FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a novel device being a package for containing an article, particularly an article being a toothpaste tube.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to package toothpaste tubes in tetragonal card packages having a relatively long length dimension, a rectangular (the term herein includes square and trapezoidal) cross section as cut across the longitudinal direction and relatively shorter width and height dimensions. Such packages are normally made by cutting out a blank of the foldable material with creases, apertures, adhesion flaps etc. in appropriate positions. Generally the toothpaste tube is accessed via a folding flap closure at a longitudinal end of such a package. It is known to provide such packages with recessed regions, e.g. to support a toothpaste tube within the package, for example as in EP-A-0 465 257; U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,242; U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,088; EP-A-0 611 701; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,385 and JP-A-2001/139019.

A package of this type for a toothpaste tube is sold by the applicant under the name AQUAFRESH Advanced, which has a recessed region provided primarily for the aesthetic impact of text printed on the recessed region. In this AQUAFRESH Advanced package the recessed region is provided by folding six panels to form the package, i.e. four forming the outer walls of the package, one of these four having an aperture therein, with an internal panel forming a recessed wall visible through the aperture.

This use of six panels is an excessive use of materials. It is an object of this invention to provide a package suitable for a toothpaste tube requiring less material than the known AQUAFRESH Advanced package, but having a similar aesthetic effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to this invention a package for containing a product therein and made of a foldable material has a rectangular cross section as cut across its length direction and has an external top panel and external side panels arranged circumferentially around the perimeter of the rectangular cross section, with folded side edges between adjacent pairs of said panels, and having a width direction, and a height direction perpendicular to the width direction across said rectangular cross section, and having its longitudinal direction perpendicular to both the width and height directions, characterized by:

the top panel comprising two longitudinally disposed part top panels with a gap longitudinally between them, the gap being bridged by a recess panel extending across the whole width of the package and being recessed in the height direction from the top panel,

the top panel being formed integrally with a widthways adjacent external side panel and connected thereto directly by a top folded edge, and attached to a side panel widthways opposite said side panel,

the recess panel also being formed integrally with an external side panel and connected integrally thereto directly by a recess panel folded edge parallel to the top folded edge and distanced in the height direction from the top folded edge, and attached to a widthways opposite external side panel.

The present invention enables a recessed panel to be formed with less material than is required in the known AQUAFRESH Advanced package, but with a similar aesthetic effect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The package preferably has dimensions which enable it to closely conform to a toothpaste tube therein. Preferably the package has a conventional folding end closure. Preferably the foldable material is cardboard.

The respective top and side panels are suitably longitudinally elongate rectangular shapes. The folded edges between adjacent pairs of side panels are suitably right angle folds.

The side panel to which the recess panel is attached preferably has a notch therein of a depth in the height direction corresponding to the distance in the height direction of the recess panel from the top panel.

In a preferred embodiment the top panel and recess panel are formed integrally with the same widthways adjacent external side panel and connected thereto directly by respectively the top folded edge and the recess panel folded edge parallel to the top folded edge, and are both attached to the same widthways opposite said side panel.

The recess panel may be any suitable shape, for example rectangular, circular, or oval, though the first and second recess panel edges are preferably formed along straight line edges of the panel.

Preferably the recess panel is planar and has its plane parallel to the plane of the top panel. The recess panel may be spaced in the height direction from the top panel by any distance which is considered to be aesthetically suitable, typically 2-3 mm.

The invention further provides a blank made of a foldable material for folding to make a package of this invention.

One form of such a blank comprises:

a sheet of a foldable material comprising a top leaf and integral sequentially breadthways adjacent first, second and third side leaves, corresponding to the respective top panel and side panels of the package, with foldable creases extending in a longitudinal direction between adjacent pairs of said leaves, said leaves having breadth directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and corresponding to the width and height directions of the package, characterized by:

the top leaf comprising two longitudinally disposed part top leaves, a recess panel leaf located longitudinally between said part top leaves with slots between the recess panel leaf and each part top leaf,

the top leaf being formed integrally with a widthways adjacent side leaf and connected thereto directly by a first foldable crease,

the recess panel leaf also being formed integrally with the same widthways adjacent side panel and connected integrally thereto directly by a second foldable crease parallel to the first foldable crease and distanced in the breadth direction from the first foldable crease in the direction toward the widthways adjacent side leaf.

