Exterior packaging with integrated lateral handle

A cardboard package, for a group of containers, formed from a flat sheet of material, the package comprising:

• a base (2),
• a pair of lateral walls (4, 5) coupled to the base,
• an upper surface (3), located opposite from the base, coupled to the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) for providing access to an interior of the container;
• opposed first and second end surfaces (6, 7), the first end surface (6) comprising first and second end panels (11, 12) being folded over one another to close the first end surface (6);
• and the second end surface (7) comprising first and second end panels (13, 14) being folded over one another to close the second end surface (7);
• the base (2), the pair of lateral walls (4, 5), the upper surface (3) and the first and the second opposed end surfaces (6, 7) all forming the package for housing a plurality of containers therein;
• a handle (P), integrated with the package, to facilitate grasping and carrying of the package,
• wherein the handle (P) is integral with one of the first end surface (6) and is partially formed by a detachable portion the first end panel (11), the handle (P) further comprises a first extension from one of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) and a second extension from the other of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5), and the detachable portion is secured to the first and second extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) whereby, when use of the handle (P) is desired, the detachable portion is disengaged from a remainder of the first end panel (11) to sufficiently space the handle (P) from the second end panel (12) and facilitate grasping and carrying of the package by a user, the second end panel (12) preserves the closed first end surface (6) and separates the handle (P) from the plurality of containers contained within the package;
• and
• the detachable portion is a precut, detachable band (28), and the extensions of the pair of lateral walls (4, 5) are two longitudinal, tongue-shaped strips (15, 16), the tongue-shaped strips are sandwiched between the first end panel (11) and the second end panel (12) of the first end surface (6) and glued to a rear surface of the detachable band (28), which defines an extremity of the first end panel (11) of the first end surface (6), to form the lateral handle (P), and the handle (P) remains engaged with the first end panel (11) until grasped and pulled away by a user from the remainder of the first end panel (11) of the package to cause the extensions to become flattened, against adjacent lateral surfaces of the containers, and curve the handle (P) to facilitate grasping of the handle (P) by the user.

A method of forming a cardboard package from a flat blank for either pre-glueing or wrapping around a group of containers, the method comprising the steps of:

• scoring and cutting the flat blank to define a base (2), an upper surface (3), lateral walls (4, 5), and two end surfaces (6, 7) comprising at least one upper panel (11, 13) and one lower panel (12,14) folded over each other to close the end surfaces (6, 7);
• providing access to the containers via a removable opening in the upper surface (3), and
• forming a handle (P) integrated with the package for grasping and carrying the package, the handle (P) is an integral central portion of at least one of the end surfaces (6, 7) and comprises a detachable portion of one of the upper panels (11, 13) and the lower panels (12, 14), the detachable portion being attached to extensions of the lateral walls (4, 5);
• freeing the handle (P) for use by disengaging the detachable portion from one of the upper panels and lower panels to space the handle from the at least one closed end surface (6, 7);
• and
• preserving the closed end surface (6, 7) of the package which integrates the handle (P) to separate the handle (P) from the containers after the handle (P) is freed for use.