Carton with vent opening arrangement

• US 5,326,022 A
• Filed: 06/10/1993
• Issued: 07/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gulf States Paper Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gulf States Paper Corporation
• Inventors: Green, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US08/074,757
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 229/120, 229/125.35, 229/207, 229/243, 229/242, 229/902, 229/903, 229/905, 229/DIG. 14
• US Class Current: 229/120
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2577/205 integral with the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4295 Ventilating arrangements, e.g. openings, space elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/343 specially adapted to be heated in a conventional oven, e.g. a gas or electric resistance oven
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 229/902 Box for prepared or processed food

Abstract

A one-piece carton formable into an enclosed container and suited to retain consumable contents therein. The carton blank is cut and scored to include a bottom wall panel, four side wall panels integral with the bottom wall panel along four side fold lines and foldable along the side fold lines to form container sides. Integral connections, which are foldable and sealable to form leak tight sealed integral corners, are provided between adjacent side wall panels. A lid wall panel is integral with a side wall panel and foldable inward toward the bottom wall panel. Cuts in the lid wall panel define a vent access section which can be manually removed from the lid wall panel along a predetermined vent separation path as a result of a manual venting procedure. The vent access section includes a grippable portion extending from an edge of the lid wall panel. Cuts in the lid wall panel also define an eating access section which can be manually separated from the lid wall panel along a predetermined eating access separation path in response to a manual eating access operating procedure. The exposure of the vent access opening also exposes a portion of the eating section communicating therewith which can then be quipped as an initial step in the manual access operating procedure.

Claims

1. A one-piece carton blank of foldable sheet material formable into an enclosed container, said container being suitable to retain consumable contents therein containing liquids so that said consumable contents can be (1) heated in an oven while retained therein and (2) thereafter consumed while retained therein, said carton blank is cut and scored such that said carton blank includes:

a bottom wall panel having a periphery defined by four interconnecting side fold lines interrelated so that there are four different pairs of adjacent side fold lines wherein each adjacent side fold line of a pair of adjacent side fold lines extends at an angle with respect to each other from a corner point defining one of four corners of said bottom wall panel;

four side wall panels integral with said bottom wall panel along said side fold lines and interrelated so that there are a first pair of opposed side wall panels, a front side wall panel, and a rear side wall panel, said side wall panels being foldable along said side fold lines in a uniform direction relative to said bottom wall panel to form compartment sides;

an integral connection between adjacent side wall panels, said integral connection being foldable and sealable to form leak tight sealed integral corners; and

a lid wall panel integral with said rear side wall panel along a lid fold line, said lid wall panel being foldable along said lid fold line in a direction inward toward said bottom wall panel so that in a closed position said lid wall panel encloses a container space defined by said bottom wall panel and said four side wall panels wherein said consumable contents are contained,

said lid wall panel having cuts therein defining a vent access section operable to be manually removed from said lid wall panel along a predetermined vent separation path in response to a manual venting procedure so as to expose a vent access opening to an interior of said container space, said vent access section including a grippable portion extending from an edge of said lid wall panel operable to be gripped as an initial step in said manual venting procedure,

said lid wall panel having cuts therein defining an eating access section operable to be manually separated along a predetermined eating access separation path in response to a predetermined manual eating access opening procedure so as to enable said eating access section to be manually moved to an access position during said manual eating access operating procedure, the exposure of said vent access opening exposing a portion of said eating access section communicating therewith operable to be gripped as an initial step in said manual eating access operating procedure.

2. A carton blank as defined in claim 1, wherein said vent access section defining cuts include a pair of generally parallel partial depth interior vent cuts in an interior side of said lid wall panel, and a pair of generally parallel partial depth exterior vent cuts in an exterior side of said lid wall panel, said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts being disposed about a corner of said lid wall panel and interrelated such that said lid wall panel delaminates along two generally parallel delamination paths during said manual venting procedure thereby exposing said vent access opening, said delamination paths having edges defined by said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts.

3. A carton blank as defined in claim 2, wherein said interior and exterior parallel vent cuts deviate from said generally parallel relation so as to define said grippable portion of said eating access section.

4. A carton blank as defined in claim 3, wherein said interior and exterior parallel vent cuts are disposed in an arc around said corner of said lid wall panel.

