Reclosable carton and blank therefor

• US 4,228,898 A
• Filed: 05/14/1979
• Issued: 10/21/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caraustar Industries Incorporated (Greif Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Packaging Corporation of America
• Inventors: Thomas, John F., Zeitter, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US06/038,656
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 229/17 G, 229/27, 206/621
• US Class Current: 229/214
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/067 Gable-top containers

Abstract

A reclosable carton and blank therefor are provided wherein the interior of the carton is formed into a pair of upright continguous compartments. The carton includes a pair of wall panels and a pair of narrow side panels. The upper sections of the panels converge towards one another to effect top closing of the carton. A top closure flap is foldably connected to one of the wall panels and retains the upper sections of the wall panels in convergent relation. The upper section of each side panel includes a center segment having tapered side edges and gusset segments foldably connected to the tapered side edges and to the adjacent peripheral portions of the wall panel upper sections. When the top of the carbon is initially closed, the gusset segments of each side panel are disposed in face-to-face contacting relation and are sandwiched between corresponding portions of the wall panels. When the carton is opened the gusset segments and the center segment of a side panel are manually folded outwardly and form a pouring spout which communicates with a selected one of the interior compartments. To reclose the carton, the outwardly projecting center segment of the side panel forming the pouring spout is pushed inwardly causing the gusset segments to resume a substantial face-to-face relation and be sandwiched between corresponding portions of the wall panels.

Claims

1. A reclosable folding carton formed from a single blank of sheet material and having an interior formed into a pair of upright contiguous relatively isolated compartments, said carton comprising a closed bottom;

substantially wide wall panels foldably connected thereto and having upper sections disposed in substantially convergent relation and forming a closed narrow elongated transversely extending top;

narrow side panels foldably connected to corresponding side edges of said wall panels, each side panel being provided with an upper section including a center segment having tapered side edges and a pair of gusset segments each foldably connecting a side edge of the center segment to an adjacent side edge of the upper section of a wall panel, the upper edge portions of said pair of gusset segments initially being in face-to-face non-adhered relation and sandwiched between corresponding portions of the wall panel upper sections to initially form a closed leakproof top for said carton, the center segments of said panels being in substantially convergent relation when said carton top is closed; and

elongated top closure flap connected by a foldline to the upper edge of one wall panel, said top closure flap being substantially coextensive with the upper edge of said one wall panel and secured to the upper portion of the other wall panel and concealing the upper edge portions of said other wall panel and said side panels, said foldline having at least one weakened end portion aligned with the upper edge portions of a pair of said gusset segments when the top of the carton is initially closed; and

a partition foldably connected to one panel and disposed within the carton interior and having an elongated portion having a length substantially coextensive with the height of said wall panels, said portion extending between said wall panels and separating the carton interior into said contiguous isolated compartments, said partition portion having a foldable upper section of substantially the same configuration as the upper section of a side panel and being sandwiched between and sealingly secured to the convergent upper sections of said wall panels;

the weakened end portion of said foldline being adapted to be torn and expose the upper edges of the gusset segments aligned therewith whereby said gusset segments are adapted to be manually folded outwardly relative to one another and coact with the adjacent center segment and form a pouring spout communicating with a selected one of said compartments.

2. The carton of claim 1 wherein the partition is foldably connected to one of said side panels.

3. The carton of claim 1 wherein the opposite end portions of the foldline are weakened and each end portion when torn enabling the resulting spout formed by the outwardly folded pair of gusset segments aligned therewith to be in communication with only a selected one of said interior compartments.

4. The carton of claim 1 wherein the upper section of each wall panel includes a central portion having substantially tapered side edges, and substantially inverted triangular portions having first corresponding edges foldably connected to the tapered side edges of the central portion and second corresponding edges foldably connected to adjacent gusset segments of said side panels;

a triangular portion and the gusset segment connected thereto being in face-to-face relation when said carton top is closed.

5. A blank of foldable sheet material for use in forming a reclosable carton having an interior formed into a pair of upright contiguous relatively isolated compartments, said blank comprising a pair of wall panels and a pair of narrow side panels arranged in alternate side-by-side relation, corresponding lower edges of said panels being provided with bottom closure flaps, one wall panel having a top closure flap connected to an upper edge thereof, each side panel having an upper section including a center segment delimited in part by a pair of upwardly extending convergent foldlines, each terminating at one end at the upper edge of the side panel and at the opposite end at the folding connection between the side panel and an adjacent panel, and a pair of inverted triangular gusset segments, each having a first peripheral portion connected to the center segment by one of the convergent foldlines, a second peripheral portion foldably connected to the adjacent panel, and a third peripheral portion defining in part the upper edge of the side panel;

and a partition foldably connected to the side edge of one of the panels, said partition having a portion provided with a bottom closure flap and an upper section, said portion and the upper section being of substantially the same configuration as one of said side panels, and being adapted, when said blank is set up, to be foldably connected to opposed interior surfaces of the wall panels and effect separation of the carton interior into a pair of contiguous relatively isolated upright compartments.