Flip top sealed carton with tear filament

• US 5,014,855 A
• Filed: 11/13/1989
• Issued: 05/14/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Waldorf Corp
• Original Assignee: Waldorf Corp
• Inventors: Roccaforte, Harry I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US07/434,176
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 229/145, 229/905, 206/611, 206/616, 206/617, 206/631.1
• US Class Current: 229/228
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5435 and defining after rupture a lid hinged to the side edge of the container body
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/905 Frozen food

Abstract

A rectangular box carton according to the present invention has generally rectangular front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels. The front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels are consecutively joined at parallel fold lines. The closure panel is overlapped on and connected to the front panel to form a tube of generally rectangular cross section. Left and right endwall flap structures close the ends of the tube. Each endwall flap structure has a hood flap attached to said cover panel and adapted to form with the cover and closure panels a hinged, hooded lid that is opened by breaking the connection between the closure panel and front panel. Thereafter the lid is hinged to open and close to give access to contents of the carton. A tear filament is affixed to and across the inner surface of the closure panel to aid in severing the closure panel from the front panel.

Claims

1. A rectangular box carton comprising:

(a) a front panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, a cover panel and a closure panel, said front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels being generally rectangular and consecutively joined at right angles at parallel fold lines and said closure panel having a free edge opposite the fold line between said cover and closure panels, said closure panel further being overlapped on and connected to said front panel adjacent said free edge to form a tube of generally rectangular cross section;

(b) left and right endwall means for closing each end of said tube, each endwall means comprising a hood flap attached to said cover panel and adapted to form with the cover and closure panels a hinged, hooded lid that is opened by breaking the connection between the closure panel and front panel and that is thereafter hinged to open and close to give access to contents of the carton; and

(c) a tear filament affixed to and across the inner surface of said closure panel substantially parallel to but spaced from the fold line between the cover and closure panels, said tear filament having opposed ends, opposed longitudinal edges between the ends and at least one tear tab associated with one of said ends of said tear filament, said at least one tear tab associated with the tear filament extending from the free edge of said closure panel toward one of said ends of said tear filament and comprising a pair of cuts in the closure panel, each said cut leading toward one of said ends of said tear filament.

2. The carton as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one tear tab forms an obtus angle with one of the longitudinal edges of the tear filament.

3. The carton as recited in claim 2 wherein the obtuse angle is approximately 135 degrees.

4. The carton as recited in claim 1 wherein the closure panel is connected to the front panel by adhesive material located in an area between the free edge of the cover panel and the tear filament.

5. The carton as recited in claim 1 further comprising a selvage flap connected to said front panel along a fold line substantially coincident with the fold line between the cover and closure panels.

6. A rectangular box carton comprising:

(a) a front panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, a cover panel and a closure panel, said front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels being generally rectangular and consecutively joined at right angles at parallel fold lines and said closure panel having a free edge opposite the fold line between said cover and closure panels, said closure panel further being overlapped on and connected to said front panel adjacent said free edge to form a tube of generally rectangular cross section;

(b) left and right endwall means for closing each end of said tube, each endwall means comprising a hood flap attached to said cover panel and adapted to form with the cover and closure panels a hinged, hooded lid that is opened by breaking the connection between the closure panel and front panel and that is thereafter hinged to open and close to give access to contents of the carton; and

(c) a tear filament affixed to and across the inner surface of said closure panel substantially parallel to but spaced from the fold line between the cover and closure panels, said tear filament having associated therewith partial cuts through the closure panel that run along either longitudinal edge of said tear filament.

