FOLD-IN-HALF SHIPPING/DISPLAY BOX

• US 20010001447A1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Published: 05/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fort James Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: GREGORY, JAMES W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,523,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/746
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5253 Containers initially closed but folded about a central axis to display the contents in two or more cells

Abstract

A fold-in-half shipping/display box has tear-away segments in its front side, and severable perforations in the top and rear walls, whereby once the tear-away segments have been removed and the perforations have been severed, the box can be folded in half to display items contained therein.

Claims

1. A fold-in-half shipping/display box comprising:

a horizontal top side, a horizontal bottom side, parallel front and rear vertical sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides, and parallel end sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides;

the front side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top front edge and a bottom front edge, respectively, of the box;

the rear side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top rear edge and a bottom rear edge, respectively, of the box;

the front side including a tear-away portion having upper and lower edges coinciding with the top front edge and the bottom front edge, respectively;

the rear side and the top side having a perforated line formed therein, the perforated line including a first section extending within the rear side perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the top rear edge, and a second section extending within the top side perpendicularly from the top rear edge to the top front edge;

the bottom side including a fold line extending perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the bottom front edge;

the perforated line and the fold line lying in a common vertical plane bisecting the box, whereby with the tear-away portion removed, the perforated line severed, and with the bottom side folded in half along the fold line, the box presents a pair of side-by-side compartments separated by the folded-in-half bottom wall and resting on respective ones of the end sides.

2. The shipping/display box according to

claim 1

wherein the box is formed of corrugated cardboard.

3. The shipping/display box according to

claim 1

wherein the tear-away portion includes at least one through-hole formed therein for facilitating manual tearing-away of the tear-away portion.

4. The shipping/display box according to

claim 1

wherein the tear-away portion includes a center portion having a height corresponding to a height of the front side, and a pair of tongues projecting horizontally at respective vertical edges of the tear-away portion, each tongue being of shorter height than the front side.

5. A method of converting a shipping/display box from a shipping mode to a display mode for displaying articles contained in the box, the box comprising a horizontal top side, a horizontal bottom side, parallel front and rear vertical sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides, and parallel end sides interconnecting the top and bottom sides;

the front side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top front edge and a bottom front edge, respectively, of the box;

the rear side intersecting the top and bottom sides along a top rear edge and a bottom rear edge, respectively, of the box;

the front side including a tear-away portion having upper and lower edges coinciding with the top front edge and the bottom front edge, respectively;

the rear side and the top side having a perforated line formed therein, the perforated line including a first section extending within the rear side perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the top rear edge, and a second section extending within the top side perpendicularly from the top rear edge to the top front edge;

the bottom side including a fold line extending perpendicularly from the bottom rear edge to the bottom front edge;

the perforated line and the fold line lying in a common vertical plane bisecting the box;

the method comprising the steps of;

A) removing the tear-away portion;

B) severing the rear side and top side in half along the perforated line; and

C) folding the bottom side in half along the fold line;

D) whereby the box presents a pair of side-by-side compartments separated by the folded-in-half bottom wall and resting on respective ones of the end sides.