Packaging Carrier

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a single wall, tubular packaging carrier constructed of a flexible material such as paper. The tubular packaging carrier is open at both transverse ends and is provided with a carrying handle disposed adjacent to a longitudinal edge and affixed thereto by sewing. At least three plies of flexible material are associated with the aforesaid longitudinal edge.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field to Which the Invention Pertains

Broadly stated, the instant invention pertains to the packaging art. More specifically, the instant invention is directed at providing a construction for packaging bulky, but substantially self-contained articles, e.g., rolls of fiberglass. Bulky, substantially self-contained articles such as rolls of fiberglass are often purchased, or locally transported, in quantity. For example, home owners often purchase small quantities of rolls of fiberglass which must be carried from place to place, as from the point of purchase to their car. Similarly, contractors insulating a house must transport such rolls from the point of delivery to the appropriate location within a house.

In view of these factors, it is desirable to provide such items in a package which is so constructed and arranged as to facilitate the local transportation of a number of such articles. Of course, any such package must have the attributes of being able to accommodate bulky articles, facilitate the carrying thereof, and be strong enough to withstand the stresses to which it may be subjected. In addition, it is evident that any such package must be exceedingly low in cost which in turn dictates a construction amenable to high speed manufacture. Another structural attribute which such a package must possess in order to be commercially acceptable is ease of packaging. In other words, the construction of such a package must be such that the manufacturer of the articles to be packaged can quickly package his articles therein. Moreover, in addition to the structural and functional attributes which such a package must possess, the package must be such that when the articles are contained therein, the appearance thereof is not esthetically offensive since the package, rather than the articles contained therein, will be primarily visible to an observer, for example a prospective purchaser.

The provision of such a package is the field to which the instant invention pertains.

2. Prior Art

The prior art relating to carrying devices or packages which facilitate carrying is, so far as applicants are aware, deficient with respect to providing a construction which serves a packaging function for bulky articles while simultaneously facilitating the carrying of such articles. For example, patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,971,322, and 3,481,519 disclose sling type carriers which serve a carrying function but cannot be employed for the packaging of articles to be carried.

Some prior art carrying devices clearly contemplate a complicated construction utilizing an expensive material. For example, the carrying device of U.S. Pat. No. 2,296,080 is adaptable for carrying wearing apparel. As such, it is designed for reuse rather than being designed as an inexpensive, disposable item.

Other carrying devices have been designed to package and facilitate the transportation of specific materials, for example liquids. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,927 discloses a paper board milk container with a handle. While such a construction is useful for the packaging of materials such as milk, wherein the associated package is rather small, it is clear that such a package could not be expanded for utilization in conjunction with bulky articles since the related material costs would be prohibitive. Other patents which disclose articles of manufacture adapted for packaging or carrying are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,501,037, 2,936,927, 2,234,180 and 2,967,650. While all of the constructions disclosed in the aforementioned patents relate to the same general art as our invention, i.e. the packaging art, they all possess disadvantages similar to those heretofore mentioned vis-a-vis their use in connection with the packaging of bulky articles.

As will hereinafter be more fully pointed out, our invention bears a resemblance to a bag construction provided with a handle. Thus, it is instructive to consider some of the prior art relating to bags.

While the prior art relating to bags did contemplate the use of a handle in respect thereto, all such prior handled bag constructions were utilized in connection with bags (particularly multi-wall bags) for packaging granulated materials or, more generally, materials which were not substantially self-contained. Examples of such bag constructions are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,464, U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,318 and Canadian Patent No. 542,114. As such, such bags are not adaptable for use in connection with the packaging of bulky articles.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube from which our invention may be constructed.

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a modified tube from which are invention may be constructed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of our invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one form of handle useful in the construction of the instant invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view, in section, of another embodiment of our invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view, in section, of another embodiment of our invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with our invention, there is provided a packaging carrier constructed from a single ply of sheet material, such as paper, which has been joined longitudinally by an overlapped, glue joint. Both ends of the packaging carrier, which are transverse to the longitudinal overlapped glue joint, are open. Disposed adjacent to a longitudinal edge which is parallel to the aforementioned overlapped glue joint, there is provided a handle which projects inwardly from the longitudinal edge. Although the packaging carrier is of a single wall construction, the packaging carrier in the region of the longitudinal edge and adjacent to the aforementioned handle is provided with at least three plies. Along a major portion of the longitudinal edge, stitching is provided in such a manner as to engage the associated three or more plies. In the area of the handle, the stitching engages both the handle and all the adjacent plies.

