cut lines 88, 90 in the front wall panel 70 forms the supporting region 26a of the front wall 26 in the completed carton 4. Between the cut lines 88, 90 are located in series, from left to right as shown, a front wall supporting region upper wall panel 92, a front wall supporting region inner wall panel 94 and a further glue tab panel 96. The front wall supporting region upper wall panel 92 is connected along a first edge by a fold line 98 to the upper edge of the front wall panel in the supporting region 26a and along a second edge opposite the first by a further fold line 100 to the front wall supporting region inner wall panel 94. The further glue tab panel 96 is connected to the front wall supporting region inner wall panel 94 by a fold line 102.

First major side wall flap panels 104 are each foldably connected along a respective side edge of the top wall panel 72 by fold lines 106 and second major side wall flap panels 108 are each foldably connected along a respective side edge of the bottom wall panel 68 by fold lines 1 10. First minor side wall tab panels 1 12 are each foldably connected to a respective side edge of the front wall panel 70 by fold lines 1 14 and second minor side wall tab panels 1 16 are each foldably connected to a respective side edge of the rear wall panel 66 by fold lines 1 18.

The blank 60 may be printed upon, especially in the outer surfaces of the blank.

A method of manufacturing the package assembly is now described.

First the blank 60 is partially erected to part form the main body sleeve 20.

Initially, the blank 60 is folded along fold line 76 such that the first lid panel 62 overlies the second lid panel 64 and the first lid panel is secured to the second lid panel, say by means of adhesive. By connecting the lid panels 62, 64 a lid 52 for the carton is formed. The blank 60 is also folded along fold lines 78, 80, 82, 84, 86 in a constant direction to form a rectangular box-like sleeve and first glue tab panel 74 is affixed, say by bonding using an adhesive, to the inside surface of the rear wall panel 66. The front wall supporting region 26a of the carton is constructed by folding the upper wall panel 92 inwardly about fold line 98 until it extends substantially orthogonally to the front wall panel 70, folding the inner wall panel 94 about the fold line 100 in the same direction so that it extends generally parallel to the front wall panel towards the bottom wall panel 68. The further glue tab panel 96 is folded out in the opposite direction about fold line 102 until it extends generally parallel to the inner surface of the bottom wall panel 68. The further glue tab panel 96 is affixed to the inner surface of the bottom wall panel 68 using a suitable adhesive. This secures the double skinned supporting region 26a of the front wall in position.

At this stage the partially erected blank 60 defines a sleeve-like main body 20 of the carton 4 which is open on either side and is ready to receive the tray 6, which is slid into the sleeve though one side or the other as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Once the tray 6 is in position inside the sleeve, the side walls 30, 32 are formed by folding the first and second minor tab panels 1 12, 1 16 inwardly and then folding the first and second major flap panels 104, 108 into position so that they overlie one another closing the sides of the carton. At least the overlapping flaps are bonded to one another to hold them closed in a known manner. When the tray 6 is secured in the carton 4, the flange 14 at the front overlies the upper wall portion 38 of the front wall of the carton and the flange portions along the sides of the tray are disposed below the respective top wall portions 22a, 22b.

It will be appreciated that the above steps need not be carried out in exactly the order described. For example, the support structure could be formed before the blank is folded to form the main body sleeve 20. It should also be noted that the tray 6 could be inserted before either of the side walls is formed or it could be inserted from one side after the side wall on the other side has been formed. It will also be appreciated that the steps of partially erecting the blank to form the sleeve-like main body 20 could be carried out at a different time and location from the later steps of inserting the tray 6 and forming at least a last one of the side walls to secure the tray in position. For example, blanks 60 could be manufactured and partially erected by a packaging supplier to form the sleeve-like main body 20 with at least one side wall left open and the partially erected blanks transferred to a packaging location where the filled and sealed trays are inserted into the partially erected cartons and at least the last one of the side walls assembled to complete the packaging process. It will also be noted that the tray is not secured to the carton by bonding or adhesive but is held in position by the side walls once formed. This allows for ease of assembly by sliding the tray into the partially formed carton using conventional packaging techniques.

