Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RECLOSABLE CARTON
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/680,158, filed May 12, 2005, entitled "Reclosable Carton," the entire
contents of
which are hereby incorporated by reference as if presented herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Dispensing paperboard cartons are known. The cartons typically
accommodate
a flexible bag used to store foodstuffs and other dispensable items.
Conventional cartons
have a top panel formed from four glued flaps that are separable to open a top
portion of
the carton. The bag can be opened and the contents of the carton dispensed
from the
opened carton top. The top panel, however, when reclosed, may not provide a
sufficiently tight seal for the contents of the bag. Conventional paperboard
cartons also
occupy a fixed volume that is determined by the amount of product held within
the carton
upon initial sale. When a portion of the product held within the carton is
consumed, the
carton continues to occupy a relatively large storage space, which may be
limited, to store
a reduced amount of product.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to a first exeinplary embodiment of the invention, a carton
comprises
a first side panel, a first end panel, a second side panel, a second end
panel, a top panel, a
bottom panel, a flexible vessel disposed within the carton, and a tear strip
extending
around the perimeter of the carton. The flexible vessel can accommodate, for
example,
dispensable articles such as foodstuffs. The tear strip defines an upper edge
of a first
reclosure flap in the first side panel and an upper edge of a second reclosure
flap in the
second side panel.
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[0004] According to one exemplary aspect of the first embodiment, the tear
strip can
be removed in order to separate the carton into an upper section and a
reclosable lower
section. Removing the upper section of the carton allows access to the
flexible vessel
accommodated within the reclosable lower section, from which a user can
dispense
product stored in the vessel. When the user has dispensed a desired ainount of
product
from the flexible vessel, the open upper part of the vessel can be pressed
between the first
reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap, and the reclosure flaps pivoted
inwardly
toward one another with the upper part of the vessel held therebetween. The
reclosure
flaps secure the opened upper end of the vessel and provide a relatively tight
seal for the
vessel's open end. The reclosure flaps can be selectively opened to dispense
further
vessel contents and subsequently reclosed.
[0005] According to another aspect of the first embodiment, the height of the
carton
can be reduced by removing the upper section of the carton. The carton may be
reduced
in height when, for example, a portion of the contents of the carton have been
consumed
or otherwise dispensed. The remainder of the contents, which are accommodated
within
the reclosable lower section of the carton, are thereby stored in a carton
which occupies
less space than the original carton. The reduced size of the carton also
allows a consumer
to visually evaluate the reduced amount of product remaining in the carton,
which may
serve as cue to purchase more product.
[0006] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages
and other
advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments reading the
following detailed
description of the embodiments with reference to below-listed drawing figures.
[0007] According to common practice, the various features of the drawings
discussed
below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and
elements in
the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the
embodiments of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0008] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank used to form a carton according to a
first
embodiment of the invention.
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[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton in a partially erected
state.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the erected carton.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a partial end view of the carton.
[0012] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a tear strip of the carton being removed.
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates the carton with an upper section of the carton
removed,
leaving a reclosable lower section.
[0014] FIG. 8 is a partial view of a first end of the reclosable lower section
being
closed.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a partial view of a second end of the reclosable lower
section being
closed.
[0016] FIG. 10 is a partial view of the first end of the reclosable lower
section being
closed.
[0017] FIG. 11 illustrates the reclosable lower section closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The present embodiments are addressed to a carton that is separable
into an
upper section and a reclosable lower section. The reclosable lower section may
accoinmodate a flexible vessel that is accessible after the upper section is
removed, and
includes a reclosure feature that allows an upper portion of the flexible
vessel to be
relatively tightly closed after opening. In this specification, the tenns
"lower," "upper,"
"side," "bottom," and "top" indicate orientations determined in relation to a
fully erected,
uprigllt carton.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first, interior side of a blank 8 used to
form a carton
150 (illustrated in FIG. 3) according to a first embodiment of the invention.
The blanlc 8
comprises a first end panel 10 foldably connected to a first side panel 50 at
a first
transverse fold line 51, a second end panel 70 foldably connected to the first
side panel
50 at a second transverse fold line 71, and a second side panel 100 foldably
connected to
the second end panel 70 at a third transverse fold line 101.