In the most preferred embodiment of our invention, a total of six plies are employed in the region of the longitudinal edge and adjacent to the handle. Two of the plies are supplied by the opposing walls of the packaging carriers. The third and fourth ply are comprised of a strip of material, e.g., paper, affixed to the interior of the packaging carrier on the inner surface of the two opposing side walls of the packaging carrier adjacent the longitudinal edge. In this preferred embodiment, the third and fourth plies are so affixed, as by gluing, during the manufacture of the tube which forms the packaging carrier. Finally, disposed exteriorly of the packaging carrier and around the aforementioned longitudinal edge, a second strip of material, e.g., paper, is provided thus constituting the fifth and sixth plies. Finally, stitching is provided through all six plies and the aforementioned handle.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown therein a tube constructed of a single ply of sheet material, preferably paper. Those skilled in the art of manufacturing paper bags will recognize the construction shown in FIG. 1, and generally indicated by the reference No. 10, as being a tube of the type commonly produced on a bag tuber. Those skilled in the bag art will appreciate that there is a significant directional orientation associated with such paper tubes. More specifically, tubes of the type shown in FIG. 1 are formed on a bag tuber from a continuous roll of sheet material wherein, as the sheet material passes through the tuber, the sheet material is wrapped so as to form a tube wherein the longitudinal edges overlap. Prior to any physical contact between the surfaces of the sheet material adjacent to the longitudinal edges, an adhesive is applied to at least one of the aforementioned surfaces. Subsequently, the two surfaces adjacent to the longitudinal edges are brought into overlapping relation thus providing a glued, overlapped, longitudinal joint. Subsequent thereto, the tube thus formed may be transversely cut to provide a tube of any desired length.

Accordingly, one may obtain a tube of the type shown in FIG. 1 having longitudinal edges 11, 16 and transverse edges 17, 17', 12 and 12'. The single wall of material which forms the tube is joined at the overlapped, longitudinal, glue joint defined by the longitudinal area between the lines 14 and 15 wherein the lines 14 and 15 represent the longitudinal terminal edges of the single wall which comprises the tube. For purposes of orientation, it may be said that the tube 10, as shown in FIG. 1, is comprised of a rear panel 31 and a front panel defined by the areas 30 and 32.

Single wall paper tubes of the type shown in FIG. 1 and generally designated 10 are, as heretofore mentioned, well known to those skilled in the bag art and are readily available for purchase. Moreover, because such tubes are manufactured on hihg-speed machinery such as a bag tuber, single wall paper tubes of the type shown in FIG. 1 are quite inexpensive -- a necessary factor for providing a packaging carrier. Still further, paper tubes as the type shown in FIG. 1 may be manufactured from paper which has physical properties specifically selected to meet the structural requirements of the packaging carrier. For example, a wide variety of basis weights are available. (Basis weight is a term commonly used in the paper industry and, with respect to paper, designates the weight of the paper per three thousand square feet.) Similarly, paper can be selected to provide a particular tensile strength or a particular bursting (Mullen) strength. Additionally, it is advantageous in certain circumstances to utilize so-called extensible paper in the construction of our invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an alternate form of a tube is shown which may profitably be used in the practice of our invention. The tube of FIG. 1A, generally designated 10a, is provided with a gusset at one longitudinal edge, i.e., panels defined by edges 16a--16b and 16b--16c are formed in the side of the tube. Tuber machines commonly employed in the bag industry can easily form such a gusset construction. Providing at least one gusset at the side of the tube may be advantageous in the construction of our packaging carrier as it will facilitate the opening thereof as well as the insertion of bulky articles therein.

While tubes of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A could be useful for the packaging of bulky, self-contained articles such as rolls of fiberglass insulation, such a packaging means would not facilitate the carrying of the resulting package. Thus, it is the object of our invention to provide carrying means, in combination with a packaging construction of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, while nevertheless not substantially increasing the cost thereof. As will now be described, our invention provides such a carrying means in combination with tubes of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A.