7. A rectangular box carton comprising:

(a) a front panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, a cover panel and a closure panel, said front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels being generally rectangular and consecutively joined at right angles at parallel fold lines and said closure panel having a free edge opposite the fold line between said cover and closure panels, said closure panel further being overlapped on and connected to said front panel adjacent said free edge to form a tube of generally rectangular cross section;

(b) left and right endwall means for closing each end of said tube, each endwall means comprising a hood flap attached to said cover panel and adapted to form with the cover and closure panels a hinged, hooded lid that is opened by breaking the connection between the closure panel and front panel and that is thereafter hinged to open and close to give access to contents of the carton, each of the left and right endwall means comprising;

a first endwall flap attached to said bottom panel and covering substantially the entire tube cross section to form an innermost layer of each endwall means, with said hood flap lying adjacent said first endwall flap and serving as a second endwall flap that overlaps only an upper portion of the first endwall flap;

a third endwall flap attached to said back panel and overlying a portion of said first and second endwall flaps, said third endwall flap overlying only a rear portion of said first and second endwall flaps;

a fourth endwall flap attached to said front panel and overlapping a portion of said first, second and third endwall flaps, said fourth endwall flap having a connection notch therein near an end of the fold line at which the cover and closure panels are joined, said connection notch exposing a corner of said second endwall flap nearest the closure panel;

a fifth endwall flap attached to said closure panel, said fifth endwall flap overlying at least a portion of that corner of the second endwall flap that is exposed by the connection notch;

a first adhesive strip applied to said fourth endwall flap substantially parallel to the fold line at which said fourth endwall flap is attached to the front panel, said first adhesive strip affixing said fourth endwall flap to the third endwall flap but not to the second endwall flap; and

a second adhesive strip applied to said fourth endwall flap and the fifth endwall flap substantially parallel to the fold line at which said fourth endwall flap is attached to the front panel, said second adhesive strip connecting said fourth endwall flap to the first endwall flap and said fifth endwall flap to the second endwall flap; and

(c) a tear filament affixed to and across the inner surface of said closure panel substantially parallel to but spaced from the fold line between the cover and closure panels.

8. The rectangular box carton recited in claim 7 wherein each second endwall flap has one or more radial embossments thereon.

9. The rectangular box carton recited in claim 7 wherein the third endwall flap has an adhesive strip that affixes the third endwall flap to the first endwall flap but not to the second endwall flap.

10. A blank for forming a rectangular box carton comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular front panel having a first pair of endwall flaps attached thereto at parallel, opposed sides of said front panel, each said endwall flap having a connection notch therein;

(b) a generally rectangular bottom panel connected to said front panel at a first major fold line, said bottom panel having a second pair of endwall flaps attached thereto at parallel, opposed sides of said bottom panel;

(c) a generally rectangular back panel connected to said bottom panel at a second major fold line parallel to said first major fold line, said back panel having a third pair of endwall flaps attached thereto at parallel opposed sides of said back panel;

(d) a generally rectangular cover panel connected to said back panel at a third major fold line parallel to said first major fold line, said cover panel having a pair of endwall insertion flaps attached thereto at parallel opposed sides of said cover panel;

(e) a generally rectangular closure panel connected to said cover panel at a fourth major fold line parallel to said first major fold line, said closure panel having a free edge opposite said fourth major fold line and having a pair of corner flaps attached thereto at parallel, opposed edges of said closure panel, each said corner flap being adapted to align with at least a portion of the connection notch of one said endwall flap of said front panel and to contact an underlying panel through said connection notch, when the front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels and the endwall flaps of the front, bottom and back panels and the endwall insertion flap of the cover panel are folded together to form a generally rectangular box carton with endwall means for closing the carton formed from overlying endwall flaps; and

(f) a tear filament affixed to and across the inner surface of the closure panel substantially parallel to said fourth major fold line but being spaced therefrom and also spaced from the free edge of said closure panel.

11. The blank as recited in claim 10 wherein the tear filament has opposed ends, opposed longitudinal edges between the ends and at least one tear tab associated with one of said ends of said tear filament, said one tear tab comprising a pair of cuts in the closure panel, each said cut leading toward one of said ends of said tear filament.

12. The blank as recited in claim 11 wherein each endwall insertion flap has one or more radial embossments thereon.

13. The blank as recited in claim 10 wherein the closure panel is connected to the front panel by adhesive material located in an area between the free edge of the cover panel and the tear filament.