Suitably in this blank, in the third side leaf there is a notch in the edge of the side leaf remote from the top leaf, having a notch edge parallel to the first foldable crease, and distanced from the edge of the side leaf at a distance corresponding to the distance in the breadth direction the second foldable crease is from the first foldable crease.

An alternative blank comprises:

a sheet of a foldable material comprising a top leaf and integral sequentially breadthways adjacent first, second and third side leaves, corresponding to the respective top panel and side panels of the package, with foldable creases extending in a longitudinal direction between adjacent pairs of said leaves, said leaves having breadth directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and corresponding to the width and height directions of the package, characterized by:

the top leaf comprising two longitudinally disposed part top leaves, with a gap longitudinally between them,

the top leaf being formed integrally with a widthways adjacent side leaf and connected thereto directly by a first foldable crease,

the third leaf having a third leaf edge remote from the top leaf, the recess panel leaf being formed integrally with the third side leaf and connected integrally thereto directly by a second foldable crease parallel to the first foldable crease and distanced in the breadth direction from the third leaf edge in the direction toward the top leaf.

Suitably in this alternative lank, in the first side leaf, breadthways adjacent to the top leaf there is a notch in the edge of the side leaf, having a notch edge parallel to the first foldable crease, and distanced from the edge of the side leaf in the direction away from the top leaf at a distance corresponding to the distance the second foldable is from the third leaf edge.

The above-mentioned slots may be cuts having as small a width as is feasible.

The blank may also include generally conventional flaps by which the leaves may be stuck to each other by a conventional adhesive, and/or to form a conventional folding end closure.

Such a blank may be made on an industrial scale from a sheet of the foldable material using generally conventional cutting and creasing machinery.

The package of the invention may be made from such a blank using a conventional folding operation. This may be done on an industrial scale using folding machinery.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a current AQUAFRESH Advanced package.

FIG. 2 shows a package of this invention formed by folding a blank shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows a blank for a package of this invention.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative arrangement of a blank for a package of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 an AQUAFRESH advanced package is shown overall 10 in perspective generally longitudinal view. This comprises a tetragonal folded cardboard carton having an aperture 11 in one of its side panels 12. Internally of this aperture is a recessed region 13 provided by folding six panels 14, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 to form the package, i.e. four (14, 12, 15 and 18) forming the outer walls of the package, one 12 of these four having the aperture therein, with a panel 18 adjacent of two internal panels 17, 16 forming a recessed wall visible through the aperture 11. An adhesion flap 19 is also provided. Conventional end closure flaps for the package are omitted for clarity.

Referring to FIG. 2 a package of this invention is shown overall 20. This package is of elongate shape having a length direction â€œLâ€ and is suitable for containing a toothpaste tube therein. Package 20 has a rectangular cross section as cut across its length direction L with a width direction â€œWâ€ and a height direction â€œHâ€ perpendicular to the width direction â€œWâ€ across the rectangular cross section, the longitudinal direction â€œLâ€ being perpendicular to both the width W and height H directions. The package 20 is made of a foldable cardboard material.

Package 20 has an external top panel 21A, 21B and external side panels 22, 23, 24 arranged circumferentially around the perimeter of the rectangular cross section, with folded side edges 25, 26, 27 between adjacent pairs of the panels 21A,21B, 22, 23,24. The top panel comprises two longitudinally disposed part top panels 21A, 21B with a gap 28 longitudinally between them. This gap 28 is bridged by a recess panel 29 extending across the whole width of the package 20 and is recessed by the distance â€œhâ€ in the height direction H from the top panel 21A,21B.

The top panel 21A,21B is formed integrally with the widthways adjacent external side panel 22 and is connected thereto directly by a top folded edge 25. The top panel 21A, 21B is also attached to the side panel 24 widthways opposite side panel 22 by means of adhesion flaps 210.