In order to comprehend the significance of our invention, it must be appreciated that since the tubular constructions shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A are of the single-wall type, the mere addition of a carrying handle thereto would be self-defeating since the single wall of the tube could not withstand the high local stress that would be generated by such a handle when the package was carried. Of course, a simple answer to this problem would be to provide a multi-wall tube of the type commonly used in the bag art to package heavy, granulated materials, such as fertilizer. However, this approach would also be self-defeating since providing a multi-wall tube would result in a construction which was prohibitively high in cost. These conflicting requirements and objectives are all satisfied by our invention, as will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a preferred embodiment of our invention is shown wherein, as may be noted, there is utilized a tube of the type generally shown in FIG. 1 and, when appropriate, referenced by the same numbers as in FIG. 1. The required carrying means is provided by a carrying handle 21. The carrying handle 21 is located adjacent to but projecting inwardly from the longitudinal edge 11 of the tube 10. Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of our invention shown in FIG. 2, additional plies of material are provided adjacent to the handle 21. More specifically, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a strip 20 is disposed exteriorly of the packaging carrier and around the longitudinal edge 11, either along the entire length of the longitudinal edge 11 or at least a major portion thereof, thus providing two plies of paper transverse to the edge 11. In a somewhat similar fashion, a strip of paper 25 is provided interiorly of the bag adjacent to the longitudinal edge 11 thus providing two additional plies transverse to the edge 11. Finally, the walls 12 and 17 of the tube provide the fifth and sixth ply transverse to the tube. We have found it to be particularly convenient to provide the strip 25 during the formation of the tube 10 whereby the strip 25 is inserted into and affixed to, for example by gluing, the tube 10 during the formation thereof. Affixing the strip 10 to the interior of the bag by gluing or other similar means has been found to be structurally advantageous.

With the six plies of paper provided and disposed as heretofore described along with the handle 21, there is also provided stitching 22 through all of the aforementioned six plies as well as the handle 21. Stitching 22 can be provided by a standard sewing apparatus as commonly utilized in the bag industry. As may be noted from FIG. 2, the stitching 22 is preferably provided along the entire longitudinal edge of the tube 10 but at a minimum would be provided along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it may be noted that the carrying handle is of a standard configuration wherein a hand opening is provided by the edges 42 and 43 and the overall handle is defined by an outward edge 44 and an inward edge 45. To insure the successful utilization of the handle in the combination of our invention, the handle should preferably have a wide outward longitudinal area, i.e., the area between edges 42 and 44. In this manner, one achieves relative assurance that when the handle 21 is initially disposed adjacent to the longitudinal edge 11, a significant area will be available for engagement by the stitching. Of course, the material of which the handle 21 is constructed must be such as to permit the puncture thereof by a sewing needle. In this connection, we have found it advantageous to employ a carrying handle constructed of a polymeric material such as a polyolefin although the selection of a particular material for the carrying handle 21 will generally be dictated by factors indicated hereinbefore.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it is to be understood that the disposition of the handle 21 inwardly of the longitudinal edge is of significance. In other words, rather than having the carrying handle 21 disposed as shown in FIG. 3 wherein the outward edge 44 is adjacent to or coincident with the longitudinal edge 11, the handle 21 might have been reversed such that the inward edge 45 was disposed outwardly of the longitudinal edge 11. That is to say, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle 21 might be rotated 180.degree.. However, it has been found that such a construction would present manufacturing difficulties. For example, if the handle 21 were to be disposed outwardly of the longitudinal edge 11, the handle 21 may well interfere with the sewing head which performs the stitching operation. Additionally, since the packaging carrier of the type disclosed herein must be manufactured under high speed conditions to insure economy, disposing the handle 21 inwardly of the longitudinal edge facilitates the manufacturing operation since the handle can be physically deposited upon and supported by the walls of the tube and then proceed to the stitching operation.

Summarizing the attributes of the instant invention as shown in the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, there is provided a single wall packaging carrier with a carrying handle adjacent to but inwardly disposed from a longitudinal edge and a plurality of plies of material, e.g., paper, disposed adjacent to the carrying handle and engaging all of said plies including the walls of the packaging carrier. In this manner, the resulting packaging carrier is low in cost because material requirements are minimized and high speed manufacturing techniques can be employed. Moreover, the plurality of plies associated with and engaging the handle and the packaging carrier walls provide a mechanism for absorbing the stress generated when goods packaged within the packaging carrier are carried through use of the handle.

Recognizing that a plurality of plies of paper must be associated with and engaged with the carrying handle, other constructions of our invention are possible wherein there is provided at least three plies of material such as paper. Thus, another embodiment of our invention is shown in FIG. 5 wherein, in section, a fragmentary part of a tube, such as tube 10 of FIG. 1, is shown having walls 12 and 17. The walls 12 and 17 provide two plies in the area adjacent to the longitudinal edge 11. In addition, there is provided a single insert 29 which constitutes the third ply. As was the case with the embodiment of our invention shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to affix the insert 29 to the interior of one or both of the walls 12 or 17 as, for example, by gluing. With the three plies thus provided and the handle 21 disposed adjacent thereto and inwardly of the longitudinal edge, stitching 22 engages the three plies and the carrying handle 21 in the same manner as heretofor described with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 2. Although it is not evident in FIG. 5 because FIG 5 is a sectional view, the stitching 22 should be provided along at least a major portion of the tube parallel to the longitudinal edge 11.