14. The blank as recited in claim 10 wherein the tear filament has associated therewith partial cuts through the closure panel that run along either longitudinal edge of said tear filament.

15. The blank as recited in claim 10 further comprising a selvage flap connected to said front panel along a fold line parallel to said first major fold line.

16. The blank as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one tear tab associated with the tear filament extends from the free edge of said closure panel toward one of said ends of said tear filament.

17. The blank as recited in claim 16 wherein said at least one tear tab forms an obtuse angle with one of the longitudinal edges of the tear filament.

18. The blank as recited in claim 17 wherein the obtuse angle is approximately 135 degrees.

19. A rectangular box carton comprising:

(a) a front panel, a bottom panel, a back panel, a cover panel and a closure panel, said front, bottom, back, cover and closure panels being generally rectangular and consecutively joined at right angles at parallel fold lines and said closure panel having a free edge opposite the fold line between said cover and closure panels and being overlapped on and connected to said front panel adjacent said free edge to form a tube of generally rectangular cross section;

(b) left and right endwall means for closing each end of said tube, each endwall means comprising;

(i) a first endwall flap attached to said bottom panel and covering substantially the entire tube cross section to form an innermost layer of each endwall means;

(ii) second endwall flap attached to said cover panel and lying adjacent said first endwall flap, said second flap overlapping only an upper portion of the first endwall flap;

(iii) a third endwall flap attached to said back panel and overlying a portion of said first and second endwall flaps, said third endwall flap overlying only a rear portion of said first and second endwall flaps;

(iv) a fourth endwall flap attached to said front panel and overlapping a portion of said first, second and third endwall flaps, said fourth endwall flap having a connection notch therein near an end of the fold line at which the cover and closure panels are joined, said connection notch exposing a corner of said second endwall flap nearest the closure panel; and

(v) a fifth endwall flap attached to said closure panel, said fifth endwall flap overlying at least a portion of that corner of the second endwall flap that is exposed by the connection notch;

(c) a first adhesive strip applied to said fourth endwall flap substantially parallel to the foldline at which said fourth endwall flap is attached to the front panel, said first adhesive strip affixing said fourth endwall flap to the third endwall flap but not to the second endwall flap;

(d) a second adhesive strip applied to said fourth endwall flap and the fifth endwall flap substantially parallel to the foldline at which said fourth endwall flap is attached to the front panel, said second adhesive strip connecting said fourth endwall flap to the first endwall flap and said fifth endwall flap to the second endwall flap; and

(e) a tear filament affixed to and across the inner surface of said closure panel substantially parallel to said fourth major fold line but being spaced therefrom and from the connection of said closure panel to said front panel adjacent the free edge of said closure panel.

20. The carton recited in claim 19 wherein the tear filament has opposed ends, opposed longitudinal edges between the ends and at least one tear tab associated with one of said ends of said tear filament, said one tear tab comprising a pair of cuts in the closure panel, each said cut leading toward one of said ends of said tear filament.

21. The carton recited in claim 20 wherein each second endwall flap has one or more radial embossments thereon.

22. The carton recited in claim 20 wherein said at least one tear tab associated with the tear filament extends from the free edge of said closure panel toward one of said ends of said tear filament.

23. The carton as recited in claim 19 wherein the closure panel is connected to the front panel by adhesive material located in an area between the free edge of the cover panel and the tear filament.

24. The carton as recited in claim 19 wherein the tear filament has associated therewith partial cuts through the closure panel that run along either longitudinal edge of said tear filament.

25. The carton as recited in claim 19 further comprising a selvage flap connected to said front panel along a fold line parallel to said first major fold line.

26. The carton as recited in claim 19 further comprising a third adhesive strip applied to said third endwall flap, said third adhesive strip connecting said third endwall flap to said first endwall flap but not to said second endwall flap.