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[0020] The first end panel 10 is foldably connected to a first end top flap 16
and a first
end bottom flap 18. The first side panel 50 is foldably connected to a first
side top flap
56 and a first side bottom flap 58. The second end panel 70 is foldably
connected to a
second end top flap 76 and a second end bottom flap 78. The second side panel
100 is
foldably connected to a second side top flap 106 and a second side bottom flap
108. The
top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 extend along an upper or top marginal area of the
blank 8 and
may be foldably connected at an upper longitudinally extending fold line 82.
The bottom
flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 extend along a lower or bottom marginal area of the
blank 8 and
may be foldably connected at a lower longitudinally extending fold line 84.
The
longitudinal fold lines 82, 84 may be straiglit fold lines, or may be offset
at one or more
locations to account for, for example, blank thickness or other factors. When
the carton
150 is erected, the top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 close a top opening of the
carton 150, and the
bottom flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 close a bottom opening of the carton 150
(illustrated in FIG.
3).
[0021] According to one exeinplary aspect of the present invention, the blank
8
includes a tear strip 40 that divides the first end panel 10 into upper and
lower first, end
panel sections 12, 14, the first side panel 50 into upper and lower first side
panel sections
52, 54, the second end panel 70 into upper and lower second end panel sections
72, 74,
and the second side panel 100 into upper and lower second side panel sections
102, 104.
An adhesive panel 112 may be foldably connected to the upper second side panel
section
102, and adhesive panels 114, 116 may be foldably connected to the lower
second side
panel section 104. A longitudinal fold line 62 extends along the length of the
blank 8,
and defines a bottom edge of a first reclosure flap 64 in the lower first side
panel section
54. The longitudinal fold line 62 also defines a bottom edge of a second
reclosure flap 66
in the lower second side panel section 104. The tear strip 40 defines the
upper edges of
the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66, and may include a pull tab 42
defined by at
least one tear line 44.
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[0022] The first end panel 10 includes a first reclosure pattern 20 at an
upper portion of
the first lower end panel section 14. The second end panel 70 includes a
second reclosure
pattern 80 at an upper portion of the second lower end panel section 74. The
first and
second reclosure patterns 20, 80 comprise lines of disruption that allow the
end panels 10,
70 to deform in order to facilitate reclosable sealing of the carton, as
discussed in detail
below. In the exemplary embodiment, the first reclosure pattern 20 includes a
longitudinal or horizontal cut/crease line 24 and a transverse or vertical
cut/crease line 26
that intersect one another in the first end panel 10. Oblique crease lines 22
form an
inverted V-shape over the intersecting cut/crease lines 24, 26. Similarly, the
second
reclosure pattern 80 includes intersecting cut/crease lines 84, 86 and crease
lines 82
arranged in an inverted V-shape.
[0023] Each end panel 10, 70 includes a respective transverse or vertical
crease line 19,
79 extending from the vertical cut/crease lines 26, 86, respectively, to the
longitudinal
fold line 84. The crease line 19 extends vertically through the first end
panel 10 and
intersects with a V-shaped crease line 30 near the bottom of the first end
panel 10. The
crease line 79 extends vertically through the second end panel 70 and
intersects with a V-
shaped crease line 90 near the bottom of the second end panel 70. The crease
lines 19,
79, 30, 90 also facilitate reclosure of the first and second reclosure flaps
64, 66, as
discussed in further detail below.
[0024] The first side top flap 56 can include a closure tab 60 that is sized
to be received
in a closure slit 110 formed in the second side top flap 106. The closure tab
60 and
closure slit 110 provide for an optional method of reclosable sealing of the
carton 150
(illustrated in FIG. 3) after the top panel of the carton is opened.
[0025] An exemplary process of erecting the carton 150 from the blank 8 will
now be
discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-4. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, glue or
other
adhesive is applied to the adhesive panels 112, 114, 116 on the exterior side
of the blank
8. The adhesive can be, for example, liquid glue, glue strips, or other
materials. The
blank 8 is then folded so that the exterior sides of the adhesive panels 112,
114, 116
adhere to the interior side of the first end panel 10. The glued blai-Ac is
then opened to
have the closed, generally tubular form shown in FIG. 2.
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[0026] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the erected carton 150. Referring
also to
FIG. 2, the carton 150 is fully erected when the top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 are
folded over
and adhered to form a top panel 160, and the bottom flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 are
folded over
and adhered to form a bottom panel 170. A bag 140 (illustrated in FIGS. 8 and
11) or
other flexible vessel may be inserted in the carton 150 in a conventional
manner at any
time before closing the flaps 16, 56, 76, 106, 18, 58, 78, 108. The bag 140
may be filled
with product and then inserted into the carton, or, the bag 140 may be
inserted empty and
filled with product afterwards. The tear strip 40 may extend around all or
substantially
all of the perimeter of the carton 150.