A particular paper which is useful in the practice of our invention is a 70 lb. Kraft paper, i.e., such paper may be employed to provide the single wall of the packaging carrier. Additionally, paper of the same type may be used for supporting plies. Considering a packaging carrier of the type disclosed herein and constructed of paper having a basis weight of 70 lb., it will be appreciated that although the basis weight of the single wall is only 70 lb., the three plies at the longitudinal edge which are engaged by the stitching have a combined weight of 210 lb.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the required three plies adjacent to the carrying handle 21 are obtained without resort to a strip separate and distinct from the bag walls. This objective is obtained by so folding a tube of the type shown in FIG. 1 as to insure that a resulting longituidnal edge is near or within the overlapped, glue joint. In this manner, the overlapped, glue joint intrinsically provides at least two plies and at least a third ply is longitudinal a wall of the packaging carrier. As such, the three plies are essentially continuous whereas in the embodiment of FIG. 5 the third ply 29 was discontinuous with respect to the walls of the packaging carrier. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, a tube of the type shown in FIG. 1 has been creased to provide a longitudinal edge which is coincident with the terminal, longitudinal edge 15 of the single wall of the packaging carrier. In this manner, the wall 17 provides two plies and a third ply is provided by the terminal, longitudinal part of the wall 17A.

Still another embodiment of our invention employs a carrying handle of the type heretofore described in combination with a gusset, e.g., of the type shown in FIG. 1A. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 4, a handle 21 would be disposed adjacent to a gusset edge, e.g. 16A. Stitching is provided which engages the gusset and the handle. In this manner, the stitching engages both the handle and four plies of sheet material. For additional strength, a strip of sheet material may be disposed around both longitudinal edges 16A and 16C. In this event, the stitching would engage the four plies which are the walls of the packaging carrier and the two plies which are the sheet material disposed around the longitudinal edges 16A and 16C.

While we have hereinbefore presented a number of embodiments of our invention, it is apparent that our basic construction can be altered to provide other embodiments which utilize our invention. Thus, it will be appreciated that the scope of our invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto rather than the specific embodiments which have been hereinbefore presented by way of example.

Claims

We claim:

1. A packaging carrier which comprises:

a. continuous single ply sleeve open at both ends and having an overlapped, longitudinally disposed glue joint;

b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projecting inwardly from one longitudinal edge of said sleeve;

c. at least one ply of sheet material disposed interiorly of and adhered to said sleeve adjacent to said longitudinal edge;

d. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly of said sleeve, around said longitudinal edge, along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge; and

e. stitching along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge, said stitching being so disposed as to engage at least two plies of said sleeve , said at least one ply of sheet material, said exteriorly disposed strip of sheet material and the outward longitudinal area of said carrying handle.

2. The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said longitudinal edge is so disposed as to position said overlapped glue joint proximate thereto and said at least one ply of sheet material includes one ply of said overlapped glue joint.

3. The packaging wrapper of claim 2 wherein said longitudinal edge is coincident with one of the terminal, longitudinal edges of said single ply of sheet material.

4. The packaging carrier of claim 2 wherein said sheet material is paper having a basis weight of 70 lbs.

5. The packaging carrier of claim 1 wherein said one ply of sheet material is discontinuous with respect to the sleeve of said packaging carrier.

6. A packaging carrier which comprises:

a. a continuous single ply sleeve open at both ends and having an overlapped, longitudinally disposed glue joint;

b. a carrying handle adjacent to and projecting inwardly from one longitudinal edge of said sleeve;

c. two plies of sheet material disposed interiorly of and adhered to said sleeve ,adjacent to said longitudinal edge along at least a major portion thereof; and

d. a strip of sheet material disposed exteriorly of said sleeve around said longitudinal edge along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge; and

e. stitching along at least a major portion of said longitudinal edge, said stitching so disposed as to engage said exteriorly disposed strip of sheet material, said two plies of interiorly disposed sheet material, two opposed walls of said sleeve and the outward, longitudinal area of said carrier handle.