PERFORATED CASE PACK TOP PANEL
An apparatus and a method are provided for a perforated top panel disposed in a shrink-wrapped bottle pack for containing water bottles. The perforated top panel comprises an easy-open panel and a semi-circular portion disposed at a terminal end of the easy-open panel. The easy-open panel is partially bordered by an alternating series of cuts and lands that are configured to allow the easy-open panel to tear away from the top panel upon being pulled by a practitioner. The easy-open panel comprises a parallel portion that extends to one or more tapered portions that terminate at the semi-circular portion. The semi-circular portion is configured to be grasped and pulled to separate the tapered portion and the parallel portion from the top panel and thus expose the water bottles.
1 . A perforated top panel disposed in a shrink-wrapped bottle pack for containing water bottles, the perforated top panel comprising:
an easy-open panel; and
a semi-circular portion disposed at a terminal end of the easy-open panel.
2 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the easy-open panel is partially bordered by an alternating series of cuts and lands.
3 . The perforated top panel of claim 2 , wherein the alternating series of cuts and lands are configured to allow the easy-open panel to tear away from the top panel upon being pulled by a practitioner.
4 . The perforated top panel of claim 2 , wherein each of the cuts has a length of substantially 0.125 inches and each of the lands has a length of substantially 0.250 inches.
5 . The perforated top panel of claim 2 , wherein each of the lands has a length ranging between substantially 0.250 inches and substantially 0.375 inches.
6 . The perforated top panel of claim 2 , wherein each of the cuts has a length of substantially 0.125 inches and each of the lands has a length of substantially 0.3125 inches.
7 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the easy-open panel comprises a parallel portion that extends to a tapered portion that terminates at the semi-circular portion.
8 . The perforated top panel of claim 7 , wherein the parallel portion has a width of 7.5 inches and is disposed substantially 2.25 inches from opposite sides of the bottle pack.
9 . The perforated top panel of claim 7 , wherein the semi-circular portion is configured to be grasped and pulled to separate the tapered portion and the parallel portion from the top panel and thus expose the water bottles.
10 . The perforated top panel of claim 7 , wherein the tapered portion begins at a distance of about 4.75 inches from the semi-circular portion, opposite sides of the tapered portion each approaching the midline of the easy-open panel by a distance of substantially 3.75 inches before terminating at the semi-circular portion.
11 . The perforated top panel of claim 7 , wherein the tapered portion includes one or more portions that are increasingly tapered toward the semi-circular portion.
12 . The perforated top panel of claim 11 , wherein the tapered portion comprises a first tapered portion that beings at about 5.125 inches from the semi-circular portion, each of the opposite sides of the first tapered portion narrowing by substantially 0.25 inches.
13 . The perforated top panel of claim 12 , wherein the first tapered portion transitions to a second tapered portion at about 3.625 inches from the semi-circular portion, opposite sides of the second tapered portion each narrowing by about 0.75 inches.
14 . The perforated top panel of claim 13 , wherein the second tapered portion transitions to a third tapered portion at about 1.5 inches from the semi-circular portion, opposite sides of the third tapered portion narrowing by about 1.625 inches before terminating at the semi-circular portion.
15 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the semi-circular portion comprises a cutout portion of the top panel having a radius of substantially 0.53 inches and being disposed roughly 1.5 inches from a side portion of the bottle pack.
16 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the semi-circular portion is centrally disposed along a midline of the easy-open panel.
17 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the parallel portion is bordered on opposite sides by parallel perforations.
18 . The perforated top panel of claim 1 , wherein the parallel portion has a width and a length suitable to allow access to the water bottles once the easy-open panel is torn open.
19 . The perforated top panel of claim 18 , wherein the parallel portion has a width of 6.25 inches and is disposed substantially 1.625 inches from opposite sides of the shrink-wrapped bottle pack.
20 . The perforated top panel of claim 18 , wherein the length of the parallel portion extends substantially 12 inches from the side of the bottle pack nearest the semi-circular portion.
21 . A method for a perforated top panel disposed in a shrink-wrapped bottle pack containing water bottles, the method comprising:
shrink-wrapping a multiplicity of water bottles to form a pack of the water bottles;
perforating an easy-open panel in a top panel comprising the shrink-wrapped bottle pack; and
forming a semi-circular portion at a terminal end of the easy-open panel.