The lid 52 can be folded over to the closed position either before or after the tray is inserted. The lid 52 may further comprise an attachment means to attach the lid 52 to a further component of the outer carton 4 in order to retain the lid 52 in the closed position. The attachment means may comprise an adhesive such as a releasable adhesive, or a tab. For example, the lid may be provided with a flap for insertion in a slot in one of the wall panels of the main body. In addition, or alternatively, the package assembly 2 may be further wrapped in a transparent film to form an outer wrapper which holds the lid in the closed position.

In other embodiments to the one illustrated, the carton 4 may not include a lid 52. Instead, the opening 34 may be left uncovered and in such embodiments the opening 34 may also extend into at least a portion of the rear wall of the carton 4.

The above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A package assembly comprising: a carton having a main body including a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall and a rear wall which define an interior volume in which a tray is retained, the tray having a base and a peripheral side wall region extending upwardly from the base to define a volume for holding product and a flange extending outwardly about an upper peripheral edge of the sidewall region, the tray being closed by means of flexible film peelably secured to the flange; an opening defined in the top wall of the carton main body, the arrangement being configured to allow access to the tray through the opening such that the film can be wholly or partially removed from the tray whilst the tray is contained in the carton; wherein the bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall of the carton define a tubular sleeve, the flange of the tray is located below the top wall of the carton and the front wall of the carton has a supporting region in which a supporting structure is located below a first portion of the flange on the tray.

A package assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body of the carton also comprises a pair of opposed side walls, at least one side wall comprising a plurality of foldable flaps and/or tabs.

A package assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an uppermost extent of the supporting structure is spaced below the top wall, the spacing being configured to provide sufficient clearance that the tray can be slid into the sleeve from one side, the first portion of the flange locating between the top wall and the supporting structure. A package assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spacing between the top wall and the upper extent of the supporting structure is in the range of 2 mm to 6 mm.

A package assembly as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein the front wall includes a pair of laterally spaced regions either side of the supporting region in which the front wall panel extends between and is connected by fold lines with the top wall panel and the bottom wall panel. A package assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the supporting structure comprises a front wall outer wall portion extending upwardly from an edge of the bottom wall, an upper wall portion extending inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall portion and an inner wall portion extending downwardly from an inner edge of the upper wall portion to the bottom wall.

A package assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the carton includes at least one glue tab on an edge of the inner wall portion which is bonded to the bottom wall.

A package assembly as claimed in any one of the previous claims, the opening being defined generally in a central region of the top wall and extending from the rear wall to the front wall such that the top wall comprises a pair of spaced top wall portions, one on either side of the opening, each top wall portion overlying a portion of the flange.

A package assembly as claimed in claim 8 when dependent on claim 5, wherein in each of the pair of laterally spaced regions, the front wall panel extends between the bottom wall and a respective one of the top wall portions. A package assembly as claimed in any one of the previous claims, the film has a tab which can be grasped to initiate opening, the tab being accessible through the opening.

A package assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the film does not extend fully to the outer edge of the flange at one side edge of the tray, the tab being located or adjacent said one side edge and positioned such that it can be grasped by a user through the opening in the top wall to initiate opening of the tray.

A package assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 1 , wherein the carton is formed from a single unitary blank of foldable material such as cartonboard or the like.

A package assembly as claimed in any one of the previous claims, the carton having a lid connected with the rear wall, the lid being movable between a closed position in which it overlies the top wall so as to at least partially cover the opening and an open position in which it is displaced away from the top wall to expose the opening.