5. A carton blank as defined in claim 4, wherein said grippable venting portion being integral with said lid wall panel and protruding therefrom along an edge of lid wall panel adjacent said lid fold line.

6. A carton blank as defined in claim 1, wherein said first pair of opposed side wall panels have edge wall panels integral with said first pair of opposed side wall panels along edge fold lines, said edge wall panels having first end portions proximate to said front side wall panel, said edge wall panels being foldable in a uniform direction along said edge fold lines so as to extend in a generally parallel relation with said bottom wall panel, said edge wall panels operable to be adhesively adhered in a surface-to-surface abutting relation with said lid wall panel to sealably enclose said container space;

and

said front side wall panel having a front flap wall panel integral with said front side wall panel along a front flap fold line, said front flap being foldable along said front flap fold line so as to extent in a generally parallel relation with said bottom wall panel, said front flap wall panel operable to be adhesively adhered in a surface-to-surface abutting with said lid wall panel to sealably enclose said container space.

7. A carton blank as defined in claim 6, wherein said front flap wall panel is folded inward with respect to said bottom wall panel, and

said lid wall panel includes a front lid flap integral with said lid wall panel along a second edge of said lid wall panel opposite said lid fold line, said front lid flap is foldable along said second edge of said lid wall panel and operable to be adhesively adhered in a surface-to-surface abutting relation with an exposed portion of said front side wall panel when said lid wall panel is in said closed position.

8. A carton blank as defined in claim 7, wherein said second edge of said lid wall panel includes cuts in an exterior side of said lid wall panel operable to enable said lid wall panel to delaminate along said second edge of said lid wall panel during said manual eating access operating procedure.

9. A carton blank as defined in claim 6, wherein said edge fold lines and said front flap fold line are reverse barscored to enable said edge wall panels and said front slap panel to fold outwardly with respect to said bottom wall panel.

10. A carton blank as defined in claim 9, wherein said first end portions of said edge wall panels are extended in a direction parallel said edge fold line, said extended first end portions operable to be adhesively adhered in a surface-to-surface abutting relation with said lid wall panel to sealably enclose said container space.

11. A carton blank as defined in claim 10, wherein an edge wall panel abutting an edge of said lid wall panel when said lid wall panel is in a closed portion includes a first pair of parallel cuts corresponding to said cuts defining said vent access section when said lid wall panel is in a closed position, said first pair of parallel cuts being generally perpendicular to said edge fold lines,

a portion of said edge fold line disposed between said first pair of parallel cuts includes an edge fold line cut therein,

said front flap wall panel includes a second pair of parallel cuts corresponding to said cuts defining said vent access section when said lid wall panel is in a closed position, said second pair of parallel cuts being generally perpendicular to said flap fold line, and

a portion of said flap fold line disposed between said second pair of parallel cuts includes a flap fold line cut therein.

12. A carton blank as defined in claim 11, wherein said lid fold line includes perforations operable to enable said eating access section to be completely removed as a final step in said predetermined manual eating access operating procedure.

13. A carton blank as defined in claim 12, wherein said eating access section defining cuts include parallel partial depth eating access cuts in opposite sides of said lid wall panel operable to enable a portion of sheet material defined between said parallel eating access cuts to delaminate during said predetermined manual eating access operating procedure thereby providing eating access to said consumable contents contained therein.

14. A carton blank as defined in claim 13, wherein said vent access section defining cuts include a pair of generally parallel partial depth interior vent cuts in an interior side of said lid wall panel, and a pair of generally parallel partial depth exterior vent cuts in an exterior side of said lid wall panel, said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts being disposed about a corner of said lid wall panel and interrelated such that said lid wall panel delaminates along two generally parallel delamination paths during said manual venting procedure thereby exposing said vent access opening, said delamination paths having edges defined by said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts.

15. A carton blank as defined in claim 14, wherein said interior and exterior parallel vent cuts deviate from said generally parallel relation so as to define said grippable portion of said eating access section.

16. A carton blank as defined in claim 15, wherein said lid fold line has a first end portion and a second end portion, said lid wall panel includes a first edge adjacent to said first end portion of said lid fold line, a second edge opposite said lid fold line, and a third edge opposite said first edge and adjacent said second end portion of said lid fold line,

said predetermined eating access separation path extends from said first end portion of said lid fold line in a parallel relation with said first edge of said lid wall panel to a first portion said vent access section, and

said predetermined eating access separation path further extends from a second portion of said second vent access section in a parallel relation with said second and third edges of said lid wall panel so as to terminate at said second end portion of said lid fold line.

