Abstract: A paperboard carton blank is formed into a carton which is robust and resistant to crushing. The carton of one embodiment is formed from an integral sheet of foldable material, such as paperboard. The carton includes a number of sides serially connected to one another and each of the sides has a top end spaced from a bottom end. A number of top flaps are each foldably connected to the top end of one of the sides and the top flaps combine to form a top end of the carton. Similarly, a number of bottom flaps are each foldably connected to the bottom end of one of the sides and the bottom flaps combine to form a bottom end of the carton. One or more struts extend from the distal ends of at least some of the top or bottom flaps and are folded into face to face juxtaposition and secured onto an inside face of the side associated with the flap to which it is connected to thereby reinforce the associated side and inhibit deformation of the carton.

Abstract: A package includes an article group formed of cylindrical articles disposed on their sides in a side-by-side parallel fashion, and a carton disposed around the group. The carton includes a top wall, opposed side walls, end walls and an article dispenser. The side walls are disposed alongside the ends of the articles while one end wall is disposed adjacent to the side wall of an endmost article. The dispenser is formed from the end and top walls and includes at least one retaining panel to hold all the articles in the carton until removed by the user.

Abstract: A package for a number of beverage containers includes an overlay member covering the top ends of the beverage containers. The overlay member has a central, generally planar panel positioned atop the top ends of the beverage containers and a number of perimeter panels each joined to and positioned on a perimeter of the central panel. Each perimeter panel is oriented generally perpendicularly relative to the central panel. A dispenser opening is in the central panel of the overlay member through the beverage containers may be removed from the package. A dispenser flap is adjacent the dispenser opening and a perimeter edge of the overlay member. The dispenser flap may be pulled outwardly from the overlay member by a user to provide access through which the beverage containers may be removed from the package. An overwrap member such as a thermoplastic shrink wrap film envelops the array of beverage containers and the overlay member to provide a robust, unitary package for transport and storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to consumer product packages having impact promotional items printed directly on the package and methods for manufacturing such product packages. An image constituting the impact promotional item is printed using blended printing inks and sublimation dyes onto a paperboard blank, which is folded to form a product package. The printed image has a visual appearance substantially unchanged from a conventional printed image. The sublimation dyes present in the printed image supply a transferrable image component that, following transfer to a substrate such as a fabric article, accurately reproduces the printed image viewed by the consumer on the product package. Printing ink and sublimation dye blends for printing the image are also disclosed, as are methods for transferring the transferrable image component to an article, such as a fabric article or textile.

Abstract: The invention relates to consumer product packages having impact promotional items printed directly on the package and methods for manufacturing such product packages. An image constituting the impact promotional item is printed using blended printing inks and sublimation dyes onto a paperboard blank, which is folded to form a product package. The printed image has a visual appearance substantially unchanged from a conventional printed image. The sublimation dyes present in the printed image supply a transferrable image component that, following transfer to a substrate such as a fabric article, accurately reproduces the printed image viewed by the consumer on the product package. Printing ink and sublimation dye blends for printing the image are also disclosed, as are methods for transferring the transferrable image component to an article, such as a fabric article or textile.

Abstract: A carton blank is etched with a laser to remove at least a portion of a coating material on a glue panel area of the carton blank. The laser-etching process allows the use of cold-resin or other standard glue in manufacturing a carton from the carton blank, instead of a more expensive specialized glue which would be otherwise required to provide an adequate bond for the carton. The laser-etching process is controlled as a function of the coating material required to be removed from the glue panel of the carton blank, the speed of the carton blank as it is processed through the system, and the dispersion characteristics of the laser beam.

Abstract: An improved sleeve style beverage carton can be processed at or near peak production rates for carton blanks and without the need for manual removal of scrap from apertures in the carton blank. The increase in production rates and efficiency is principally obtained because the stripper pins on the stripper drum used in producing the carton blank consistently and reliably puncture and remove the scrap from apertures in the die cut carton blank thereby alleviating the need to slow or stop the machine for manual removal of the scrap. Advantageously, gusset holes which are die cut in the carton blank are preferably generally trapezoidal-shaped to provide for increased surface area of the gusset hole relative to prior art configurations. The trapezoidal-shaped larger gusset holes provide for a more consistent and reliable removal of the carton material scrap from the gusset hole during production of the blank.

Abstract: A carton blank is etched with a laser to remove at least a portion of a coating material on a glue panel area of the carton blank. The laser-etching process allows the use of cold-resin or other standard glue in manufacturing a carton from the carton blank, instead of a more expensive specialized glue which would be otherwise required to provide an adequate bond for the carton. The laser-etching process is controlled as a function of the coating material required to be removed from the glue panel of the carton blank, the speed of the carton blank as it is processed through the system, and the dispersion characteristics of the laser beam.

