Carrying handle for can carton

Claim 1

A carrying handle for a carton for packaging a plurality of articles such as cylindrical cans arranged in at least one tier of cans whose axes are horizontal and having interconnected top, bottom and side walls and end closure panels, said handle comprising a transverse flap formed in said top wall approximately midway between two adjacent cans and having a pair of spaced transverse generally parallel side edges along at least one of which said flap is severable and the other of which is arranged to function as a flap fold line and the ends of said flap being defined by a pair of end slits arranged to interconnect adjacent ends of said side edges respectively, said flap being folded inwardly along said flap fold line to position the entire area of said flap in flat face contacting relation with the inner surface of said top wall and to form a finger receiving aperture in said top wall and to reinforce said top wall and a stress relieving slit formed in each side wall and intersecting the junction between each side wall and the top wall at a point of intersection aligned longitudinally with a part of said transverse flap intermediate its side edges, each stress relieving slit extending from the respective point of intersection to a point on one of said end slits intermediate said side edges.