[0027] In an optional method of opening and reclosing the carton 150, the top
panel
160 of the carton 150 can be opened by pulling up on the top flap 56 and
breaking the
connection to the top flap 106. The opened top panel 160 can be subsequently
reclosed
by engaging the closure tab 60 with the closure slit 110. FIG. 3 illustrates
the top panel
160 in a reclosed state, with the closure tab 60 inserted in the closure slit
110. The top
panel 160 can be selectively opened and closed, for example, in order to
dispense product
from the flexible vessel 140 (illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 11) accommodated
within the
carton 150.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a partial end view of the carton 150 illustrating a portion
of the first
end panel 10 and the tear strip 40. The tear strip 40 with pull tab 42 is
disposed adjacent
to the top of the inverted V-shaped crease lines 22 of the first reclosure
pattern 20, with
the pull tab 42 extending from the corner of the carton 150 so that it may be
easily
grasped. The cut-crease line 26 and the crease line 19 extend generally
vertically through
the first end panel 10. Similarly, at the second end of the carton 150 (not
shown in FIG.
4), the cut-crease line 86 and the crease line 79 extend vertically through
the second end
panel 70.
[0029] A method of opening and reclosure of the carton 150 will now be
discussed
with reference to FIGS. 5-11. According to the method illustrated in FIGS. 5-
11, the
carton 150 can be selectively opened and reclosed so that the contents of a
bag 140 or
other vessel accommodated within the carton 150 may be dispensed and then
securely
retained in a reclosable section of the carton.
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[0030] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the tear strip 40 is grasped at the pull
tab 42 and
pulled away from the surface of the carton 150. The tear strip 40 is then
pulled around
the entire perimeter of the carton 150. The upper section of the carton 150
located above
the tear strip 40 can now be separated from the lower section of the carton
and discarded
along with the tear strip.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a partial top perspective view of the carton 150 with the
tear strip 40
removed, and the upper section of the carton 150 discarded. A reclosable lower
carton
section 200 of the original carton 150 remains. For illustrative purposes, the
bag 140
disposed within the reclosable lower carton section 200 is not shovtm in FIG.
7.
[0032] The bag 140 can accommodate, for example, foodstuffs and other
dispensable
product. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, with the upper section of the carton 150
removed,
the bag 140 can be opened and the contents of the bag can be accessed and/or
dispensed
from the open top of the lower section 200. After a desired amount of product
is
dispensed, the reclosable lower section 200 can be reclosed to seal the bag
140.
Reclosure of the lower section 200 is discussed below with reference to FIGS.
8-11.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 8, the reclosure process is illustrated at the lower
first end
panel 14 end of the reclosable lower section 200. The lower second end panel
74 at the
opposite end of the lower section 200 undergoes the same process when
reclosing the
lower section 200. Reclosure is initiated by pulling the lower first end panel
14
outwardly at the reclosure pattern 20, so that the lower first end panel 14
deforms
outwardly at the cut-crease line 26 (illustrated in FIG. 1) and also bends at
the lines 22,
24. The lower second end panel 74 (not shown) is similarly pulled outwardly at
the
reclosure pattern 80 and deforms at the lines 82, 84, 86 (illustrated in FIG.
1). The bag
140 is pressed between the first reclosure flap 64 (not shown in FIG. 8) and
the second
reclosure flap 66 as the upper portions of the lower end panels 14, 74 extend
outwardly.
The folded upper portions of the lower end panels 14, 74 are then pivoted
downwardly in
the direction of the curved arrow.
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[0034] FIG. 9 illustrates the second end of the lower section 200 during
reclosure of
the section. The bag 140 is not shown in FIGS. 9 or 10 so that folding of the
lower end
panels 14, 74 is more clearly illustrated. Referring to FIG. 9, the deformed
portion of the
lower second end pane174 is pivoted downwardly in the direction of the curved
arrow.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 10, as the deformed upper portions of the lower end
panels
14, 74 are pivoted downwardly, the second reclosure flap 66 rotates inwardly
in the
direction of the curved arrow. At the same time, the first reclosure flap 64
pivots
inwardly in the direction of the other curved arrow. The bag 140 is pressed
between the
first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66, as illustrated in FIG. 11.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 11, the bag 140 is tightly pressed between the
underside of
the first reclosure flap 64 and the upper side of the second reclosure flap
66, and extends
toward one side of the section 200 from beneath the first reclosure flap 64.