17. A carton blank as defined in claim 14, wherein said integral connection includes,

a gusset wall panel integral with each pair of adjacent side wall panels along two end fold lines extending from an associated corner point in angularly related relation with respect to one another from said corner point associated with said pair of adjacent fold lines with which said pair of adjacent side wall panels is integral;

said side wall panels foldable along said side fold lines in a uniform direction relative to said bottom wall panel into an erected position while each of said gusset wall panels being foldable along an associated angularly related end fold line in opposite directions with respect to said associated pair of adjacent side wall panels so as to bring each gusset wall panel into surface-to-surface abutting relation with an end portion of one of said associated pair of adjacent side wall panels defined by one of said associated two end fold lines; and

an adhesive operable to adhere each of said gusset wall portions in surface-to-surface abutting relation with said associated one side wall end portion to thereby form said sealed integral corners between each pair of adjacent side wall panels which is defined (1) exteriorly by said associated gusset wall panel adhesively adhered in abutting relation to said associated one side wall end portion with said associated one end fold line extending generally in a plane coincident with an interior surface of said associated one side panel from said associated corner point and (2) interiorly by another on said associated two end fold lines extending from a surface of said associated corner point generally along the interior surface of said associated one side wall panel.

18. A carton blank as defined in claim 14, wherein said integral connection includes,

a pair of gusset wall panels integral with each pair of adjacent side wall panels along three fold lines extending from an associated corner point in angularly related relation with respect to one another, wherein each set of three angularly related fold lines include a central gusset fold line integrally interconnecting an associated pair of gusset wall panels and two end fold lines integrally interconnecting each pair of adjacent side wall panels to an associated pair of gusset wall panels;

said side wall panels foldable in a uniform direction with respect to said bottom wall panel and each pair of gusset wall panels foldable together in surface-to-surface abutting relation along said central gusset fold line therebetween operable to enable said two end fold lines to be brought into a superposed relation and then folded together along said superposed end fold lines bringing one of two abutted together gusset wall panels into surface-to-surface engagement with one of said associated pair of side wall panels; and

an adhesive operable to adhere one of two abutted together gusset wall panels into said surface-to-surface engagement with one of said associated pair of side wall panels.

19. A container package comprising:

a tray formed of sheet material to include a bottom wall having a periphery from which side walls extend upwardly to form a closed peripheral wall structure around said periphery of said bottom wall so as to define a content-receiving tray space;

an edible product in said content-receiving tray-space suitable to be heated in an oven;

a lid mounted on said tray enclosing said edible product within said content-receiving tray space;

said lid having cuts therein defining a vent access section operable to be manually removed from said lid along a predetermined vent separation path in response to a manual venting procedure so as to expose a vent access opening to said interior of said container space, said vent access section including a grippable portion extending from an edge of said lid operable to be gripped as an initial step in said manual venting procedure,

said lid having cuts therein defining an eating access section operable to be manually separated along a predetermined eating access separation path in response to a predetermined manual eating access opening procedure so as to enable said eating access section to be manually moved to an access position during said manual eating access operating procedure, the exposure of said vent access opening exposing a portion of said eating access section communicating therewith operable to be gripped as an initial step in said manual eating access operating procedure.

20. A container package as defined in claim 19, wherein said vent access section defining cuts include a pair of generally parallel partial depth interior vent cuts in an interior side of said lid wall panel, and a pair of generally parallel partial depth exterior vent cuts in an exterior side of said lid wall panel, said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts disposed about a corner of said lid wall panel and interrelated such that said lid wall panel delaminates along two generally parallel delamination paths during said manual venting procedure thereby exposing said vent access opening, said delamination paths having edges defined by said exterior and interior pair of parallel vent cuts.

21. A container package as defined in claim 20, wherein said interior and exterior parallel vent cuts deviate from said generally parallel relation so as to define said grippable portion of said eating access section.

22. A container package as defined in claim 21, wherein said interior and exterior parallel vent cuts are disposed in an arc around said corner.