Abstract: A sleeve style carton carrier for carrying cartons of the type having a gable pocket defined in each of opposing end walls. The carrier has side walls, and end walls that define a sleeve adapted to surround the carton, the end walls each being foldably attached to a latch panel. The latch panels are deformable into the carton's gable pockets when the carrier receives a carton therein. When the carrier and carton assembly is lifted, the latch panels are trapped tightly in the gable pockets under the weight of the carton and its contents.

Abstract: A sleeve style carton for a bottle matrix where the bottles may be either of the short neck type or the long neck type. The carton includes corner flaps that are wrapped around the corner bottles of the matrix, the corner flaps, along with the carton's side walls and end walls, being structured to make the shoulder, neck and cap portions of the corner bottles partially visible when the carton is viewed in side elevation view. Preferably each corner flap is of a height not substantially greater than the height of a bottle's label and is positioned so as to substantially overlie that corner bottle's label when the carton is filled with the bottle matrix.

Abstract: A sleeve style carton for a bottle matrix where the bottles may be either of the short neck type or the long neck type. The carton includes body corner flaps that are wrapped around the bodies of the corner bottles of the matrix. Preferably each body corner flap is of a height not substantially greater than the height of a bottle's label and is positioned so as to substantially overlie that corner bottle's label when the carton is filled with the bottle matrix. This allows label indicia to be provided on each body corner flap that simulates that portion of the bottle's label indicia visible when the bottle's label is viewed on the bottle in front plan view, thereby making it appear to a casual observer that the bottle's label itself is being viewed in front plan view when the bottle matrix is in the carton regardless of the rotational position of the corner bottles relative to the matrix.

Abstract: A sleeve style closed end carton for a can matrix. The carton includes a corner flap formed integral with each side wall at each end of each side wall. Those corner flaps are wrapped around the matrix corner cans in the carton relatively tightly so as to draw all cans of the matrix against one another in a plane normal to the can axis in order to aid in minimizing movement of the cans within the can matrix one relative to the other. The carton also includes a primary compound panel foldably connected along one edge to a first top wall section, and foldably connected along an opposite edge to a second top wall section, those top wall sections together forming the carton's top wall.

Abstract: A disc package comprised of a paperboard carton adapted to store, e.g., a compact disc, and a separate paperboard sleeve of substantially the same thickness as the carton. The carton is slideable into and out of a shallow seat defined at one end of the sleeve. When the carton is seated in the sleeve, the assembly so formed is enclosed within a wrap to establish a disc package for a retail store's shelf. The sleeve cooperates with the carton when seated one with the other to provide an extended package length so that the package cannot be easily concealed by a retail consumer in order to protect against prospective retail store theft. The sleeve is thrown away after the package has been unwrapped, and after the carton has been separated from it. However, the carton itself is reusable, and constitutes a permanent storage box for the disc.

Abstract: A disc package comprised of a paperboard carton adapted to store, e.g., a compact disc, and a separate paperboard sleeve of substantially the same thickness as the carton. The carton is slideable into and out of a shallow seat defined at one end of the sleeve. When the carton is seated in the sleeve, the assembly so formed is enclosed within a wrap to establish a disc package for a retail store's shelf. The sleeve cooperates with the carton when seated one with the other to provide an extended package length so that the package cannot be easily concealed by a retail consumer in order to protect against prospective retail store theft. The sleeve is thrown away after the package has been unwrapped, and after the carton has been separated from it. However, the carton itself is reusable, and constitutes a permanent storage box for the disc.

Abstract: A dispenser system for containers, e.g., soft drink cans, held in matrix configuration within a carton. An outlet port is defined in each of the carton's first and second side walls with both the outlet ports being oriented on a single longitudinal axis oriented normal to the first and second side walls. The outlet ports are sized to allow egress of each container in the container series out of either one of the first and second side walls. This allows a container whose longitudinal axis is oriented co-axially with the longitudinal axis of the outlet ports to be pushed out of the carton through the outlet port in the first side wall by pushing on the container through the outlet port in the second side wall, and alternately through the outlet port in the second side wall by pushing on the container through the outlet port in the first side wall, all as desired by the carton user.

Abstract: A sleeve style closed end carton for a can matrix where the cans preferably are the type having necked in head and heel rims. The carton includes corner flaps that are wrapped around the corner cans of the matrix, the corner flaps, along with the top and bottom side wall corners, preferably being structured to make the tapered portion of each corner can's head and heel partially visible when the carton is viewed in top and bottom views, as well as side elevation view, thereby in effect eliminating the carton's corners.