Paperboard Container with Friction-Reducing Coating

Abstract

A paperboard container including a paperboard substrate that defines at least one wall panel and at least one partition panel, the wall panel defining an internal volume, the partition panel including a first major surface and a second major surface, and being position in the internal volume such that the first major surface defines a first chamber within the internal volume and the second major surface defines a second chamber within the internal volume, and a friction-reducing coating applied to at least a portion of the first and/or second major surfaces.

Description

FIELD

This application relates to paperboard containers, such as cartons, boxes and the like, and, more particularly, to paperboard containers having a friction-reducing coating on an interior surface thereof.

BACKGROUND

Products are typically shipped to retailers in bulk by enclosing multiple individual product units in a container, such as a carton or box. For example, canned soup may be shipped to a retailer in a box containing twenty-four individual cans. Then, it is typically the retailer's obligation to remove the individual product units from the container and present them (e.g., on a shelf) to consumers.

Alternatives to the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model are being developed in an effort to improve operating efficiency. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/777,444 filed on May 11, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a new system for dispensing and displaying products packaged in a container. Specifically, the system includes a frame having a support structure, a product display area and an opening tool. The frame may be positioned on a retailer's shelf and loaded with product simply by placing a container comprising multiple units of product onto the support structure of the frame. As the container is being placed onto the support structure, the opening tool of the frame opens the container in such a manner that product is dispensed from the container and moved to the product display area of the frame under the force of gravity.

Unfortunately, from time-to-time, clogs have developed in such systems, thereby preventing product from making its way from the container to the product display area of the frame. Such clogs have been observed to occur when product fails to move relative to the container as intended.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts directed to apparatus and methods for dispensing products from packaging containers.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosed paperboard container may include a paperboard substrate assembled into a three-dimensional structure having an external surface and at least one internal surface, wherein at least a portion of the internal surface includes a friction-reducing coating applied thereto.

In another aspect, the disclosed paperboard container may include a paperboard substrate that defines at least one wall panel and at least one partition panel, the wall panel defining an internal volume, the partition panel including a first major surface and a second major surface, and being position in the internal volume such that the first major surface defines a first chamber within the internal volume and the second major surface defines a second chamber within the internal volume, and a friction-reducing coating applied to at least a portion of the first and/or second major surfaces.

In another aspect, the disclosed paperboard container may include a paperboard substrate having a clay coated side and an uncoated side, the paperboard substrate defining a plurality of wall panels and at least one partition panel, the wall panels being assembled into a three-dimensional structure defining an internal volume, the partition panel being positioned in the internal volume such that the clay coated side of the partition panel defines a first chamber within the internal volume and the uncoated side of the partition panel defines a second chamber within the internal volume, and a friction-reducing coating applied to the clay coated side of the partition panel.

In yet another aspect, the disclosed paperboard container may include a paperboard substrate having a clay coated side and an uncoated side, the paperboard substrate defining a plurality of wall panels and at least one partition panel, the wall panels being assembled into a three-dimensional rectilinear structure defining an internal volume, the partition panel being positioned in the internal volume such that the clay coated side of the partition panel defines a first chamber within the internal volume and the uncoated side of the partition panel defines a second chamber within the internal volume, and a gloss coating applied to the clay coated side of the partition panel, the gloss coating having a coefficient of friction that is substantially less than the coefficient of friction of the clay coated side of the paperboard substrate.

Other aspects of the disclosed paperboard container with friction-reducing coating will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a container blank useful in forming a paperboard container with friction-reducing coating in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a paperboard container formed from the container blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, in section, of the paperboard container of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a first portion of the paperboard container of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a second portion of the paperboard container of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Paperboard containers may be formed from C1S paperboard substrates having a coated first major surface and an uncoated second major surface. The uncoated side of the paperboard substrate may be presented on the inside of the finished container. The coated side may be coated with clay or the like, and may be presented on the outside of the finished container. Various indicia and graphics may be printed on the coated side of the paperboard substrate prior to forming the finished container.

Other types of paperboard substrates may be also be used to form the disclosed paperboard container with friction-reducing coating. For example, the disclosed paperboard container may be formed from a C2S paperboard substrate, which may include a coating (e.g., clay) on both major surfaces of the paperboard substrate. Other examples of suitable paperboard substrates will become apparent to the skilled artisan.

It has now been discovered that certain surfaces of a paperboard substrate may have coefficients of friction that are sufficiently high that such surfaces impede the movement of product relative to the container. For example, it has been discovered that the clay coated side of a paperboard substrate has a significantly higher coefficient of friction than the uncoated side of a paperboard substrate. As such, product may move relative to the uncoated side of a paperboard substrate as desired. However, if the product makes contact with the coated surface of the paperboard substrate, friction between the product and the coated surface may impede movement of the product relative to the container.

Accordingly, a friction-reducing coating may be applied to all or a portion of the interior surface of a paperboard container to facilitate the desired movement of product relative to the container. In particular, the friction-reducing coating may be applied to the portions of the interior surface of the paperboard container having a relatively high coefficient of friction (e.g., clay coated portions), thereby reducing the effective coefficient of friction at such locations to facilitate the desired movement of product relative to the container.

