Carton having pour spout with cover strip

• US 4,168,003 A
• Filed: 07/24/1978
• Issued: 09/18/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Waldorf Corp
• Original Assignee: Champion International Corporation (International Paper Company)
• Inventors: Wysocki, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US05/927,381
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 229/17 R, 206/607, 206/611, 206/626
• US Class Current: 229/217
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/742 Spouts formed by deforming or tearing the closure flaps or severed or incised parts of the closure flaps B65D5/06 takes precedence

Abstract

A carton includes an integral pour spout formed in the top wall. A pivotable tab with flanking wing members is formed in an innermost top panel. A second top panel having an opening aligned with the tab is superimposed on the innermost panel. An outer top panel includes a tear strip which is completely or partially removable and which overlies the aligned opening and tab. When the tear strip has been at least partially removed to expose the aligned tab and opening, the tab can be pulled outwardly as the wing members fold inward to form the floor and side walls, respectively, of an integral spout. In one embodiment, a partially removable tear strip includes a small tuck flap which can be inserted through aligned openings in the inner panels to re-close the carton.

Claims

1. A carton including:

a rectangular tube comprising side wall panels connected along vertical fold lines;

a bottom closure comprising at least two overlapping flaps extending from the lower edges of said side wall panels; and

a top closure comprising

a first rectangular flap extending generally perpendicularly from an upper edge of a first one of said side wall panels,

a second flap extending generally perpendicularly from an upper edge of a second one of said wall panels in overlying relationship to said first flap, said second flap including a tab member connected to the flap at a fold line paralleling the upper edge of the side wall panel and wing members extending outwardly from fold lines defining the opposite side edges of said tab member,

a third flap extending generally perpendicularly from an upper edge of a third one of said side wall panels in overlying relationship to said second flap, said third flap including an opening therethrough aligned with said tab member, said opening being slightly wider than said tab member, and

a fourth flap extending generally perpendicularly from an upper edge of a fourth one of said side wall panels in overlying relationship to said third flap, said fourth flap including a generally rectangular tear strip overlying said tab member and opening, one of said third and fourth flaps being intermediate said first and second flaps,

said tear strip being partially removable, remaining connected to said fourth flap at a fold line defining one edge of said tear strip,

each of said third and fourth flaps further including a narrow, generally D-shaped flap defined by a straight fold line and a curved score line, said D-shaped flaps being aligned with each other;

said tear strip further including a relatively short tuck flap adjacent its free end, said tuck flap being receivable in an opening formed by deforming the aligned D-shaped flaps inwardly.

2. A blank for a carton which includes an integral covered pour spout in its erected form, said blank comprising:

a plurality of rectangular side wall panels formed by subdividing a larger rectangular panel with spaced vertical fold lines;

a plurality of rectangular bottom closure flaps, each of said flaps extending from a fold line defining a lower edge of one of said side wall panels; and

a plurality of top closure flaps, each extending from a fold line defining an upper edge of one of said side wall panels, said top closure flaps including

a first rectangular flap,

a second flap including a tab member connected to said flap at a fold line and wing members extending from fold lines defining opposite edges of said tab member,

a third flap having an opening therethrough, and

a fourth flap including perforations defining a tear strip terminating at one edge of said fourth flap,

one of said third and fourth flaps being intermediate said first and second flaps,

said tear strip being defined by parallel rows of perforations extending from one edge of said fourth flap and by a fold line connecting said rows of perforations at a point spaced from said flap edge,

each of said second and third flaps further including a narrow, generally D-shaped flap defined by a straight fold line and a curved score line.

3. A blank as recited in claim 2 wherein said tear strip includes a second fold line parallel to the edge of said fourth flap, said second fold line defining the inner edge of a relatively short tuck flap at the outer end of the tear strip.

4. A blank as recited in claim 3 wherein each of said wing members on said second flap includes an arcuate edge and a projection at the edge of the wing member remote from the tab member.