A package assembly comprising: a carton formed from a blank of foldable material, the carton having a main body with a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed side walls which define an interior volume within which a tray is retained, the tray being closed by means of removable flexible film; an opening defined in at least the top wall, which opening is configured to allow access to the tray such that the film can be wholly or partially removed from the tray whilst the tray is contained in the main body; wherein the bottom wall, top wall, front wall, and rear wall are defined by a series of panels interconnected by fold lines to define a tubular sleeve, at least one of the ends of the sleeve being closed by means of a plurality of flaps and/or tabs which define a side wall of the main body.

15. A blank of foldable material for the manufacture of the carton of the package assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, the blank comprising in sequence: a first glue tab panel, a top wall panel, a front wall panel, a bottom wall panel, and a rear wall panel, adjacent ones of said panels being connected by a fold line; an opening being defined in the top wall panel; the blank further comprising one or more supporting structure panels foldably connected with the front wall panel.

16. A blank as claimed in claim 15, the blank comprising a pair of first side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the top wall panel and a pair of second side wall closure flaps connected by respective fold lines along opposing side edges of the bottom wall panel.

17. A blank as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the opening in the top wall panel is located generally in a central region of the top wall extending from the first glue tab panel towards the front wall panel such that the top wall panel comprises a pair of top wall panel portions, one on either side of the opening, each top wall panel portion extending between the first glue tab panel and the front wall panel.

18. A blank as claimed in claim 17, the opening being defined in part by a pair of spaced cut lines extending longitudinally across the top wall panel from the first glue tab panel to the front wall panel, the cut lines extending into the front wall panel by a distance to define a supporting region in the front wall panel, the front wall panel having a pair of planar front wall panel portions either side of the supporting region, each planar front wall panel portion extending between the bottom wall panel and a respective one of the top wall panel portions.

19. A blank as claimed in claim 18, wherein the front wall panel in the supporting region has a depth measured from its connection with the bottom wall panel which is less than the depth of the planar panel portions on either side, the blank having a front wall upper wall portion panel connected by means of a fold line along one edge to an upper edge of the front wall panel in the supporting region and connected at an opposite edge to a front wall inner wall portion panel by means of a further fold line, the blank having at least one further glue tab panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the front wall inner wall portion panel.

20. A blank as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19, the blank comprising a lid panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the rear wall panel.

21. A blank as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 20, the blank comprising a first lid panel connected by means of a fold line to an edge of the rear wall panel and a second lid panel connected by a further fold line to the first lid panel.

22. A method of manufacture of the package assembly of any one of claims 1 to 14 using the blank of any of claims 15 to 21 , the method comprising the steps of:

A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the blank is a blank as defined in claim 16, the method comprising forming side walls closing the sleeve by folding the first and second side wall flaps on either side of the sleeve, step c being carried out before the side wall on said one side is formed.

A method as claimed in claim 22 or claim 23, wherein at steps a and b are carried out at a first location, the partially formed carton being transferred to a different location where step c is carried out.

A method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the blank is a blank as defined in claim 18, step b comprising folding the blank about the fold lines connecting the front wall panel in the supporting region, the front wall upper wall portion panel, and the front wall inner wall portion panel in constant direction to form the supporting structure, folding the blank about the fold line connecting the front wall inner wall portion panel and the at least one further glue tab panel and bonding the further glue tab panel to an inner surface of the bottom wall panel.

A method of manufacture of the package assembly of any one of claims 1 to 14 using the blank of any of claims 15 to 21 , the method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a partially erected blank in which the blank has been folded along the fold lines which separate the first glue tab panel, the top wall panel, the front wall panel, the bottom wall panel, and the rear wall panel in a constant direction to form a sleeve open on either side and the glue tab panel is affixed to an inner surface of the rear wall panel and the supporting structure has been formed,

b. inserting the tray into the sleeve through the opening on one side of the sleeve.

A method of claim 27 wherein the blank is a blank as defined in claim 16, the method comprising forming the side wall on said one side by folding the first and second side wall flaps on that side of the sleeve to at least partially close the opening and securing the flaps in position.

A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein step b is carried out before either of the side walls is formed.

A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein step b is carried after one of the side walls is formed.