Contoured carton with dispenser

• US 20050178791A1
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CW Zumbiel Company (C.W. Zumbiel)
• Original Assignee: CW Zumbiel Company (C.W. Zumbiel)
• Inventors: Miller, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,000,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/305
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/08 dispensing from bottom
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/11 made of cardboard, paper or the like racks or cabinets made of cardboard, paper or the like A47B43/02, A47B47/06; stands for packaging and displaying B65D5/52
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00141 glued
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0045 for hands
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/00586 the means being elastically deformed for removing an object
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2571/0066 formed from one single sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/36 having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers, with end walls

Abstract

A contoured carton has arcuate corners and includes a dispenser for dispensing articles. The carton is formed by a top wall, bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls and includes tear lines in at least one end wall for forming the dispenser. The tear lines preferably extend into the side walls and include a finger hole to facilitate opening of the dispenser. The dispenser opening is bound by a lower retaining tab comprised from an upper portion of the arcuate corner to retain the articles in the carton until a user removes an exposed article.

Claims

1. A carton for containing a plurality of similarly configured articles, the carton comprising:

a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls;

at least one arcuate corner at a juncture of one of the end walls and the bottom wall;

a tear line for forming a dispenser opening in the carton proximate the arcuate corner, the tear line extending through the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner; and

,

a lower restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including at least a portion of the arcuate corner, the lower restraining tab releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user.

2. A carton for containing a plurality of similarly configured articles, the carton comprising:

a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls;

at least one arcuate corner at a juncture of one of the end walls and the bottom wall;

a tear line for forming a dispenser opening in the carton proximate the arcuate corner, the tear line extending through the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner;

a lower restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including at least a portion of the arcuate corner, the lower restraining tab releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user; and

a finger hole in communication with the tear line to facilitate commencing opening the dispenser opening.

3. The carton of claim 2 wherein the tear line extends into at least one side wall of the carton.

4. The carton of claim 2 further comprising:

an upper restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including a portion of the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner, the upper restraining tab cooperating with the lower restraining tab for releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user.

5. The carton of claim 2 wherein the finger hole is located at an interstitial site adjacent an article in the carton exposed by the dispenser opening.

6. The carton of claim 2 wherein the tear line extends from one side wall to the opposed side wall.

7. The carton of claim 2 further comprising:

an aperture at a juncture of the arcuate corner, one of the end walls, one of the side walls, and the bottom wall wherein one of the articles in the carton is partially exposed through the aperture.

8. The carton of claim 7 further comprising a pair of the apertures.

9. The carton of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of the arcuate corners.

10. The carton of claim 9 wherein four arcuate corners are provided with two arcuate corners adjacent each end wall.

27. The carton of claim 2 wherein the at least one arcuate corner is integrally formed with one of the end wall and the bottom wall.

28. The carton of claim 2 wherein the at least one corner is paperboard.

11. A carton for containing a plurality of similarly configured articles, the carton comprising:

a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls;

a plurality of arcuate corners each formed at a juncture of one of the end walls and one of the top and bottom walls;

a plurality of apertures each formed at a juncture of one of the arcuate corners, one of the end walls, one of the side walls, and one of the bottom and top walls wherein one of the articles in the carton is partially exposed through the apertures;

a tear line for forming a dispenser opening in the carton proximate the arcuate corners adjacent the bottom wall, the tear line extending into at least one side wall of the carton and through the end wall to the opposed side wall;

a lower restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including at least a portion of the adjacent arcuate corner;

an upper restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including a portion of the corresponding end wall, the lower restraining tab and the upper restraining tab cooperating for releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user; and

,

a finger hole in communication with the tear line at an interstitial site adjacent an article in the carton exposed by the dispenser opening to facilitate commencing opening the dispenser opening.

12. A package comprising:

an article group formed of at least one tier of cylindrical articles disposed on sides thereof in a side-by-side parallel fashion; and

a carton disposed around the article group, the carton comprising;

a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls;

at least one arcuate corner at a juncture of one of the end walls and bottom wall;

a tear line for forming a dispenser opening in the carton proximate the arcuate corner, the tear line extending through the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner; and

,

a lower restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including at least a portion of the arcuate corner, the lower restraining tab releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user.

13. A package comprising:

an article group formed of at least one tier of cylindrical articles disposed on sides thereof in a side-by-side parallel fashion; and

a carton disposed around the article group, the carton comprising;

a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, and two end walls;

at least one arcuate corner at a juncture of one of the end walls and bottom wall;

a tear line for forming a dispenser opening in the carton proximate the arcuate corner, the tear line extending through the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner;

a lower restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including at least a portion of the arcuate corner, the lower restraining tab releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user; and

a finger hole in communication with the tear line to facilitate commencing opening the dispenser opening.

14. The package of claim 13 wherein the tear line extends into at least one side wall of the carton.

15. The package of claim 13 further comprising:

an upper restraining tab bounding the dispenser opening and including a portion of the end wall adjacent the arcuate corner, the upper restraining tab cooperating with the lower restraining tab for releasably retaining one of the articles in the carton adjacent the dispenser opening until the article is removed by a user.

16. The package of claim 13 wherein the finger hole is located at an interstitial site adjacent an article in the carton exposed by the dispenser opening.

17. The package of claim 13 wherein the tear line extends from one side wall to the opposed side wall.

18. The package of claim 13 further comprising:

an aperture at a juncture of the arcuate corner, one of the end walls, one of the side walls, and the bottom wall wherein one of the articles in the carton is partially exposed through the aperture.

19. The package of claim 18 further comprising a pair of the apertures.

20. The package of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of the arcuate corners.

21. The package of claim 20 wherein four arcuate corners are provided with two arcuate corners adjacent each end wall.

25. The blank of claim 21 further comprising:

a finger hole in communication with at least one tear line to facilitate commencing opening the dispenser opening.

26. The blank of claim 21 wherein the plurality of tear lines extend into the connected side wall panels.

29. The package of claim 13 wherein the at least one arcuate corner is integrally formed with one of the end wall and the bottom wall.

30. The package of claim 13 wherein the at least one corner is paperboard.

22. A blank for forming a carton for containing a plurality of similarly configured articles, the blank comprising:

serially connected side wall, top wall and bottom wall panels;

an arcuate corner flap formed integral to each end of the top and bottom wall panels;

an end flap foldably connected to each end of the side wall panels; and

,

a plurality of tear lines extending through the side wall end flaps and the side wall panels;

wherein the side wall, top wall and bottom wall panels are adapted to form a pair of spaced side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall of a carton, the top and bottom wall corner flaps adapted to wrap around a corner can and cooperate with the side wall end flaps to form end walls having arcuate corners with the top wall and bottom wall of the carton.

23. The blank of claim 22 wherein the side wall panels have arcuate corners.

24. The blank of claim 23 wherein the top wall and bottom wall corner flaps have side edges spaced from the side wall panels to form a first and second gap, the side wall end flaps have side edges spaced from the top wall panel and the bottom wall panel to form a third and forth gap, wherein the gaps form an aperture in each arcuate corner formed at a juncture of the end walls, side walls, top wall and bottom wall of the carton for partially exposing an article.