The lower
section 200 is now in its reclosed state, with the upper portion of the bag
140 held
between the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66 in a relatively tight
seal.
[0037] According to one aspect of the above-described embodiment, the lower
carton
section 200 can be reclosed with a relatively tight seal. The seal is
particularly
advantageous when product held within the carton is perishable or otherwise
sensitive to
the outside environment.
[0038] According to another aspect of the first embodiinent, the height of the
carton
150 is reduced when the carton is separated into the upper and lower sections.
Referring
to FIGS. 3 and 11, the height of the carton 150, which may generally coincide
with the
height of the side panels 50, 100, is larger than the height of the bottom
carton section
200 in its reclosed state. The height of the bottom carton section 200 may be,
for
example, less than about 80% of the height of the carton 150. Therefore, after
a portion
of the carton contents have been dispensed, the remainder of the contents can
be stored in
the bottom carton section 200 that occupies less space than the carton 150.
The reduced
size of the carton also allows a consumer to roughly visually evaluate the
reduced amount
of product remaining in the carton, which may serve as cue to purchase more
product.
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[0039] In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible vessel in the carton 150 is
a
conventional bag 140. The bag 140 may be formed from, for example, plastics or
other
materials. Other types of vessels, such as paper, etc. may be used depending
upon the
nature of the product to be accommodated within the flexible vessel.
[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the tear strip 40 is illustrated as a
single
continuous filainent tear strip that may be removed in a single operation. The
tear strip
may, however, be a segmented strip that is removeable in stages. In practice,
any tear
strip form that allows a user to separate the carton 150 into upper and lower
sections may
be used. The tear strip may be coinbined witli 100% and/or partial cuts or
scores in the
blank 8 to facilitate removal of the tear strip.
[0041] In the illustrated metlzod of reclosing the lower section 200, the
second
reclosure flap 66 is illustrated as folded under the first reclosure flap 64,
with the bag 140
extending toward the lower second side panel 104. The lower section 200 may,
however,
alternatively be reclosed by folding the first reclosure flap 64 under the
second reclosure
flap 66. In this method of reclosure, the bag 104 would extend toward the
lower first side
panel 54.
[0042] The lower section 200 may, for example, be reclosed without pressing a
flexible
vessel between the reclosure flaps 64, 66. For example, if no flexible vessel
were present
in the lower section 200, the reclosure flaps 64, 66 could be closed as
illustrated in FIG.
10. Or, a user may elect to tuck a flexible vessel into the interior of the
lower section 200
and close the flaps 64, 66 over the vessel.
[0043] The blank 8 can be, for example, formed from hard paper, paperboard and
similar materials. In the exeinplary embodiment discussed above, the blank is
foi7ned
from clay coated newsprint (CCN). In general, the blank may be constructed of
paperboard, having a caliper of at least about 14, so that it is heavier and
more rigid than
ordinary paper. The blank, and thus the carton, can also be constructed of
other
materials, such as cardboard, or any other material having properties suitable
for enabling
the carton to function at least generally as described above.
[0044] The first and second sides of the blanlc can be coated with, for
example, a clay
coating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product, advertising,
and other
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information or images. The blank may then be coated with a varnish to protect
any
information printed on the blanlc. The blank may also be coated with, for
example, a
moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blanlc. The blanlc can
also be
laminated to or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selected
panels or panel
sections.
[0045] In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, a fold line can be any
substantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form of weakening
that facilitates
folding therealong. More specifically, but not for the purpose of narrowing
the scope of
the present invention, fold lines include: a score line, such as lines formed
with a blunt
scoring knife, or the like, which creates a cruslled portion in the material
along the
desired line of weakness; a cut that extends partially into a material along
the desired line
of weakness, and/or a series of cuts that extend partially into and/or
completely through
the material along the desired line of weakness; and various combinations of
these
features.
[0046] The above embodiments are described as having one or more panels
adhered
together by glue. The term "glue" is intended to encoinpass all mamzer of
adhesives
commonly used to secure carton panels in place.
[0047] The foregoing description of the invention illustrates and describes
the present
invention. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected
embodiments
of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is capable of
use in various
other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes
or
modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein,
commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of
the
relevant art.