The recess panel 29 is also formed integrally with the external side panel 22 and is connected integrally thereto directly by a recess panel folded edge 211 parallel to the top folded edge 25 and distanced in the height direction from the top folded edge 25 by the distance â€œhâ€ . The recess panel 29 is attached to the same external side panel 22 to which the top panel 21A,21B is attached, by the adhesive flap 212. Text 213 is printed on the recess panel 29, and the recessing of the panel 21A,21B emphasizes this text.

The package 20 is also provided with conventional end closure flaps, omitted for clarity.

Referring to FIG. 3 a blank from which the package 20 of FIG. 2 can be made is shown overall 30. This comprises a sheet of a foldable cardboard material comprising a top leaf 31A,31B and integral sequentially breadthways adjacent first 32, second 33 and third 34 side leaves, corresponding to the respective top panel 20 and side panels 22, 23, 24 of the package 20, with foldable creases 35,36,37 extending in a longitudinal direction between adjacent pairs of the leaves 31A,31B,32,33,34. The leaves 31A,31B,32,33,34 have breadth directions â€œBâ€ perpendicular to the longitudinal direction â€œLâ€ , and corresponding to the width W and height H directions of the package 20.

The top leaf 31A,31B comprises two longitudinally disposed part top leaves 31A and 31B, and is formed integrally with the widthways adjacent side leaf 32 and is connected thereto directly by the first foldable crease 35.

A recess panel leaf 38 is located longitudinally between the part top leaves 31A,31B. Leaf 38 is integrally formed with the directly adjacent side leaf 32, and is connected directly integrally thereto by a second foldable crease 39 parallel to the first foldable crease and distanced in the breadth direction by a distance â€œbâ€ , corresponding to the distance â€œhâ€ of FIG. 2, from the first foldable crease 35 in the direction toward the widthways adjacent side leaf 32. Between the recess panel leaf 38 and each part top leaf 31A and 32B are cut slits 310.

In the third side leaf 34 there is a notch 311 in the edge 312 of the side leaf 34 remote from the top leaf 31A,31B, having a notch edge 313 parallel to the first foldable crease, and distanced from the edge of the side leaf at a distance â€œbâ€ .

The blank 30 is provided with conventional adhesive and end closure flaps 314.

Text 315 is printed on the leaf 38, forming the text 213 of FIG. 2 in the folded package shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 4 an alternative blank is shown overall 40. The blank 40 is made of a sheet of a foldable material. Blank 40 comprises a top leaf 41A,41B and integral sequentially breadthways adjacent first, second and third side leaves 42,43,44, corresponding to the respective top panel 21A,21B and side panels 22,23,24 of the package 20. Between adjacent pairs of the leaves 41A,41B,42,43,44 are foldable creases 45,46,47 extending in a longitudinal direction â€œL.â€ The leaves 41A,41B,42,43,44 have breadth directions â€œBâ€ perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L, and corresponding to the width W and height directions H of the package 20.

The top leaf 41A,41B comprises two longitudinally disposed part top leaves 41A and 41B, with a gap 48 longitudinally between them, and is formed integrally with the widthways adjacent side leaf 42 to which it is directly connected by a first foldable crease 45. The third leaf 44 has a third leaf edge 49 remote from the top leaf 41A,41B. The recess panel leaf 410 is formed integrally with the third side leaf 44 and is connected integrally directly to leaf 44 by a second foldable crease 411 parallel to the first foldable crease and distanced in the breadth direction from the third leaf edge 49 by the distance â€œbâ€ corresponding to â€œhâ€ in FIG. 2 in the direction toward the top leaf 41A.

In the first side leaf 42, breadthways adjacent to the gap 48 and a breadthways extension thereof is a notch 412 in the edge of the side leaf 42, having a notch edge 413 parallel to the first foldable crease 45, and distanced from the edge of the side leaf 42 in the direction away from the top leaf 41A,41B at a distance â€œbâ€ corresponding to the distance the second foldable crease 411 is from the third leaf edge 49.

The blank 40 also includes plural generally conventional flaps 414 by which the side panels may be stuck to each other by a conventional adhesive, and to form a conventional folding end closure.

Text 415 is printed on the panel 410, forming the text 213 of FIG. 2 in the folded package shown in FIG. 2.

A suitable length L of the pack is 18.5 cm, a suitable width W 3.5 cm, a height H 3.0 cm, and a depth w 2.0 mm.