Referring to FIG. 1-3, a container blank, generally designated 10 (FIG. 1), may be used to form a paperboard container with friction-reducing coating, generally designated 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3), in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure. The paperboard container 12 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is only one specific example of the disclosed paperboard container with friction-reducing coating. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that paperboard containers of various sizes, shapes, configurations and dimensions may be formed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The container blank 10 may be pre-cut from a sheet of paperboard substrate material to define an outer periphery 14 of the container blank 10. As noted above, various paperboard substrates may be used to form the container blank 10 and, ultimately, the disclosed paperboard container 12.

In one implementation, the container blank 10 may be cut from a C1S paperboard substrate having a coating layer 88 that defines a first (i.e., coated) major surface 16 of the paperboard substrate and a paperboard layer 90 that defines a second (i.e., uncoated) major surface 17 of the paperboard substrate, as best shown in FIG. 5. The coating layer 88 may include clay, such as kaolin clay. Optionally, portions of the first major surface 16, specifically certain portions of the first major surface 16 that form the external surface of the finished container 12 (FIG. 2), may be printed with various text and/or graphics, thereby forming an additional layer over the coating layer 88.

The container blank 10 may include a plurality of pre-formed fold lines 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 that define four side wall panels 36, 38, 40, 42, first end-enclosing panels 44, 46, 48, 50, second end-enclosing panels 52, 54, 56, a partition panel 58 and partition support panels 60, 62, 64. Specifically, side wall panel 36 may be defined by fold lines 18, 30 and 32, side wall panel 38 may be defined by fold lines 18, 20, 30 and 32, side wall panel 40 may be defined by fold lines 20, 22 and 30 and side wall panel 42 may be defined by fold lines 22, 24, 30, 34. The first end-enclosing panels 44, 46, 48, 50 may be defined by fold line 30. Second end-enclosing panels 52 and 54 may be defined by fold line 32 and second end-enclosing panel 56 may be defined by fold line 34. The partition panel 58 may be defined by fold lines 26, 28 and 30. Partition support panel 60 may be defined by fold lines 24, 26 and 30, partition support panel 62 may be defined by fold line 30 and partition support panel 64 may be defined by fold line 28.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the container blank 10 of FIG. 1 may be folded into a three-dimensional rectilinear structure having four side walls 70, 72, 74, 76 corresponding to side wall panels 36, 38, 40, 42 of the container blank 10, a first (e.g., rear) end wall 78 comprised of the first end-enclosing panels 44, 46, 48, 50 of the container blank 10, and a second (e.g., front) end wall 80 comprised of the second end-enclosing panels 52, 54, 56 of the container blank 10. The side walls 70, 72, 74, 76 and the end walls 78, 80 of the paperboard container 12 may define an internal volume 82 (FIG. 3), which may be fully or only partially enclosed by the walls 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80. For example, the second end wall 80 may define an opening 84 (FIG. 2) into the internal volume 82 of the paperboard container 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the partition panel 58 may divide the internal volume 82 of the paperboard container 12 into a first chamber 84 and a second chamber 86. For example, the partition panel 58 may extend from side wall 70 to side wall 74, and may define a plane that is generally parallel with the planes defined by side walls 72, 76. The partition panel 58 may be secured within the internal volume 82 by connecting (e.g., with mechanical fasteners, adhesive and/or tape) partition support panel 60 to side wall 70, partition support panel 62 to the first end wall 78 and partition support panel 64 to side wall 74.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first major surface 16′ of the partition panel 58 may include a friction-reducing coating 92 (shown with cross-hatching in FIG. 1) positioned over the coating (e.g., clay coating) layer 88 of the paperboard substrate. The friction-reducing coating 92 may have a cross-sectional layer thickness T, which may depend on the type of material being used as the friction-reducing coating. For example, the thickness T of the friction-reducing coating 92 may range from about 0.5 mils to 3 mils.

While the friction-reducing coating 92 is shown covering about 100 percent of the first major surface 16′ of the partition panel 58, those skilled in the art will appreciate that coverage of less than 100 percent may be used and may still provide the required reduction in friction. For example, the friction-reducing coating 92 may cover at least 50 percent of the first major surface 16 of the partition panel 58, such as at least about 75 percent of the first major surface 16 of the partition panel 58, or at least 90 percent of the first major surface 16 of the partition panel 58, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In a first construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may be any coating material that provides a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction of the coating layer 88 (FIG. 4). In a first expression of the first construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may yield a coefficient of friction that is at most 90 percent of the coefficient of friction of the underlying coating layer 88. In a second expression of the first construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may yield a coefficient of friction that is at most 80 percent of the coefficient of friction of the underlying coating layer 88. In a third expression of the first construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may yield a coefficient of friction that is at most 70 percent of the coefficient of friction of the underlying coating layer 88.

In a second construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may be any coating material that provides a coefficient of friction that is the same or less than the coefficient of friction of the underlying, but uncoated, paperboard layer 90.

