Reinforced carton, blank and associated method of construction

A carton blank adapted to be erected into a carton, the carton blank comprising:

• a foldable sheet of material;
• a plurality of sides serially connected to one another on the foldable sheet of material, each of the sides having a top end spaced from a bottom end;
• a plurality of longitudinally extending side fold lines each joining two adjacent sides together and enabling them to be folded relative to one another when the carton is erected from the carton blank;
• a plurality of top flaps each of which is foldably connected to the top end of one of the sides, the top flaps forming a top end of the erected carton;
• a plurality of bottom flaps each of which is foldably connected to the bottom end of one of the sides, the bottom flaps forming a bottom end of the erected carton;
• a plurality of laterally extending flap fold lines, each of which joins one of the top or bottom end flaps to the associated side and enabling the top and bottom flaps to be folded relative to the associated side to form the top and bottom sides, respectively, when the carton is erected from the carton blank;
• a plurality of struts each integrally formed with the foldable sheet of material and extending from one of the top or bottom flaps, the struts being adapted to be folded into face to face juxtaposition and secured onto an inside face of the side associated with the associated top or bottom flap to thereby reinforce the side to which the strut is secured and inhibit deformation of the erected carton, wherein each of the flaps on the top and bottom ends has one of the struts joined thereto;
• wherein each strut is adjacent to the flap fold line associated with the flap to which it is connected when the strut is secured to the associated side of the carton blank;
• wherein the strut is connected to a distal, longitudinal end of the associated flap;
• and
• a plurality of bridges each joining one the struts to the associated top or bottom flap and being integrally joined therewith, wherein the combination of struts secured to each side do not cover substantially all of the side to which they are secured and the struts in combination extend substantially around all of the plurality of sides proximate at least one of the top and bottom ends of the carton.

A carton formed of an integral sheet of foldable material, the carton comprising:

• a plurality of sides serially connected to one another, each of the sides having a top end spaced from a bottom end;
• a plurality of top flaps each of which is foldably connected to the top end of one of the sides;
• wherein selected ones of the top flaps overlap one another to form a top end of the carton;
• a plurality of bottom flaps each of which is foldably connected to the bottom end of one of the sides;
• wherein selected ones of the bottom flaps overlap one another to form a bottom end of the carton;
• and
• a plurality of struts each extending beyond the selected ones of the top and bottom flaps, each strut being adapted to be folded into face to face juxtaposition and secured onto the side associated with the selected ones of the top and bottom flaps to thereby reinforce the side to which the strut is secured and inhibit deformation of the erected carton, wherein the combination of struts secured to each side do not cover substantially all of the side to which they are secured and the struts in combination extend substantially around all of the plurality of sides proximate at least one of the top and bottom ends of the carton.