In a third construction, the friction-reducing coating 92 may be any coating material that provides a coefficient of friction that is sufficiently low to allow product 94 (FIG. 3) to move and dispense from the paperboard container 12 when the paperboard container 12 is loaded onto a dispenser, such as the frame disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/777,444 discussed above. Therefore, the friction-reducing coating 92 may be selected based on the type of dispenser being used with the paperboard container 12.

It has been discovered that various coating compositions used in the paper industry, including varnishes, gloss coatings, inks (e.g., color inks) and printing, form suitable friction-reducing coatings 92. In one specific, non-limiting example, the friction-reducing coating 92 may be 1469E low angle gloss coating available from Coatings & Adhesives Corporation of Leland, N.C. Static friction testing has shown that 1469E low angle gloss coating has a slide angle (TMI 32-25) of 11° (±4°) using a face-to-face configuration at a relative humidity of 50 percent (±5 percent).

Accordingly, the second major surface 17 of the container blank 10 may define each of the internal surfaces of the first chamber 84 of the paperboard container 12, but the internal surfaces of the second chamber 86 may be defined by both the second major surface 17 of the container blank 10 and the first major surface 16′ of the partition panel 58 (e.g., the surface of the partition panel 58 that includes the friction-reducing coating 92). As such, product 94 received in the internal volume 82 of the paperboard container 12 may be isolated from contact with the coating layer 88 of the paperboard substrate, thereby improving movement of the product 94 relative to the paperboard container 12.

While the paperboard container 12 is shown and described with the friction-reducing coating 92 (FIG. 4) only on the first major surface 16′ of the partition panel 58, those skilled in the art will appreciate that advantage may be gained by applying the friction-reducing coating to other internal surfaces of the paperboard container 12. For example, in an alternative implementation, all (or substantially all) internal surfaces of the paperboard container 12 may be provided with the friction-reducing coating 92.

Although various aspects of the disclosed paperboard container with friction-reducing coating have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A paperboard container comprising:

a paperboard substrate that defines at least one wall panel and at least one partition panel, said wall panel defining an internal volume, said partition panel including first and second major surfaces and being positioned in said internal volume such that said first major surface defines a first chamber within said internal volume and said second major surface defines a second chamber within said internal volume; and

a friction-reducing coating applied to at least a portion of at least one of said first major surface and said second major surface.

2. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said paperboard substrate is a C1S paperboard substrate having a coated side and an uncoated side.

3. The paperboard container of claim 2 wherein said coated side comprises clay.

4. The paperboard container of claim 2 wherein said friction-reducing coating is applied to said coated side of said partition panel.

5. The paperboard container of claim 2 wherein said friction-reducing coating has a first coefficient of friction and said coated side of said paperboard substrate has a second coefficient of friction, and wherein said first coefficient of friction is less than said second coefficient of friction.

6. The paperboard container of claim 5 wherein said first coefficient of friction is at most 90 percent of said second coefficient of friction.

7. The paperboard container of claim 2 wherein said friction-reducing coating has a first coefficient of friction and said uncoated side of said paperboard substrate has a second coefficient of friction, and wherein said first coefficient of friction is at most said second coefficient of friction.

8. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said first major surface of said partition panel defines a surface area, and wherein said friction-reducing coating covers at least 50 percent of said surface area.

9. The paperboard container of claim 8 wherein said friction-reducing coating covers at least 75 percent of said surface area.

10. The paperboard container of claim 8 wherein said friction-reducing coating covers at least 90 percent of said surface area.

11. The paperboard container of claim 8 wherein said friction-reducing coating covers about 100 percent of said surface area.

12. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said friction-reducing coating comprises at least one of a varnish and an ink.

13. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said friction-reducing coating is a gloss coating.

14. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said friction-reducing coating has a slide angle of at most 15° as determined using a TMI 32-25 coefficient of friction tester at a relative humidity of 50 percent.

15. The paperboard container of claim 1 wherein said friction-reducing coating has a slide angle of at most 11° as determined using a TMI 32-25 coefficient of friction tester at a relative humidity of 50 percent.

16. A dispensing system comprising:

a dispenser comprising a frame having longitudinally opposed front and rear end sections and including an upper support deck extending at least partially between said front and rear end sections and below which a product display area is provided; and

the paperboard container of claim 1 positioned on said upper support deck.

17. The dispensing system of claim 16 wherein said paperboard container houses multiple units of a product.

18. A paperboard container comprising:

a paperboard substrate having a clay coated side and an uncoated side, said paperboard substrate defining a plurality of wall panels and at least one partition panel, said plurality of wall panels being assembled into a three-dimensional structure defining an internal volume, said partition panel being positioned in said internal volume such that said clay coated side of said partition panel defines a first chamber within said internal volume and said uncoated side of said partition panel defines a second chamber within said internal volume; and

a friction-reducing coating applied to said clay coated side of said partition panel.

19. The paperboard container of claim 18 wherein said friction-reducing coating is a gloss coating.

20. The paperboard container of claim 18 wherein said friction-reducing coating has a first coefficient of friction and said clay coated side of said paperboard substrate has a second coefficient of friction, and wherein said first coefficient of friction is at most 90 percent of said second coefficient of frictions.